I had wanted to eat at Enoteca Sogno since they opened four years ago, but just when I started to get curious about good wine with food, the news came out that Broad Street’s Italian bistro and wine bar was being forced to close. According to the Style Weekly article, the space was needed by the landlord, Justin French, and his new restaurant, The Republic, a couple doors down. The Republic was just getting set to open, but apparently it was urgent that they use the nearby existing restaurant, Enoteca Sogno, as a catering business, or a lunch location, or… well, the justification seems to change with the weather (maybe Justin French and The Republic feel they need that storefront to be empty?).
This struck me as curious, if not obviously underhanded. I wanted to know more. So, I poked my head in while across the street at Pleasants Hardware, to see what kind of restaurant had to be protected from another restaurant two doors down drawing diners and drinkers to midtown Broad Street. The menu seemed like standard bar fare, with a few flavor flourishes to peak your curiosity. Not very alluring to me, but it really looks to be more of a rock’n'roll bar than an epicurean destination (think Stronghill, with less interesting design). And then there’s their legal smoking section, clearly a focus of the business plan. Too bad, really. I’ve got nothing against smokiness in a restaurant, but I wouldn’t want to give up two restaurants to make way for one smoking section. You can read that to mean, yes, I hold The Republic responsible for the shady behavior of their business partner, Justin French, and for depriving diners of a beyond decent Italian restaurant in a part of town that could use the business.
As Enoteca’s owner says, his whole staff was put out of work on November 28th, out in the cold for the holidays. And for what? So hipsters can get drunk without the possibility of excellent plates of pasta being eaten nearby? What was the point in pulling Enoteca’s lease? (I mean, really!?) What kind of Grinch, steals Christmas out from under an established business in Downtown Richmond? Better yet, who specifically made the call to terminate Enoteca’s lease? Justin French? Some otther owners or investors in The Republic? I hear that a lot of experienced Richmond restaurant workers have been pouring their time/energy/money into The Republic endeavor, making green building decisions, and other progressive operating appoaches. I wonder how they feel, being complicit in this kind of anti-community strong-arming. It’s really a bad foot to get off on, if you ask me. I felt the same way when Strawberry Street Cafe (super-yucky), stole the property out from under the awesome wine shop convenience store, Prices. I didn’t go in for years. Prices was AWESOME!
Maybe the strings were being pulled by Rick Lyons, formerly a partner in Star-Lite and Banditos. I hear that he pulled his money from those places so he could cash in on the smoking lounge attraction that is to be The Republic. That’s some big money when you put Justin and Rick together with all of Richmond’s smokers. No wonder their website is prefigured with unwarranted hype: t-shirts, social media, over-designed bells and whistles, all presuming popularity. It just reeks of phoniness and bad-karma – the stuff that fuels full page ads and a lack of critical coverage in the local media. I’d be surprised if Star-Lite or Banditos customers would be concerned with any of this. A watering hole is a watering hole. And a watering hole with ashtrays? Beyond reproach.
But, wait. Wasn’t Cabo’s Corner Bistro in that same pot on the corner of Broad and Allison, years ago? That place was a real racket; pushing a posh environment and some of the worst food around at exorbitant prices. Ethics were out the window at Cabos, for sure. Have you all ever seen the movie, Poltergeist? A family moved into a place that was built on a burial ground and then they were tormented by spirits. So, you’ve got the curse of the old Cabo’s lingering in that space. And now the landlord is knocking over more cemetery headstones to make way for… The Republic. How long did Cabo’s last after Enoteca showed up offering goodness next door to their wannabe bistro grossness? The threat of a good example of food and drink done well, maybe?
I guess it goes without saying that nation-states generally come about through a bloody coup d’eta. It’s just business, they say. But, Broad Street is one sandbox that is big enough for all the kids to play in. If I’m ever going to support The Republic, I’d want to see them as part of a United Nations of Richmond Restaurants, rather than a unilateral George Bush cowboy type. That’s not my kind of neighborhood bar. But who needs thinkin, when there’s drinkin? While you’re smokin, don’t look at who the landlord is chokin.
Now that this post has dissolved into silly rhymes, let’s wrap up. This is about all I know on the situation, to date. I’m hoping by sharing this here, others will chime in to clarify the situation. I’m sure people on either side will have a lot to say. Some folks will say that Gary at Enoteca is just trying to get PR for a new location and that this is his payback for replicating Mama Zu’s recipes (his restaurant alma mater). I have no clue about that, but I’d rather see more Edo’s style food and fewer boring bars in Richmond.
