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Good Eats RVA: Shockoe Bottom’s Lower 48, Salt & Forge Opens, & Four Forks

Amy David | April 10, 2018

Topics: dessert pop ups, Four Forks, GOOD EATS RVA, Jackson Ward, Lower 48, Lunch/Supper, Malcolm Mitchell, RVA dine, rva food, Salt & Forge, sandwich shop, Scott's Addition, shockoe bottom, The Broken Tulip, Urban Roost

These blurbs originally appeared in the Good EATS RVA section of RVA #32 Spring 2018. You can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

Lower 48

A former Food Network competitor has returned to Richmond to open a new restaurant in Shockoe Bottom. Malcolm Mitchell, longtime personal chef, restaurateur, and Season 8 finalist on Food Network Star, opened Lower 48 in September in the old Shockoe Valley Pizza space.

“It’s basically rustic regional American food, going back to the old school way of cooking… a scratch kitchen,” he said. “I’m just trying to do my interpretation.” Serving dinner and brunch, the chef is whipping up his take on American classics such as shrimp and grits, crab cakes, Texas-style barbecue, burgers, and wings, along with craft beer and cocktails.  

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Competing on Food Network Star wasn’t the chef’s first taste of fame. Mitchell also competed on Beat Bobby Flay. Likewise, Lower 48 isn’t Mitchell’s first dabble in the Richmond restaurant scene. Along with Julep’s owner Amy Ayers, he opened Mint Gastropub in the Fan, which operated for two years before moving, and eventually closing, in Petersburg in 2014.

Originally from New York, the chef grew up in Maryland, where he learned the culinary basics from his mother, and from working at local greasy spoons. He left his hometown to spend four years in the Navy, where he didn’t cook, but his passion still flourished.

“When we would go to these different ports — Spain, Portugal, Denmark, all over the world — the first place I would go was try to find somewhere nice to eat,” he said. “So, I got really into food when I started traveling. That developed my international palate.”

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Pictured Right: Malcolm Mitchell

He honed his skills cooking for small parties and friends’ events, but decided he needed to fine tune his craft a bit more before stepping out on his own. Mitchell earned his culinary degree from Stratford University and worked his way up the ranks. “I worked all over the place — chain hotels, little bistros. I worked in school lunch programs with Compass Group, the world’s largest food company. And then I had an opportunity between 2005 and 2007 working for this sports and management company.” Through that gig, he eventually became a personal chef for athletes and musicians like actor/comedian Chris Tucker, singer Mary J. Blige, and the NBA’s Washington Wizards.

Mitchell has since opened concepts in Los Angeles, as well as three in Baltimore, including wine bar Butchers Hill Society; Kitchen Market, a specialty foods and grab and go station; and gastropub Ryder’s.

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While jumpstarting restaurants and moving to his next inspiration are Mitchell’s bread and butter, the chef wanted to return to Richmond to make his mark again on the local scene. “I think four years ago when I was there, it was getting there, but everybody was kind of doing the same style. But now it’s changed,” he said. “The fact that it was starting to grow into a big food town and a big beer town, and you can get better rent than in a lot of these big tier cities, it’s a good place to start a new brand.”

Mitchell plans to expand Lower 48 with other locations within Richmond. 423 N. 18th St.

Editor’s Note: As of April 8, Lower 48 has closed. The following is a statement from the restaurant’s Facebook page: “Lower 48 by Malcolm Mitchell would like to thank everyone for their patronage and all our staff for their hard work. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the traction that we needed to keep our doors open. At this time Chef Mitchell and his team are in the process of looking for other opportunities for the brand. Stay tuned for what’s in store! Once again, thank you for all your support!”

Four Forks

“One dessert to share please” is a strange concept to me. I share most things, but my dessert? Not likely. Yet that’s the motto behind Jess Widener’s forthcoming business, Four Forks.

