The culinary scene around Richmond lately has been awash with new ideas. From a cookie delivery place to a GWAR bar, there is a real willingness to give new things a shot. The union between The Nile and Portrait House is just the latest example–but it’s a powerful one.
The culinary scene around Richmond lately has been awash with new ideas. From a cookie delivery place to a GWAR bar, there is a real willingness to give new things a shot. The union between The Nile and Portrait House is just the latest example–but it’s a powerful one.
In a few weeks, we will be seeing an American craft beer and Ethiopian culinary marriage happening in Carytown. Hamooda Shami (Portrait House, New York Deli, Don’t Look Back) and brothers Yoseph and Benyam Teklemariam (The Nile Ethiopian Restaurant) are coming together to offer Carytown something a little new, a little familiar, and really international. On the surface, the concept is really different for RVA; but if you think about it, it makes sense.
Portrait House is a thriving beer tavern with an American burger/wood oven pizza menu. The food was good but didn’t stand out in a place with so many options. Across town, The Nile had amazing food, but the Teklemariam brothers had grown tired of running a late night bar while dealing with VCU’s aggressive expansion, making parking and possible expansion for the restaurant a growing issue. Sometimes these situations find each other.
To Shami, the initial meeting was exciting. “Any time someone sits down with me to discuss any issues they are having, whether its business or personal, I try to help with a solution,” he said. “It just so happened that a potential solution for them was a solution for me and Portrait House. So it was a kill two birds with one stone situation.” Shami was happy with the improvements the merger would result in for both his restaurant and The Nile. “On one hand it really fleshes out the Portrait House concept with a unique food program and on their side its gives them a location that is accessible for their regulars as well more kitchen space for their wholesale distribution to places like Ellwood Thompsons. You know, its was crazy saying it out loud and I was still stunned a few hours later but I was happy to hear that they were excited too.”
Benyam Teklemariam agreed. “This seemed like a very organic thing that just happened. We have been here for 8 years now, and having a sit down with Hamooda in that fashion, sitting in that circle and brainstorming – it just felt like joining forces was a good idea. I didn’t know what was going to come out of it, but we are going to plant the seed.”
“When you put creative minds together, good things are bound to happen. The moment that idea was thrown out there, it felt natural,” Yoseph Teklemariam added.
The merger brings opportunity, but also concerns. The Teklemariam brothers hope to ensure they keep up the level of quality in their dishes and provide the best service to their guests. “It’s important to give the guests a great experience,” Yoseph Teklemariam said. “That is what people remember at the end of the day, and that for all of us is our biggest concern from the front of the house to the back of the house: that the guests have an experience that they find unique – especially in Carytown.”
Bringing together the communities surrounding both restaurants seems natural to Shami. “We have already had a lot of crossover,” he said. “It seems like a lot of the crowd that has supported The Nile over the years took to the Portrait House concept. So it’s funny that every time we met, Yoseph, Benyam, and I knew a million mutual acquaintances. Admittedly, it is a weird notion, but the more you think about it, the more natural it is. Having this ridiculously good Ethiopian cuisine inside a beer tavern is a good idea.”
There will be a soft opening of the new, combined restaurant in the Portrait House space around mid-July. Expect the same great Nile food in a more convenient location combined with the fun vibe at Portrait House, which will add a twist of international flavor to the crowd.
