Portrait House opens, Jean-Jacques Bakery does brunch, and patios cometh

Carytown is about to get another dining option, WPA Bakery gets back on the doughnut train, and summer is looking good if you like to eat on sidewalk patios.

April 25, 2013; 7:44 AM • by RVANews staff

We all love a good patio option when dining out in the summer. Thanks to City Council passing new guidelines for sidewalk cafes back in November, our patio list will soon grow. Restaurants can now pay a $150 annual fee to have an outdoor dining space. Pasture is the first to take advantage of the new sidewalk cafe rules, with Bistro 27 and The Camel soon to follow. The City wants to make the review process as easy and efficient for restaurants as possible, and will try to limit the process to just 10 days.

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According to Richmond.com, Portrait House will have their soft opening this Thursday. The menu includes sliders, burgers, and pizzas around $10 each. There are 24 taps of craft beer available in small or large glasses, and it’ll be open daily for lunch and dinner. This is Hamooda Shami’s third Carytown restaurant. He also owns New York Deli and Don’t Look Back, each located on the very same block as Portrait House.

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This past Sunday, WPA Bakery started selling doughnuts and boy, oh boy! was it a success! Between 600 to 700 doughnuts were sold–about 300 of those were gone before 8:00 AM. Co-owner David Rohrer plans to do it again this Sunday, but will make some adjustments to meet Richmond’s growing doughnut demand. Pro tip: set and alarm and get there early. Gluten-free and vegan varieties will again be available.

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According to Style Weekly, Jean-Jacques Bakery will now offer a European-style brunch on weekends. You can get your fill of waffles, crepes, omelets, souffles, and more on Saturdays from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, and Sundays from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM. If brunch isn’t your jam, the lunch menu will still be available.

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Don’t forget we’re in the middle of Restaurant Week! If you haven’t had a chance to dine out, you have until Sunday to choose from one (or more) of the participating restaurants, which RVANews has conveniently organized for your menu-stalking pleasure. Here’s how it works: each restaurant puts together a prix fixe menu with three courses. You pay $25.13 for your three-course meal, and $2.13 is donated to Feedmore. Add up all that change, and you get an average of $25,000 donated to Central Virginia’s leading anti-hunger organization. Restaurant Week ends Sunday!

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Speaking of menus, if you’re interested in checking out the newly opened Dinamo, here’s a look at their dinner menu. Keep in mind that menu items are likely to change on the regular.

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And yes, The Republic is still closed.

photo by Gamma Man