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Pasta amatriciana with salty cured pork, sweet tomatoes, onion and crushed red pepper from Uliveto, now open in the former Secco Wine Bar space at 325 N. Robinson St.
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Owners of Gersi and Uliveto, Susannah Proctor and Gersi Memaga
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Clams grilled with Calabrian chiles and breadcrumbs
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Roasted garlic bruschetta
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The dining area inside Uliveto
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Leek, robiola and pancetta bruschetta
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Gnocchi Genovese with pesto, thinly sliced potatoes and green beans
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Trilece, an Eastern European take on tres leches cake
Gersi Memaga and Susannah Proctor have a thing for neighborhood restaurants — cozy spots that attract regulars, seem embedded in the scenery of a city and, simply put, feel natural and easy.
The couple’s portfolio includes their first restaurant, Gersi, opened in 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. After moving to Proctor’s native Richmond a few years later, they introduced a second location of Gersi at 805 N. Davis Ave., once home to The Betty on Davis and Swan Dive. And now, they are back for thirds. Italian for “olive grove,” Uliveto softly opened its doors last weekend at 325 N. Robinson St.
Earlier this year, on a drive back to Richmond while bouncing between the two Gersi outposts, Memaga received a “coincidental” call from seasoned local restaurateur Johnny Giavos.
“He said, ‘There’s a space coming up. I’m looking at it, but I don’t want to change it; it should stay a restaurant,’ ” Memaga recalls.
On his way back to town, Memaga swung by the space in question: the former Secco Wine Bar, which shuttered in April, the building owned by developer Charlie Diradour. On the way home to his family after the viewing, he began envisioning how he and his wife would unveil their next restaurant.
The foundation for Uliveto is rooted in family, the name a nod to Memaga’s olive farm in Tirana in his native Albania, planted a dozen years ago with his parents and brother.
Memaga says that while the sister eateries stand on their own — with more Mediterranean dishes beyond Italian on the menu at Uliveto — less than a half-mile from their first pasta-centric Richmond restaurant on Davis Street, guests may detect a continuity between the two concepts.
“We’re keeping the same feeling behind the kitchen: simple, rustic, and one ingredient is the main one, while others complement it,” he says.
Helming the kitchen is Executive Chef Elias Giron, a New York transplant who previously worked at the Gersi location in Brooklyn before relocating to Richmond. Inside the space, soft lights, mini chandeliers and a few paintings on the walls add a hint of elegance, while Gersi’s signature mismatched plates and paper menus exude a laid-back charm.
Once seated, diners are greeted with housemade olive-studded focaccia. Starters include keftedes, grilled meatballs with mint, parsley and tzatiki; a fennel and celery salad; one-bite baked clams dusted with breadcrumbs and Calabrian chiles; and a variety of bruschetta including robiola, grilled leek and pancetta and a classic offering with whole roasted chunks of garlic and black sea salt.
Mains range from veal scaloppini and whole fish to pasta amatriciana with salty cured pork, sweet tomatoes and crushed red pepper. A menu of specials features gnocchi Genovese with pesto, thinly sliced potatoes, chunks of garlic and handmade pillows of pasta; cacio e pepe; linguine with clams; and orecchiette with broccoli rabe and Italian sausage.
Among the desserts are vanilla or hazelnut panna cotta, tiramisu, and trilece, a spongier Balkan version of the Latin American tres leches cake with an added layer of caramel.
Seating 130 on their soft opening night, Memaga and Proctor say they have been greeted with a warm welcome.
“We’re super excited and happy everyone took us on the way they did,” Proctor says. “I was nervous because we are so close to the other space, but everybody, especially [those who live in] the neighborhood, they love to have little bustling place that is walkable.”
While called Uliveto, the business is listed under the LLC Lavender Chef, a dedication to Proctor’s late mother, who died in 2020. A onetime chef, she operated a restaurant called Gerry’s when Proctor was young, and later a catering company.
“We really missed her this time around,” Proctor says. “Gersi came home one day with the paperwork for [Uliveto], and her name was on it, which was really sweet because it kind of made me feel like, OK, she’s here.”
Proctor’s mother also owned a farm with lavender bushes dotted along the property, hence the nickname. She says this idea of carrying on and respecting tradition is exemplified throughout the concept, as well as the couple’s connection to cooking and family.
“Our families are very different, we come from very different cultures, we come from different countries,” Proctor says, “but our foundation is hard work and good food and fresh food and the farm life. That’s what [Uliveto] means to me, and I think Gersi agrees with that as well.”
Uliveto is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., with brunch service planned in the future.
