SUNI McMATH has spent the past month and a half working on her Buttermilk & Olde Lace restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg.

McMath's new venture will be in the Chimneys building at 623 Caroline St. across from the Courtyard by Marriott. She will serve family-style Southern comfort food, a cuisine she thinks downtown now lacks.

McMath has moved all the equipment from her former restaurant in South Carolina, which was called The Broken Teapot, and has been busy setting up the space. She said people from South Carolina have already stopped by to find out when she'll open.

A specific date has not been set, but McMath is planning to open in time for Capital Ale House's downtown Oktoberfest event Sept. 17. She may do a "soft opening" before that.

Buttermilk & Olde Lace isn't the only new restaurant coming to Fredericksburg.

Sanaullah Shaikh said his family's Babaganoush Mediterranean Grill will officially open Wednesday at the Eagle Village mixed-use complex across U.S. 1 from the University of Mary Washington. The native of Pakistan and his family will serve the food they grew up eating at home.

Babaganoush will round out the front four retail spaces in the new section of Eagle Village. Home Team Grill, Pancho Villa Express and Blackstone Coffee are all already open there, and Blackstone is planning to add a wine bar inside its space.

A new restaurant is also headed to the space formerly occupied by Mexico Lindo at 2030 Plank Road. Jay's Restaurant & Lounge has applied for a license from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for that location. Sanjay Sharma, president of the new venture, plans to open the restaurant in November.

Greg and Hyon Harding's longtime Fredericksburg favorite also recently unveiled the results of a major renovation. Olde Towne Steak & Seafood, at 1612 Caroline St., last Tuesday opened its new Princess Anne Room, a 2,400-square-foot addition that creates a second entrance on the Princess Anne Street side. The dining room includes a bar, a fireplace and elegant touches.