Restaurant openings and closings in May 2016

These new kids on the block deserve your patronage! And these other kids who are leaving the block deserve your fond farewells.

June 3, 2016; 3:25 PM • by Susan Howson

Antler and Fin

Those of us who kinda liked the Belvidere at Broad were pleased to hear that another will rise to carry the mantle at that pretty swell location (506 W. Broad Street). Here’s what I like about the new Antler and Fin: the wine list is large and everything that’s by the glass is printed in red, they spell draft “draught,” and they’ve got housemade soda. And that’s just the beverage section!

Dinner’s arranged into three very small sections–small, medium, and large. So instead of asking the server to estimate the portion size with his or her hands and gauging whether or not that’s enough to fill you up, you can simply choose from the section of the menu that befits your appetite most! Not a lot for vegetarians–think hunt club fare–but plenty for gluten-free.

Liberty Public House

The only restaurant with a crowd-sourced name that I can think of! Liberty Public House (418 N. 25th Street) opened in May in the old East End Theater, and they’re keeping it real by throwing popcorn into a lot of their recipes. That sounds slapdash, like they just–whoops!–toss handfuls into whatever dish they please. I’m sure the real process is a lot more exacting.

The menu contains not-too-fancy but not-too-boring sandwiches, salads, and larger entrees, and I’m into any place that will give me a root beer float. They’re touting their ability to be a good place to cheer for sports-related events, but a dual sound system suggests that your dining experience won’t be marred by the Hockey Tournament That Won’t End or whatever they’re called. I’m excited about this place being a mid-range neighborhood option for Church Hillians while also maybe drawing in casual diners from other parts of town.

Bonus points: they’re proud of being able to cater to vegans, vegetarians, and the poor unfortunate gluten-free.

Tenka Ramen

The wait is over, ramen fans! The wait is also over for you, Japanese sausage fans! And you too, pork bun fans, gyoza fans…really this ramen shop caters to a lot of fans. That’s nice, I think, because even I, the lover of noodle bowls, get tired of just eating ramen all the time.

Tenka brings six kinds of ramen to you for lunch and dinner (just dinner on Saturday and closed on Sunday) at their downtown location (110 N. 5th Street).

Kabana Rooftop Bar

It’s like we just figured out that we could view the city from up above! Kabana is one of a handful of rooftop bars (and restaurants, naturally) that has opened or is about to open. The vibe is like the vibe you might expect from a bar atop the roof of a Hampton Inn in Miami, which it is (without the Miami part). There’s a small pool, a lot of bouncers, and teeny-tiny women serving drinks while wearing impossible shoes.

The menu is promised to be Asian-inspired, and the drinks-put together by Sean Rapoza, formerly of Balliceaux–will trend towards the tiki.

Sugar’s Crab Shack

The proximity of Sugar’s Crab Shack to Sugar Shack Donuts blows my mind–are you guys just eyeing each other warily from different sides of the highway? Aren’t you afraid someone will go to the wrong location and be sorely disappointed? Do neither of you consider that a sugar shack is a reference to maple syrup and maybe you should be selling me nature’s most delicious product in addition to your own toothsome wares?

Maybe we’ll never know. In the meantime, you can go get a bunch of fried seafood platters and sandwiches at 2224 Chamberlayne Avenue, from the good folks behind Croaker’s Spot.

It’s so hard to say good-bye

**Shoryuken,** I don’t even know what to say. I wish you could have made it work, but I understand that sometimes this is impossible. Pomegranate, you’re only temporarily closed, so it’s kind of like we’re on a break. Sometimes breaks don’t turn out well, sometimes they do.

June 3, 2016 3:25 PM · in East End Daily, North Richmond News, and more 1