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April 14, 2008

new cafe opens Tuesday

Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the Black Sheep opens Tuesday @ Goshen and Marshall Streets. With a simple but delicious & creative looking menu, Black Sheep ought to be a great addition to the area.

Posted by john_m at 1:00AM under RVANews-entertainment, community | Tags:

18 Responses to “new cafe opens Tuesday”

  1. posted by Ross at April 14, 2008 9:18 am :

    Hasn’t this been open before? Or was there a Sheep Hill restaurant?

  2. posted by john_m at April 14, 2008 4:50 pm :

    Sheep Hill was on Leigh, this is seperate and looks to be much more attractive place. One of my last food service gigs was working a shift at Sheep Hill; that place had one of the nastiest kitchens that I’ve ever seen.

  3. posted by libby at April 15, 2008 2:02 pm :

    i had lunch there today – the food is great! not just the same old fan stuff. try the where’s-the-beef stroganoff!

  4. posted by john_m at April 15, 2008 5:10 pm :

    Short Order (Style 4/16)

    Students and faculty still have to find their burgers, pizza and gyros elsewhere, because the Black Sheep’s menu veers into dreamier territory: brunch daily until 2 p.m., Nutella-stuffed French toast, house-made pimento cheese and deviled eggs, frittatas and soups, battleship sandwiches, homey entrées. Ingredients appeal to a chef-honed sense of taste, and prices are sympathetic to the times — nearly everything’s less than $10.

  5. posted by Rebecca at April 16, 2008 6:52 pm :

    Had dinner there tonight, good food…very friendly service. My husband is vegetarian and had lots of options. My two year old loved it too! We are looking forward to trying brunch. Welcome to the neighborhood Black Sheep, we are happy to have you!

  6. posted by Mike at April 17, 2008 8:38 am :

    I ate at the Black Sheep last night. I had the where’s the beef stroganoff and my fiancee had the meatball sub. The menu is very odd. Stroganoff is not something I would typically order in a restaurant, but the choices are very limited here. The meatball sub is basically meatballs with brown gravy over french bread. Both dishes were good although not something either of us would usually except that there wasn’t much else on the menu that caught our attention.

    A prior post mentions the restaurant has vegetarian options, but unless your idea of vegetarian is cheese and pasta, the options are few.

    Living only two blocks from here I had high hopes for this place. I was hoping it would be similar to Caliente in the museum district. I can respect the variety in the menu, but I think the Black Sheep will have a very short lifespan unless they add some staple neighborhood restaurant comfort foods to their menu, and a bar (I’m curious to know how many chicken liver sandwiches they sell!). Right now they don’t have alcohol. I’m also pretty certain they don’t have a grill or fryer which severely limits any restaurant.

    If the owners happen to read this here are two things you must do to survive.

    1. Keep your same diverse selections but add some standard restaurant dishes to your breakfast, lunch, appetizer, and dinner menus.

    2. Take out the desert counter and put in a small bar with micro-brews on tap.

    3. Visit Caliente or Comfort on a Saturday night at 11:00 PM and take notes.

    Good luck!

  7. posted by Kevin at April 21, 2008 8:47 am :

    First of all let me say thank you to all of you that have come in to try us out. I know going out to eat these days can be a luxury, so I will do my best to make it worthwhile.

    In response to Mike’s posting, I would like to point out that every salad on the menu is vegetarian, and even vegan if you omit the cheese. All of the soups are vegetarian and two of them are vegan. Even several of our sides are vegan.

    To say that a restaurant will fail without a fryer or a grill seems to be an unfair statement. I love french fries as much as the next guy, but I really want to “opt out” of the fast food fried lifestyle. As for a grill, we have one. 24″ to be exact. We also have a smoker and not one, but two ovens. Rest assured it is being put to good use right now grilling eggplant for the U.S.S. Cumberland, one of our battleships (vegan as well). I did not put a bar in the restaurant because I’m not interested in running a bar. I’m interested in running a friendly corner cafe that offers something different, not standard, hence the name “The Black Sheep”.

    I appreciate the feedback and will continue to try and provide the Carver neighborhood with a fun, creative place to dine.

    p.s. as for the chicken livers – you’d be surprised – try it and you’ll see why

  8. posted by Jason at April 22, 2008 11:31 am :

    We live about a block away from Black Sheep and couldn’t be happier to have a neighborhood restaurant nearby. The menu is eclectic but really enjoyed the food and the friendly service. I people are slowly starting to realize what a special place Carver is. I expect Black Sheep to have a long and successful history here, welcome!

  9. posted by Matthew at April 25, 2008 12:37 am :

    I recently ate there twice with my girlfriend. Both of us are in the food service business, and we both know what it takes to survive. Being just like every other restaurant is not one of them. There are so many choices today, but very little when you go to so many different restaurants with the same old tired fried, boring things. We appreciated that it wasn’t the same old fan bar scene, same old fan restaurant, same old same old. We appreciated that thought and cleverness hit this menu. I personally appreciated that there wasn’t a burger on the menu. Funny thing is that I am in no way shape or form a vegetarian but I thought the USS Cumberland rocked. (I didn’t order it, she did, but I ate most of it) We will continue to go there, continue to tell our friends, and wish the best of the staff!!!! Professionally, I think this restaurant will be around for awhile!!!

