Is Y’alls Grill closed?
I’ve gotten a bunch of emails asking essentially the same thing:
“What’s the scoop on y’alls grill? Their sign is gone and a “closed” sign is in the window.”
Can anyone clarify?
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That would be a big shame… this part of the neighborhood needs a lower-end place like that to eat. It isn’t perfect but it’s been a good place.
Yes, they are closed. There last day of business was Saturday 4/4/09.
That’s unfortunate. I liked the place, the people and the food was good.
Let’s not let that happen to the others -It Must Be Heaven – they are offering nice soups and sandwiches, Que pasa – great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday specials…
Very dissappointed to hear this. We were semi-regulars since they opened. Lately it always looked like they had a good crowd. They will be missed!
I’m totally bummed. Those folks were as real as it gets.
–Brett@Cyclusbikeshop
It’s another sign of the times with the economy. People just are not spending to eat out. I am surprised with the high cost of the Ice Cream shop and the Hill Cafe that they too haven’t felt the pressures?
About Y’all’s, I thought I saw they were running new specials but now I can’t seem to find the post? Unless it was for another place?
Well that was fast. If they didn’t have enough capital to even make it 6 months they should never have opened.
Carolyn, thanks for the comfirmation…That’s a shame that they are closed…I hope their other restaurant in northside is still open and doing okay (Bill Conkle, as I recall, knew of the connection, I think the other one was/is The Ranch but I could be wrong).
Deanna, when have you been going to the ice cream store? It’s been closed the last couple of nights as I drove by on my way home, but I admit that was usually after 7 p.m.. and only for a few days, so maybe it’s open more during the day.
The ice cream shop is open during the day and I believe they close at 6pm or 7pm, can’t remember. They are definitely open on the weekends and were doing great business during the Irish Festival.
As for The Hill Cafe’, my friend and I went Friday night and they were packed! We plan to check out Que Pasa Saturday night with the live entertainment a plus.
crd – they have been closing at 7:00 these days. I’m hopeful as the days get longer and more people visit and are on foot that they have the need to be open longer.
I never made it out to Y’alls, but meant to. I finally made it to the ice cream shop, but it’s just too pricey for ice cream to go with any regularity. I guess being the only ice cream shop they’ll have customers no matter what the price, but I know the $5+ a cup has deterred many of the people I’ve talked to.
Rumor has it that the restaurant will reopen with a new owner and under a new name in the next couple of months.
I am surprised that the ice cream shop is still in business considering their prices and you can buy ice cream at the grocery store for a lot cheaper (making budget cuts).
As for the Hill Cafe, we went for dinner the evening of the Irish Festival and was turned away because it was after 9:00pm and wasn’t serving dinner that evening! People were going for drinks, not food. I have a feeling that a big part of the clientele is for that purpose rather than the pricy (and stagnant menu) food?
Kristin… it is a turnkey operation “except” they do need to make some exterior changes.
I am with James, if they didn’t have enough capital up front to keep afloat for several months, that was poor planning (as was the building and sign situation). Hopefully the new owner will be more cautious and have better vision.
Wonder if it will still be home cooked style meals as people have become accustomed to there?
And of course, the liquor license application all over again.
And how will the zoning changes affect someone coming in new?
Five bucks for a cup of ice cream??? I was going to try to get by there one of these day, but jeez…
I would describe the style of food at Y’alls more as “diner” food rather than “homecooked”. It was still good, and we need a good diner in the neighborhood.
The few times that I was actually able to get by Yalls Grill, I really enjoyed it and the people. I also noticed that there was always someone that stuck there head in the door and said they didn’t realize it existed.
I think they either needed more time or more word of mouth and advertisement.
Sorry to see them go.
I too am sorry that they are closed. Everytime we went they were busy – not packed but busy. Service with a smile and really a neighborhood atmosphere. We hope they will be back.
