NORFOLK — Weekend brunch options will get another addition as restaurant owner and chef, Rick Fraley, prepares to open his new spot.
Clementine’s at Riverview is scheduled to have a soft opening on July 29 and 30 introducing the brunch menu before the official opening on August 2.
For the last nine years, Fraley and his wife, Heather, have run The Ten Top sandwich shop on Shirley Avenue. His latest project will offer a “fun” and “eclectic” selection for Saturday and Sunday brunchers.
“Originally, our big thing was that we love brunch,” he said. “We don’t really get to go out to brunch a lot because we work, and because I’d rather just make it at home because we were doing better than what we’d get out.”
According to Fraley, he felt there was a lack of restaurants in the area that offered a brunch that differed from the usual breakfast selections.
Given Fraley’s history with the sandwich shop, he said that Clementine’s will step away from the take-out mold that was cultivated at Ten Top and focus on a sit-down restaurant business model that will offer dinner during the week and brunch on the weekends.
With that idea in mind, Fraley, his wife, and long-time friend Matt Hartnett decided to open a restaurant with an ever-changing menu of dishes made from scratch.
Projected menu items include grits from a South Carolina-based farm and “Elvis-style” french toast, based off of the late singer’s favorite peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich.
For dinner options, Fraley added, that he is looking to mix things up with dishes from cultures throughout the world, using ingredients grown in the States.
“It’s stuff that I don’t think people are used to,” Fraley said “We’re going to try and be kind of eclectic here. I like a lot of different kind of things, and one of the things our business partner Matt [Hartnett] said was ‘this place is going to be for food that we like to eat.’ It’s going to be our favorite foods to make.”
According to a Norfolk resident, she is already looking forward to Clementine’s opening.
“I think it’s really great,” said Tara Bartone, who works next door at the Eggleston Garden Center.
According to Bartone, she is excited that Riverview will be getting a new restaurant run by someone from the neighborhood.
“I love that [Fraley] is a resident of the Riverview area,” Bartone said. “Talk about being a part of a community and then bringing that to the community and giving people a place to have brunch and go is nice. It’s nice for us working next door with meeting new people.”
Fraley has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years, but this will be the first location that he said he will “open from scratch.” Fraley’s father ran restaurants in Charleston, S.C. for around a decade before they moved to Norfolk.
As opening day draws closer, Fraley said that his excitement and nervousness continue to grow.
“Not to be cliche, but this is like my dream and my heart and soul that I’m kind of pouring on a plate,” Fraley said.
Fraley will run Clementine’s with Hartnett while Heather Fraley will continue to run The Ten Top.
Clementine’s is located at 110 La Valette Ave. and will be open Wednesday through Friday from 4:30-10 p.m.; Saturday for brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 4:30-10 p.m.; and Sunday for brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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