When the Style piece came out, a few of us scratched our heads about it on Twitter. Since then, Enoteca’s owner spoke up with a comment letting the public know that he had been muscled out, and that Justin French was to blame for extinguishing one of the few brights spots on that section of Broad Street. Shortly thereafter angry comments piled up, “publicly lynching” Justin French (according to commenter Rusty S), and those were deleted by Style’s website moderators (UPDATE: Deveron Timberlake left a comment denying that this happened doesn’t know what Rusty S is talking about). That won’t happen here (assuming yall maintain some degree of civility). I just want the truth (did you order the code red, Justin!?) and I want the rest of Richmond to have it too.
Oh, and I also want to eat at Enoteca Sogno and drink a little wine there. That’d be a fine resolution as well. Please contribute time machines and/or mea culpas in the comments section.
I’m a fan of Ed Vasaio’s restaurants, but what I enjoyed about Enoteca was that Gary’s kitchen was producing a different style of Italian cuisine. Word I got from Enoteca’s staff was that they were hoping for a quick bounce-back from this shock to the system. In addition, Gary was working at ways to keep the staff working part-time at Coast so they weren’t completely f**ked during the holidays.
Thanks for rubbing it in, Paul. I also heard that the wild mushroom pasta and brandade were super dishes. I figure they’ll land on their feet. If Enoteca resurfaces, where do you all think they should open up shop? Is there anyplace in Richmond that Justin French hasn’t already ingratiated himself?
I ate once at Enoteca — good food. I had intended to go back…I guess not!
I’ve never eaten at Enoteca nor do I see myself going to The Republic.
But, there’s this thing called a “lease”…..it is a legal document, I’m told. If the lease expires and the landlord chooses not to renew, that’s his prerogative. For whatever reason.
If the landlord chooses to terminate the lease prior to the end of the lease period, there is usually a “buy out” of the remaining time.
If Enoteca was on a month to month lease, then he knew that this could happen. If Enoteca had a long term lease and was in default for whatever reason, he knew this could also happen.
Enough about the food and the smoke….where is the discussion of the lease terms? That’s the issue. Plain and simple.
mslf500: Great points. So many of Richmond’s great restaurants operate at the pleasure of their landlords. Whatever the legally binding aspects of this place, it’s pretty clear that Justin French played favorites, choosing The Republic over an established restaurant, when both could easily co-exist, serving different clientele. It seems spiteful, deceitful, and really not in the service of Richmond’s diners/drinkers. What does everyone else think?
It’s his right to play favorites. He owns the property. It’s a business, not a charity.
FanGuy: It’s an honor to have attracted you to this site. Your online reputation preceeds you. However, I don’t think your simplification of the issue helps clarify this story.
Landlords and restaurateurs leverage a great deal of influence over the fate of honest businesses, cooks, servers, not to mention our dining options. When things run smoothly, we don’t think much about them while they profit at a rational rate. Other times, they make aggressive moves that disenfranchise groups arbitrarily or purely to benefit their own anti-competitive and anti-community monopolies. No one is saying he can’t take his ball and go home like any other spoiled 8 year old. The question (from my perspective) is whether Justin French’s and Rick Lyon’s businesses are deserving of our support.
I’m sorry, but this post is riddled with so much bias and vitriol, it’s hard to take you seriously. How can you slam a restaurant you’ve never set foot in, supposedly in defense of yet another restaurant you’ve never set foot in?
I love Enoteca, and I’m sad to see it go. However, I have a feeling its good food will find another home. mslf500 is right. A lease is up to the landlord and has nothing to do with the people behind The Republic. Bash the landlord if you must but don’t bash The Republic until you’ve heard directly from Mr. Lyons that he did, in fact, play a hand in ousting Enoteca. If he did, that’s very sad. However, business is business.
I’m really not sure where you’re going with the whole “evil hipsters drinkin’ and smokin’” commentary. I’ve been to The Republic several times (on both sides, smoking and non), and to Enoteca many more times than that. I haven’t seen the “hipsters” of which you speak, assuming you’re referring to the angsty VCU crowd that hangs at Empire and The Camel.