I just wanted to let everyone know that the restaurant will be re-open in about 6-8 weeks with a new tenant. We would like to do more with the exterior, unfortunately it’s very difficult and we are extremely limited as it’s located in a historical district. Thanks for all the comments and it should be re-open soon for the community to enjoy.
I was planning on going there tonight and having some drinks. I’m really going to miss these people I have gotten to know them really well. I hope that thing will only get better for Yall’s when it reopens. Can’t wait to have a good home feeling bar back in church hill, I really enjoyed them.
I loved Y’alls and went there frequently, so I was vheartbroken to see them closed when I went there this morning. Really, really great people.
As far as the exterior goes, pass it on that you have a local sign painter right here!
Kim… any word on if the menu will be the same – home cooked style comfort foods?
Did I see someone above only mention going for drinks? A restaurant can’t survive on drinking customers alone… may be one of their demises especially when they were trying to be a “family” type establishment and not adult oriented like the rest.
Rats! I’ve been there twice in the the last two weeks and had a great plate of nachos and one or two (maybe 3) martinis.
eva,
Hope you sign painting is better than what Y’all’s had which was amateurish at best. It went against all laws of traditional sign graphic basics. It had too many colors. Was to busy. The lettering could not be read from a block (or two) away. Driving by you wouldn’t even know what was there or have a chance to get your eyes adjusted to read the script words within the busy background. Poor design overall and only complicated the building design flaws where you can not see inside to know what people are doing – eating. Since the building is only 50+ years old, I don’t think it qualifies as “historic” or I would surely be ancient! I doubt adding a ground level window would be a problem?
steven,
you would be very surprised at what you can and can’t have in this neighborhood.
steven,
eva’s sign painting IS better
I would have redone Y’alls signs for free if it would have helped them stay in business.
I see no reason to knock them for their efforts, though. Not everyone is an artist, although around here there sure are a lot of critics.
the sign wasn’t the thing. walking by, it was so dark you couldn’t see anything. its lack of lighting (just very very dim) made it feel as if you were walking past mac’s at 1 a.m. Maybe if the atmosphere had seemed anywhere near inviting, we would’ve tried it as heard it was good food.
lj… that is where the exterior changes would have helped. Opening up the front of the building so you could see the people inside and some sort of activity.
The ambiguous signage did not help identify the place either. A martini glass isn’t an invitation for families to come in and eat home cooked food and the building front looks more like a secret lodge or pool hall as is – uninviting.
I see a new sign on the building – says 25th Street Bar and Grill. Sigh… guess those who have become comfortable with the “home cooked meals” atmosphere won’t get it any longer there? Just yet another BAR and GRILL… How many do we need in the area? This is getting ridiculous.
Dear
Eric“Steven”,What the eff are you talking about? Oh, wait (*SIGH*) you are pontificating about something that hasn’t happened yet and which you know nothing.
Oh Tater – I mean Buddy (one of your many alias to continue your tantrums)… When someone sees “Bar and Grill” do you think Suzie Homemaker is going to take the family there for a night out? Impressions are made up front first before you go inside – hence the proper sign and/or name. A “Bar” is no place to take impressionable children and sure doesn’t sound like a place inviting for a home cooked meal. Looks like just another bar with some quick grilled food like hamburgers and that is it.
And what makes you think Eric and Steven are the same person – has someone said different?
If the name had something in it like “Diner” or an old fashioned name like “The Sanitary” or the likes then it would be views as something more family oriented like Cracker Barrel. I was hoping the people at Y’all would make a go of it and hope for an equal type place or even better. Heck, Y’alls was a nice down-home sounding place name but the sign outside was contradictory (Martini glass looked more like a cocktail lounge).
Buddy and whomever… before I get smacked down again I am only trying to point out the obvious.
When you see the word “BAR” in an establishment’s name and then GRILL which has a history of being associated with dives, your first impression isn’t mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade yeast rolls, fried chicken, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, or even eggs and pancakes. I know its stereotypical but I would have thought out and chosen a better name if in fact they have different plans for the place other than fast grill foods and beer. I have said my piece and let it go from there to see if we can get information on just what kind of place this will be?
