Weekly Food News: Mean Bird comes to roost, Union Table taps out, Black Restaurant Week and more

Winner winner, fried chicken dinner for The Fan

Debates about the best fried chicken and barbecue can come between relationships and even families, says our own Richard Hayes. And he’s not wrong. Richmonders are passionate about stuff like this, and rightfully so. Local food truck Mean Bird serves up some, well, mean chicken as the name might suggest. And they’re about to come to roost in The Fan. Specifically, poultry purveyors Mike and Sarah Moore plan to set up shop in the old Sticky To GoGo space. Richard has all the details on what you can expect right here.

Union Table & Tap taps out in the West End

After two concepts in a West End space, finding a following has still eluded a local restaurateur. Garland Taylor, owner of Union Table & Tap, is tapping out of the former long-time Shackleford’s space near Short Pump. Taylor, who also owns two Home Team Grill locations, took over the space several years ago, first opening The Urban Tavern, and later rebranding to Union.

Karri Peifer, writing for the RTD, has all the details behind Taylor’s decision to close and what’s next.

Richmond Black Restaurant Week kicks off next week

Richmond’s twice yearly Restaurant Week is pretty great, but a new event taking place next week is serving to showcase the diversity and breadth of the area’s dining scene. Richmond Black Restaurant Week kicks off March 6th, and there are some pretty tasty lunch and dinner options from some of the area’s best black-owned restaurants to enjoy. Delicious spots like Mama J’s, Sugar’s Crab Shack, Croaker’s Spot, and Spoonbread Bistro will take part in the week-long event, which benefits Renew Richmond, a nonprofit dedicated to nutrition education.

Robey Martin, writing for Richmond Magazine, has a closer look and the interesting story behind how it all got started in the most unlikely of ways–partly thanks to local news anchor and social media maverick Curt Autry.

Richmond’s most painstakingly-made dishes

Have you ever taken the time to think about how long it takes some of your favorite area chefs to come up with those delicious indulgences you enjoy on a night out? No? Me neither really, and now I feel like a bad person after reading about the two-week process to create Heritage’s ramen bowl or the six days it takes for L’Opossum’s Beef Swellington to take shape. Whoa. I’ll never take the process for granted again. Soak it all in with this cool feature from Genevelyn Steele.

Richmond restaurateur going “Rogue” with new spot

Restaurateur John Maher, the actual gent behind Jackson Ward’s The Rogue Gentleman is, well, going rogue with a new spot set to take over the former Boka Tavern space on West Broad Street May 1st. The restaurant, to be known as Yaki, will specialize in, yep–you guessed it–yakitori:

“I’ve wanted to do the izakaya thing for a long time,” says John Maher. “I’ve been posting ‘I wish I had an izakaya’ for years.”

Should all go according to plan, on May 1, the owner of The Rogue Gentlemen will finally see his dreams come to fruition with Yaki, a modern izakaya and yakitori-ya in Jackson Ward. “I’ve been to them in Tokyo and San Francisco, and I just love the simplicity of it: For the most part they just do one thing, and they do it really well. We’re staying pretty true to a yakitori, and they only do chicken.”

Stephanie Breijo with Richmond Magazine has all the delicious dirt on the dream that Maher is finally bringing to fruition.

Zagat gives eight reasons to make the trek to RVA

Subrosa Bakery. Pasture. Perly’s. The Rogue Gentlemen. These are just a few of the acclaimed spots to make a new Zagat list of reasons out-of-towners should make the drive to Richmond, and a love letter of sorts to the Capital City:

Virginia’s capital city may have only recently sauntered coolly onto your culinary radar, but anyone who has lived in Richmond knows the food scene has been progressive, boundary-pushing, food-forward and just plain delicious for decades. Yet, it’s still fair to say that the dining scene is now more exciting than ever, with a burgeoning Downtown renaissance, a bounty of locally produced ingredients and a true creative class providing fertile ground for that revolution.

Check out the full list here, but beware: you’ll be salivating by the time you make it to the bottom and see all the amazing photos of local chefs’ culinary creations.

Sewing the seeds of #rvadine success

Local food industry consulting business The Apple Cart has announced a series of worshops to help blossoming food businesses take root. The Appleseed Series will run from March to May, offering one workshop per month addressing issues that food businesses need for a strong foundation. Each workshop will be followed by a 45-minute networking hangout, where participants can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, drinks, snacks and good company.

“We wanted to create a resource for our clients and other food businesses,” Apple Cart co-owner Stephanie Ganz said in a news release. “So, we asked ourselves where we felt restaurateurs, chefs, and food manufacturers struggle the most and what would be of the most benefit to them.”

The series kicks off on Wednesday, March 22nd with a workshop entitled “PR with Purpose–Plant Your Story,” a PR primer for food business owners.

Workshops are $40 each, or $100 for the complete series. Each is held at The Woodlot, located at 2219 W. Main Street.

See the full release for all the dates, details, and how to sign up.