Mockingbird, Staunton’s newest restaurant and music hall, rebounds from an August fire.
PHOTO BY KEVIN BLACKBURN

First it sang, then it burned, and now it has risen again. Mockingbird, Staunton’s new restaurant and music hall, caught fire before it even opened back in August when two trash cans ignited during the renovation of the historic building on Beverley Street.

At the time, stunned owner Wade Luhn was planning on a September opening, but as he stood on the street watching the blaze he was speechless. While the restaurant side of the building suffered little damage, the music hall side took the brunt of the two-hour fire. A day later, though, Luhn was determined.

“We’re uncertain when we will be able to restore the music hall,” said Luhn.   “but it will happen as soon as possible, and we will work with renewed determination to complete the project.”

The restaurant, believe it or not, opened (more)

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Camino opened recently on Market Street, serving up locally-sourced Mediterranean cuisine.
PHOTO COURTESY SEAN THOMAS

Camino, which took over the Il Cani Pazzo space next to the Vinegar Hill Theater on Market Street, has, to borrow from its Spanish meaning, traversed the “long road” from concept to reality, quietly opening last week. While they are still waiting on their ABC license, co-owner Sean Thomas says the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is now serving locally-sourced dinner cuisine Wednesday through Sunday.

Thomas, an aspiring filmmaker who planned on doing a documentary on the local food movement called Dirt to Dinner, says he decided to bring some of the same ideas for his film to a real live restaurant venture, serving up locally-sourced food inspired by the rustic style of cooking in Southern France, Italy, and Spain. At first, he says, he planned on operating a food cart on the Downtown Mall, but when he tossed the idea around with (more)

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