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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Bourdain wows Fredericksburg audience with Medium Raw, well done.

Posted by on Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Anthony Bourdain knows he's got the best job in the world.

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Conch Republic Rocketts, a new Key West-themed cafe, breaks ground Monday.

Posted by on Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Quite a number of local owners and chefs have talked about starting a new restaurant at Rocketts Landing. Most of those projects fizzled, but now one's apparently got staying power. Bob Cox, owner of Metro Grill and Curbside CafAc, is getting a sweetheart deal to open Conch Republic Rocketts at the urban community next year. He'll operate the business in their brand new building.

A ground-breaking for the hillside project just east of The Boathouse restaurant is set for Monday. The building, designed by H&A Architects and Engineers, is a 6,000 square foot hillside contemporary with industrial elements. Its notable feature is a 2,000 square foot deck looking over the James River and the boat slips at Rocketts, beckoning business from the water and the city. It will serve lunch, dinner and brunch with entrees averaging $16, Cox says.

The restaurant will seat about 220 people in a “fun, laid-back, very unpretentious, very casual Old Key West style cafAc and bar,” Cox says. The 49-year old attorney-turned-restaurateur spends at least one vacation a year in the Keys, and has been in talks with the Rocketts owners for more than a year about this concept.  

Conch Republic is named after an uprising of Key West residents who seceded from the U.S. to protest heavy-handed border patrols in 1982. Now they celebrate independence day every April 23. Cox expects to celebrate those renegades here as well, once construction is finished next spring.

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Xtra's Cafe open in Carytown. Check the balcony.

Posted by on Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Xtra Moore, a well-known local bartender, finally gets her own place and the crowds to go with it. Xtra's Cafe, poised above Bangles & Beads at 3322 B W. Cary St., brings a curving balcony to the street with room for a dozen patrons who can smoke there after dinner. Inside, the bright space seats about 80, with a Mediterranean-meets-West Coast menu of small plates such as a savory creme brulee, a mozzarella poutine with chicken gravy, hearty salads and house-made desserts. Ten taps, an under-$10 wine list, cocktails and cheerful service are the draws. The business is open daily from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., a rare late-night option in Carytown. 355-0446.
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Deveron Timberlake

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Switch-up at LuLu's in Shockoe Bottom.

Posted by on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Millie's Diner owner Paul Keevil has taken over operations at the Shockoe Bottom spin-off LuLu's;  former partner Steve Jurina is no longer involved at the restaurant.
Tweaks to the menu, cocktail and wine lists and service team are taking effect over the next few days, says new general manager Kirsten Hansen, who returns to Richmond after stints as a wine rep and at Greens in San Francisco. Here, she's bringing wines "with the best bang for the buck, as little mark-up as possible," she says. "I want to get people excited about wine and the lesser-knowns as well as the familiar."  Hansen notes Richmond's increasing interest in learning more and tasting more wines and hopes to capture that through a list mostly in the $25- 44 range.
Fancy snacks at the bar will bring something different to weeknight happy hours, including sausage-stuffed fried olives, bacon-wrapped dates and truffled popcorn. Dinner entrees new to the comfort-food menu will include seared duck breast with wild mushroom hash and a fig glaze, and house-made goat cheese tortellini with mussels in spicy tomato sauce.
Small changes to the industrial decor "will make it more cohesive," Hansen says. See Style Weekly for more details. 

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Positive Vibe Express now open downtown.

Posted by on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Chef Frits Huntjens is overseeing the new counter-service business Positive Vibe Express, now open in the lobby of the Library of Virginia at 800 E. Broad St. He's making sure breakfast and lunch dishes are something special, from fresh herbs and local ingredients to enticing new recipes for salad and sandwich basics.
The chicken salad has a touch of curry, apricots, raisins and pineapple. The crab and corn cakes with remoulade are topped with local microgreens. Hot breakfast includes scrambled eggs and sausage. Best of all, the business supports two non-profit missions -- the library's and the Vibe's training program. Business continues to be strong at the Vibe's mothership location in Stratford Hills, where Huntjens' contributions are paying off handsomely in food quality and interest.
Positive Vibe Express is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.  See details in Style Weekly.

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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Friend or Pho coming to former White Dog spot.

Posted by on Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 4:00 AM

An Asian gastropub called Friend or Pho is coming to the former White Dog location at 2329 W. Main St.  New owner Robert Kaplan of Lucky Buddha hopes to open the business soon, serving Vietnamese, Korean and Thai-influenced food, with 20 beers on tap, several specialty bottled beers and an extensive wine list. It will operate daily from 11 a.m until 2 a.m. Watch Style Weekly for details.

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New downtown cafe, Ettamae's, bucks the trendy-food thing.

Posted by on Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 4:00 AM

Now serving in Jackson Ward, a new breakfast and lunch spot -- Ettamae's Cafe -- goes back to basics and avoids the crazy food trendiness that some find hard to stomach.
Owners Laura Morand Bailey (former manager of Byrd House Market) and her brother, chef Matthew Morand (2300 Club, Du Jour, NYC stints) have opened a "morning joint" in the Brooklyn tradition, serving house-made corned beef, vegetarian eggs Benedict, blueberry French toast, and assorted pastries and Blanchard's coffee, in addition to daily specials and a list of sandwiches.
Find them at 2nd St. between Clay and Leigh in the former On Rye deli and DoSe Cafe space. Open Monday through Saturday. 888-8058. ettamaescafe.com.  Read more in Style Weekly.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Travel Channel viewing party tonight at Caliente.

Posted by on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 4:00 AM

All the TVs at Caliente in the museum district will be tuned to the Travel Channel tonight, as Adam Richman's popular show Man v. Food does the local food circuit. Richman took Caliente's Stupid Wings Challenge (and reportedly disappeared for the rest of the evening), and also ate a battleship sandwich at The Black Sheep in Carver and ribs at Buz ' Ned's Real BBQ on the Boulevard, in a recent taping. The show airs tonight at 9, again putting Richmond on the national food map and offering bragging rights to these local restaurants.

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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Under Construction

Posted by on Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 4:00 AM

Coming Soon.

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