New restaurants: January 2013

Richmond doesn’t have a professional sports team, but if it did it would be restaurants. Here’s a quick refresher of which spots opened in January.

February 6, 2013; 9:21 AM • by RVANews staff

Richmond doesn’t have a professional, major-league sports team, but if it did it would be restaurants. Four¹ new restaurants opened in the month of January–think of them as expansion teams: you’re excited about the prospect of something new but aren’t sure about the purple and teal logos.

Well, we encourage you to delve into the newest of Richmond’s restaurant scene and excitedly report back all you find. Below is a quick refresher of January’s fresh meat.

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Casa del Barco

This is owner Kevin’s Healy’s third restaurant, and he’s staying true to the waterfront theme with this upscale Mexican restaurant located in the historic Reynolds Italianate Building facing the canal walk.

One of the biggest aesthetic features of the restaurant’s interior is the ceiling: it houses 3,500 holes to hang empty tequila bottles signed by the person who polishes off the last drop (if you’re interested in leaving your mark on Casa del Barco, feel free to ask the bartender for whichever tequila bottle is nearing its end and get to work). There are over 100 types of tequila available, which according to the ABC, is more than any other restaurant in Central Virginia. They also have a variety of beers on draft and 50 types of wine–all from South America.

Executive Chef Todd Richardson has incorporated his own Mexican heritage into the menu with old family recipes that bring an authentic taste with some modern attributes. We tasted three types of guacamole (original, bacon tomato, and crab), all of which were flavorful, but, at $10-12 per bowl, could be a bit on the pricey side. The different types of salsa were also delicious. The tacos and empanadas are excellent, and dessert was a real crowd pleaser with an incredible vanilla flan and Mexican wedding cookies.

Boo’s Brown Bag

The second restaurant from Bob Windsor, one of the owner’s of EAT by Pescados China Street, Boo’s Brown Bag offers homemade-style food at a low price for breakfast, lunch, and dinner near VCU campus.

Boo’s has partnered with Quickness RVA, a bicycle food-delivery service, to offer free deliveries from Thompson Street to 15th Street, including late night deliveries until 2:00 AM on Friday and Saturday.

Favorites include hand-breaded fresh flounder filet sandwich with smoked jalapeño sauce ($7.50), along with the Boo’s Jersey Italian Hot Dog: two boar’s head Coney Island hot dogs topped with fried onions, peppers, potatoes, and hot mustard served in an Italian roll ($7). Desserts ($2.00 – $2.50) include select items from WPA Bakery. The menu also accommodates vegetarian and gluten-free diets.

Dutch & Company

Michelle Peake, Phillip Perrow, and Caleb Shriver are behind the new spot at 27th and Marshall. There’s a lot of culinary talent in this group: Perrow comes from Acacia, and Shriver, who was named the 2011 Rising Culinary Star in Richmond Magazine’s 2012 Elby Awards, comes from Aziza’s. The menu will change with the season, but will consistently offer “contemporary American dishes influenced by regional products.”

Pie (in Manchester)

A Fan restaurant for nearly two years, Pie’s second location offers handmade pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers. At the moment, it’s more of a pickup and delivery spot, but once their liquor license is approved, the cozy bar will prove to be a great place to share a pie. You can check out the menu here.

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February 6, 2013 9:21 AM 1