This article has been edited since it first appeared in print.
The interior of Avenue 805 (Photo courtesy Barry Pruitt)
A vessel for meals and memories, a restaurant building can hold many tales over the span of its lifetime. Whether you’re a born-and-bred Richmonder or a new addition to the city, join us at our table as we begin a multicourse history examining a handful of well-known establishments and their evolution through the years.
Cary Street circa 1950, with The Colonial Inn on the left (Photo courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch)
2809-2811 W. Cary St.
Present: Mom’s Siam (2000-present)
Past: The Colonial Inn (1929-72), The Lion’s Den (1973-74), Maykedah (1982), Eat and Run (circa 1983-85), Scuffles (1986-87), Christopher’s (1987-96), Lucy’s (1997-98), Stix Grille and Bar (1999)
When The Colonial Inn first opened in Carytown, an Esso gas station occupied the building of the current Sen Organic Small Plate, The Byrd Theatre was only a few years old, and across the street, the Carillon Theatre showed Westerns and serials. The Colonial Inn’s first managers, Pasquale D. and Erminia Modena, resided above their restaurant, and such was the case until 1952, when Chasie and Gladys Trafieri took over.
Longtime Richmonder Tom Driscoll describes the clientele at The Colonial Inn as “off-late/early-shift work, out of work and retired who congregated socially for a basic, inexpensive meal or a few cups of coffee or glasses of beer flavored with interesting conversation.”
The decor included pool tables and a few pinball machines. Living across the street at 104 S. Colonial as a child, Connie Rose recalls that she was prohibited from going to the restaurant alone, “even though they had an ice cream freezer with Dixie cups of ice cream.”
Mom’s Siam is located at the same address today. (Photo by Jay Paul)
By the 1960s, The Colonial Inn also fielded a competitive softball team. Longtime Carytown businessperson Jo Anne Draucker, the founder of Premiere Costumes and the annual Watermelon Festival, describes The Colonial Inn as “dark” and serving up big hamburgers stacked with all the fixings.
“It was more of a beer hangout,” she says. “When it was Eat and Run, [Rostov’s Coffee founder] Jay Rostov and I would often have Carytown [Merchants Association] meetings there.”
In 1972, after over five decades, The Colonial came to an end under the ownership of J.W. Atkinson Jr. and his wife, Marie. The Lion’s Den from proprietors Waverly and Margaret Elam came next, followed by a parade of varied dining experiences — perhaps the most notable of them being Christopher’s. Yes, there had been gay bars before in Richmond, both known and underground, but Christopher’s didn’t play coy about its boys. Then came Lucy’s, which served excellent brunches and featured live music, memorably bluesman and guitarist Terry Garland.
The revolving door of concepts finally came to a halt with the arrival of Sukanya Pala-art and her family, who have run the Thai eatery Mom’s Siam since 2000. —Harry Kollatz Jr.
805 N. Davis Ave.
Present: Gersi RVA (2019-present)
Past: The Hut (1962-97), Avenue 805 (1998-2013), The Betty on Davis (2014-17), Swan Dive (2018-19)
The Hut intimidated even former Richmond restaurateur Barry Pruitt. Its dark windows lit by the restaurant’s name spelled in neon, combined with glass-brick walls, reminded him of establishments back home in Indiana where men went for serious drinking. “You weren’t supposed to know what was going on in there,” he says of the smoky, dim bar.
The owner, former NASCAR driver Ernest Lloyd “Sonny” Hutchins (Grand National/Winston Cup Series, 1955-74), along with his former champion-boxer brother Carl Woodrow “Piggy” Hutchins and other family members, ran a brace of establishments back then, including Dino’s, The Tiki and the after-hours club Piggy’s Attaché.
The Hut wasn’t known for printing menus, but regulars tended to know the range of possibilities from the kitchen. In its heyday, The Hut served breakfast, lunch and dinner; beer was available, but no liquor.
Located across from Broad Street Station (pre-Science Museum of Virginia), the place filled up at unpredictable intervals when passengers found themselves with a few hours between trains. The decline of rail travel and Amtrak ceasing operations there in 1975 altered the character of nearby businesses dependent upon the traffic. Sonny continued The Hut, though, because he enjoyed his role behind the bar.
