Girls Behind Bars
West End Bartenders Share Their Favorite Drink Recipes

Blackfin Restaurant and saloon
The crowd at Blackfinn Restaurant and Saloon, one of the River City’s newest hangouts, is as diverse as their menu. “We don’t have a typical customer,” says the restaurant’s manager, Sarah Brown. “For lunch, there are the downtown office workers. During Happy Hour, we see the young thirties crowd…young professionals. And, at night, we get both professionals, as well as the college crowd.”
Blackfinn is indeed the sort of place that would appeal to a variety of folks. According to Brown, who hails from the Northern Virginia area, there are five different aspects to Blackfinn. “We’re a lunch and dinner restaurant,” she says, “we’re also an after work spot, a late night party bar, a game day destination, as well as the perfect spot for your private functions.”
Natalie Zauhar hails from Florida. She moved here, with her family, about five years ago, and is pursuing a career in the medical field, as a student at John Tyler. When she’s not studying or working, Natalie enjoys long distance running, and has competed in a marathon in Scottsdale, Arizona.
When asked about her favorite food, Natalie says, “I like duck and quail.” She tells us that Bacchus and Mamma Zu’s are two of her favorite restaurants (next to Blackfinn, of course).

The Drink
The Black Sunset
Brown says is very popular with the crowds at Blackfinn Restaurant and Saloon.

1⁄2 Sunset Wheat | 1⁄2 Guinness

1001 Haxall Point, Riverside on the James | 643-FINN (3466) | www.blackfinnrichmond.com

Davis & Main written by Liz Daughtrey*
Robert Noland, the owner of Davis & Main, describes the restaurant’s décor as casually elegant. With dark wood paneling, a high tin ceiling and a long gorgeous bar, Davis & Main is truly a place where grown-ups can enjoy a great meal along with pleasant conversation under low lights. They can also enjoy live jazz every Tuesday from 7:30 pm until 10:30 pm.
The varied menu of American grilled cuisine includes steak and seafood specialties such as the Herb Marinated Mahi Mahi, N.Y. Strip steak or Shrimp Burger and also appetizers, such as Smoked Trout and Pork Tenderloin. The desserts are homemade and include New York Cheesecake, Vodka Kahlu`a Cake with chocolate chip mint ice cream, apple crisp a la mode and a raspberry fudge brownie and more.
The restaurant offers an excellent selection of American wines, about half of which are from Virginia.
Sarah Robertson, who has worked at Davis & Main for six years, says the staff there is like one big family. Sarah says she enjoys working in the smaller neighborhood environment. A full time student, Sarah is also busy planning her wedding for next year. She tells me that her favorite item on the menu is the beef tenderloin salad...also, the crab cakes.
When asked what the most requested drink is, she was quick to point out that Davis & Main is an “old fashioned bar, not one with all of the newer drinks.” One of the most requested drinks, especially during the cooler months, she says, is their Irish coffee. As you can see, it certainly makes for an attractive concoction.

The Drink
Irish Coffee
Dash of Bacardi 151 Rum in
bottom of glass. Swirl it around.
Light it on fire, then sprinkle ground cinnamon & nutmeg (from a salt shaker) over the flames into the glass and let the rum burn off.
1. Add equal parts of Irish whiskey & Kahlua, 2. Fill with coffee and top with whipped cream, 3. Add Crème de menthe over the top.

2501 W. Main Street (at Davis, naturally) | 353-6641 | www.davisandmain.com

* In our March/April issue of River City Magazine, we failed to credit Liz Daughtrey for her assistance in our Bartenders Share Their Favorite Drink Recipes article.
Liz wrote the Davis and Main Recipe portion of this story. We apologize for our oversight.

The Halligan Bar & Grill
Shawn Gregory, a native of Eastern Henrico, has been with that county’s fire department for over 17 years. For at least the past decade, he tells us, he’s had another dream...to open a restaurant dedicated to the valiant firefighters in the area. Now, that dream has become reality, with the recent opening of a true River City “hot spot,” The Halligan Bar and Grill.
Now, don’t make the mistake I made and go in asking to speak to Mr. Halligan. I’ve since learned that a Halligan bar is a tool used by firefighters. It also makes a great name for a restaurant that features a real fire truck in the bar. “A fire department in Louisa County donated the truck,” Gregory says. He then took a blowtorch to the truck, took it apart, and reassembled it as the backdrop for the bar. “The tough part was getting the pump box (the drink dispenser) hooked up,” he says.
Already, Halligan Bar and Grill has become THE spot for local firefighters to enjoy a delicious sandwich and a refreshing drink after their shifts. “We also have a lot of the restaurant employees coming in,” Gregory says.
Dana Littlefield, a native of the Dallas area, says she loves working at The Halligan Bar. “I particularly like the fact that it’s dedicated to the firefighters,” she says. “And Shawn (Gregory, the owner) is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet,” she adds.
Littlefield also says she loves Shockoe Bottom. “ The area has so much to offer. Back in Texas, everything was the same. Here, within three blocks, you can find any type of restaurant you’d ever want.”
In her spare time, Littlefield says, “I don’t mind sitting on the couch and just watching TV.” She also tells us that she loves everything on the menu at The Halligan Bar. “I especially like the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich,” she says. In case you were wondering, her second favorite restaurant is Sumo San.

