For years, Food Fanatics was a Museum District and Fan staple for takeout dining. When it abruptly closed earlier this year, Richmonders mourned the loss of its go-to restaurant for takeout dining.

Well, at long last, the mourning period is over. Last week, Richmond native Diane Fraiser opened Cucina (2901 Park Ave., 804-355-0965) in the former Food Fanatics spot. While the diverse selection of takeout offerings is the same, everything else is brand new.

Fraiser, who spent the 1990s running a Mediterranean restaurant in Annapolis, Md., cleaned up the Park Avenue store. The revamped spot sports a turquoise awning and a browseable gourmet market selection inside. Chocolates, packaged foods and freshly baked breads and desserts are all available inside. The best part of the Cucina selection is its takeout, catering and boxed lunch selection.

Fraiser brought the flavors of her Annapolis restaurant to Richmond, calling Cucina "a taste of the Mediterranean in the heart of Richmond." The menu selection includes curried cous cous salad, a pizza or calzone of the day, Mediterranean meatloaf with lamb and pork sausage, shrimp Dijon skewers, Spanish chicken with cinnamon and almonds and plenty of paninis and sandwiches, all for less than $10 each. Plenty of side dishes, such as rice pilaf, garlic mashed potatoes, hummus and olives, are available by the pound for takeout as well.

Cucina, which means kitchen in Italian, is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (closed on Sunday).

As reported in this week's "Why Richmond, Why?!?" The Black Sheep (901 W. Marshall St., 804-648-1300) officially opened its Carver District doors last week. From lease signing to grand opening it took about four months for owners and partners Kevin Roberts and Amy Hess to get The Black Sheep up and running, but the process was actually much longer.

For more than a decade, the couple worked their way through some of the finest names in Richmond dining. Chef Kevin Roberts got his start at Bamboo Café before moving on to the Frog and the Redneck. He relocated to New Orleans for a few years where he hooked up with Hess and worked with world-renowned chef Frank Brigtsen before heading back to Richmond. Between them, the couple's resume includes Acacia, Lemani, Bacchus, Kuba Kuba and A Sharper Palate, through whom Roberts cooked for Govs. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.