Give them a chance!
Personally, I can’t wait to check them out because its so close and such a comfortable spot. I loved going to Y’alls for their $2 drafts. Hopefully the new place will be affordable. Does anyone know when it opens?
I’m really bummed to come on and see people bashing the FEW locally owned establishments in the neighborhood. The owners of the ice cream shop are BEYOND nice and the ice cream is truly heavenly.
Its no more or less expensive then Bev’s in Carytown. And its probably cheaper then Cold Stone.
But I guess getting one of those corporate shops in the neighborhood would serve us all better.
Blech.
I would imagine this is the exact reason that Church Hill does NOT have thriving locally owned business.
eva – I was also a big fan of Yalls for the food and the willingness of the owner to listen to customers. The place was looking into stocking a gluten-free beer and had distributors lined up when the place closed. I’m optimistic that the new owners will be equally open-minded and it’ll have a similar atmosphere….
A couple of thoughts on “Y’Alls”
1) Bars on the windows. Unacceptable
2) Signage was awful. It looked like a “sit and sip” bar from the outside, not a down home comfort food place.
3) Virtually NO marketing or advertising.
4) All of the above= sure death in an unstable ecconomy.
…and FWIW, give me a “Bar and Grill” any day of the week over a bland, white walled $5 a scoop ice cream shop with limited hours any day of the week. Color me extremely UNIMPRESSED with It Must Be Heaven.
$4.75 or something to that effect for ONE scoop of what looked and tasted like Raspberry Italian Ice (not sorbet which is what was advertised) during the Italian Festival? Sorry, I’ve never been back and don’t plan on it any time soon.
Small portions, exhorbitant prices and mediocre quality? Not exactly a recipe for success….
A shame, really, since I had high hopes for the place. I don’t care how nice they are (I hear they’re nice folks), you’re not going to succeed if you shortchange and pinch your neighborhood clientele.
All I am seeing are people praising Y’all’s for “beer”? Again, with a restaurant trying to establish a “home style” atmosphere you could take young children and out of town relatives to I wouldn’t put the emphasis on beer and probably a downfall with people not supporting the food end. There are too many bar and grill types in or near Church hill already – everyone has the same business model and just another same-old-same-old isn’t going to be successful. What we need is a “Food” establishment with good prices with an old school atmosphere. A place you can sit down and relax to talk to friends without being suffocated by smoke or drowned out by loud music and people trying to talk over it so you can’t even hear yourself think!
Eric – Y’alls was exactly what you are describing. Restaurants change a lot from day into evening. Curious, did you ever even go to Y’alls?
We really do need an establishment with affordable beer in my opinion.
Unfortunately I was one of those who didn’t have a chance to. We talked about it but they were only open for a couple of months.
“Management” should control how the business is maintained and the clientele. So you are saying that if Mom, Pop, and the Kids wanted to go eat dinner at 7:30-8:00 in the evening they would be bombarded by drunks? No wonder they didn’t stay afloat. You have to stay focused on your original goal or you loose control and loose a certain sects of clients.
Y’alls was open for more than a couple of months. They were open at least since November of last year because that’s when I ate there for the first time with my family, child, and a relative from out of town. We ate there around 8:00pm and were not bombarded by drunks.
I’m curious how the new place will play out. We went to Y’alls once for lunch and weren’t impressed by the food. Canned chicken for the chicken salad just didn’t speak “fresh” to me. The people were very nice, but if I can walk a few blocks to the Bottom and get better quality food in a smoke-free atmosphere, I will.
Queen, from what I am assessing the business started out one way but ended up another… so your visit may have not reflected 8:00pm a couple of weeks ago? There was a focus shift from food to beer in the evening hours and then things went downhill from there?
To say we need a beer establishment when we already have a glut of them makes Church Hill out to be a community full of boozers. We need more family oriented places if we want Church Hill to grow and open its doors to those wanting to raise families here.
