by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
9th and Main has seen a lot of changes in recent months: new name, new management, new menu, new hours and a new, full liquor bar.
The restaurant, bar and event space was most recently reborn as tapas-style nOSH before switching back to its current name. Owner Craig Van Horn said he hasn’t managed the Springfield restaurant since it was called Henrietta’s. Now that he’s overseeing 9th and Main, Van Horn said he’s trying to return the menu to its family-oriented roots and bring back the regulars who used to frequent Henrietta’s.
“Two months ago we went back to more of a broad-based, Henrietta’s-type menu,” he said.
Those items range from casual lunches like house salads and burgers to upscale dinner entrees like seared grouper with gnocci and Cuban-style pork chops with sauteed apples and sweet plantains.
The variety of menu items reflects a similarly diverse customer demographic, Van Horn said. The atmosphere of the 8,000 square-foot building is a study in contrasts as well: Guests can move from the simple style of the cafe to the dark bar filled with paintings and murals by local artists to an outdoor courtyard with a bubbling fountain.
“You’ve got the whole spectrum of people coming in here,” said Van Horn. “Young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, black, white.”
He said 9th and Main has started to win back a steady lunch crowd, and he’s hoping a variety of regular night events will gain a following soon. They already have a live acoustic guitar set in the early evening on Thursday and Fridays, followed by late night Motown and ‘60s pop on Fridays and indie rock on Saturdays.
The latest additions to 9th and Main include a full liquor bar – the license was tough to get because of nearby churches – and new sound equipment for the theater, which also features a movie screen. Other entertainment, such as improv comedy and salsa dancing, should be coming soon.
Van Horn said he’s hoping more people will feel comfortable coming to 9th and Main as the neighborhood changes. The block across from the restaurant has been redeveloped with small homes since 9th and Main first opened, he said.
“A year and a half ago, you had issues 24/7. I wouldn’t go down that street,” said Van Horn.
“It used to be all boarded-up houses.”