The Drink
Chutes And Ladders (created by Jessie Ragland, one of The Halligan Bar and Grill’s pump operators (bartenders))Chutes and Ladders is a drop shot, which, we are told, is quite popular these days.
In a pint glass, combine 1/2 sour mix, with 1⁄2 Red Bull and add a splash of Grenadine. If you’re not sure where to go from there, check with Dana, Jessie, or one of the other friendly pump operators at The Halligan Bar and Grill.

The Shot
1-oz. Mango Rum, 1-oz. Raspberry Vodka,
A splash of Vanilla Vodka
A splash of Grenadine

3 North 17th Street | 447-7981

Havana 59
“There’s no place like this in the city,” says Cynthia Carmichael, manager at Havana 59, located in Shockoe Bottom. “With palm trees, string lights, a rooftop patio, and garage doors that open up on the Farmer’s Market, we’re very unique.”
Of course, for as great as is the atmosphere, the food is even better. Carmichael says her personal favorite dish is the Wood Grilled Swordfish topped with a black bean, corn and chorizo salsa finished with a brown butter. Okay, now she has my attention.
According to Cynthia Carmichael, a visit to this popular River City restaurant is like taking a vacation without leaving home. “You really feel like you’re in Cuba,” she says. Of course, she is referring to the Havana of the fifties, when the city was known as “The Paris of the Caribbean.” The folks at Havana 59 have truly done an excellent job of recreating that era...that atmosphere.
Danielle Kocubinski, has been bartending at Havana 59 ever since the Cuban-themed restaurant reopened in June of 2006. As you probably recall, this popular Shockoe Bottom establishment was closed for nearly two years following Gaston’s less than welcome visit to the Bottom in 2004...a visit that left the 17th Street eatery under ten feet of water.
Kocubinski, a native of New Jersey, has been in the area for four years, and says more of her Havana 59 clientele know her as “Rachel Ray,” than by her real name. She does, indeed, bear a striking resemblance to the woman.
The Randolph Macon graduate, when not tending bar at Havana 59, works in AIDS research in VCU’s Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology, and says she hopes to one day go into Pediatrics.
She says her hobbies are “working (not unexpected with two full-time jobs) and hot yoga.” She also stays busy studying for her MCATS.
When she’s not dining at Havana 59, her favorite River City restaurant, Kocubinski says she enjoys eating at Sumo San. “I love the sushi,” she tells us. We think you’ll love her Pomegranate Mojito. You can try the recipe yourself, or, better yet, visit Rachel, er, make that Danielle, and let her make one for you.

The Drink
Havana 59’s Pomegranate Mojito Martini
2 oz. Pomegranate Vodka
1 oz. Pomegranate Puree
Splash of Club soda
Muddle limes, mint, and
simple syrup

16 N. 17th Street | 780-CUBA (2822) | www.havana59.net

TJ's restaurant and lounge at the Jefferson hotel
There are bars, and there are bars, and then there’s TJ’s Restaurant and Lounge at the Jefferson Hotel. “The experience of our staff is key here,” says Ben Eubanks, Director of Restaurants, and the Wine Director at the storied hotel. “They (the staff) are accustomed to delivering a level of service and hospitality product that sets us apart from the rest of the market.”
That is, if anything, an understatement. For sheer grandeur, gentility, and opulence, no body in town does it quite like the Jefferson. Just visit TJ’s after work one evening and experience it for yourself.
And don’t assume because of all the grandeur, that the atmosphere at TJ’s or the hotel, itself, is stuffy. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. “We have a friendly staff,” says Jonathon Kibiloski, Manager at TJ’s, “that exudes true Southern hospitality to all of our guests. Something else the Jefferson has going for it is its location. “We are so accessible,” Kibiloski says, “…so close to downtown. It’s a fantastic setting.”
Virtually everything about the Jefferson is fantastic, including bartender Jacquie DeGroat and her special drink, TJ’s Chocolate Kiss.
Jacquie DeGroat, a native of New York, but a Richmond resident for the past twenty years, says, “I love working at TJ’s. It’s always changing. There is such a variety of people we have in here.”
DeGroat who has four children, ranging from twenty-four to two years of age, says that in her spare time she loves to travel throughout the state. “I love the beach,” she says. “I love the mountains, too. Charlottesville is my favorite.”
As far as her favorite restaurant: “TJ’s of course. But, when I’m not eating here, I enjoy Little Venice.” DeGroat says that Italian is her favorite cuisine. But, as for TJ’s, which, in addition to its inviting lounge, offers casual dining in an elegant atmosphere, DeGroat confesses, “I eat here at least four times a week.”

The Drink
TJ’s Chocolate Kiss
1 oz Three Olives Chocolate Vodka
1 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1⁄2 oz Chocolate Syrup
1 oz. Heavy Cream

Add the four items in a chilled shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with chocolate straw, if you like, and serve immediately!

101 West Franklin Street | 788-8000 | www.jeffersonhotel.com

~ All Photography by Robert Thomas Photography