Weekly Food News: Four new restaurants, Tsui on a roll, sowing seeds of hope, and kid critics

All the news that’s fit to eat

Red Salt Sushi & Chophouse is now open – EAT Restaurant Partners are on fire lately. The company, which owns a total of eight restaurants around Richmond, opened its latest spot in Short Pump last weekend. The eclectic and open space features over a dozen specialty sushi rolls, eight chops of steaks, and a large banquet room. Located in the GreenGate shopping center near Short Pump Town Center, it joins Mellow Mushroom and forthcoming The Daily Kitchen and Bar and West Coast Provisions (more on the latter in a bit). Check out the photos and menu here.

Chris Tsui can’t stop, won’t stop opening restaurants – With another yet-to-be-determined concept on the way to W. Broad Street near the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Red Salt having just opened, Chris Tsui with EAT Restaurant Partners is already eyeing another location in Shockoe Bottom. This news from the RTD, which says this concept is also “to-be-determined.” Tsui will make major investments to overhaul the former River City Diner space at 7 N. 17th Street for the forthcoming restaurant, calling the neighborhood “the next hot destination.” Read on here.

The Daily Kitchen & Bar opens Short Pump location Friday – As mentioned above, Richmond Restaurant Group is also getting in on the action in Short Pump’s mixed use development known as GreenGate. The group will open a West End location of its popular Carytown eatery The Daily Kitchen & Bar on Friday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. More on the second location here.

Photo: Richard Hayes

Mysterious new Latin-Italian (is that a thing?) joint coming – My trusty sidekick Richard Hayes has photos of two forthcoming spots in The Fan. The first is Latino Italian Kitchen, which is a bit shrouded in mystery. Richmond Magazine sheds some light of the forthcoming restaurant at 1731 W. Main Street:

#RVADine loves a good mystery, and a new, oddly worded sign has recently appeared in the window of 1731 and started tongues a-wagging: Latino Italian Kitchen. Facebook feeds across the city filled up with speculation over what that could really mean. Turns out it’s a combination of Mediterranean and Central American dishes, according to first-time RVA restaurant owner Giorgio Marcoyannakis. They have no name for the restaurant and no opening date as yet, but it sounds like the next odd chapter of 1731 is about to begin.

Photo: Richard Hayes

Arlington Neapolitan pizza joint fires up in former Rancho T spot – The second restaurant that should be on your Fan restaurant radar is Pupatella, an Arlington, Virginia-based pizzeria that took over the former Rancho T spot on N. Morris Street. Expect Neapolitan pizzas, Friggitoria (small plates typical of Florence, Italy), and more. Naples-born owner Enzo Algarme bakes his pies in an oak-burning pizza oven for just one minute, which is all it takes when your oven reaches temperatures of between 800 and 1,000ºF. Algarme’s traditional practices, some of which may be unfamiliar to Americans, have led him to post an FAQ on the business’s website to answer common questions from customers. The restaurant just opened its doors at 1 N. Morris Street. Check out the full menu here.

Local coffee roaster sowing seeds of hope in world’s poorest country – You may already be familiar with the good works Ironclad Coffee Roasters, located in Scott’s Addition, does each month with rotating fundraisers supporting the Richmond SPCA and Richmond Public Schools. Well, owner Ryan O’Rourke has taken that community support and expanded it to a program in Milawi, the poorest nation on earth, in southeastern Africa. We caught up with him to talk about his support of a local youth soccer program and how an unlikely story of international adoption spurred the effort. Read our feature story here.

Tickets now on sale to Fire, Flour, & Fork – The fourth annual Fire, Flour, & Fork event–billed as a gathering for the food curious–is right around the corner. The four-day festival of culinary talks, lunches, dinners, and pop-ups begins November 2nd and tickets are going like, well, hotcakes. Learn more about this year’s incredible lineup and get your tickets online right here.

Kid restaurant critics have taken over #rvadine – If you think some of the local food reviewers are picky, just wait until you hear what the kids have to say! A group of local students from Richmond Montessori School are on a culinary adventure this week, visiting a different locally-owned establishment every day this week as part of the private school’s “Kid Food Critics” summer camp. Each camper will describe their experiences, try new things, and learn from restaurant staff and chefs. Read more about it here.

This week’s restaurant reviews

• Beijing on Grove (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Demi’s Mediterranean Kitchen (Style Weekly)