It’s a blow to the West End: Maya Mexican Grill & Tequila Lounge announced on Facebook that it isn’t going to renew its lease at Short Pump Towne Center. Fortunately, the downtown location at 525 E. Grace St. still will give Richmonders the opportunity to enjoy chef and owner Maria Oseguera’s inspired Mexican fare.
It’s a prime spot and Ellwood Tompson’s Local Market locked it down. Come this spring, if you start to feel hunger pangs while tooling around the new Institute for Contemporary Art, the grocery store will have a cafe along the lines of its Create Bar for that. Vegans, vegetarians and I-eat-any-food types will all have something from which to choose.
I was driving down West Cary Street yesterday and almost ran into the car stopping in front of me when I noticed the big, beautiful new Olio sitting on the corner of Cary and Rowland streets right around the corner from its original location on West Main Street. It’s founder, Jason Savedoff, sold the naming rights for the business to Todd Butler and Chad Thompson last year.
Matt Kirwan, former Sous Chef at Rogue Gentlemen, is set to unlock the doors of the Shaved Duck in Midlothian, reports Richmond magazine. Its grand opening is on Oct. 13.
Rolled ice cream? I guess that since I’m so Sweet 95 and Gelati Celesti focused, this trend was off my radar. Richmond BizSense reports that Cold Platform in Short Pump is offering what is sometimes called Thai ice cream: “Cold Platform’s ice cream is made by pouring a base liquid – chocolate or vanilla – onto a surface chilled to less than 0 degrees. Toppings are chopped up and mixed in while the ice cream hardens, after which it’s spread out and scraped into rolls.” I really think that says it all, don’t you?
Michael Ng doesn’t let Second Street languish. BoDillaz at 321 N. Second St. closed at the end of the summer and now a Caribbean restaurant, the Pot, is ensconced in the space that Ng owns. It serves dishes such as curry chicken and jerk goat, reports BizSense.
Merroir, owned by Ryan and Travis Croxton of Rappahannock and Rapp Session, was named the most popular restaurant in Virginia by Zagat and People magazine.
We’re smack dab in the middle of Henrico Restaurant Week, and I suggest you get out there, Richmond. A two-course lunch is either $10 or $15, and three-course dinners can be $20, $25 or $30. The week benefits the Henrico Christmas Mother program — it’ll receive $1 for each lunch and $2 for each dinner. You can check out India K’Raja, the Melting Pot or Deep Run Roadhouse, plus six other restaurants. Reservations, the website says, are strongly recommended.
