Trouvaille, new restaurant from former Shaved Duck owner, opens in the Fan

Trouvaille co-owner Joe Kmetz. (Mike Platania photos)

For at least the sixth time in the building’s recent history, a new restaurant has arrived at 203 N. Lombardy St.

Trouvaille opened earlier this month in the Fan property that was once the home of Bogart’s, Balliceaux and more. 

Named for a nearby alleyway, Trouvaille is the brainchild of couple Joe Kmetz and Jennie Garriques. Kmetz formerly owned The Shaved Duck in Midlothian but closed it last summer and began pursuing a new spot in the city. 

Garriques led the redesign of the 3,600-square-foot space into an Art Deco-inspired eatery with gold silverware and accents, breeze block behind the bar and black painted walls. 

“Jennie’s entire vision was Art Deco,” Kmetz said. “It was a very, ‘brand new, yet vintage’ type of feeling that she’s interested in.”

Kmetz, meanwhile, led the development of Trouvaille’s menu. He said popular items so far have been the duck breast with confit carrots ($40), steak au poivre with a cognac cream sauce ($47) and braised short ribs ($14). In lieu of committing to one particular style of food, Kmetz said he’s choosing to keep Trouvaille’s menu flexible. 

“(The current menu) is based on things that I was in the mood to eat, and I’d take that and go and elevate it for the restaurant,” he said. “I keep myself more engaged by freelancing a little bit more and taking inspirations from different cultures and trying to tie them together.”

Once an area for live music, the rear of the building is now a dining room.

The restaurant opens at 5 p.m. everyday, and Kmetz said happy hour specials are in the works. Trouvaille has a staff of 15. 

Previous tenants at 203 N. Lombardy St., such as Balliceaux and Poor Boys of RVA, had cultivated a nightlife and live music crowd, but Kmetz and Garriques removed the stage in the rear of the building and are focusing on the food, something Kmetz said has so far been well-received by some locals. 

“Everyone’s just been pretty excited to have something that is less entertainment-focused and more restaurant-focused,” Kmetz said. 

Trouvaille is one of three new restaurants to give new life to old, nearby spaces of late. 

Marylous Soul Dining Experience opened a few blocks away in the old Postbellum space at 1323 W. Main St. Behind the soul food concept is Lachan Toran, owner of Shockoe Bottom’s Aces Sports Lounge.

A bit further west at 2901 Park Ave. in the Museum District, the Texan Inn recently opened. The diner from Lynchburg took over the space that had previously housed Izzy’s Kitchen

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