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Husband and wife team Richard and Donna Feibelman are seen inside their recently opened Velchoff’s Corner Oyster Bar, just off 2nd Street in Downtown Palatka on Friday. The duo are excited about the new bar, inside dining area and plans for the future. (CASMIRA HARRISON/Palatka Daily News) -
Velchoff’s Corner Bar Manager and Mixologist Remy Rimavicus shows off his own, award-winning, bloody mary mix called Remy’s Bloody Mary Experience at the recently opened oyster bar Friday afternoon. (CASMIRA HARRISON/Palatka Daily News) -
Steamed choice Chesapeake Bay oysters with grilled lemon are seen on a bed of rock salt at Velchoff's Oyster Bar in Palatka on Friday. (CASMIRA HARRISON/Palatka Daily News)
Since its opening a year and a half ago, Velchoff’s Corner restaurant has been one of the busiest eateries in Downtown Palatka, despite the fact that the restaurant’s kitchen has been located inside a food truck all this time and has only had outdoor seating.
But no more chilly dining for patrons.
Owners Richard and Donna Feibelman recently unveiled their indoor oyster bar and indoor seating area so now, rainy days won’t be an issue for patrons and fresh oysters will be aplenty.
Donna Feibelman said they’ve been working out the kinks in a kind of “soft opening” and they are weighing whether to have a grand opening of the indoor space sometime soon.
“We’re just trying to get the whole system worked out with, you know, the food coming from the trailer outside,” said Donna Feibelman. “That’s been a process that we’ve worked through without, you know, being bombarded.”
The dynamic husband-and-wife team’s full-time work is actually in healthcare. Richard is a pulmonologist at Pulmonary Critical Care while wife Donna works as a nurse at the same office. On Friday, both were juggling their medical jobs with the restaurant, which both consider a labor of love.
“The whole scene has just been spectacular,” said Donna. “We don’t feel like it’s work. It’s been so rewarding.”
She is excited about the newly opened space, which they said has been a long time coming.
“This has taken so long. It’s taken almost a year to do this,” said Donna Feibelman. “I said, ‘Let’s get people inside, out of the weather.’”
The cuisine at the eatery is American with a Cajun influence and features items like fried chicken gumbo, seafood gumbo, blackened fish and garlic shrimp, as well as fried, steamed and baked oysters and other seasonal offerings. Sandwiches range between $12 and 18, while main courses range between $20 and $30. Oysters at the Oyster Bar are market price.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the restaurant hosts live music on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is located near the riverfront off St. Johns Avenue at 105 N 2nd St Ste. D.
“It’s been two and a half years in the making,” said Richard Feibelman, touting Chef Caleb Blake’s seasonal menu and Oyster Bar Manager and Chef Doug Kanady’s tasty shellfish. “Everything’s made fresh from scratch.”
As restaurant employees checked on steaming pots behind him, Richard Feibelman expounded upon the duo’s grand plans in progress.
“We have, in process, the (indoor) kitchen coming and we’ve got what we call the VIP Suite,” Feibelman said of another, larger seating area that remains in the works. Right now, there is seating indoors for about 25-30 people, enough space for small parties. There are also plans for a coffee shop.
Ultimately, the Feibelmans say they are in a perfect location, in a “beautiful place on a gorgeous riverfront” that they hope will grow, along with the area.
“What I feel is that we will have a really nice, established place for people to come to,” said Richard Feibelman, “That this will be a catalyst for Downtown Palatka — for other businesses to come in and shops to come in — to really make Palatka a destination place.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier online version of this article did not include the address of the restaurant. The article has been updated.