Last week I got contacted by one of the owners of the Culture Restaurant & Grill, which opened in downtown Danville, Virginia on 510 Spring Street, to check it out. The building it is in had undergone an extensive renovation over the past few months, with pictures shared on Facebook throughout this process. That helped make me and just about everyone else in Danville curious about what this place would be like when it was complete. It was obvious it would be an upscale place and I was a little worried that the food prices would be sky high, once it opened up.
But I was surprised to see high end entrees with an average price around $15.00, and some a little less. I got a nice salad and the salmon entree, both of which were excellent. I took this photo of the salmon dish before I ate it.
Here is their current menu.
I was able to talk with one of the owners and he told me their goal is to create something truly unique that will impact downtown Danville and actually serve as a cornerstone for the community. I can easily see that happening. Right now they are going through a soft opening with limited seating. When they opened last week they had 60 people the first night with 30 all at once. Some walks-in are now available, but it’s best to reserve ahead of time. You can do that with a link to a reservation ticket they created on evenbrite.
I checked out the infamous “Excellent Or Poor Customer Service, Danville, VA” Facebook group, where 99% of the posts are from someone slamming a business angry about something, usually something silly, and saw that they managed to actually get a positive review there. This person wrote, “My husband and I had a remarkable dining experience last night at the soft opening of Culture Restaurant and Grill at 510 Spring St. Everything was excellent, from the atmosphere to the food to the staff. We even had the pleasure of talking with the owner Justin, who told us about his vision for the restaurant and how he brought his ideas to fruition. Please go and support this new business, you won’t be disappointed. And you must try the lollipop lamb chops!”
The Culture Restaurant & Grill plans on having a new menu each season that will highlight food from a specific culture (hence the name). They may have for instance Mediterranean food one season, Asian the next, and Mid-Western food, like BBQ, in another season. It’s going be variety and on July 4th they plan on having a streetside event.
Here is a spy photo I took peering into the cooking area.
I found out that the main chef had just moved into the area from Georgia where he worked at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
The place has a bar that will be in action once its gets its ABC license. In the past 510 Spring Street has been everything from a horse stable and blacksmith shop, to a funeral home and cafe. Now, being close to the White Mill and a planned Water Park, it has a location that will draw people to it, but I think it’s going to be an emerging community cornerstone spot on its own. They plan on showcasing artwork by local artists, with a perfect spot in an upstairs dining area to do it.
I look forward to going back soon and probably will visit often once the bar opens up. I got to try out all the entrees.
Check it out.
You can find out more by going to their website here.
-Mike