  10. posted by g at April 27, 2008 6:19 pm :

    My last favorite restaurant in Richmond was Tarrant’s. My new favorite restaurant in Richmond is The Black Sheep.

  11. posted by Sean at April 29, 2008 6:23 pm :

    Kevin and Amy,

    Good luck to both of you! I can’t wait to see the restaurant

    Love,

    S

  12. posted by sean w at May 2, 2008 11:18 am :

    @ Mike…

    Its funny you mention Caliente, which is me and my wife’s regular place. We love if for the specific reason that it doesnt have the “standard fan bar food”. The salads, po boys, island chicken, Germaican platter are all unique and thats why it is such a great and unique place. Black Sheep falls into the same category for me. It seems like you are asking Black Sheep to become more generic like Caliente? To me, both restaurants are wonderfully unique and hopefully will stay that way. My wife, some friends and myself had a great meal at Black Sheep last week and will certainly continue to frequent this place.

    I would love a bar in here as much as the next guy, but I also respect and understand Kevin’s response to the question. Makes sense to me.

  13. posted by Mike at May 4, 2008 12:22 pm :

    Kevin’s response to my post was excellent. He proved some of my statements incorrect and I stand corrected on each of those. I also certainly respect and understand the owner’s choice not to have a bar. I was hoping before they opened that it would be a close place in the neighborhood to go grab a good beer though.

    As for the menu, I’m all for diversity in the dishes. Just like you and your wife, my fiancée’ and I enjoy Caliente for their unique menu. The items on the Black Sheep menu are fine and I never suggested they remove anything from the menu; they just need to add more. I’m worried that they’re limiting their client base to only people with a palette for unique foods. As I mentioned before, I think if they added a few staple dishes to their menu that appeal to the spouses, family members, friends, co-workers, and etc of those with a taste for an out of the ordinary menu it may help sales. Few people go out to eat alone and I for one know it’s always a challenge to find a restaurant that has something for everyone. It’s even more difficult to find a place close to home that you can count on at least once a week to run grab some quick dinner on a work night that appeals to a couple. I’d be worried the guy who wants a chicken liver sandwich and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA with a wife looking for chick alfredo and Pyramid is going to wind up compromising on Germaican platter and island chicken at Caliente! Also, I have one final comment on the vegetarian food. Yes, vegetable dishes are vegetarian, but most of the “lifer” vegetarians I know who go out to eat are looking for a dish with a vegetarian protein such as tempe, seitan, or tofo.

    I mean absolutely no disrespect to the owners of Black Sheep in any way. I sincerely hope they flourish and do well. I’m a property owner in Carver and I love to see new business come to the neighborhood.

    Best wishes,

    Mike

  14. posted by Ashley at May 7, 2008 9:41 am :

    I think the Black Sheep is AWESOME! I LOVE the different menu!

    Yay!

  15. posted by Travis Baynes at May 13, 2008 8:16 pm :

    I’m excited about the new place and the unique menu. My friend Travis told me about the place and I will be trying out all three menus soon. I will see you soon. Travis B. of Richmond

  16. posted by Jim at May 15, 2008 10:25 am :

    My partner and I are working our way through the menu at Black Sheep. We’re there about once a week and we’re telling everybody we know. Everything we’ve tried has been great (and for those of you who eat chicken livers, I’m sure that sandwich won’t disappoint!). I’m working my way through the dessert menu too! The peanut butter pie is amazing and I may put in a standing takeout order for the haystacks.

    I want the Black Sheep to be a prosperous neighbor and become an institution. If I want fries, I know where I can go stand in line and eat peanuts while I wait for them. I’m all about diversity and the Black Sheep offers excellence and variation.

    Finally, something may put Goshen Street on Richmonders’ mental map!

  17. posted by mofry at June 2, 2008 10:38 pm :

    I had the chicken liver sandwich and am happy to report that it does not disappoint. The apples and cabbage are unusually good complements to the fried liver with the dijon based topping. And the sandwich is extra big. If you’re looking for plain ol livers without anything extra near Carver, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken on broad street is really good. They’re not listed on the menu, but they always have them fresh and hot. As for dessert at The Black Sheep, I had the banana pudding with ladyfingers. It was very rich and quite good.

  18. posted by Annie at November 20, 2008 10:13 am :

    I’m from Colorado and when I wandered into the Black Sheep I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the CSS Virginia chicken liver sandwich. It was outstanding, and I grew up hating liver. The crisp batter and crunchy apple cabbage topping, paired with that tangy smooth sauce, made a sandwich with terrific flavor and texture. I’m now back in Colorado and when I crave that sandwich there’s nothing I can do about it, so local Virginians should feel lucky!
    Good luck and best wishes to the Black Sheep and its creative, talented team (and thank you for a delicious, memorable meal).

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