As far as beer places goes, what is the big holdup with the Cold storage buildings – one was supposed to have a microbrewery in?
My family and I frequented Y’alls from the time they opened their doors to the time they closed them. It was the same atmosphere from the first visit to the last.
We do not have a glut of “beer establishments” in the Hill. There are only three bar/grills here, all of which do indeed serve food and all of which are quite expensive. It was nice to have an inexpensive place to go for a beer and an appetizer.
visitor.. I wonder if the new Smoke Free Bill passed (SB 1057 Smoke Free Air Act) will be factored in with these new people? Remember, as of December 1st the following will be in effect (some should go ahead and phase it in now so people will be ready rather than an abrupt change all at once)…
1. Smoking will be prohibited in all public restaurants unless the restaurant has a separate room that has BOTH a door and a separate ventilation system designated as the smoking area.
Keep in mind though…
” The Virginia House of Delegates once again has put the interests of the tobacco industry ahead of Virginians’ health by approving weak, loophole-filled smoke-free restaurant legislation that fails to protect workers and the public from the proven dangers of secondhand smoke. ”
” This legislation does not protect the health of Virginians and goes against the wishes of a large majority of Virginians who don’t want to risk their health in order to earn a paycheck or enjoy a night out in a restaurant. In a January 2009 poll, 75 percent of Virginia voters said they support a statewide law that makes all restaurants completely smoke-free. ”
Canned Chicken? Again, seems the owner started cutting corners when they saw business wasn’t going the way they expected… domino effect. We need a good quality family “diner” in Church Hill. Not a high end resturant, not a ethnic driven menu, not another “Big John’s” Bar and Grill, not another Hill Cafe… but an old fashioned diner for everyone to enjoy and time of the day.
Maybe the microbrewery folks got a load of the comments on this website and decided that they didn’t want to serve a neighborhood where the unofficial hobbies were trying to think of how many complaints everyone could come up with about new restaurants and rooting for them to go under so they could gloat.
Eric – You shouldn’t asses these things from the internet. Maybe you should have given them some business, met your neighbors & spoken to them, and bothered to find out for yourself. No business will thrive unless YOU give them a chance.
My friend, Taylor, and I have talked about opening a business and calling it “just beer”. We’d just sell beer – all types and flavors. We’d open another right beside it called “just pizza”. I think you probably get the idea . . .
i recommend that all of the restaurant business experts pool some money and open the place back up.
affordable beer is a necessity
Queen, we are not talking about people and how friendly they are. We are talking about a multitude of things that added up to disaster. From the uninviting building exterior, the delay of their ABC license, lack of capital funds, the inconsistent hours, the poor signage, and apparently the lack in quality of the food. From what I gathered they were supposed to have good home style meals – blue plate specials but all I have seen people talk about connected with Y’alls was Beer and Appetizers. A business can’t survive on that alone especially when they invested in a “restaurant”. If you want a “restaurant” to survive YOU should have supported them by having sit down meals… it works both ways. (and not just one or two people buying meals).
bill… this thread was brought back up because it is being reopened as the “25th Street Bar and Grill” hence the concerns.
#57 Eric. I am going to open a Restaurant,Diner, and Bar and Grill just so I can kick your ass out and make you First on my “Banned For Life” List. You know what they say “Opinions are like …………..;Everybody’s got one! You wouldn’t know a restaurant if it hit you en su Culo.
Eric,
How can you possibly sit in judgement of a restaurant when you never went there? I went there sevral times and found the food to be well prepared, though not gourmet. It was what I wanted at the time, and the staff was more than friendly and accommodating. The word I got from folks who should know, was that the closing was due to landlord issues and lack of fulfilling promises that were made at the beginning of the lease. Knowing the owner, and his reataurant over on Brook Road, it was not the fault of the staff or the food. Let’s back off on being judgemental until you know the full story, which is something you are prone to do.
