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The Jasper team, left to right: Brandon Peck, bar manager; Jeremy Wilson, food and wine director; Kevin Liu, owner; T. Leggett, owner; and Mattias Hagglund, owner (Photo by Jay Paul)
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Inside The Jasper at 3113 W. Cary St. (Photo by Jay Paul)
RVADine has its first high-profile opening, a “rumor” that is rumor no more, a little Southern cooking moves west, and a tax conundrum for restaurant owners. All that and 72 hours of plant madness is what’s on tap for the city this week.
Let It Begin
2018 is looking to be an exciting year for RVADine, with many high-profile restaurants slated to open this spring, and it looks like we have the first one out of the gate: The Jasper. ABC license in hand, this tipple-driven venture, named after legendary Quoit Club bartender Jasper Crouch, is headed by Mattias Hagglund, Thomas Leggett, and Kevin Liu. Look for the drinks to start flowing this Tuesday, Jan. 30, in the old Carey Burke Carpets space in Carytown.
Another opening set for early March in Shockoe Bottom is the breakfast and lunch spot Root Stock Provisions, from the team behind Postbellum and Station 2.
Garlic in the Church Hill Air Soon
The city has conducted inspections for a new 8 1/2 in the old Stroop’s space in Church Hill as recently as Jan. 24, according to city records. No word on the actual opening date, but it looks like Church-Hillians won’t have to wait much longer to sate that craving for carbonara. A final certificate of occupancy is pending.
An Extra Spoon
Spoonbread Bistro, the French- and Southern-inspired restaurant by Chef Michael Hall, is about to land in Short Pump. The second edition of his successful Fan eatery is slated to open in the old Patina Grill space in the Shops at Wellesley. Which leads us to the important question: When?
Hall says there’s a lot of work to be done. He wants to open up the space, remove the center barriers, add a couple of garage doors to open up the dining room and move the front door to create a space for cocktails. There are even plans to wrap the porch around the side of the building for outdoor dining and drinking — assuming the landlord approves such an addition.
Apart from the space, much will be familiar to fans of the Fan location. Copper silverware. Big glasses. Many of the most popular dishes, such his crab cakes and braised short ribs, will anchor the menu in the West End. The larger kitchen, though, will give Hall the space to experiment more and roll out dishes such stuffed oysters and even a real throwback dish — a Carpetbagger (an oyster-stuffed steak).
The timeline for all this is audacious. Hall is looking to open those garage doors in late April.
An Awful Expansion
Just down the road, an old RVADine powerhouse is expanding its footprint. Awful Arthur’s, a 1990s seafood favorite that later receded, is taking over the old Union Table & Tap in Gleneagles Shopping Center. No opening date has been announced. (Richmond BizSense)
The Cash Register Is Open
Little Nickel opened for lunch service this week. They’ll be open for lunch Monday through Friday the next couple of weeks and plan to roll out dinner service on Friday, Feb. 9. Flaming pu-pu platters for everyone!
A Taxing Issue
After news broke Monday that Mayor Levar Stoney was considering raising the meals tax to help pay for fixing the city’s crumbling schools, some restaurateurs, especially those who also live in the city, were conflicted.
Amanda Lucy, who co-owns Lucy’s in Jackson Ward along with her chef/husband Jason, says that restaurants have already been asked to do enough and that “it’s someone else’s turn” to help pick up the tab. As a city resident, however, she sees the tax hike as necessary as long as there is proper accountability and oversight — “misused money won’t fix any problems.”
Kendra Feather, owner several local restaurants including Ipanema and Laura Lee’s, is a little more stoic. She hopes the impact will be minimal and says, “It’s good to see our schools getting more support. I’m not sure there are many other alternatives.”
For other restaurateurs, this news wasn’t really a surprise. John Maher, popping his head up from the extensive restoration work at water-damaged The Rogue Gentlemen, shares that he was part of a group of restaurateurs who met with the mayor last fall and were told of the impending plan. While not thrilled, “we understood his reasoning,” Maher says. They were told that, in exchange for the increase, there would be “some kind of concessions” to make operating restaurants in the city more appealing. Sadly, Maher says, the concessions weren’t part of the announcement by the mayor’s office.
Another group of restaurateurs has formed to fight the tax increase, working under the name the Richmond Restaurant Alliance, RVA Mag reports.
V72 Touches Down in RVA
Seventy-two hours of vegan madness starts today. Look for vegan menus and events all over town to help you eat cleaner in 2018. Attend four or more events and get a coupon for a free doughnut from Sugar Shack. Probably not the bacon one, though.
Join Us for a Celebration of #RVADine
The seventh annual Elby Dining Awards take place on Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Train Shed at Main Street Station. We're switching things up this year with a new format, video highlights and surprise presenters. Net proceeds will benefit three food-related nonprofit organizations, and there will be pre- and post-awards parties. Join us for this festive evening celebrating the region's dining community. For tickets, visit richmondmag.com/elbys (save $28 through Feb. 2 with the promo code DINE).
Quick Bites
- Vegan Black Metal Chef, Strange Matter (Jan. 26) — The Vegan Black Metal Chef comes in from Los Angeles to perform a live cooking ritual.
- All Vegan Beer School, Champion Brewing (Jan. 27) — Beer tasting and vegan treats to benefit FeedMore
- Boozin’ In Your Onesie, Elite Bar Crawls (Jan. 27) — Got a onesie? Like to drink? Then this is the crawl for you.
- Byrd House Rooftop Pop-Up (Jan. 27) — Burgers and beer on the top floor, plus ice cream sandwiches from Nightingale
- Wine & Donuts, James River Cellars Winery (Jan. 28) — Doughnuts and day drinking
- Braune’s Hoagie House, The Cask (Jan. 29) — Sandwiches and beer from Mike Braune of The Roosevelt
- Meatball Mondays, Pupatella RVA (Jan. 29) — $1 meatballs (limit four) starts this Monday and will repeat weekly.
- Mini Wine Dinner, the bar at Acacia Mid-town (Jan. 31) — Three-course Pacific Northwest-themed wine dinner with Harry Tatian of First Run Wine
News From Beyond
But Can You Eat It?
With its wild price fluctuations, nearly everyone has heard too much about Bitcoin of late. Turns out it isn’t the only cryptocurrency game in town. Now there’s a digital currency that is pegged to price of a kilo of bananas, named … bananacoin. No word on whether it is good with peanut butter on toast. (Vice/Munchies)
It’s Like The Oregon Trail Game, But Real
Food trends run the gamut, from seriously practical to dangerously nonsensical. The latest is the latter: raw water. Jumping on the chemical-free bandwagon, a number of companies have started marketing untreated water as the key to wellness. However, if the price doesn’t get you ($35 for 2.5 gallons), the pathogens in the unfiltered stream water just might. Of course, then you could get the “You Have Died of Dysentery” screenshot on your tombstone. (Vox)
