Same Time Next Year
Most years, festivals centered around eating and imbibing are a much anticipated activity in our community. While indoor dining has resumed at area restaurants, however, one of foodies’ favorite pastimes remains difficult to navigate. We check in with organizers from Broad Appetit to the Lebanese Food Festival about the decisionmaking process surrounding postponement, as well as plans for a triumphant return. (Richmond magazine)
Planting Seeds
When it comes to dining out, achieving the trifecta of healthy, quick and affordable isn’t always easy, but a growing fast-casual concept is taking on the challenge. With its Chipotle-style approach to salads and grain bowls, Roots Natural Kitchen is set to debut its second location in Richmond with more local outposts on the horizon. (Richmond magazine)
Days of Summer
The AC is cranking, and vacay pics are flooding the ’gram feed, which means summer is in full swing. From super-sessionable seltzers on tap to meat shares, seafood grill boxes, fried hot dogs and an icy paleta or two, we’ve got you covered with local ways to embrace the season. (Richmond magazine)
ICYMI
Focaccia is the vessel of choice for a forthcoming sourdough bakery, cafe and market in Manchester. Look for Wildcraft Focaccia Co. to offer a wide variety of the savory flatbreads along with wine and provisions. (Richmond magazine)
If you’re hankering for chilly bites of lobster, we’ve tracked down five rolls that will do you right, including classic versions and a vegan option. (Richmond magazine)
Popular food truck Zorch Pizza is now slinging slices and pies out of its fresh new spot in Carytown — just look for the dangling pizza sign. (Richmond magazine)
After being closed almost the entirety of the pandemic, Heritage is back in action starting July 16. With reservation-only dining, the Fan eatery will initially reopen for Friday- and Saturday-night service and offer a three-course prix fixe menu.
Combining history, wine, food and jazz, the canal-side restaurant Bateau, from husband-and-wife proprietors Harry Watkins and Arvat McClaine, has announced a temporary closure that began July 3. An online post states they will return; stay tuned for more details.
Leaving its original space in Jackson Ward, sushi and poke restaurant Fighting Fish has headed upstream to new digs at 912 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. and plans to open its doors on Friday, July 9.
The authentic Mexican street food concept with a twist TBT El Gallo will be taking a short pause for a couple weeks following a building issue at its takeout spot on Cary Street. Until then, find chef-owner Carlos Ordaz-Nunez and the team returning to their nomadic roots with pop-ups at Hatch Cafe and breweries around the city.
Your favorite bartenders at The Jasper are ready to make those late-night last calls again. Starting this weekend, the Carytown cocktail bar will be slinging Caribbean Kweens until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Scott’s Addition’s Black Heath Meadery has begun slinging mead slushees, frozen boozy concoctions in flavors currently including strawberry lemonade and cherry limeade.
RVA Love
Each year Wine Spectator magazine unveils a collection of restaurants across the country that receive the kiss of approval for their wine lists, and for 2021, four spots in Richmond make the grade. Hondo’s, Lehja, and Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi all received awards of excellence, while Buckhead’s was the recipient of a “Best of Award of Excellence,” meaning it’s a “destination for serious wine lovers.”
Declaring ice cream delivered to one’s doorstep a priority — hey, we feel ya — Fortune magazine recently highlighted eight cool purveyors that ship frozen treats across the country, and joining the likes of Ohio’s Jeni’s and Portland Oregon’s Salt & Straw is local favorite Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Upcoming Events
- Tim’s Pizza Pop-up, Hatch Cafe (July 9): Preorder Detroit-style pies from the weekly pop-up.
- Movies on Brown’s Island, Brown’s Island (July 10): “Grease” hits the big screen for the outdoor showing with food trucks such as Westray’s Finest Ice Cream and Strawberry Street Events on site.
- Spring Pop-up Market, Blue Bee Cider (July 10): Sip a cider and check out local purveyors during the bimonthly market.
- Bigfoot Juicy IPA Release and Concert, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery (July 10): A Saturday-night show featuring Big Foot County with a coinciding collaborative release
- Low Country Boil, The Jasper (July 11): Buckets of seafood and fixin’s sprawled across a paper-lined table — need we say more?
- Take a Trip to the Mountains, Blenheim Vineyards (July 11): Richmond-based Women in Wine hits the road for a vineyard adventure.
- Wine and Cheese Pairing Basics, The Broken Tulip (July 12): Raw Milk Retreats and Virginia Wine & Spirits Academy join forces for a night of education, eating and imbibing.
- Wine Pairing Dinner, Midlothian Chef’s Kitchen (July 14): Six courses from chef-owner David Dunlap paired with six wines from Barboursville Vineyards
- Smash Ultimate Tourney/Sincero Pop-up, Tabol Brewing (July 15): RVA Dawnstar Video games brings the fun, Sincero brings the tacos, and Tabol pours the beer.
In Other Food News …
- The owners of Surry’s Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, a Virginia staple for the past 95 years, have decided to sell the biz. With the deal expected to close by the end of August, the Edwards trademark and recipes will be acquired by Burgers’ Smokehouse, a smoked and cured meats manufacturer based in Missouri. (The Virginian-Pilot)
