Chain reaction

Yes, that’s Will Richey above, and we’ll get to him in a second, but first, news that Richmond-based regional chain Tara Thai is planning for a pre-Christmas opening at its newest location: the old Casella’s spot in the Barracks Road shopping center. We told you about this impending transformation back in March, and the brown paper has adorned the windows for quite a while now. Finally, an ABC permit has been posted and the Short Pump shop’s general manager, a gentlemen who goes by the name of Birdie, tells us that

provided final construction at the old pizza shop goes as planned, the Pad Thai and other delectables will be available for your enjoyment sometime before Christmas—Hallelujah! This will be the 11th location of Tara Thai from owner Nick Srisawat. The other 10 are in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Birdie tells us that while the menu is similar at each locale, minor changes are made to adjust for the geography and the tastes of a particular clientele. Hmm. We are very curious to know the unique Thai palates of Charlottesville. More curry, less stir-fry? More tofu, less fish? We’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out.

Soup for you

Like Restaurantarama, you may find yourself craving something warm and simple and nutritious these days. How about stopping in for some of Revolutionary Soup’s Spicy Senegalese Peanut Tofu? Yes, that’s right. You now can hop into the Shoppers’ World shopping center for some of Rev Soup’s signature soup made with love at the flagship restaurant at 108 Second St. SW. All season, Rev Soup’s owner, Will Richey, has been supplying Whole Paycheck (née Foods) with one soup selection a week for one of the five soup wells the mega grocery store has available at its salad bar/prepared foods bar.

“They [the local Whole Foods] approached me about it. It’s a little bit more expensive for them than the corporate supplied-soups, but the local store was committed to making it work,” says Richey, who opened a second Revolutionary Soup location on the Corner earlier this year. 

So might we expect a third Revolutionary Soup to make a full insurrection of the chain-laden 29 corridor anytime soon? Well, it’s still quite early in the relationship with the grocery giant, but if the soup flies off the Whole Foods stand, you never know.

“I would love to be on 29,” says Richey.

Openings

A couple of places we’ve been telling you about are now open, in case you didn’t notice: from the owner of the C&O—Dave Simpson—and his partners—Gareth Weldon and Jim Baldi—it’s Bel Rio in Belmont; from the owners of Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar—Charles Roumeliotes, Katherine Kroloff and Ken and Laura Wooten—it’s Calvino Café in the Main Street Market; and from the owners of a bunch of Topeka’s Steakhouses in Richmond and elsewhere in Virginia, it’s a Topeka’s Steakhouse on Pantops.

Now, we all know that one indication that a restaurant recently opened for dinner is heading towards success is when it finally opens up for lunch, so we are pleased to see that Boylan Heights, the burger joint on the Corner that serves local, grass-fed, organic beef, is now serving the mid-day meal.

"His legacy"

Finally, some sad news. As C-VILLE reported on our website, J. Michael Crafaik III, founder and owner of longtime Corner eatery Michael’s Bistro and Tap House, which he opened in 1994, died Saturday at UVA Medical Center. His stepmother, Kay Neeley, told C-VILLE last Friday that Crafaik “had struggled extensively with bipolar disorder,” and that “he was a wonderful person.” As to the question of whether the Bistro and its stellar food and classy beer list will continue, Neeley said yes, calling it “his legacy.”