Richmond Business & Commercial News

Update on Bogart's new location

I posted last January about the pending closing of Bogart's at 203 North Lombardy Street.  Since then, a new location was chosen and the construction on the new space began.

Check out this update on the status of the build-out at Cary & Granby Streets for the relocation of Bogart's in the Fan -- via RVAjazz:  "A drive by Bogart's"  (a thorough update, too!)

Per the blog posting, the new Bogart's is on track to open "no later than" January 20th.  If anyone has information, please share!

Richmond business gets recognition from Chris Brogan

Yes, THAT Chris Brogan. (And if you don't know Chris Brogan, then you should take a little bit to get to know him through his blog or his twitter account -- you will thank me.)

Personal Chef To Go is local Richmond business that provides prepared gourmet meals by delivery.  PCTG offers a variety of fresh, healthy meal options (see a sample of their current menu here).  From their own site: 

"Freshly prepared weekly menus from the Mediterranean to the Pacific Rim. Made from all natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives. 100% trans fat free.

Always fresh, never frozen, entrees are rush shipped via Fed-Ex to your doorstep in oven and microwave safe containers that lock in flavor and guarantee freshness for an entire week!"

But don't take it from them, and don't take it from me -- take it from Chris Brogan!  See his blog post here.

(Out of full disclosure, PCTG is a client of mine, in that I helped them find their current commercial kitchen space.)

Where to get the best food in Richmond

That's not usually the easiest question to field, but lucky for me I have some recent reference material on hand to help me weed through the many, many wonderful places in Richmond to eat.

The first place to start is Style Weekly's most recent issue, with their annual State of the Plate issue.  I have read through the issue and it's worth going through the whole thing, rather than having me point out just an article or two that I would suggest.  The magazine not only gives a rundown of the best of the best, but it has a number of other restaurant-related articles that will give any foodie in Richmond a warm fuzzy feeling. 

(And Nate's Taco Truck is featured in one of the side pictures throughout the issue.  I had forgotten about this gem that I had the pleasure of running into down at First Fridays a few months ago.  Incredible!  I highly suggest you take any chance you get to have one of Nate's tacos.)

There is a great analysis of the issue and the Top 50 results posted at the804.com from yesterday.
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On the subject of food and restaurants, there is a new food festival that will highlight local chefs and local foods.  "Broad Appetit" will be held on May 18th from noon to 5:00pm on the 100-300 blocks of West Broad Street.

Here are a couple of blurbs from the official press release (which can be found here) that I thought best described the new event in a nutshell:

The first annual Broad Appétit Food Festival will feature Richmond’s favorite food purveyors, restaurants, chefs, cart vendors and artisans. The event is free to the public and is designed to feed one’s mind, soul and body with an eclectic mix of crafts and art, offerings from twenty of Richmond’s favorite chefs, and a huge kid’s area complete with original food-related entertainment and cool activities.
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  Renowned author and food revolution leader, Joel Salatin from Virginia’s own Polyface Farms, Inc. will be on hand to discuss the Polyface founding principle that the ultimate safe and secure food supply is the one growing in your own community. Joel was excited to be involved in this inaugural event stating "celebrating local food and its answers to food fears, this event applauds relationships between good producers, culinary artists, and integrity food aficionados."

If you are ready to not only experience some of the area's most talented and well-known chefs, but also open your food horizons (yummy bugs!), then put this event on your calendar.

Thanks to Richmond Food Collective for the tip on this one!
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And one last minute bit of news: Style Weekly's restaurant critic, Brandon Fox, will be on WRVA 1140-AM, on Doc Thompson's radio show at 4pm today (Thursday).  Sorry for the late notice, but I just saw the news about it a moment ago.

Read this warning before buying new home construction!

I'm not a residential real estate agent (although I can refer you to several good ones, if you need), so I don't usually address home purchasing issues on this blog.  I do, however, follow many good blogs that focus on residential real estate and every once in a while come across a gem that begs to be shared.  Going forward, I'll be sure to share those postings here when the topic is applicable to the Richmond market.

Here is the first of these postings:  "Buying new construction without a Realtor? Read this first!" by Jim Duncan on REALCentralVA.com.

Jim makes a good point that:

One size certainly does not fit all. Certainly, not all new construction contracts are this odious and one-sided, but buyers (and Realtors) need to be aware that this type of contract is out there, is being used and is being signed by Buyers without even a hint of Buyer Representation.