thanks eric, i will stop by and try it out and decide for myself. i have no real concerns, only if i get a good deal for my money. i will vote with my money. if the current operator doesnt work out, maybe you can get it all straight
oh eric, i did go by while it was under the mgt that opened the place. a number of times. prices were reasonable, friendly staff, bland/frozen/canned food except scrambled eggs, no smoke or beer problems, not crowded, no newspaper to read, i went back and a number of times they were closed. i hate to grab a locked door, that was the deciding factor. bars on windows, cheap entry, crummy signage were not a problem.
eric can you cook? or do you just like to talk a lot of shit? so what can you cook? can you talk ribs into tasting good? your snaps? what do they taste like? do you have to rely on your mom’s cookin or prepared stuff at the food lion/mcdees?
i am interested in investing in a restaurant. what can you offer? got some cash to go along with the expert advice?
All of my comments come from what have been posted here and other related threads concerning this location. People often go by word of mouth – it is the best (or worst) advertisment so… what can one add up if more than one person has complained about the things brough up in my posts?
For those who seem to know better than me, what kind of resturant would you place in Church Hill that is “family friendly”?
Bill…
” The word I got from folks who should know, was that the closing was due to landlord issues and lack of fulfilling promises that were made at the beginning of the lease. ”
Another slumlord? Same person who owns the Post Office too and won’t fix it up either even though linked to Federal property?
But again, I can cite each and every thing from various posts in the past not by me that I have mentioned in my recent citings above so only adding things up as I read them. If I am wrong rather than rant and being abusive towards me, one should simply step in and offer the truths as you did and the subject may not have gotten this far.
Eric
hey Eric, stop peering out of your blinds and please go back to feeding your “family”. I don’t think that any new restaurant is going to allow your 18 cats to go inside with you, even if they are non-smokers.
A… what cats? I don’t own any cats, only 2 dogs. There is a neighbor down the street named Nan with several cats.
Can everyone please stop with bad naming Yall’s Grill they were kind people just trying to make it and couldn’t. I would like for Eric to try and open is own place and see if people would come there or would even stay. One you have to be nice and welcoming to keep people coming back, and they were over the top nice. Two you have to know what people want…maybe they were a little confused on that with the food, but they tried…if anyone knows these people they would know that they didn’t close it because they didn’t run a good business, they just were late on there rent and they had to close the doors after that…times are hard and not everyone can make it in the hard world…I loved the people that worked there and I hope that the new people will be just as nice because that is the nunber one thing I’m going to look for when I go in there….Now please respond ERIC everyone knows you are going to
to CHblogguy
its unfortunate that you are basing your total opinion of a place based on one scoop of ice cream.
because i’ve walked up their several times with my 3 year old and one year old…each time, for under $15 the four of us (mu husban included) have each enjoyed a full cup of ice cream.
their chocolate peanut butter is AMAZING and I suggest, you remove your head from your rear, and give it another shot.
As does any place starting off, there are bumps in the road. But their service and product are WONDERFUL.
In fact, last time we were in, she offered us up a free cup since it was the last in a tub.
Again, I say, its unfortunate that negative community members continue to contribute to the decline of neighborhood establishments.
Instead of propping up our neighborhood to make it self-sustaining, we continue to tear one another down.
Perhaps it better you not give them another chance, I would hate to run into you….
an unfortunate case of my typing too quickly…
look at those spelling errors
Danielle, you know I would. I am sorry that the Y’alls owners could not make ends meet either due to improper financial management (lack of initial capital to fall back on) or due to the lack of “food” customers because of any number of said reasons. But people get me wrong. I make observations and read what is being said and make my determinations from those findings. No sense visiting a place if all you hear are negative things about it. The best I heard was the people were great to “talk” to but you don’t go to a business to chat up the owners. You go to partake in the service and fare.
What was “confusing” about the menu? Can someone tell me why “home cooked comfort foods” are so taboo in Church Hill? All I ever read about are people interested in Beer and Nuts/Appetizers. Has our social graces fallen so low that all we now see are a bunch of flip-flop wearing slouchers gathered together at watering holes? I for one don’t want to see or smell someone’s funky feet next to me while I am trying to eat let alone hear their uncouth manner of speech invading my airspace. Or smoke for that matter which will change by year’s end.