Yes, I’ve seen people at The Republic who frequent Sticky Rice and Bandito’s, but just because these people have tattoos does not mean they don’t appreciate good food and are only out to drink and smoke. Seriously? Did we time-travel back to 1950 and I missed it?
And how can you talk about The Republic’s food if you’ve never eaten it? While a cursory glance of the menu whilst walking by may mean something significant to you, I don’t judge a restaurant until I’ve actually consumed its wares. The chef at The Republic is formerly of The Dining Room at the Berkley, so I doubt she slings out onion rings with little care, no matter what she’s preparing.
You’ve obviously never eaten at Stronghill either. Yes, it does have a crowd similar to the one described above, but chef Owen Lane is skilled. He used to work at Helen’s, Michelle’s and The Track. His food is amazing and worth the high prices. And yes, he does have tattoos, so you probably consider him a hipster.
Oh wait, I forgot. Your M.O. is being cheap, so of course you’ve never set foot in any of these restaurants. Instead you bitch about just about everything with no real basis in reality.
Just figured I’d expose the bias of your post to open up the discussion to real facts. Funny since you slam the local media as being biased toward these types of restaurants when your blog is just as bad.
Jason, LOL. Anti-competitive monopolies? That IS competition. Justin French has done nothing illegal. He owns the property and can do with it what he wants. Assuming he felt Enoteca was a threat to his new enterprise, why on earth would he NOT end their lease? Nothing is stopping Enoteca from getting a new lease nearby, or heaven forbid, buying their own property so they don’t have to worry about a landlord.
Your entire post smells of sour grapes.
Oh, and I am glad to hear that I have garnered an online reputation worthy enough to precede me. Mission accomplished.
Sarah: It’s true. I don’t get out much. So, definition of the label “hipsters” is expansive to include anyone with an exciting nightlife. Stronghill? Been twice. Not impressed at lunch or dinner, but Richmond has something for everyone, and I hope they do well on the Boulevard. Imagine if Stronghill’s lease was pulled by a landlord wanting extra space to work on Ducati motorcyles or a wharehouse space for the enormous flower shop down the block. It would smell pretty fishy. Wouldn’t you wanna speak up?
FanGuy: I was kinda hoping that my dismissive comment would deter you from returning.
Heaven forbid you have discussion and debate on here.
I ate at Enoteca twice with friends and the food was terrible and expensive. My $12 gnocci was inedible, so for whatever their reason for closing, I’m not sad to see them go. For Italian, I’ll stick with Edo’s, 8 1/2 or Mamma Zu’s. I ate at the Republic for lunch last week and liked it, got the fish tacos and house salad (which was spinach, not iceburg lettuce, horray!). It’s worth a try despite the hyped up clothing line.
Whoa, there, Sarah. Back off the guy. He’s not attacking “hipsters”- he’s saying that Richmond needs more Edos and less Home Team Grills. And, last time I checked, some of the Edos guys have tats, too. Where exactly did he say that people with tattoos only drink and smoke and can’t appreciate good food? Talk about stereotyping. If we are going to go there, the “Banditos and Starlite customers” he’s probably referring to are the masses of drunken frat boys in popped collars pounding redbull and vodkas, not the competent and badass bar or wait staff. You might want to reread that.
The bartenders at those establishments (many whom are at the Republic now) are some of the best in town. But that doesn’t change the facts that some people got pretty screwed over for the sake of another VIP bar scene.
As for the Republic, he makes good points and has the balls to actually take a stand for something substantial. Take one look at the cheesy VIP membership and merchandise on the Republic website and you can see his comments are clearly warranted. Ain’t the Berkley and it damn sure ain’t Edos.
The Stronghill comparison is right-on with one difference, Owen’s the bomb. Out of all of the staff that went from Stronghill to the Republic, it’s a shame for the Republic that Owen wasn’t one of them.
Finally- some of us appreciate a little cheap right now. Times are tough, although not as tough for me as all those people who got put out of a job on Thanksgiving at Enoteca.
Whoa! Fish tacos? I’m about to delete this whole post. I will cross a picket line of grieving grandmothers for some good fish tacos. Seriously, after the dust settles from this debacle, I’m as likely as anyone else to wind up eating at The Republic (or Stronghill, etc), especially if fish tacos are involved. I’ve braved Infuzion for mediocre fish tacos multiple times and that place isn’t my style either. And who knows what kind of shenanigans go on behind the scenes of a reformed ice bar.
