Since Si Tapas and its related upstairs music venue Is closed abruptly two weeks ago, new details have emerged regarding its owner Mo Roman, a regional restaurateur with several businesses in Fredericksburg and Richmond—including Bank and Vault (a nightclub) and the first iteration of Si. First, Roman has also closed the Richmond Si, and our friends at Style Weekly tell us he’s in the process of turning that location into a pizza place called Pie and that his original plans to open a Pie across from the new CenterStage performance complex in Richmond have stalled out. Incidentally, we doubt there’s any chance of Roman pursuing a concept change at the old Charlottesville Si spot on West Main Street, as we already spotted the moving truck stripping the site of equipment.
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Is there a link between the charges brought by a former employee against Si owner Mo Roman and the closing of his restaurant? Don’t know, because the man did not return our calls. |
Second, local bloggers on Cvillain.com were the first to post the news that Roman had been charged with the crime of sexual battery last April and speculated the situation may have necessitated Si’s closing. The case was filed in Charlottesville District Court where the charge was amended to misdemeanor assault and has been appealed to Charlottesville Circuit Court. Restaurantarama has learned that a former Si bartender brought the charges. The story that she alleges happened on a particular evening at Si last February is the stuff of a seedy soap opera. We’ll spare you the sordid details as well as our own speculation about whether the case had any bearing, financial or otherwise, on Roman’s interest or ability to continue operate the year-old Charlottesville Si. We wanted to let the man speak for himself, but were unable to reach him. Calls to Roman’s public relations spokesperson in Richmond also were not returned as of press time, and Roman’s defense attorney, James E. “Bud” Treakle declined to speak with us, stating: “I do not comment on pending matters.”
Market Street Market; Crozet Coffee
Just about the time Restaurantarama became preoccupied with this Si business, another exciting event happened: The Market Street Market opened. Downtown workers and dwellers now have a convenient place to pick up toilet paper, fabric softener and prepared vegan torta di risotto on their way home from a hard day a the office. Owner Raphael Strumlauf says his market is based on “the big city model of cramming a lot of stuff into a small space.”
In the spirit of less is more, the Market caries over 3,000 different grocery store products and fresh produce into a shop a fraction of the size of a typical grocery store, plus offers a more upscale version of grocery store food counter fare. It may not have six different brands of laundry detergent, but who really cares about that?
Restaurantarama is just happy to knock out our home shopping to-do list at the same time we’re having a house-made corn beef sandwich freshly made by deli chef Mario Moyer during our lunch break.
The Market’s fresh food options include light breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, prepared entrees and side dishes, which you can enjoy at one of its seven in-house café tables or take home. Hours are 9am-8pm, Monday-Saturday and 10am-6pm, Sunday.
Another recent opening is Green House Coffee in Crozet on White Hall Road. This makes the third coffee shop to open in Crozet since July—both Trailside Coffee in the Old Trail Village Center and Mudhouse on The Square opened that month.
