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Hot dogs are a highlight on the Black Lodge menu, including this Chicago-style version featuring buns from Lyon Bakery in Maryland. (Photo courtesy Brittanny Anderson)
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Black Lodge will now operate as a bar offering food and late-night hot dogs. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A Russian dog topped with pickled beef relish, hard-boiled egg and caviar (Photo courtesy Brittanny Anderson)
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The beer list at Black Lodge (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Black Lodge is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight at 3200 Rockbridge St. in Scott's Addition. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A cozy seating area at Black Lodge (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The back of Black Lodge features a lounge space. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
When Brenner Pass Beverage Director James Kohler was mapping out ideas for his dream bar, there was one box in particular he was looking to check: “My first thing was, I want to have hot dogs late-night,” he says.
And while hot dogs, "Bud Heavy" and TVs mounted behind the bar may not be what come to mind when one thinks of the acclaimed Alpine restaurant in Scott's Addition, at adjacent Black Lodge, all three have been embraced.
Previously operating as the cafe Chairlift, in January the space transformed into an all-day cafe and takeout venture. Ten months later, it has evolved yet again, officially debuting Wednesday and, while keeping the name Black Lodge, reintroducing itself as a neighborhood bar complete with old-school domestic brews and, yes, late-night dogs.
“I think we were going to hurt ourselves in the short term trying to differentiate what Chairlift was to what Black Lodge was,” Kohler says. “This is a total shakeup. ... We didn’t set out to create a whole new business, but [that] ended up being where we went.”
With freshly painted black walls that turn it into a cavernous dungeon at night; a swanky lounge area; and a painted "Twin Peaks" reference,“Fire Walk With Me,” that can only be read when looking in a mirror, the space is a hip blend of casual and cool.
The regional focus at Brenner Pass and sister restaurant Metzger Bar & Butchery has been cast aside at Black Lodge. “There are no rules over here," Kohler says.
"It's fun for us to play around and not take it so seriously,” he adds, using the word "fun" often when discussing the new venture.
This marks the first time Kohler has listed Budweiser on a drink menu. In an attempt to establish itself as a watering hole that can be frequented regularly, everything at Black Lodge, from price points — with almost all cocktails between $8 and $10 — to drink offerings — from Coors Banquet to The Veil Brewing Co.’s Brenner Pass House Beer — is meant to be more approachable.
“The intention is this is the place you can come every day,” Kohler says, noting that the hope is that Black Lodge becomes a refuge for dining industry workers and also attracts new clientele. “It’s our new clubhouse. This is where you could come with friends after work and just relax and not feel like you’re necessarily in a restaurant.”
The concept is also about using what they have: an enormous bar that has yet to reach its full potential, in addition to a squad of talented and eager bartenders and, another must, comfy bar chairs.
Joining Kohler is Brenner Pass Bar Manager Shannon Hood and Justin Ayotte, previously of Saison — all three previously worked together at the Jackson Ward restaurant — along with Steve Yang, formerly of Tavola in Charlottesville.
Cocktails at Black Lodge include The Damn Fine Cosmo — with a description that reads, “It’s like if 'Sex in the City' in 2021 still had a Samantha” — and a spin on a boilermaker made with George Dickel bourbon, ginger ale and High Life, plus classics such as a Paloma or a daiquiri, because, “sometimes you just want a nice daiquiri."
Imbibers can also enjoy caviar and shot pairings from vodka and sturgeon to bourbon and smoked trout or gin and paddlefish. Wine is moderately priced, and Kohler says there is no corkage fee so that guests can feel free to pop a bottle and share with a friend, and there are plenty of to-go drink options from batched cocktails to beer.
And, in true Brenner Pass fashion, fondue makes an appearance on the food menu. A collection of bar food-inspired small plates and shareable dishes, sandwiches and hot dogs, food items range from an iceberg salad and chicken wings to a patty melt with Gruyere, a coconut curry lobster roll and a vegetarian maitake Philly. On the hot dog menu: an Alpine dog topped with fondue, fried onions, whole-grain mustard and a cornichon; a Chicago-style version with yellow mustard, sport peppers, green relish and celery seed; and a Russian dog, served with pickled beet relish, hard-boiled egg and caviar.
“This is something fresh and fun, … and that has been the whole point of it,” says Brittanny Anderson, chef and co-owner. “After COVID, which was pointedly un-fun, we just want to make a space that we like being in that’s fun, and [where people] can feel comfortable and happy.”
The space will also allow them to host events, and Kohler says there are plans for low-key DJ nights, while Anderson has a handful of pop-ups on the calendar, the first of which is on Halloween.
On Oct. 31, Los Angeles-based chef Jeffrey Vance, owner of Sicilian-style pizza pop-up Old Gold Tomato Pies, will head to Richmond for a night dedicated to ’za. Chefs Byron Gomez and Jamie Tran will be joining fellow "Top Chef" contestant Anderson for an event in November, on a date to be determined.
“I think people are hungry for events right now and want to come and try new things and meet new people," Anderson says. "If we can bring it to them, that's the goal.”
Black Lodge is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight, with extended hours coming in the future.