Anyhow, this discussion is for you all to debate and speculate. I’m not going to moderate at every step. Many of you (cgrnva) are more articulate and knowledgeable than I am on some of these issues. The blog post is a conversation starter. So, moving on from fish tacos (and my cojones) to matters of substance…
Can anyone speak to Justin French’s and Rick Lyon’s other business dealings? Is this flare up of questionable ethics out of character?
Sorry but Edo’s and Mama Zu is not good Italian food. Good Italian-American food maybe, hard to tell what you are eating with too much salt-pepper-garlic-peperoncini-oil on everything. But I think most people in this city judge how good a restaurant is by how large their portions are. Not so much quality wise. Style Weekly bitched about Bouchon having small portions, who is this idiot doing the reviewing? Anyway, Enotecca had a solid wine list and decent food in a romantic atmosphere. They will be missed.
Vote with your wallet. If you like a restaurant, go to it, support it, keep it open.
You don’t like a restaurant, or you don’t like the owner, don’t go.
But don’t continue to stir this cold pot, Norma Rae. The backstory isn’t one of social injustice. (not trying to be harsh, just honest) And, the food at Mamma Zu and Sogno are nothing alike. They both serve(d) good quality parmesan with pasta; the similarities end there.
Servers out of work, well, that sucks, but this isn’t the first or last time this will happen at the holidays. Anyone that has worked in a restaurant knows the volatility of the job, including the staff at Sogno.
(ps-are you an out of work cook/chef that wants to head an Italian restaurant in Cville? I know someone looking… email me: genevelyn@gmail.com, )
Genevelyn: Getting people to “vote with their wallets” is probably a byproduct of this post, but Richmonders need information to make educated choices. I don’t have the whole story, but what I’ve heard, I don’t like.
I had no idea what had happened to Enoteca until reading this blog, nice writing. I had only eaten there once just about a month or so ago and really enjoyed it. I had a whole flounder–cooked perfectly while my wife had a truffle pasta special which was also excellent. Funny, we just drove by yesterday on the way to Edo’s when I noticed the place seemed unusually dark and bare. It’s too bad to see places come and go with little or no warning. Incidentally, I just joined eatingrichmond.com as a blogger, posting my first review about The Republic. I wasn’t completely deterred but sans happy hour, don’t see myself hurrying back.
I so love this blog (ie: Jason). It’s sad to hear of Enoteca’s closing. Their food is/was wonderful, great wine list, and their panna cotta was sublime. In such a foodie town like RVA, do we really need another bar w/ so-so food? No.
Whatever the reason of the landlord’s, it doesn’t seem friendly or wise. Restaurants, and businesses in general, do better when there are other restaurants/biz around it. Competition actually helps. It creates a destination mindset. For a still empty part of Broad Street, the Republic, like Cabo’s, would do better with Enoteca’s nearby. Maybe they’re just setting the stage for another place. Looking forward to reading good news of Enoteca’s hopeful return at an even better location.
hmmm, why does this situation smell just as bad at the bogarts/balliceaux sitch?
i am with genevelyn. if you like the food, go.
I’m not familiar with the story behind bogarts moving to make way for balliceaux. But, I was wondering when WMDM was gonna make an appearance here. Would ya smuggle me out some fish tacos so I can evaluate them for my exhaustive annotated listing?
I guess I’ll stoke the flames a bit here.
I dealt with Justin French a few years ago when he bought up several properties in my old neighborhood. It was around the time that the GRTC announced that they were moving and the bus barn on Cary would be sold. The properties in question were on Parkwood. A few months after Justin bought the properties under one name, he sold them to another one of his corporate entities — for two to three times the original purchase price. The change resulted in changed assessments on the properties in the neighborhood which forced several of the longtime homeowners out. Of the properties Justin owned, many of the tenants had their leases terminated. As a result, we went from a well-occupied neighborhood to 75% vacancy on the properties on those blocks — and as a collateral result, the drug trade exploded.
The initial guise for terminating the leases was property improvement. To that end, work occasionally happened on each of the properties. Occasionally, they would be put on the market for a period of time — generally in an unsaleable condition. Was it illegal? Probably not. Was it cynical and irresponsible to the neighborhood for someone who has received accolades for “reviving” parts of Richmond? Certainly.