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The Lunch/Supper pastry chef serves desserts from the restaurant’s event venue, Urban Roost, and at local farmers’ markets, but is planning to sweeten up Richmond with a spot of her own. The idea is a three-course dessert bar, with special pairings.  Widener’s been testing her concept out recently, with pop-ups at The Urban Roost and The Broken Tulip.

“We did a three-course dessert menu and the courses were sent out with the intention to share with whoever you came with, and that’s where the idea is going,” she said. “I would like to have a small intimate restaurant where we could do private events, but also we would do beverage pairings with each course like wine, coffee, tea, and maybe some curated cocktails.”  

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Before baking at Lunch and Supper, Widener started as a hostess at Brio, working up the corporate ladder to become a sous chef and manager at the restaurant. She also pursued her culinary arts degree at J. Sargeant Reynolds, which she completed in 2013.

Widener baked desserts at Shagbark for a year before returning to Lunch and Supper, where she decided to dip into her creative side and play around with her own recipes. “They had the event space and were looking to expand their pastry department,” she said. “Part of the reason I went back was because I asked them if I could have my own freedom if I was starting my own business in the future, [and] if they would help me brand myself, and they’ve been really helpful.”  

Widener said she bases her desserts around one key ingredient. Some of her past pop-ups have featured a blood orange and olive oil cake, bourbon crème Brulee tarts, and dark chocolate toffee pudding.

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Blood orange and olive oil cake

The baking gene actually runs in her family. Widener’s dad and uncle were both in the restaurant industry. Her father, from whom she learned to bake growing up, owned Sunday’s before it was The Boathouse, and ran wholesale bakery Ellie’s for years. Widener’s uncle is helping get Four Forks off the ground.

Besides monthly pop-ups, Widener will be selling macaroons and bonbons at the spring farmers’ markets, as well as cookies and brownies for the forthcoming Jackson Ward restaurant Salt & Forge, and packaged treats for Richmond Triangle Players.

And while there’s no official brick and mortar location yet, she hopes to have her dessert bar open in Carytown by the end of the year.

“I love the idea of Carytown, when you have somewhere that features dessert,” she said. “I think you kind of want it to be somewhere that people stumble in after eating dinner.” Widener’s next Four Forks pop-up dinner will be held at Blue Bee Cider April 11. 

Photos By: Four Forks 

Salt & Forge

A dilapidated historic building in Jackson Ward will transform into fast-casual sandwich and breakfast spot Salt & Forge in March. Restoring the North 2nd Street property is former Chipotle executive David Hahn, who has plans for a quick neighborhood spot where busy professionals and area residents can pop in to grab a breakfast biscuit or salad and sandwich for lunch.

“I think there’s an opportunity for fast, tasty breakfast in the area, people coming and going from work,” Hahn said. “I’ve always been on the go, and I’ve always liked eating with my hands, and I think people do.”

Hahn, a Colorado native, has been on the corporate side of the industry for 15 years. He’s worked for Chipotle in operations and development, and helped DC restaurateurs expand the Philly-style hoagie chain Taylor Gourmet from four to nine locations. He first thought of his River City restaurant after a trip here from Florida, where he was helping launch a startup.

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“I visited Richmond for the UCI World Championship Bike Race,” he said. “While I was here, I heard a lot of great things about Richmond’s restaurant scene and started asking for restaurant recommendations.” Hahn soon met Melissa, his future fiancé, and once his contract in Florida was up in early 2016, he moved to Richmond to pursue his dream.

Salt & Forge will be a from-scratch kitchen with most ingredients made in-house. “We’ll roast our own meat, grind our own corned beef, make our own pickles, jams, dressings, sauces,” Hahn said.

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The menu offers Ruebens, grilled cheeses, Cubanos, as well as brisket and an Italian sandwich for lunch, and on the lighter side, a beet salad; Mediterranean salad; and a superfood salad with kale, cabbage, bok choy and pickled apples; along with potato salad, fruit, and soups as sides.

