Adarra’s building at the corner of Pine (BizSense file photo)
Oregon Hill’s origins can be traced to the mid-1800s as a working-class neighborhood for Tredegar Iron Works employees. Its name derived from a joke, that moving so far from central Richmond was like moving to Oregon.
Adarra restaurant sits right in the middle of Oregon Hill at 501 S. Pine St., yet in many ways it too seems “so far from central Richmond.” Its building is a large, dark green structure on the corner of South Pine and Spring streets with no name or other identifying information signifying what’s inside. The address is just above the front door in small numbers. To get there you have to know where you’re going or really want to find it. But that’s OK with Adarra, because the owners want patrons who intentionally seek them out for reasons other than looking for the current trendy spot.
After a 2½-year renovation of the former home of Mamma Zu’s, the interior looks fantastic. Mamma Zu’s … it’s not. The overall atmosphere is high-end sophistication with low lighting and candles. On the dark wood walls hang large oil paintings by Ronald Renmark. The ever-present glow of the open-flame wood-fired grills shines through the open kitchen. The stylish vibe is somewhat paradoxical to its Oregon Hill surroundings. Walking through the front door at Spring and Pine and being met by this beautiful restaurant is almost like being transported from one world to another.
Randall and Lyne Doetzer (Photo credit: Nick Hancock)
The food at Adarra is sourced, prepared and served in the tradition of the Basque region of northern Spain. In fact, Adarra is the name of a well-known and popular mountain peak in Basque. But that said, following the traditions of the Basque does not mean that the food is Spanish in style or flavor. Rather, it means that Adarra follows the long-held and sacrosanct Basque culinary practice of acquiring the food locally, preparing it in the most simplistic way, using open-flame fire to cook it, and serving it in a coursed and leisurely manner.
Chef, manager and husband and wife co-owners, Randall and Lyne Doetzer traveled to northern Spain in 2014, specifically the Basque region, and visited 30-some restaurants. In so doing they returned with an entirely new understanding of the culinary practices there. “All the food in Basque is of the highest quality from right there. … It can’t be truly replicated anywhere else and it shouldn’t be able to be replicated anywhere else. … The most Basque thing you can do is be as local as you can, be seasonal, and uncomplicated and heavily ingredient-focused,” says Randall.
For those reasons, Adarra is intentionally and directly stocked by local and regional purveyors. Farmers, watermen and livestock breeders are all local or regional. Lyne and Randall know where all their food comes from on a personal level, and no large commercial food truck shows up and unloads the meat, produce and seafood.
“Everything in here I can tell you who I got it from and where it came from – we know who grew it,” says Lyne. While this all might sound like the well-worn “farm-to-table” label, the Doetzers insist on not identifying their restaurant that way. “There are 50 other restaurants out there that use that moniker and yet I drive by and see the PFG truck out front. … Does it matter to you where your food came from and where your money goes?” says Randall. The restaurant deals with only whole animals, and while touring the kitchen I saw a leg of lamb that had just been carved.
The menu is dictated by what the restaurant receives from the local purveyors on any given day. “The farmers make the menu and we translate it. The farmers show up and we figure out what we serve,” say the Doetzers.
The menu is uncommon and provides interesting alternatives to the usual steak, fish and pasta. My group and I visited on a recent Thursday night and enjoyed roasted oysters with corn broth and pork fat, marinated olives, Old Tavern farm long beans, pork sausage with white beans, giant tiger prawns, whole fresh water trout filet, and delicious dessert, which included chocolate mousse, rice pudding and Adarra’s own cheesecake that had a lingering taste of both salt and sweet. Smoked Hog Island clams, lamb belly, roasted octopus, tomato and cucumber salad with Serrano ham, basil and sherry vinegar are also on the menu.
It took more than two years to transform the former Mamma Zu’s space. (BizSense file photo)
Since all of the courses are brought separately and are meant to be shared, selecting your dinner is a group effort putting together a diverse and mixed meal of unique offerings and unique flavors. But be clear, this is not a small plate concept, and it’s not a Spanish tapas bar. We each had a full meal that was a combination of the above.
The kitchen has two open-flame wood-fired grills on which all the cooking is done. Randall stressed that cooking on these grills makes the food taste better, keeps the food less complicated, and prevents it from being repeated by anyone else.
The wine inventory is very large, especially for a restaurant of this size, yet uncommonly no wine list is provided. Certain wines by the glass are listed, but any desire for a bottle requires discussion with Lyne about what type of wine is sought, as well as your price range. Lyne, a certified sommelier (as is Randall), will return to your table with several suggested bottles. Each bottle is discussed and one (or more) is chosen. This process is a bit different from perusing an entire wine list, but Lyne is very knowledgeable and accommodating in finding the bottle wanted.
Care is taken to stock only natural wines, although the Doetzers do not want to use that tag. Apparently claiming wine to be “natural” can evoke much debate, similar to a discussion of what is “organic.” But the Doetzers strive to stock only wines that have minimal interference with the wine-making process, meaning grown and harvested with minimal or no synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
The restaurant has a printed and significant champagne list, and the Doetzers stressed that they have a strong passion for champagne. Beer is also an option, with an autumnal lager, a Spanish lager, a modern IPA and a nonalcoholic lager. The restaurant has a full bar with spirits, as well some standard cocktails including a French Vesper, Transfusion, Pina Colada, Old Fashioned, and a nonalcoholic Early Autumn Tonic. The bar has 10 seats and is a beautiful light marble that stretches almost the entire length of the restaurant.
Dining at Adarra is not difficult, and it should not be intimidating. You will experience excellent local and regional food, cooked on open-flame grills, and served in a leisurely and enjoyable manner by knowledgeable staff, all of which allows for real dining. The restaurant is open Thursday through Monday, and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Doetzers stress that they never wanted to be everything to everybody, but if you care about whether your food came off a truck or directly from a farmer or waterman, and you care about where your money goes, and you aren’t looking to simply get the standard fare and get in and get out, then they welcome you to Adarra.
Yes, it is different from many other restaurants in and around town, and for all those reasons, like Oregon Hill itself, it too might seem “so very far from central Richmond.”
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