Justin was finally confronted after weeks of escalation in drug traffic and small street crime. The final straws were the night two junkies blew out of one of the empty (unsecured) properties in a fight and made it into our entryway. My family and my neighbors were in danger. When confronted, Justin said he perfectly understood our issues and was doing “all he could” to fix up the properties in question.
Here’s the kicker… Around the same time that he re-sold the properties on Parkwood to his company for three times their value, he sold his mansion on Monument Avenue and bought a multi-million dollar estate in Westhampton. His explanation in a magazine article at the time was that he felt it best for the safety of his children… to move off Monument Avenue.
Now, I’m not saying the deals and move are related, but the timing is curious. As is the timing of his termination of Enoteca’s lease — just after the restaurant he co-owns on the same block opened.
Frankly, I have a few more details I could add to Justin French’s questionable business practices and the effects they have on the community around, but I’ll leave it this anecdote for now.
Let the fun begin…
Richmonders can’t make “educated choices” with this gossipy, old lady, out of the loop post
Call it “gossipy” if you want, but I watched his speculation damage a neighborhood.
Had a dinner at [the republic] last friday, 4 good draft beers (stone, pyramid) plus 3 small plates that were pretty decent for 30 bucks. Never ate at the neighboring mama zu-offshooot but the revolution was a great value….I’m very interested to see where this goes, I’d hate to find that they pushed out another great local option just to reduce competition.
yeah, i can smuggle some tacos. just don’t tell anyone it was me.
P – That’s an awful story. Sounds like French owns a good chunk of the area by GRTC that I wrote about in a previous blog post. That neighborhood is in a sorry state. Thanks for speaking up about it here. Richmonders don’t generally speak ill of our local big money movers and shakers. But the situation you’re describing deserves attention. That Parkwood and Addison area could become a hot property if/when the GRTC yard on Robinson turns into retail space. I guess it’s safe to say that developers want to be in position to reap the profit when the houses are 5x the price (maybe a little bit of a fantasy – at least a few years down the line).
Too bad French treated the community that lived there like obstacles instead of human beings. The same cavalier attitude is on display with the sacking of Enoteca Sogno. I wonder if there is anything that can be done in these cases of aggressive gentrification? I think neighborhoods/tenants/customers have to be very organized to exercise a unified voice of opposition to this kind of behavior if accountability is going to be possible. Richmond just doesn’t seem to have that kind of fight-back, but I hope I’m wrong about that. What do you all think? Is Richmond just a developer’s chessboard and are the rest of us just pawns to be pushed around? Or do the high-rollers have a responsibility to maintain common decency and to avoid undermining the well being of their tenants and neighbors? Personally, I think a little feedback is the least we can do.
PS: I emailed Enoteca to let them know about this post. Gary wrote back saying he was appreciative of the sentiments and efforts here and didn’t have any corrections to add. Just FYI. Never met the man, but now you know he’s seen this.
PPS: I’ve also never met P and had no idea my old post on the bridge between our neighborhoods had any tie in to this story. Small town, huh?
Wow– sounds like this guy may be Richmond’s Stringer Bell.
Ah, good ‘ol Richmond — never lacking in gossip or rampant speculation.
In case you’re thinking that I have some nerve delving into this subject, I want you to know that I’m very aware that this is beyond polarizing. I’ve heard from people whose opinions I respect voicing positive and negative thoughts about this post and my decision to bring this stuff up. I think the extremely wide spectrum of responses to this blog post is an significant lesson here. Even more so than the comments above, the feedback I’ve gotten on my decision to write and hold a forum about this topic couldn’t be more divergent. I’m hearing stories about XYorZ person screwing over residents, workers, and restaurants and getting praised for asking critical questions when the custom is to remain silent.
Meanwhile, some folks believe that this post is sensationalistic and bad for food bloggers and restaurants alike, others go as far as to say that the public has no right to criticize property owners and their business dealings.
Of course, the medium (blogs) might add to these differing perspectives. Everybody has a different idea about what the role of a blogger, citizen journalist, or community conversation using online discussion forums. After two disapproving comments from Genevelyn, we took our conversation offline. No name calling ensued (although I did throw a barnyard animal into one email). She gave me permission to quote her here (and I’m sure she’ll be comfortable correctly me, if I get any of this wrong).
