2009 was a rough year for local restaurants. Despite the global financial recession, however, we didn’t see a huge increase in restaurant closures over last year. For almost every business that shut down, another quickly took its place: On the corner, Martha’s Café became Cantina; Zydeco became Sushi Love; the Biltmore Grill became the improved and renovated Biltmore under Corner restaurateurs Andy and Patrick McClure; Il Cane Pazzo became Camino; and the Java Java in Ivy became a Shenandoah Joe’s coffeehouse, while the Java Java downtown got a new owner and menu under the same moniker.
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Alex George serves up quick Mexican dishes for lunch and—starting in 2010—dinner, at The Jefferson Theater Restaurant. |
Many spots chose smart survival tactics to weather the financial storm. They revised menus and lowered prices (the more upscale Fardowners became the more casual Pub at Fardowners; the Upstairs introduced $18 USDA Prime steaks), increased or decreased hours (Escafe opened for Monday dinner while Aqui es Mexico stopped serving el lunes) and/or took the opportunity of cheap labor and rent to gussy up or expand: Bang! added a front patio; C’ville Coffee added a patio, stage and later hours; Milano expanded its menu and hours and added a stage; and Ventana tripled in size, adding a new full-scale dining room, as well as a new International fusion menu.
There were many other much anticipated openings this year: Michael Keaveny’s Tavola; Chuck Adcock’s 12th Street Taphouse; Mudhouse’s new Crozet coffeehouse; Rise PizzaWorks at Barracks Road Shopping Center; Trinity Irish Pub in the old O’Neil’s Irish Pub spot on University Avenue; and eateries at the new Old Trail Village Center in Crozet—Trailside Coffee, da Luca Café & Wine Bar and an outpost of Anna’s Ristorante Italiano and Pizza.
Belmonters, in particular were feeling so rich in restaurants this year that they actually tried to reject a new one in their neighborhood. (See “Belmont rezoning approved” in our July 14 issue for the story behind Southern Crescent.)
And there’s one final opening to report this year. A new Mexican spot adjacent to the newly renovated and opened Jefferson Theater is offering quick and spicy snacks designed for scarfing down before, during or after the shows—tacos, burritos, empanadas. Alex George, local chef, caterer and previous owner of Just Curry, is executive chef of what he’s referring to as “The Jefferson Theater Restaurant,” pending a final name for the place. The restaurant is owned by the Jefferson Theater (i.e., Mr. Coran Capshaw) and until January 1 is only open to the public Tuesday-Saturday 11-3pm and on show nights until 2am. In the new year, George will add regular dinner Friday-Saturday, 8pm-2am. George is also running all catering for the Jefferson Theater.
Earlier this year after George had closed his flagship Just Curry location on the Corner we reported that he was involved in a new restaurant venture at the old Fry’s Spring Service Station, but now he says, “I’m no longer involved.”
But he might just involve himself in Just Curry again:
“I may it bring it back in the future,” he says. “We’ll have to see how 2010 goes. I wouldn’t want to do anything until I see great signs that the economy is rebounding.”
