Fan of the Fan

Police are reporting that the 7-Eleven at 1101 W. Main St. was robbed by 3 males with a gun at 5am Sunday morning.

The Richmond Police report the following incidents in the Fan last night:

1. A robbery at 10:28 PM at Floyd and Rowland. Two females were robbed by two unknown males with a gun.

2. Shooting at 10:14 PM at 15 S. Stafford Ave. A teenage female was shot with a BB gun by an unkown male.

3. Robbery at 12:40 AM, at 1 1/2 S. Vine St. five males were robbed by 3 unknown males with a gun. One victim was assaulted.

Here are the details.  You should go because Six Burner is yummy.  I would go, but 3 beers, 3 courses, 3 kids doesn’t sound as good.

The Firehouse Theater at 1609 W. Broad Street will feature The Boys’ Life beginning September 10th and running through October 3rd (8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sunday “pay-what-you-will” matinees on Sept. 20 & 27). Here’s the description:

Remember your late twenties? Boys were definitely still boys and men were – well, not quite men. Howard Korder’s Boys’ Life tracks the misadventures of three former college mates as they simultaneously pursue and refuse adulthood; and the women who are both attracted to and repelled by their bewitching mix of charm and treachery.

Tix are $25, but just $10 for students.

We’ve posted earlier about the opening of Balliceaux at 203 N. Lombardy. An early review is in. And another here.

We haven’t been there personally yet, but trusted foodie friends have been. Here’s their take:

The interior is beautiful and spacious. There are multiple bar areas, which is good because if you go at a busy time (especially a weekend, you should expect to wait a bit). Our friends went on a Saturday and were quoted a 45 minute wait which ended up being more like an hour an a half. But they didn’t mind, partly because the draft beer selection was good (although serving size was not a true pint) and partly because of all the Richmond mini-celebs to watch.

As for the food, it was very good. Balliceaux’s approach is ‘farm to fork’ with an emphasis (wherever possible) of using local products. They believe in reasonable (European, perhaps) portion sizes. As our friend put it, “They are ‘don’t be a fatty’ portions.”

The cheese plate app is excellent. The crab cakes are good if a little small and the PEI mussels are well done with a curry flavored broth.

So that’s the hearsay review. What have you heard? What do you say?

RVANews has a great article about local Richmond bike shops, most of which are located in (or very close) to the Fan: Richmond ReCycle, and Bunnyhop are two that are mentioned, along with stores in adjacent Carytown and Jackson Ward. Where do you go for your bike needs?

The Richmond Police Department is reports that a female was assaulted by a known male early Tuesday morning, August 18th, at 1119 Floyd Ave.

The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods is hosting a Renovator’s Open House at 310 Shafer Street (on the VCU Monroe Campus behind the Chesterfield Apartment Building) on Thursday, August 27th, from 5:30 PM-7 PM.

This is a unique opportunity to tour one of the few remaining private properties in the VCU area of the Fan District.  Here in the West Franklin Street State and Federal Historic District, see an elegant example of the high-style Italianate buildings that line West Franklin Street.

To RSVP please call A.C.O.R.N. at (804) 644-5040, or send an email to:
info@richmondneighborhoods.org

Other community news sites have already reported that their neighborhoods were noted by HGTV’s Frontdoor.com as among Richmond’s 5 great neighborhoods. The Fan–of course!–is on the list, too. Here’s the whole thing. The quick and dirty:

The Fan is authentic “old urbanism” and is home to students, young families and empty nesters. Artistic abandon and traditional conservatism exist here in a happy balance.

This echoes the opinion of Richmonders themselves–according to Richmond Magazine’s annual Best and Worst edition where the Fan was voted Most neighborly Neighborhood (as well as Best Boomer Community).

File this under ‘old news’ but we’re digging out after vacation. . .

On August 3, 2009, the FDA Board elected long time Fan resident Jane Hotchkiss to fill the vacant Board seat.  Jane will serve the remainder of the three year term ending in May 2012.