There’s nothing wrong with being the black sheep. Kevin Roberts has always valued doing things differently — perhaps even opposite the norm. And in the case of his new restaurant, appropriately named The Black Sheep, the result is a break from boring cuisine and an exciting twist for tired taste buds.
 
Roberts and his business partner Amy Hess opened the joint, located at 901 W. Marshall, in April 15 of this year. (Yes, they are thrilled to celebrate their anniversary each year on Tax Day.)
 
A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Roberts wanted to stick close to home and provide the VCU (Did you know rams are male sheep?) and Carver communities (also known as “Sheep Hill”) with different, delicious, creative food at an affordable price.
 
Although Roberts graduated in 2004 with a degree in painting and printmaking, he has almost completely lain aside the paintbrush in exchange for a wooden spoon.
“It’s all craft — it’s just a different set of materials and a certain amount of finesse,” he says. “Instead of pairing colors, for instance, you’re pairing flavors.”
 
While the translation from art to cooking may not be just that simple, it is for Roberts. He began his culinary career nearly 20 years ago at the Bamboo Café. He then spent three years in New Orleans, cooking the local fare, which became an important part of his repertoire.
 
After returning to Richmond in 1998, he spent time at various restaurants, including Kuba Kuba, Bacchus, Limani, A Sharper Palate, Mamma Zu and Buz and Ned’s, before accepting a position as the executive chef for Gov. Mark Warner and later for Gov. Tim Kaine’s administrations.
 
And this year, he opened his very own, much anticipated restaurant, where everything is slightly different from the norm.
 
His soda list, for instance, isn’t your typical lineup of Coke or Pepsi products. Options include Blenheim Ginger Ale, Cheerwine (in diet and regular), Dominion Root Beer, Nehi (in grape and orange) and Sun-Drop. Beers include Black Sheep Ale, Olde Richmond Batch No. 11 IPA, Original Sin Hard Cider and Abita Turbodog. The restaurant even serves Community Coffee, a tasty, if lesser-known, brand from New Orleans.
 
The décor, too, is fun and eclectic. Roberts calls the atmosphere a “thrift store vibe.” While he didn’t actually piece the dining room together from local consignments, he did get many of the furnishings second-hand — from friends in the restaurant business.
 
“If it weren’t for help and support from my friends, family and the restaurant community, we wouldn’t be here,” Roberts said.
 
Booths, fixtures and even kitchen equipment came from friends at Acacia, Kuba Kuba, Café Rustica and other devoted restaurateurs who were willing to invest in order to see a friend, and consequently another Richmond restaurant, succeed. And, perhaps due to Roberts’ artistic eye, everything came together in a very intentional, inventive way.
 
Then there’s the menu, which is certainly not your typical menu — right down to the dish names. For breakfast, the Barn and Bay Breakfast Sandwich includes scrambled eggs mixed with crabmeat, country ham, green onion and Swiss cheese on buttered and grilled Texas toast.
 
The Lunchbox section features several great soups, sandwiches and some very mighty subs. Just underneath the subhead, “The War of Northern Ingestion,” the menu reads: “They aren’t subs. They’re battleships.” The CSS Virginia, for instance, offers fried chicken livers (or substitute roasted chicken) on a toasted French baguette, with shredded green cabbage, onion, apple and remoulade sauce.
 
Soups include South Indian Tomato Soup and a vegetarian Gumbo Z — a sweet and suitable tribute to Johnny Z. A variation on Gumbo Z’ Herbes, tradition says the number of greens in the gumbo represents the number of friends you will make.
 
For dinner, there’s the (Where’s the Beef?) Stroganoff and the mouth-watering Chicken & Dumplings. And the side dishes options are also tasty, if atypical: deviled eggs, broccoli salad, bread and butter pickled vegetables, orzo salad, dirty rice and a fruit cup.

Taking an overall look at the décor and the creative menu, it is clear Roberts and Hess were certainly looking to do things a bit differently. What they got was something truly exceptional.

WEB | http://www.theblacksheeprva.com
901 W. Marshall St. Richmond, Va. | 648.1300