In addition to lunch, the 42-seat restaurant will be open for breakfast, serving biscuits and gravy, chicken biscuits, egg sandwiches, and biscuits with jam, along with cold-brew coffee. Locally-sourced desserts, beer, and wine will also be on the menu at the restaurant.

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Hahn plans to offer delivery as well as catering to local companies when he’s up and running. Salt & Forge is still undergoing construction, but Hahn plans to be open by mid to late March. 312 N. 2nd St.

Editor’s Note: Since the version of this story ran in print, Salt & Forge has opened in Jackson Ward.  

 

RVA #31: The Circuit Arcade Bar Powers Up in Scott’s Addition, The Broken Tulip Blooms, & Carytown’s The Jasper

Amy David | December 27, 2017

Topics: arcade bar, Carytown, cocktails, craft beer, GOOD EATS RVA, richmond arcade bar, rva food, rvadine, Scott's Addition, The Broken Tulip, The Circuit Arcade Bar, The Jasper, video games

These blurbs originally appeared in the GOOD EATS RVA section of RVA #31 WINTER 2017. You can check out the issue HERE or pick it up around Richmond now. 

The Broken Tulip blooms in old Amour Wine Bistro space

After seven years, Carytown French eatery Amour Wine Bistro closed this summer. Now a new business has sprung up in its place, and between the food, the charm, and the passion of the owners, it’s destined to work its way into Richmond food lovers’ hearts.

The Broken Tulip Social Eatery opened its doors for dinner Nov. 17. Sariann Lehrer and Chef David Crabtree-Logan, the husband and wife team behind the restaurant, have been dreaming of a place of their own since meeting at a country pub in England years ago.

It wasn’t until after multiple restaurant gigs, a cookbook based on the food in Game Of Thrones, and a few years of underground supper clubs in their Portland home that they decided to take the leap and open their own place. To expand on their supper club idea, the couple scouted potential spots in the South to open their first endeavor and ultimately, landed on Richmond.

“We’d been living in Connecticut for the past year. And we knew we wanted to open a restaurant farther south, to have a longer growing season because what we wanted to do was so tied with the farmers in the region,” said Lehrer. “We really liked the area and it really reminds us of Portland.”

Crabtree-Logan has a pretty extensive culinary resume. A Scotland native, the chef his first gig at Susie’s Wholefood Diner in Edinburgh. He worked his way up to Michelin-starred places like The Kitchin and The Plumed Horse, and cooked his way through Ireland, Yorkshire and other parts of the world, all which influence his cooking style.

Lehrer, on the other hand, didn’t immediately reach for the chef hat when she set out for a career. Raised in Connecticut, she earned her degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont, but instead, worked stints at a plastic surgeon’s office and an investment bank before launching a Game of Thrones food-inspired blog with a friend on a whim.

“Luckily, somebody had already compiled every mention of food in the books [online], which was great,” she said. My friend and I decided to make historically accurate lemon cakes… It took off and went crazy.”

Her blog was published into a 50-page cookbook, A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook, in 2012, and from there she went on to pursue her culinary career in England.

The Broken Tulip can’t really be pigeonholed as one type of restaurant, as it serves a six-course, ever-changing “tasting” menu. But the owners are sourcing mostly from Virginia farmers and fishermen along the East Coast. Right now, The Broken Tulip works with Tricycle Gardens, Polyface Farms, Goats R Us, and Whippoorwill Farm, and they’re looking to grow that list.

“We are trying to, in our own small way, change the food system in this state,” said Crabtree-Logan. “We very strongly believe in buying directly from farmers and supporting farmers year-round.”

The cozy, intimate space is rustic and inviting. Three large communal farm tables, topped with mason jars of wildflowers, offer seating for 24 with a small bar in the back.

“Hopefully what we do here is a synthesis of attention to detail, the quality of product, and the focus on the customer that you get in a fine dining restaurant, but without all the faff,” Crabtree-Logan said. “We want this place to feel place you’re at a really good dinner party, with really interesting people.”

