Restaurant openings and closings in January 2016

They come, they go, they fill us with pizza and doughnuts, they roll us out the door. Boulevard Burger and Brew takes the buzz award this month, with Hibachi Box in hot pursuit.

February 4, 2016; 3:11 PM • by Susan Howson

Urban Farmhouse on Semmes

Get your favorite sandwiches, iced tea (my personal fave), cookies, and whatnot at the newest in the family of Urban Farmhouses. May it become as ubiquitous as Starbucks, for all I care. It’s a good place to chill, drink coffee, feed your kid a bagel, feed yourself some vegan gummi bears (way better than they sound, and way better than traditional gummi bears), and forget about life for a bit.

See how it stacks up to its brethren, and visit it at 1200 Semmes Avenue.

Duck Donuts in Short Pump

Despite their insistence on spelling “doughnut” in a way that is clearly inferior to the real spelling, we’re a fan of almost any incarnation of these delicious pastries. Let the doughnut war wage on! And listen up, Duck Donuts…feel free to bring us some samples so that we can decide which ones we like best!

Read more about the Duck Donuts Short Pump opening, and go give them a visit at 2437 Old Brick Road.

Hibachi Box

VCU students, Village diners, and fans of the upstairs Edo’s Squid have been staring at Hibachi Box in the former Stuffy’s space on 411 N. Harrison Street for what seems like a decade. That thing took as long to open as Can Can did back in the Aughts–no? You don’t remember that being an endless amount of time to wait for our crusty breads and zinc countertop hangs? Now you can get your Japanese-inspired cuisine and stop pressing your nose to their window. That’s just rude.

Boulevard Burger and Brew

For some reason, everyone I know talks about BB&B at least 40 times weekly–looks like Richmond was super ripe for the burgering. They’re committed to good responsible beef from Creek Stone Farms, but honestly, I’ve heard more about the fries. Is Richmond ripe for the fry-ing?

And as of this week, they’ve got lunch service! Get it at 1300 N. Boulevard.

Lucca Enoteca Pizzeria

The spot at 525 E. Grace (aka the Berry Burke building) has changed hands all sorts of times, but the owners of Maya Mexican Grill and Tequila Lounge have brought in Lucca Enoteca and Pizzeria–and they’re hopefully here to stay, you know? This means good things for those of us who are skipping over to Carpenter Theatre to see something but don’t want to commit to a fancy meal.

Not to say that Lucca is for the stand-up eater–it’s a sit-down, order in polite terms, wear a napkin restaurant with coal-fired pizza (is that a thing?) and a promised patio.

And IIIIIIIIIIII will always love you…

It’s been fun, Torero Tapas and Grill and Cielito Lindo, but now you must move on. Actually Cielito Lindo, you get to come back later as a different thing.

February 4, 2016 3:11 PM · in Fan of the Fan, Greater Jackson Ward News, and more 8