If you’re trying to diet off poundage gained over the holidays, this news will make you crabby:

The best, the prettiest, the most delicious pastries you can find in the area are downtown at Aurora. Biscotti are fat and crunchy, enhanced with imported citrus essences. Delice squares are buttery, balancing the crisp of toasted, sliced almonds with the crumbly, shortbread-like base layer and the gooeyness of the fruit in between. There even are handcrafted chocolates in the glass cases at the front door. There even are handcrafted chocolates in the glass cases at the front door. Not since Chef Otto Bernet stacked his first hazelnut torte here has Richmond been treated to such fine European sweets.

But that’s just the tip of the Iceberg lettuce. The stately building at 4th and Grace streets—at turns a bank, various restaurants, and a gay nightclub—is now a three-meal-a-day restaurant-café called Aurora. We hope this incarnation is permanent, because this little gem seems to have the heft and the breadth to satisfy on many levels.

Following a half-million dollar renovation, white pendant lamps hang from the high ceiling over tortoiseshell-colored tile floors. Sleek white chairs and settees in the room’s center provide a comfortable spot for noshing and sipping, while roomy booths lining the windowed side of the dining room are a better option for the full-on diner.

“Sort of a Frank Lloyd Wright institutional look” is how chef/owner Scott Davison described it. “We wanted to stay true to the building. The big debate is curtains in the windows.” There are none. “Not in the ’40s,” he said.

Davison has put together a trim menu that offers mostly sandwiches at lunch and a handful of standard dishes along with a weekly fresh sheet at dinner with variations on four regular entries:  a healthy dish, a catch of the day, comfort food, and an international option. Tapas to fill in the gaps include Duck Confit with fresh Garden Roll, Potato Cake topped with Osso Bucco and Wilted Spinach, Brochettes of Tenderloin with Chimichurri Relish, and a few inventive others. Breakfast is a grab-and-go affair, although one can sit, snack, and enjoy WiFi any time.
The space is perfect for cocktail parties, full blown soirees, and banquets of any size. And Davison knows how to throw big. For one recent event, he hauled in a snow machine and a vodka luge with the Romanov double eagle etched on a huge block of ice.

Although his pastry creations have earned medals in the international Culinary Olympics, Davison says his specialty is facility catering, in which food is only part of the equation. “Catering has to be good food, PLUS,” said Davison. “You’re coordinating with the florist, the band, extra rental equipment, extra staff. That’s what we do best,” he said.

No surprise, if you take a gander at his resume. Here’s just a smidge:  After working at Washington’s Hay-Adams Hotel, the hotel’s parent company asked Davison to oversee the opening of a five-star hotel in Moscow. From there, he handled events for the American Embassy.  Bottom line: The man knows how to throw a bash.

Back to the dieter: There’s plenty here for you. Soups are freshly made, and on the day we visited, the Cream of Broccoli was thick and rich, and the Borscht was sweet and light, made just the way the Muscovites make it. And even cold weather won’t deter you from the ample salad bar, where fresh greens and veggies are just the basis for your salad fantasy. Meanwhile, if you’re ever going to cheat on that diet, do it at Aurora. Try the Delice. 

Hours of Operation
Cafe: Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sat, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Lunch:  Mon-Fri, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Bar: Thurs-Sat, 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

401 E. Grace St | Richmond | 644.5380

I just became acquainted with the night life at Aurora’s on Thursdays. Live jazz, Tapas menu, wine and spirits and great company! It was my first time there and I enjoyed myself.  The night life coordinator for Thursdays, Corey Keen, did a great job at making sure he welcomed and thanked everyone for coming out. For a small admission fee, you can enjoy all these things and never have to worry about not having a place to sit and enjoy the music and ambience of the place.  There is plenty of seating around the bar and couches arranged in various directions to enjoy small group conversations or one on one company.
I learned that these Thursday night jazz soirees have only recently been going on for the past three weeks and is attracting an increasingly larger crowd every week. Very enjoyable and well worth checking out.