Not wanting to stick to a rigid nightly menu, Chef Crabtree-Logan will switch it up weekly, depending on what farmers and other local producers have available. The week I visited, the menu featured parsnip soup, tilefish, duck breast, and pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese filling (pictured below). The couple also plans to feature menus that pull dishes from places they’ve traveled, like the Middle East, but source ingredients locally.

“People don’t need to look at a menu and decide what they’re going to eat,” he said. “If you give them the best that you can, then they’re going to love it. People want to eat something delicious, and for me, the best meals I’ve eaten in my life… you never look at a menu. You’re looked after, it’s welcoming, and if the food is good, then you’re going to be happy. So that’s our ethos here.”

The Broken Tulip runs two seatings for dinner, at 6 pm and 8:30 pm Thursday through Saturday. Dinner is $50 for the six-course menu, and $42 to add wine. Sunday Brunch costs $35. 3129 W. Cary St.

Cocktails Coming to Carytown

A new cocktail bar is slated to shake its way into Carytown later this year. No, Tom Cruise won’t be dazzling patrons with his flair and tricks, but two well-known, award-winning Richmond bartenders and one restaurateur have joined together to sling drinks at their own joint, The Jasper.

Shagbark’s Mattias Hägglund, The Roosevelt’s Thomas Leggett, and Kevin Liu, owner of the Tin-Pan and Carytown Cupcakes, are behind the new late-night bar, slated to go in the old Carey Burke Carpets location. “We’re very aware that Carytown appeals to a very wide demographic of people,” said Hägglund. “So we’re working hard to try to be a bar that has something to offer everyone.”

The Jasper’s menu will feature everything from specialty cocktails to canned domestic beers, as well as local drafts, and curated wines and spirits. Hägglund is a whiskey man himself, while Liu prefers a good Negroni–a cocktail made with one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, one part Campari, and garnished with orange peel–so expect to see at least those two drinks served at the upcoming spot.

Small plates will be also served to fill thirsty imbibers, and the full menu will be available until closing time. Menu specifics are still under wraps, but will be revealed closer to the opening date.  

The owners will pour some life back into the closed storefront with the help of interior designers Campfire and Co., architect Johannas Design Group, and construction by WillHouse Construction. “The landlord, owner of Carey Burke Carpets, was retiring; he told Kevin about the space becoming available and things took off from there,” said Hägglund.

The cocktail bar is named in honor of Jasper Crouch, a Richmonder who became a bartender and caterer after being freed from slavery. He rose to prominence while mixing drinks at Richmond’s historic Quoit club, where famous individuals like Chief Justice John Marshall played the namesake game (a formalized version of horseshoes).

“He’s who you went to see when you wanted guaranteed hospitality and quality drinks,” said Hägglund of Crouch. “Since we’re a bar being built by bartenders, we hope to honor and carry on with that.”

The Jasper will be open seven nights a week until 2 am. 3113 W. Cary St.

Craft beer and vintage games power up The Circuit Arcade Bar in Scott’s Addition

Tucked away on West Leigh Street in Scott’s Addition lies a place where you can travel back to a simpler time, encounter the glow of neon lights, and relive a favorite childhood pastime–but with beer.

Near the end of October, Robert Lupica opened The Circuit Arcade Bar, a 5,700 square-foot venue filled with over 60 throwback arcade games, pinball machines, and other vintage classics like skeeball and air hockey. A self-serve bar wall with 50 taps flows with craft beer, cider, and wine. With the touch of a few buttons on your phone or kiosk, you can even have food delivered to you.

Nostalgia overwhelms the minute you walk into this new, yet retro place decked out with wall art of C-3PO, E.T., Jason, Rocky, and the Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots. It’s a strong hook in a competitive neighborhood bursting with breweries, cideries, distilleries, and restaurants. From coin-operated cabinets like Ms. Pac-Man to the original Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mortal Kombat, and Tetris, to even older machines like Dig Dug (thank you Stranger Things for reviving that gem), and Star Trek and Jurassic Park pinball games, The Circuit is a ‘80s video game nerd’s dream.