I only want a simple place for the family to feel at ease and enjoy. No, I don’t have a family but the area needs a place like that and I would also enjoy. Not yet another “bar” and “grill”.
My comment about so many bar and grills already was not read properly. I said in and around Church Hill so you have to take in those along Main Street, in the Bottom, etc… as well as Church Hill. Too many of the same kind of places.
Eric
Since you, eric, NEVER PATRONIZED Y’alls and rant and rave about “drunks” whenever beer, wine or alcohol is mentioned, why don’t you stick to places you HAVE been to and stiffle with your pontifical Carrie Nation-like rants about the evils inflicted on you. Know whereof you speak.
What I speak of can also be applied to the Hill Cafe that I have been to often – I am sure others follow suite. It happened at Accapello’s which I also frequented on occasion but got worse over time. I have been to like places further out of the Hill area and seeing who stands outside to go into these places, I can’t be far off the mark?
Fine Evil Weezel if you want to get drunk – your prerogative. Just use discretion and consideration when other people are around you. So sensitive – “guilty speak first”?
And what is so “Carrie Nation” about social sensitivity and sensibility? Have you lost all proper upbringing? Or lost the skills to be social with a variety of people around you? Or are you cliquish and hang around only like people? And what happened to people putting on proper clothing to socialize in public to again, be considerate of others?
These are only BASIC daily skills one should use and seem to have fallen to the wayside. Call me old fashioned but I prefer the good old days over what I see now.
I grew up in an era where women dressed up in what now would be considered their Sunday best, complete with gloves just to catch a bus downtown to shop at a department store. No respectable man would be caught dead at a public place without a hat and tie. Sandals were “only” for beach and shower use – not everyday attire. Sure, styles have changed but so have attitudes. It was an era where people had consideration for one another and would like to see some of that come back to society rather than the course it is currently on. A “diner” that serves old fashioned home cooked foods in a family atmosphere and does not have a separate bar would be a nice change of pace. What is so wrong with that?
Eric
New Flash:
You cannot make any money in the restaurant business without selling alcohol. Period. End of story. Anyone outside of Provo knows that.
Eric, do you have a concrete example that you could offer as a model of perfect restaurant-ness, or is this some kind of Platonic ideal, one which exists only in the Metaphysical Beyond, casting all actual real-life restaurants as imperfect imitations…
Plus, your comment about the era of gloves and hats is cute, but that was the same period of Jim Crow laws and separate water fountains, as I recall. Nostalgia is selective, I guess.
Clay Street
To be technical, the Jim Crow Laws ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Gloves and Hats continued on afterwards. I fail to see how fashion sensibility and segregation have any correlation? Blacks as well as whites were just as fashion conscious during this time frame, if not even more so. Issues for a discussion another time.
There are plenty of restaurants that do not serve alcohol. It is the other way around. You can’t serve alcohol without serving food (law). There are even diners downtown that serve only food and have for years and are successful. But have you read ANYWHERE in my posts that I have a “zero” alcohol tolerance? Just because I said no separate bar doesn’t mean that they can’t serve beer with meals at a table.
Eric
I guess what I am saying is don’t make going for drinks the ONLY reason to visit a restaurant. Have an establishment that serves food with alcohol on the side, not the other way around. This would help reduce bad elements that only come to get drunk and “hang out” and make the place more family friendly.
Eric
Eric,
So, you are telling me that you are nostalgic for the very very tightly defined period between 1964 (when gloves and hats were on their way out) and maybe the Summer of Love (when hats and gloves were most definitely over)?
Women *had* to wear hats, gloves, pumps, girdles, garter belts, etc. They would find it very difficult to be accepted if they wore slacks or pants in anything beyond the most casual of situations, and they generally had to fit society’s norms of what was acceptable.