In 1998, Pruitt purchased the building from Hutchins and took to the arduous chore of overhauling the space before opening Avenue 805. He stayed with the business for about six months before selling to chef and restaurateur Andy Howell. Retaining the name, in 2007 805 (and, a few years later, its building) was purchased by Jeff and Sarah Baird. After another change in ownership, The Betty on Davis opened in 2014 from Luray and Cole Bucholtz and David Al-Attiyah. In 2018, Perly’s and former Black Sheep owner Kevin Roberts debuted the comfortably eclectic but short-lived French bistro Swan Dive. In 2019, Susannah Proctor, a Richmond native, and her husband, Gersi Memaga, opened the Italian-oriented Gersi, a second location to its sister outpost in Brooklyn, New York. —HK
Current 1501 W. Main St. tenant Beauvine Burger Concept (Photo courtesy Beauvine Burger Concept)
1501 W. Main St.
Present: Beauvine Burger Concept (2017-present)
Past: Bellytimber Tavern (2010-17), Border Chop House and Bar (2000-08), Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe (1982-99), The Dixie Inn (1955-80)
Matches from the Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe (File photo)
Originally The Dixie Inn, this historic Fan building is best known for housing one of Richmond’s most adored and legendary institutions, the Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe. With a tenancy that lasted 17 years, this raucous and beloved haunt was the brainchild of Texan Donna Van Winkle and artists and professors James Bradford and Joe Seipel (later dean of VCU’s School of the Arts), both Wisconsin boys.
“It was like working at the coolest place in town,” says Michele Jones, a nine-year employee of the cafe and herself the former co-owner of another celebrated bygone eatery, Comfort.
The Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe’s divey, eccentric nature attracted everyone from musicians to judges, and rockabilly and blues bands including Drive-By Truckers played for cash and unlimited PBR, while celebrities from Sean Lennon to 10,000 Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant made appearances. The interior was a collector’s trove of funky souvenirs ranging from a stuffed bobcat to a football helmet. Waitstaff wore Pleasant’s Hardware aprons, serving chalupas and the signature widow-maker chili.
“You either were there forever or didn’t last a month,” Jones says. “The joke used to be, ‘Where the beer is hot, and the waitresses are cold.’ They were hardcore. Not as hardcore as Mamma ‘Zu, but close.”
On the last day of service, Jones says it felt as if Richmond was losing a friend. With standing room only, memorabilia was auctioned off, and a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”
“It was one of those meeting places of the city at the time,” Jones says. “Everybody was treated the same, whether you were Natalie Merchant or a new freshman at VCU.”
After diners wiped away their tears, in came the Border Chop House and Bar from up-and-coming powerhouse restaurateurs Johnny and Katrina Giavos, along with chef, partner and former Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe kitchen staffer Dave Bender. The menu was meat-heavy and included items such as The Dixie Inn, pork chops served with mashed potatoes and gravy, that paid homage to the past.
Patrick Stamper and Randy O’Dell — former owners of Mezzanine and current owners of En Su Boca — would take over the space in 2010, introducing Bellytimber Tavern, known for its wood-fired pizza and build-your-own bloody mary bar for brunch. The duo would eventually close Bellytimber and make serious interior renovations before introducing Beauvine Burger Concept in in 2018, serving boozy milkshakes and duck-fat fries. —Eileen Mellon
2329 W. Main St.
Present: Lady N’awlins Cajun Café (2011-present)
Past: The Dougout (1975), Jean’s (1976-85), Step Down Raw Bar (1992-94), Stafford Street Station (1994-96), The White Dog (2000-10), Friend or Pho (2010)
“That building looks like a Mississippi steamboat,” says Jake Crocker, owner of Lady N’awlins. “I’ll go Cajun with that thing.”
Serving as a cleaner’s for 30 years, followed by a radio repair shop and a real estate office, the jaunty corner building welcomed the Step Down Raw Bar in 1992 after a long vacancy. Arguing with itself, the aisle divided sports-watching patrons at the bar from diners ordering seafood. Following the Step Down’s shuttering, Stafford Street Station opened with old railway and streetcar decor.
In 2000, busy Richmond restaurateur Barry Pruitt bought the building and named the resulting eatery The White Dog, in part for his beige terrier mutt, Max.
“The Dog’s 47-seat corner spot with its step-down entrance was cozy and a bit disjointed,” wrote Deveron Timberlake for Style Weekly, “but with chef Beverly Juniper at the stove and Pruitt tending bar, it was a modest success with a steady customer base.”
On Dec. 22, 2009, Pruitt realized that the ever-reliable Juniper hadn’t come from her upstairs apartment for her shift. He called her. No answer. Concerned, he went to the door, knocked without result and finally used his key. An aneurysm had claimed her at 45. After that, Pruitt’s enthusiasm waned, and he sought a buyer.
The Asian gastropub Friend or Pho followed. With businesses already on nearby corners (the now-shuttered F.W. Sullivan’s and Uptown Deli), Crocker spotted the owner of Friend or Pho pacing. On impulse, Crocker approached him, and within minutes they had reached a sales agreement. The concept was flipped in a week and a half.
Lady N’awlins set sail, in economic weathers fair and foul, with the stylized logo of “The Lady” mural created and repainted by Christian Detres. Highlights have included an apparent quick late-night visit by Stephen Spielberg during the “Lincoln” filming and an occasion when something or someone at Booth No. 2 sent glassware crashing — what’s an old restaurant worth its salt without a little paranormal activity? —HK
