There’s a certain pride in discovering a new restaurant…Or, rediscovering a restaurant, as the case may be. And indeed, that is the case for Lake Izac Tavern. The nearly 15-year-old eatery in Gordonsville’s Shenandoah Crossing is undergoing a four-phase renovation that began in February, hoping locals will take notice.
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Gordonsville’s Shenandoah Crossing is upping the ante with its restaurant, Lake Izac Tavern. The eatery is undergoing a four-phase renovation, complete with new floors and a freshly painted bar. |
The restaurant had a grand reopening last week, revealing brand new wood floors, a freshly painted bar and a slate wall. And the renovation doesn’t stop there. Catering Manager Anastasia Belk says it was prompted by the restaurant’s new chef, David Switzer, a Pennsylvania native who brings 23 years of experience to the Tavern. He’s completely revamped the breakfast and dinner menu to include a few of his own specialty items, like crab cakes.
“We want to take it to the next level,” she says, “because the food is the next level.”
Belk calls the restaurant’s new feel “elegance casualized,” explaining that it’s not a stuffy formal venue, but it’s not a pizzeria, either.
Quad ’lajaras…so far
Good news and bad news, foodies. First, the bad. Royal Indian Restaurant on Seminole Trail is closed. The good news is, a fifth Guadalajara will open in its place. Owner Gilbert Lopez opened his first Guad on East Market Street in 1988. You can expect the same quality of food and service at the new spot as at the other four. As Lopez told Restaurantarama in 2008, before the opening of the restaurant’s Pantops location, “Consistency is important.”
Brookville: Now open
A few months ago, we reported that Harrison Keevil, who’d taken over The Upstairs in a turn-key deal with former owner Mark Brown, planned to open Brookville Restaurant. The day is nigh: By the time you read this, Brookville will be serving lunch five days a week from 11:30am-3pm. Keevil will serve dinner too, once his ABC license comes through in mid-August.
Bacon for forgiveness
A few weeks back we wrote a column about the guys at Zinc Bistro and mentioned a certain Mr. Wiggles that they’d recently taken to slaughter. We left out one thing: the role of Jarrett Freeman, who personally raised the pig (and another one, too) on a Barboursville farm over the course of five months. We hope he’ll forgive our mist-oink!
Rio not-so-grand
Perennial headline-grabber Bel Rio is in the news again. See page 11 for more details on a possible change in programming at the Belmont restaurant.