Secrets revealed at Secret Sandwich Society sneak-peek

Some secrets are best not kept under wraps, and the Secret Sandwich Society won’t be a secret for much longer. The casual dining and happy hour spot Secret Sandwich Society, at 501 E. Grace Street is jumping the final permitting hurdles and is hopeful that the doors will officially swing open later this week. Thursday is the target date for the masses, but is contingent on final permitting.

The doors did open just enough to allow us to squeeze in take a few photos and get a look at the food offerings. Judging by this preview, I expect that the spot will be a big hit with folks going to shows at the National, Coliseum, and downtown happy hour seekers.

The venture is headed up by husband wife duo Tashia and David Bailey. David grew up working various restaurant jobs and after a failed stint in the world of ties, cubicle, and high finance found himself back in the restaurant world. He and Tashia started up Pies and Pints (if that name is familiar, it’s because there will soon be a location on W. Broad Street). After opening a second Pies and Pints, they sold their interest to pursue something new.

That something new was the Secret Sandwich Society in Fayetteville, West Virginia. The success of that location and a yearning for a change of scenery inspired the desire for expansion. Originally efforts focused on Charlottesville but deals couldn’t quite get closed so the search expanded to oft visited Richmond. While walking along Grace, they came upon an empty building at 501 E. Grace and decided this was the spot.

Wheels were put in motion and after a completed gutting the restaurant is ready to go. During the renovations they uncovered a sign that pointed to a similar past. In a nice nod, they decided to keep the mural and show it off near the front window.

Sandwiches are in the $10 range, burgers are $10-$14, salads top out around $10 for dinner and have a half option for, as you’d expect, half the cost. The appetizers that stood out to me were the Pimento Cheese Fries and their wings. These are wings you won’t find at the Fayetteville location, which is a bummer for Fayetteville. You can check out the Fayetteville menu here and with few exceptions like the afore mentioned wings, you’ll find the same here in Richmond.

You can’t open a restaurant in Richmond without your lineup of craft beers. There will be six drafts available with a focus on craft beers but the exact beers haven’t been hooked up yet. You can expect to see a focus on Virginia beers when they open.

Hot Chicken Wings focus more on flavor than straight up heat.

The Washington sandwich your step above ham sandwich.

The Lucy spinach salad has spicy cashews which and a nice twist.

The Jefferson in the back ground is the roast beef sandwich and has a horseradish mayo that isn’t messing around.

The Eagle burger, no eagle but you do see an egg on this monster burger.