Be sure to read Jim's post.  It's scary that this kind of language is in a contract.  Another lesson to take from this is always read before you sign anything and make sure you understand the language that is being used.

Don't wait until November -- Vote now!

Why wait until November, when you can vote now?!

Of course, this election is slightly less important than the *big* election this November (in some people's eyes, I guess).  BUT, I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment to go by VARbuzz.com to help support Richmond Business & Commercial News in the 1st ever VARbuzz Blog Brawl.

This blog is listed under Zone #3, and I'm pitted against The Arlington Dirt. The contest in question is the second from the bottom on Zone #3.  Click here to go to the voting page.

Note that you have to cast a vote on each of the matched pairs in order to vote for any of them, but take the opportunity to explore some great blogs that you wouldn't have normally seen.  Of course, don't forget your favorite  (this one! of course!).

Congratulations to our newest public servant!

The newest addition to Mayor Wilder's team has been pulled from the ranks of local bloggers.  Jon Baliles, son of former Governor Baliles, is the author behind the popular Richmond blog, <River City Rapids>.

Mayor Wilder tapped Jon recently as his new Public Information Manager.  Read all the details on his post on <River City Rapids> and here, in an online exclusive by Style Weekly.

I have been reading Jon's blog for a while now, and it's exciting to see someone so excited about the City getting to be a part of the ongoing development.

Congratulations, Jon!

What makes a good leader?

On his blog, <RiverCityRapids>, Jon Baliles is attacking the establishment of Richmond City and how it submits so easily to VCU's whims.  He states, quite correctly, that VCU has been a major economic force for revitalization in the city (so that's good), but that it is leading to our city leaders essentially handing over the keys to the city and rolling over whenever the city plans may conflict with VCU's plans.

Jon certainly makes good arguments and I would encourage you to take a look at his recent posts on the subject, especially the most recent, "A Resistance To Reflexively Go Along Part III: VCU".  You can come to your own conclusion about whether you think Richmond's Planning Commission was right or wrong in their decision to stay out of VCU's way.  (and I would be happy to hear your views here in the comments section)

My comments are more to the general topic of leadership, especially as it applies here in Richmond.  Jon is right that the most memorable leaders have gone against the grain, and been successful in spite of their setbacks. 

I submit, however, that a great leader is often not the most memorable.  The best leaders are those who bring people together to pursue a common vision, especially when the different parties are not originally cooperating.  Those types of leaders aren't always remembered explicitly in history books, but they are often the ones that are the most effective in enacting real change. 

Being remembered shouldn't be the point.  Making changes to better society and move forward should be.

Merely going against the current doesn't produce results, as we have seen from recent events.  In fact, we have so many "leaders" in Richmond trying to impose their will on public policy that everyone is butting heads and absolutely nothing is being accomplished.

What would make a great leader in Richmond is a combination of:

• a strong vision of what Richmond could be
• a will to lead and serve the public's interest (rather than one's own ego)
• the ability to bring people together and coordinate efforts (rather than dividing and conquering)

What do you think?  Is there anything you'd like to add to the list?

Test -- please excuse our mess :)

This is really more of a general maintenance posting, so don't worry too much about it.

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Movieland: The new frontier

A couple of weeks ground was broken on the new cineplex on Boulevard.  There has been a lot of buzz about it, and judging by the hits on some of my prior posts on the development (from 03/14/07, 11/30/06 & 05/18/06), I would say that there is quite a bit of interest from the general public.

The report from River City Rapids has me very excited to see the finished product from Bow Tie Partners.  This is a company that gets it!  Look over Jon's post, Movies On The Boulevard: Even Better Than You Think, to see all the details that I haven't seen anywhere except for on River City Rapids.

Feedback on Restaurant Week 2007

There have been a number of responses that I've seen online regarding Restaurant Week (last week), so I wanted to provide you all with a short list of where I've seen feedback on different experiences:

RBlog: Restaurant Week
UrbanPlanet.com "Dining -Out Scene" thread  (scroll down from where this link leads to see a few reviews of different restaurants in Restaurant Week)
In Vino Veritas -- blog that reviewed Zeus Gallery's performance
A beggarly account of empty boxes -- blog that reviewed Millie's performance
River City Rapids -- blog that reviewed Zeus Gallery and Amici

Congrats to all of the participants, restaurants and customers!  It sounds like it was another successful year for Restaurant Week and the Central Virginia Food Bank!