“I dislike it when anybody asks the internets for scuttlebutt. I read a lot of food blog aggregates in many cities, and unique to the Richmond scene is the gladdis cravitz style gossip and digging on places. Other cities may do it, but in a sentence or two. It really affects business owners, their opinion of food bloggers, the food and wine culture of a town—- and isn’t fun for me to read of everyone’s he-said-she-said stuff. I’m not saying I’m completely uninterested, but, a little goes a long way. And, I have to wonder why go to the extent you did on that post when you never ate at Sogno in the years it was open?
Rather than admit that I am too dense or young (35) to understand her esoteric references (norma rae? gladdis cravitz?) I responded, “I read Gary’s comment on Style’s site and message on enoteca’s website as a call to shed light on the situation and an indication that there are more victims. The media didn’t bite, so i have. Considering the number of horror stories that have been told to me verbally, I’m surprised more people haven’t spoken up”
Genevelyn: “I am not going to share what I know. But, I know pretty much everyone involved and can say that while I am really sorry that Gary lost his spot, the loss isn’t deserving of trying to dig up dirt on Rick or Justin. I don’t think it is fair to put their reputations up for debate by the peanut gallery. I guess we just have a difference of opinion on this one.”
I think the peanut gallery needs a forum. They are customers, current and ex-employees, and keepers of the collective culture of our city. If a developer or restaurateur violates the public interest, even in a way that is legal and isn’t significant to many, there may be more to the story. Sometimes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I think the story by P illustrates that.
Genevelyn’s got a point, but so do you, Jason. If someone is f**king people over as part of their business practices, isn’t that worth pointing out? Doesn’t it hurt the whole community NOT to point it out? Isn’t it our responsibility to ensure that the the people who hold the purse strings do so in a responsible way? That’s exactly what Enoteca’s owner did with his announcement.
“Shortly thereafter angry comments piled up, “publicly lynching” Justin French (according to commenter Rusty S), and those were deleted by Style’s website moderators.”
My point was that Style Weekly/Deveron Timberlake acted irresponsibly in printing this “news”. They have moderated(read:deleted) many of my posts just because I might be questioning something in their article. At the same time they let Gary reiterate his disdain for French. It’s inflammatory. There is no need for it. I have been misquoted several times in Style by Deveron, so this shouldn’t really come as a surprise.
As far as Enoteca goes they had a nice selection of Barolo and Super Tuscans. Their pasta is not so good, I usually just drink, maybe get some cheese. Thanks for the mention.
I can’t speak to Republic, but Enoteca was my favorite restaurant in Richmond. I even took my wife their the night I proposed. I hate to see it go and it really seems like a crime that two distinct restaurants couldn’t co-exist on this section of Broad.
So, here’s what I don’t get. If the restaurants aren’t in direct competition, where’s the incentive to terminate the lease? Wouldn’t French make more money off of two leases, rather than one?
Too bad, you missed the best Calamari I ever had. I’m going to miss it too.
Gladys Kravitz – The nosy neighbor on the old 60’s sitcom Bewitched. Great reference.
Just want to clarify that whether Enoteca or Republic have/had good or bad food kinda misses the point. If the new place is good, they don’t necessarily deserve the right to shut down the neighboring restaurant (before they even open!). So, analyzing the food at the Republic isn’t really essential to this issue (although, interested and certainly appropriate content for this site). Likewise, if Enoteca Sogno wasn’t your bag, then their closing might give you some satisfaction, but it doesn’t make what happened right.
At this point, Broad Street needs all the viable businesses it can get, even if the food isn’t top notch. Okay, maybe Broad Street doesn’t need storefronts that keep the vomit flowing in the bathroom, roofies slipped into ladies’ drinks, and irresponsible drunk drivers radiating out in every direction. That may be a better characterization of places like Tiki Bob’s, Bandito’s, Cha Cha’s, and Star-lite. However, some say that The Republic will wind up being largely of the same ilk as those places. While a restaurant/bar can’t police its customers, I’m sure the experienced staff at The Republic know how to run a tight ship.
I live around the corner. Another thing to consider is that since French owned that whole 1/2 block building and was losing not only Cabo’s (which failed) but also the insurance company (which moved), in this climate he was going to be hard pressed to rent out those 2 spaces (not to mention apartments upstairs), especially with the dearth of parking. Now, I don’t know if/why he choose to also push out Sogno, I really enjoyed it, but if he had to do something to develop that whole property perhaps this was part of what he needed to make it a viable business (the catering portion).
