Queen City Bistro set to open in January on Staunton's East Beverley Street
STAUNTON — John Allen and his wife Arianna Allen-Hawkes were visiting Staunton last Christmas, staying in an Airbnb during the holidays to catch "A Christmas Carol" at the Blackfriars Playhouse. Their 9-year-old daughter requested that her dad make a margherita pizza, but he was short one ingredient — fresh basil.
Allen contemplated driving to a local grocery store, but figured he'd try his luck downtown first, stopping in the Clock Tower Convenience for what he knew was a shot in the dark. When Allen asked if there was any chance he carried basil, the owner told him to wait there a few minutes. He then locked the door, with Allen inside, and went next door to the Clocktower restaurant to get some basil.
"Now, that's a nice guy, right?" Allens said Tuesday afternoon. "And trusting too. 'I'm just going to leave you alone in this store for a minute while I go over there.' And that's the kind of feeling I've been getting from Staunton every time I've been here."
The couple, who lives in Charlottesville, fell in love with Staunton. Allen remembers that both of them agreed that, once they were ready to settle on a city for their dream of starting a restaurant, Staunton would be it.
"Hopefully the plan is to move here in the next year or two," Allens said. "But I told her, we can buy a house in Staunton or we can start a business in Staunton, but we can't do both, at least right now."
Both have a background in food service. Allen has worked in restaurants for 15 years, most recently as manager of The Local Restaurant in Charlottesville. He said most everyplace he's been, he started at the bottom and worked his way up.
"That's a good way to really learn everything inside and out," Allen said. "I also have several years of experience in kitchens."
Now, he and his wife are ready to start their own restaurant, renting what was formerly Slyde at 23 and, before that, Emilio's. Slyde closed in September.
Located 23 E. Beverley Street, the newest restaurant will be The Queen City Bistro. Allen would like to open in mid-January.
Allen submitted the rough draft of the menu for the full-service restaurant to the health department Tuesday. Just a few of the items on the menu will include steak; salmon; four different pastas, including a homemade gnocchi; crab cakes, and a few vegetarian and vegan dishes. That was all he could recall off the top of his head as he was driving down I-64 on his way home Tuesday afternoon.
Allen said he'll make some minor modifications inside the restaurant, but he praised the work the owners of Slyde at 23 had done. Allen plans to use the upstairs, formerly The Pompei Lounge, for private events.
The past six years he's done hundreds of dinner events, ranging from business to wedding rehearsals to birthdays and anniversaries. He can do that at this restaurant, calling it the beauty of this particular location.
"It takes a certain level of organization to be able to serve a group of 30 to 50 people," Allen said. "That's a skillset I wanted to bring to the restaurant. And the upstairs space is just gorgeous."
When not being used for private events, the upstairs space will be used for regular dining. He said right now there are seven tables downstairs and he figures he can get 10 to 15 more upstairs, although he's still considering the layout.
"I'm just excited," Allen said. "I couldn't be more excited."
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Queen City Bistro restaurant coming to downtown Staunton in early 2024
