New restaurant Brazen taking over former Olio, Lucky Whale space on Cary

Neil McLean outside Brazen’s future home. (Mike Platania photo)

A veteran of the local restaurant scene is stepping out on his own with a new concept.  

Neil McLean is preparing to open Brazen in the former Lucky Whale and Olio space at 2028 W. Cary St. in the Fan. 

McLean has been working in the back-of-the-house of Richmond restaurants for over a decade, including stints at Tarrant’s, Max’s on Broad, Lunch and Supper, and most recently, Pinky’s in Scott’s Addition. He said after getting counsel from Pinky’s owner Steve DeRaffele, with whom McLean has worked for years, he decided to ink the deal on Cary Street for a place of his own. 

“I’d (historically) shied away from the more serious side of (the restaurant business). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done management, ordering and all the kitchen stuff, but I’d never really wanted to be 100 percent committed to something that wasn’t my own,” McLean said. 

Though its name has a different spelling, Brazen’s menu will lean on braised dishes that are cooked slowly, typically over hours. 

“From a cook’s point of view, it’s food that’s interesting to prepare. It’s not something that you just build real quick. It’s a long process and you have to tend to it,” McLean said. 

One dish on the menu McLean said he’s excited about is braised short ribs with crispy polenta and a charred onion gremolata. He said they’ll also likely have beef bourguignon, lamb shanks and oxtail, as well as salads, sandwiches and vegetarian and vegan options. 

“The whole idea is that anybody could come in here and find something that’s for them, and not something that’s just a side thought – something that was designed,” he said. 

“We also really want to do interesting things with our specials. We’re going to have a lot of sandwiches and a few staple entrees, but specials are going to be a focal point of our restaurant.”

Brazen will be open for lunch and dinner, and will include a full bar. The roughly 1,600-square-foot space has seating for about 40 inside, as well as a patio area that can seat 24. 

McLean is currently clearing out the space, which came available earlier this year when Asian fusion restaurant Lucky Whale closed after about two years. McLean has enlisted Mariya Boykova as the interior designer. 

Brazen is aiming to open in October.

McLean said getting ready to go solo has been nerve-racking, but that he’s hopeful Brazen will catch on. 

“I’ve done this my whole life and I’ve had a lot of friends that have been encouraging,” he said “And honestly, it was a moment of, ‘If you don’t do it now, you won’t do it.’”

Other new eateries en route to the Fan include Bar-Q, which is taking over the old Starlite space, and Susie’s, a Jewish and Mediterranean concept that’s heading a few blocks down on Cary Street. 

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