Restaurateur’s 2nd act ready to bear fruit

Pomegranate’s decor reflects its name. (Photos by Michael Thompson)

Pomegranate has been reborn in Carytown.

Chef and owner Kevin LaCivita on Tuesday opened his second iteration of Pomegranate at 3321 W. Cary St.

Richmond first got a taste of the European restaurant in 2000, when LaCivita opened Pomegranate in Shockoe Slip at 1209 E. Cary St. He closed the Shockoe Slip spot in 2009 to attend to some family matters.

The restaurant at at 3321 W. Cary St.

“I’m getting the opportunity to finish what I started,” LaCivita said, “in an area of town that I’ve always wanted to be in.”

LaCivita said it took about $200,000 to get the new Pomegranate open. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant space was home to Moshi Moshi until the sushi restaurant closed in November 2013. LaCivita signed a five-year lease that month for the location.

Entrees at Pomegranate range from $17 to $27, but diners shouldn’t get too attached to Pomegranate’s opening bill of fare.

“The menu will change in a week when I figure out what works and what doesn’t,” LaCivita said. “No one finalizes anything on the first night.”

Pomegranate’s opening is the latest addition to a Richmond restaurant scene that has been hopping in 2014. Pane e Vino, TNT Diner-Myte and the Rogue Gentlemen opened in January.

LaCivita plans to set himself apart with a simple but sweet strategy.

“My brand of cooking,” LaCivita said when asked about his advantages. “And I’ll have tableside ice cream.”

Inside Pomegranate, which opened Feb. 4.