Downtown Richmond’s Belle & James will introduce a little southern charm to their area of the city this week as they relaunch with a new name and concept.
The East Main Street French-American restaurant, which opened in 2014, has rebranded as “Belle,” with their current chef Ro Alarahim at the helm to create a southern kitchen and bar serving up southern comfort food made with local ingredients and “house-made flavors.” Including a variety of options from appetizers to entrees, Belle’s menu will offer pimento beignets, a staple on their current menu, along with creole chili, fried chicken and shrimp platters with sides and house-made biscuits, jambalaya, mac and cheese, sandwiches, along with vegetarian and vegan options like fried tofu, roasted crimini mushroom ravioli, and salads.
pimento beignets
“Our direction is to capture the classic Southern Bell feel, warm and inviting while keeping up with the changing climate of dietary restrictions,” said Kunal Shah, Managing Partner in a statement. “We want guests to no longer feel as if they can only dine with us
on a special occasion. We are now offering a more varied and relaxed southern-centric menu full of exceptional and local flavors while continuing to maintain the high standard of service our guests have come to expect.”
And fans of Belle & James’ craft cocktails need not fret, they are going anywhere, but a few new ones are getting added to the mix including Beets By Belle, Sweet Basil Gin Smash.
Belle’s official relaunch will be Fri., March 16, with changes to signage, menus, some small interior changes to reflect Belle’s new concept, and a website following soon after. Check out their progress on Instagram @bellerva.
Photos By: Belle & James