That doesn’t mean that they liked it or that we should be nostalgic for it.
My point was that you said it (the glove/hat era) was an era where people had consideration for one another–fashion is a form of social control (even in this day and age, can a man really walk down the street in a dress and not get some strange looks or have his sexuality questioned), and segregation is obviously another form of social control. They overlapped, hence the comparison.
You still did not provide an example of an ideal Richmond restaurant that serves old-fashioned home-cooked foods in a family atmosphere.
Also, I am curious as to what downtown restaurant serves food and no alcohol and is successful (disclaimer: it has to be open for dinner, not just breakfast and lunch).
I loved Y’alls. The food was good and the prices were even better. I was excited to hear it was re-opening even if it has a different name and new owner. (I could care less what the sign looks like) This past week I walked by and peaked in the window and someone came out to say they were open. What really bothered me was the lights were off! It was very dark and the TV was on with a guy and girl sitting at the counter. That seemed very odd to me and really made it un-inviting.
ERIC…
You have got to stop with this stuff where you just say that you are going by what people write on here..and that nothing anyone had to say about there food was good…I have read alot of places on here that the food was good and that they would go back again…just because people go to a place to try it out (unlike you) doesn’t mean that they are just going there to drink…maybe that place is just so welcoming that when they get done with the food they decide to stay and drink and get to meet new people…it seems to me that you are so full of crap sometimes…if never went there so stop talking about it…when I was there people were eating all the time…so if you never tasted the food then you have no reason at all to put someone down…You are probally a lonely lonely person because one you don’t go out to a NEW place and see how it is..you just sit back and talk crap the whole time..and two all you do is sit on this newsletter and seem to think that you know everything…HEY how about you go out and go to the NEW place that just opened and then comment back on that..because maybe then someone would want to listen to you…I haven’t been there yet so how about you go there and get back with me and let me know how it is and then I will go there and see if we have to same thoughts on things….DEAL????
Eric, most people DO have a drink or two without getting drunk or obnoxious, which is more than I can say for you sober.
Clay Street…
You said:
” Also, I am curious as to what downtown restaurant serves food and no alcohol and is successful (disclaimer: it has to be open for dinner, not just breakfast and lunch). ”
You didn’t distinguse that factor but it really doesn’t matter. Yes, the ones I cite are mainly only open for breakfast and lunch because that is the “business hours” doentown and as you know most everything closes after 5:00. But take that same model and extend it through dinner as well.
I just don’t get it… people think I am saying everyone is an alcoholic if they drink… WRONG! But at the same time all too often I see people going for drinks and not food (kills their buzz).
I can tell you I DO NOT enjoy going to the Hill Cafe (no matter how good the food is) with a bar only 3 feet away with a bunch of people cruising and hitting on one another getting drunk and the music blasting to a point where you get horse trying to talk over it. Would you take a 6-year old there for dinner?
Another case in point – I went to the Hill’s sister place deLuxe in the fan for brunch. At the bar were people sitting drinking (that early) and 2 women were licking and kissing one another! A time and place for everything and that is NOT what I want to see while eating breakfast!
All I am saying is have a place that serve alcohol at sit down tables and not a bar. This will force people to buy food and hopefully keep the negative factors out.
Eric
Eric, you still have not cited any actual restaurants that meet your rigorous standards.
But, reviewing your wish list, I suggest Aunt Sarah’s Pancake house.
Seriously, it has what you are looking for: down-home, country cookin’, table service w/no bar, a family-friendly atmosphere and a time-tested good old-fashioned menu (dig that Uncle John’s Chicken!).
Plus, you have that little peg game on the table, and all the servers wear hats, per your standards (okay, I think they may be mobcaps à la Mary Washington, but still, they are hats)
This is the longest diversion I’ve seen on CHPN. Reading it makes me hungry. I won’t get into where I’ll appease that hunger, as it may spark a debate.
In other news, anyone know anything about that intense police biking adventure that went down Fairmount this morning.
