Happy hour is back at Lemaire and more Richmond dining news
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The martini is not a happy hour special at Lemaire, but belly up to their bar for more. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
If you're in need of some good news after the longest January in Richmond's history, we've got you covered.
Driving the news: For the first time since the pandemic, happy hour is back at Lemaire.
Why it matters: The fine-dining restaurant inside The Jefferson Hotel had some of the best happy hour specials in the city, and Richmond's been missing them for five very long years.
Happy hour returned in mid-January and is available daily in the bar and lounge from 4-7pm (hat tip: Style Weekly). The specials include:
- 🍸$8 Cosmos & Old Fashioneds
- 🍻$4 Select beers
- 🍷$6 House red and white wine pours
In other dining news:
🔥 Torch Kitchen & Bar, a swanky American fare spot with craft cocktails, started its soft opening this week in Midlothian, in the Walmart shopping center on Midlothian Turnpike.
- On the menu: French-style pork chops ($32), Louisiana gumbo ($24), lobster pasta ($40), and apps and sandwiches like ahi tuna, wings, and a burger ($10-$16). Plus, a fun and funky craft cocktail list with many of them just $7 during the soft opening happy hour (5-7pm).
- During the soft opening, which runs from 5-10pm Tuesdays-Sundays through Feb. 7, walk-ins are welcome at the bar, but reservations are required for a table.
🍖 Shawarma Inc., a Middle Eastern and shawarma restaurant, opened last week at 6215 W. Broad St. in the former Lebanese Bakery space.
- On the menu: shawarma wraps, shawarma pizzas, kabobs, falafel, fatayer (stuffed pies), sandwiches and gyros ($4.99-$17.99),
Coming soon:
🍕 Fire & Char Pizza Company should open in early March for takeout and delivery out of the ChefSuite ghost kitchen on Broad Street near Staples Mill.
- The restaurant serves a pizza style inspired by a blend of New York, New Haven and Neapolitan styles, per its website.
🌮 Taco Vegana — the 100% plant-based Mexican restaurant we told you about in 2023 — finally found a space for their restaurant.
- The couple and owners who relocated to Richmond from Austin during the pandemic signed a lease at 1004 Oakwood Ave. in Church Hill and hope to open in February, they told BizSense.
🥖 Also in Church Hill, Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe is in the works and should open by March in the former 8 ½ space at 2709 E. Marshall St., BizSense reports.
- The casual lunch and dinner spot is co-owned by Alexa Schuett, who also owns Church Hill spots Liberty Public House and Riverbend Roastery.
Closings:
🫗 Verseau Bistro and its sister concept Say Cheesecake, both in Stony Point Fashion Park, will close at the end of service on Feb. 15. after just under two years in business, the Times-Dispatch reports.
ICYMI: Richmond-based Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches' Chomps are now available at all Kroger stores nationwide, including the ones in Richmond.