Well it only took three extra weeks, but at long last Richmond, and Church Hill residents have new restaurant to enjoy. Patrick Henry Pub and Grille (2300 E. Broad St., (804) 644-4242) officially opened on Monday, June 23 and, though the restaurant is waiting on its liquor license, neighbors have already embraced this newbie.

Patrick Henry Pub and Grille specializes in affordable (most entrees are under $15), Northern Italian fare, with a few pub sandwiches and appetizers thrown in the mix. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is nonsmoking until after 4 p.m., when the pub is turned over to the smokers, with the upstairs reserved for nonsmokers.

But Patrick Henry Pub and Grille wasn't the only restaurant to open on Monday. City Dogs (1316 E. Cary St., (804) 343-3647) in Shockoe Slip opened as well.

Much like the name suggests, City Dogs is dedicated to, you guessed it, hot dogs. The restaurant serves more than a dozen varieties of hot dogs, all dedicated to specific America cities. There's the Sante Fe Dog, complete with salsa, cheese and guacamole and the Texas Dog, which features barbeque and coleslaw ...  the list goes on and on. The menu also features a few burgers and even barbeque sandwiches. So if you're not craving a hot dog, there's plenty of options to fill you up.

City Dogs is open daily form 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., for now. The liquor license is on the way (they expect to have it by July 11) and once the ABC is on, City Dogs will stay open till 2 a.m. on weekends to feed the late-night crowd. They also plan to offer city-themed beers to pair with the hot dogs.

And Southside residents have plenty to be excited about too. Sahara Middle Eastern Cuisine (9550 Midlothian Tpke., (804) 272-4111) opened just over a month ago in the spot once occupied by India Garden & Grill. This new restaurant serves a wide variety of Middle Eastern dishes for lunch and dinner, but the real treat is it lunch buffet.

Every Monday through Friday, for less than $10, you can feast on dolmades, gyros, falafel, four varieties of rice dishes, baklava and much, much more. It's like your own Lebanese food festival six days a week ... with one exception. There's no wine, beer or liquor sold at Sahara and they don't plan on adding it. But really, with so much good food, who needs wine?

Of course, it's not all good news on the local dining scene. It's been a rough few months for a lot of local eateries. Notably, La Petite France, The Corner Bar & Grill and Escabar all closed recently. And this week marks the finally week for the beloved Bogart's (Saturday is the last day) ... but only for a little while. Bogart's has already found its new home and plans to reemerge by the end of the summer at 1903 W. Cary St., just a block down from Meadow in the Fan.  

And if you're looking for info on wine tastings around town, check out Richmond Wine Stock, Richmond.com's new version of our very beloved wine column.

Got some restaurant news you want to Dish? Send it to karri.peifer@corp.richmond.com. And you can always read the last Dish here.