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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Chefs Joe Sparatta, left, and Lee Gregory
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The fried chicken bánh mì, an upcoming special that's always available for private events, featuring buttermilk fried chicken, chicken liver mousse, mustard seed, cilantro, and house-pickled carrot and onion
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Southbound's private event space
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
One of Southbound's seasonal cocktails: Eagle Rare Bourbon, Punt e Mes vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino, Angostura bitters
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
One of Southbound's seasonal cocktails; Medjool-date-infused vodka with spiced ginger and lemon, with a splash of soda water
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Photo by Stephanie Breijo
"All the reclaimed wood," Joe Sparatta begins — "That's actually part of Noah's ark," finishes Lee Gregory.
We are standing in the center of the chefs' new joint venture, the feverishly anticipated restaurant Southbound in Stony Point. The two chefs are in good spirits, both emotionally and physically; their ABC license walked through the door just before I did, a mere 30 minutes prior to the restaurant's first private event. It was the final piece of Southbound's puzzle, in at the 11th hour, but finally allowing the team to stock the bar and prepare for Tuesday's opening.
"I think on Wednesday it'll be a weight [lifted], after one day of full service. If that liquor license is legit like it seems to be, then yeah, that's a big weight," laughs Sparatta. "The city stuff has been definitely a little challenging, but we did still hit our target."
That target seemed to be more of the moving variety, with the spot's opening date pushed from its original early-fall projection, but here, in mid-November, the restaurant is ready and practically glowing in soft yellow light. Come Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m., guests can finally visit the 149-seat space, complete with a 30-seat patio, a private dining room, an open kitchen, and beautiful reclaimed barn wood gracing walls, benches and the restaurant's show-stopping bar.
This interior was, the chefs note, a family affair. Sparatta's mother- and father-in-law designed the space, sourcing as much local material as possible. Dotting the walls, you'll see custom murals and paintings created for the restaurant by Richmond's Ed Trask, bringing the city to Bon Air.
Sparatta and Gregory, who will be splitting time between Heritage and The Roosevelt, respectively, stress that collaboration is at the heart of Southbound's menu and ethos.
"It's been a 33-33-33 split," Sparatta says. "Craig Perkinson [Southbound's chef de cuisine, formerly of Heritage], myself and Lee sat down and just talked about food we could envision for the space, and for this area, and things that made sense, and stuff we like to eat, and that's what it came down to. It's a really good split between all of us, and I think the menu's always going to kind of revolve that way. And if our sous chefs and other people have other interesting ideas for the space, I'm sure those can be implemented as well. It's a very collaborative kitchen."
As it stands, the menu offers mussels, sandwiches, house-made pasta and entrées, with daily specials.
"We want you to be able to come once a week and eat a sandwich once, and an entrée the next week, and cocktails the next week," says Gregory. "That's what we want to be: an everyday neighborhood restaurant."
Southbound is located at 3036 Stony Point Road in the Stony Point Shopping Center, and opens for dinner at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 25. For large parties or private events, email events@southboundrva.com.
