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Photo by Jay Paul
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Photo by Jay Paul
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Photo by Jay Paul
There's something about a fern bar: the comfortable neighborhood spot where everybody knows your name; the approachable menu; a welcoming atmosphere — specially designed, in fact, to welcome women, who were often ostracized from bars and boys' clubs throughout the '70s and '80s — and, for better or worse, the predecessor to international chains like Applebee's and T.G.I. Friday's. Restaurateur Kendra Feather remembers the classic American fern bar, with its hanging Tiffany lamps and pleasant greenery, and she's bringing it back.
Of course you'll find no Tiffany glass or heavy brass accents in Laura Lee's when the restaurant opens this evening in Forest Hill; the décor skews modern and bright. The rolling garage door, which formerly opened up the dining room of White Horse Tavern, provides natural light and a view of busy Semmes Avenue. You will find ferns, however, as well as a cocktail menu that's merely inspired by a stereotypical fern bar's drink list. Instead of neon-hewed sugar bombs, however, expect more balanced takes on flirty classics, such as the Glass Ceiling (an interpretation of a Lemon Drop built with vodka, lemon, lavender and a mezcal rinse).
“For working women going to the city to make their way, it was the advent of having a neighborhood place on the corner with American food and casual dining and a place you could get a drink," Feather says. "I love the idea of it; I love all the plants involved. I like to say it’s a modern reinterpretation. It was an inspiration point.”
Of course Laura Lee's — named after Feather's mother — is just as welcoming for all as the restaurateur's other ventures: beloved Richmond staples The Roosevelt, Garnett's Café, Ipanema and the Church Hill location of WPA Bakery. The cuisine, whipped up by chef Josh Loeb, Feather's brother-in-law, fills a menu with more fun: a foie-butter PB&J; hasselback potatoes with crème fraîche; "tunafish 'n' chips," a battered, pub-inspired take on ahi tuna. Other highlights include Chesapeake blue crab with heirloom corn cakes, sweet corn and chow chow; an artful bridge of shrimp toast featuring green beans, saffron and potato purée; and New York strip steak with mushroom grits, garlicky collards and mustard butter, with entrées ranging from $13 to $19 and small plates currently set between $6 and $12. And for the future, Feather's already got brunch and lunch service in mind — plus a back patio that's currently being designed and hand-laid by Loeb's wife, a landscape architect; a true family affair.
For now, find dinner beginning Tuesday through Sunday at 5 p.m. in the cozy dining space, which seats roughly 50, and cocktails in the bar, which holds roughly 20 and begins serving at 4 p.m.
“I really loved the space and I love the neighborhood, and I love neighborhood places," Feather says. "That appeals to me more than anything. All of us who live in the city know the value of our neighborhood place and what it means to you.”
Laura Lee's is located at 3410 Semmes Ave. and opens Sept. 13, beginning with bar service at 4 p.m. and dinner at 5 p.m.