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Lupica is a longtime Richmond entrepreneur who’s behind several companies. His latest project was launched after a year and a half of tinkering and looking at similar models.

“A friend of mine has a {arcade bar} in a different state,” he said. “That’s what gave me the {idea for the} concept, but this is the first of its kind [here] with a self-service beer wall.”

The golden age of the arcade sparked in the late ‘70s with the release of Space Invaders, and arcades began popping up in strip malls, restaurants, bars, and movie theaters all over the United States. The trend started to fade in the late ‘80s and early 90s when video game consoles and, you know, the internet began to take over. The addition of beer has brought the trend back to life in the last few years,  though, with “arcade bars” opening in Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn.

Seeing the Richmond market was lacking an arcade bar, Lupica jumped at the chance to bring one to Scott’s Addition and take the neighborhood to the next level.

“It’s up and coming, it’s the beer capital right now in Richmond, and [where] I felt my target customer was going to be,” he said.

After purchasing game tokens for a quarter or two, dropping them into the slot, and hearing that ever-satisfying clink, players from 21 to 50 have been seen at Circuit trying to earn the high score, joystick-in hand as they slay dragons, save the princess, and gobble up fruit while dodging ghosts.

“They want to go back and play the ‘80s games–a lot of the people, like me, to feel young again,” Lupica said.

Galaga, a Japanese shoot-‘em-up game that came out in 1981, was one of Lupica’s favorites growing up, along with Street Fighter and Pac-Man, all of which are playable at Circuit.

Despite his target market of older generations coming back to relive their childhood years, Lupica said he does see the occasional younger crowd drop in to play the games, even if they can’t imbibe at the booze wall.

“Not a ton, but on a Saturday or Sunday, parents will come in with some kids,” he said.

While the vintage games may be a hit, tracking down worthy, functioning cabinets is what kept Lupica from opening sooner than he did.

“It was a nine-month hunt,” he said. “My friend who lives in another state actually helped me find the games. And they came from all over the place. A lot of your older classics that work well are hard to find… We go to auctions, go online, but mainly I rely on my friend to hunt them down.” He’s still trying to get his hands on a Marvel vs Capcom machine and a few classic gun games for the arcade bar. 

Nineties kids and digital gamers need not despair at the emphasis on arcade games; Lupica has a room in the space that will be dedicated to console video games.

“We already have them, just haven’t implemented them yet, because people do steal cartridges,” he said. “Some of the ones we bought are not cheap because they’re classic, so it’s a whole staffing thing to watch.”

Once they work the logistics out, expect original Nintendo, Atari, and other popular console games at the venue for you and your friends to talk smack while you compete in Madden, or try to knock your opponent out with a turtle shell or banana peel.  

“We’re actually thinking of bringing an eight-player Mario Kart game in here, and do competitions and tournaments,” he said.

Circuit’s focus is not on the food, but you can fill up and revive with a small selection of paninis, flatbreads, and other snacks.

As for the booze selection, it spans from local staples like Hardywood and Isley to regional breweries, and even brews from across the country like Anderson Valley, Boulder Beer Company, and California’s Ace Cider. To quench your thirst before a quest, you simply purchase a card for the self-serve beer wall, where you pay per ounce.

“You have a beer card and it has to shut off at 32 ounces,” Lupica said. “They open a tab and get their beer card, and we have two or three people at the beer wall who renew their card.”

The Circuit has recently added skeeball and pinball leagues on Monday nights, which award winners with a trophy, beer card, and a plaque hung on the wall for all to see. A scoreboard display will also track those holding the high scores for each game, since games are powered down each night.

Lupica said he plans to add more games in the near future and rotate games in and out depending on popularity and what he can find.

“We’ll be adding another eight to ten games to keep it fresh,” he said. “It will be based on how games perform, probably every month.”

Circuit Arcade Bar is open Tuesdays-Sundays. 3121 W. Leigh St. 

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