LaV’s down on Main Street (by Soft Parade) is family style cooking for those looking for a family style, home cooking restaurant. They are open for lunch at 11:30 and dinner until 7:00. They have great meatloaf.
So now Eric wants a family style restaurant with no lesbians?
LaV’s is wonderful. A place that even Eric could find no fault. No alcohol. Friendly waitresses and staff, Great country cookin’- fried chicken, pork chops, greens, real mashed potatos, macaroni-n-cheese, dinner rolls and homemade desserts.
I would love to see Eric’s revue of the place. Can I say I dare you to check it out?
@PGT – “More than 250 police officers on bicycles rolled through the streets of Richmond this morning on their way to Washington in a two-wheeled ride to memorialize fellow officers killed in the line of duty.”
While we’re daring Eric to check out local places, I dare him to try Aziza’s and report back. I have not heard anyone come away with anything but a rave. Also, if Aziza’s whets his appetite for great Lebanese food he can head out to Saint Anthony’s this weekend for the Lebanese Food Festival — though he might find Short Pump so much to his liking that he may never come back to Church Hill.
I’ve got to try LaV’s! Love real mashed potatoes…are the greens fresh collards?
Now I have eaten at Aziza’s a few times and it is undoubtly one of my favorite spots -great fresh real Lebanese food and amazing pastries. Oh, I dream about their cream puffs.
and another favorite -the Sunday brunch at Patrick Henry’s.
Anne… You meant to say Lebanese food righ? Not Lesbian food.
Eric, I know the type of place you are talking about. Lonely little dives, a shingle hanging out front (Joe’s Bar), no windows… a place where people drown their sorrows and lives. I bartended for a few years in my younger days. Every place regardless of the type of establishment, be it bar, restaurant or night club had at least one or two regulars; sad folks with no where else to go, nothing else to do except drink.
Personally I like the Hill Cafe with the exception of the smoke. I had no idea it was such a “meat market” :)
gray… speaking of sweets, did you ever try the glazed at Country Style Doughnuts?
deanna, my husband brought back a glazed bun the size of my head back from Country Style and boy was it good.
RE:
“I went to the Hill’s sister place deLuxe in the fan for brunch. At the bar were… 2 women were licking and kissing one another! ”
Um… What day and time is this again?
nice…. I need to get me one of them; a glazed bun or a husband ;P
Thanks John, I’ve been looking everywhere for info on it! It was enjoyable to watch.
Eric,Why don’t you dress up in your proper Suzie Homemaker outfit and break out as a Food and Beverage Critic. To form opinions vicariously from the empirical experience of others is disengenuous and a fraud. Besides, when I open My new place My head of Security will be Buddy Corbett and you won’t be able to get in.Of course he won’t recognize you because you will be accompanied by your 2.5 impressionable kids.Note to self,wear your thong.
PS Eric, Use spell check and repeat 7th grade English
Not to stir things up on this thread and I don’t want to argue about it. I only have a simple question.
In April the 25th Street Bar & Grill sign went up and people talked about wanting to go there. I have seen zero comments about the food, people, or atmosphere. In fact, I have been by it several times especially on weekends and never see it open. Has it closed only 2-3 months later and if so, why?
Eric
yo eric,what good do you think you are doing? why dont you use your endless amount of time and energy in a more positive way. like saving the river from development. c’mon man.
It’s a good question, I haven’t heard a thing about the new establishment.
I went a couple of months ago. They have bologna burgers, chicken wings, burgers, fries, mac and cheese, etc. I was satisfied with my food. The staff wasn’t particularly welcoming, though.
gwomper… why so defensive over a simple straight forward justifiable question?
Queen of Church Hill… apparently the new owners didn’t have the same enthusiasm or business model that Y’all’s had trying to establish a good place to enjoy home cooked meals in a friendly atmosphere. Even the new menu didn’t sound like much to brag about – slouch food.
So I guess it is closed for good before it even got off the ground?
What’s the scoop?
Eric