Rumors have been swirling about the fate of Blue Light Grill ever since January when owner Coran Capshaw’s director of restaurant operations Michael Keaveny departed to start his own restaurant and then commercial real estate agent and Nook owner Stu Rifkin stepped in to oversee Capshaw’s fleet of eateries that also includes enoteca, Mono Loco, Mas, Ten and the Three Notch’d Grill. First, Restaurantarama heard speculation that Rifkin was planning to turn Blue Light into a sports bar. Then there are the constant rumors that Capshaw is trying to sell off his restaurant businesses, that Rifkin is trying to buy them or that they simply are going to close. Whew, that’s a lot of talk. Turns out none of the above is true according to Rifkin, who sat down with Restaurantarama to share the real news on Blue Light.
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From the Si Tapas kitchen, former Charlottesvillian Josh Hutter has taken over as chef at Blue Light Grill. |
“We’re transitioning to more classic American seafood,” says Rifkin, who’s been slowly making adjustments to Blue Light’s menu and staff over the last few months with the purpose of making the place “more approachable,” he says.
“No sports bar, no Asian-fusion. Just fresh fish we’re getting locally from Seafood at West Main.” Prices are coming down as well, he says, with most appetizers in the $7-15 range, salads in the $5-7 range and entrées in the $17-25 range. The most expensive entrée will be $25, adds new manager Carrie Throckmorton.
Rifkin and his staff are also making some adjustments to the design and interior of the space—new paint, new chairs, a large chalkboard to indicate daily specials seven days a week. While Blue Light will continue to serve raw bar items such as oysters, the raw bar area of the dining room is being transformed into a bar bar with a new beer cooler. That’s good news for anyone who’s been to Blue Light on a busy weekend and struggles to get through all the congestion to order a beverage at the existing front bar. All these changes are in an effort to accommodate the new theme—or maybe it’s a return to the original theme. “We’ll actually be using the grill again,” says Rifkin.
As for new kitchen staff, Josh Hutter, who returned to Charlottesville from California just a few months ago to take the inaugural chef spot at Si Tapas, has taken over as chef at Blue Light. Turns out Rifkin was Hutter’s first boss years ago in the kitchen at Rococo’s—the Italian restaurant that used to occupy the La Cocina del Sol spot on Commonwealth Avenue. Pei Chang, long-time sous chef at Ten, is taking over as executive sous chef of Blue Light as well. According to Rifkin, Chang’s new two-part role is part of a plan to “make these two assets work together rather than separately.”
Over all of them in the organization is General Manager Dan Cotting, who is also the sommelier and General Manager at enoteca.
As for precisely what Rifkin’s role is in the organization, he is a bit vague:
“My relationship with Mr. Capshaw is between Coran and me.” But he says, “This is a long-term partnership.”