Glad to see that people still read you Foodie.
Republic is making an absolute killing, regardless of menu, clientele or “vomit flowing in the streets”. Money talks. Idiot bloggers (myself included), do not.
And another thing…
“vomit flowing in the bathroom, roofies slipped into ladies’ drinks, and irresponsible drunk drivers radiating out in every direction.” -in ref to Cha Chas
You’re an idiot. You admit to never going out and trust me, it shows.
You’re out of the scene. Don’t talk about what you don’t know.
When I’m old (soon), I’ll shut up and not talk about any of this either.
This whole entry has been a ploy to attract the attention of Jack Goes Forth. I’m truly honored. Glad to see you coming to the defense of Cha Cha’s like a good company man, Jack. You’ll make a good “old person” one day. Please resume your debauchery. This post is like a pot of risotto – i just have to keep stirring it.
Of course, The Republic is popular. The concept didn’t attract investors for no good reason. The fact that a Cha Cha’s bartender looks up to the place, however, does say a lot. Maybe The Republic is Luke Skywalker to Cha Cha’s Darth Vader. Thanks for the detour from matters of substance, Jack. Now, how are those fish tacos at Cha Cha’s? I may be coming by one of these days.
Just to correct some misinformation here: Style Weekly did not moderate the blog posting in question nor delete any comments. We’re not sure what Rusty S. is referring to, and are also curious about his assertion that he has been misquoted by me many times in Style. It is our policy to correct errors as soon as they come to our attention, and that is a policy that we take seriously. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this more fully if corrections are in order. dctimberlake@comcast.net; 358-0825 ext.356
This is outrageous! My husband and I LOVE Enoteca Sogno and have been going there since it opened. The food was always perfect, the prices were great and the wine selection was awesome! I am very sorry to hear Gary and crew were booted out. I can tell you I won’t be visiting “The Republic” their tactics of bullying live up to their name just like “Republicans”.
As it turns out, Justin French and Rick Lyons are converting Enoteca’s old home into a restaurant called Empress. Here’s the story from Richmond Magazine. Didn’t I say their changing justifications for terminating Gary York’s lease seemed disingenuous?
Also, my last comment here (in response to Jack) was a written via Blackberry while on a late night falafel run, post-carousing. See, I can live a little too. Too bad I forgot to ask Jack what level of VIP status he has purchased for his Republic membership? Senator? Citizen? The right pre-paid VIP status, along with a Republic hooded sweatshirt, will surely get you first service on those Rumplemintz shots.
I think what’s missing from the way some folks are reading this situation is the parallel between the character of the business behavior of French/Lyons and the character of The Republic. The restaurant is popular, yes. But it also should be noted that in the spectrum of bars, it’s viewed as “scuzzy,” “shmucky,” and generally cultivating “douchy-ness.” These are words that I’ve heard others used to describe The Republic. That doesn’t mean the place shouldn’t exist, but it’s worth noting what was so important to Justin French that he shut down Enoteca Sogno.
Enoteca sucked. They didn’t make any fresh pasta except tagliatelle. No stuffed pastas, no fresh gnocchi, chicken and veal picatta, meh! Good riddance, York and Enoteca! Get over it Jason! Move on. Just don’t go there. Who cares? etc.
Sounds like Randy has a bone to pick with York. I never had a bad experience at Enoteca. In fact, I found them very consistent.
The Richmond Mag piece is telling, though, especially the note that French is prohibited from talking about the lease cancellation due to legal documents. French is a lawyer after all, so even if he does shady stuff, I’m sure he always makes sure it is legal — if not ethical…
Man, Richmonders love their restaurants/bars/gossip. I LOVE this thread, but the best so far is summed up as Republic’s “douchy-ness” factor. I had no interest in going to begin with, but now I won’t be able to get that out of my head when I think of them. Thanks!
Can someone tell me where Republic’s recycling bins are?
Paul–
Is french a lawyer? french consulting’s website merely says that he “attended” law school. trust me, (I am a licensed attorney), if you obtained a JD, or moreover passed the bar exam, you “obtained your JD from __ school of law” and/or are “licensed to practice in the state of ___” –you didn’t just attend law school. not that it really matters one way or another…
Wanted to add this to the column.
http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2010/06/30/strategic-default/
Another little bit to add to the story. And this isn’t digging up dirt. This is front page of the RTD.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/03/fren03-ar-263372/