Weekly Food News
Weekly Food News: Maya moves out, Folk Fest food picks, BBQ rumors, and Ellwood’s at the ICA
Another local restaurant calls it quits in Short Pump, Henrico Restaurant Week continues, a barbecue restaurant owner calls a viral Facebook rumor hogwash, and Ellwood Thompson’s announces plans for a café at the forthcoming ICA.
All the news that’s fit to eat
Owner of Buz & Ned’s Real Barbecue says rumors swirling behind “No Haters” sign are hogwash – A couple weeks ago, Buz & Ned’s Real Barbecue owner Buz Grossberg affixed a banner to the front of his West End restaurant reading “no haters.” Well, the sign apparently brought a few out. Earlier this week, a man identified only as “Anthony” posted an account alleging a manager of the restaurant told him several African American line cooks were removed at the request of a customer. Grossberg addressed the allegations with local media on Tuesday, but the poster doubled down, saying he has witnesses to the incident. It sounds dang pretty farfetched in my opinion, though. Here’s what’s played out so far.
Henrico Restaurant Week continues through Sunday – Henrico Restaurant Week, a semi-annual event offering diners deals similar to those of Richmond Restaurant Week, continues through Sunday, October 15th at nine area restaurants. Two-course lunches are $10 or $15, and three-course dinners are $20, $25, or $30, depending on the offerings. It all benefits the Henrico Christmas Mother program. Learn more and see the list of participating restaurants here.
Ellwood Thompson’s bringing some local flavor to the ICA – The forthcoming VCU Institute for Contemporary Art, with its twisting, contorting metal and glass shell nearing completion on the VCU Monroe Park Campus, will have more local flavor than just the student art that will accompany traveling collections inside the building. Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market has announced it will open a café inside the new facility, which is expected to open next spring. The spot will serve up raw juice drinks, flatbread sandwiches, and more. Brandon Fox with Style Weekly has all the details, and details on the unique way in which the sandwiches will be named.
Another local restaurant packing it up in Short Pump – Following last week’s closure of Patina in Short Pump, Maya Mexican Grill & Tequila Lounge is calling it quits, too. Owner Maria Oseguera wrote in a Facebook post this week that she opted not to renew the restaurant’s lease in the Downtown Short Pump shopping center as the current lease ended. The downtown location, however, will continue to operate. Read on here.
Two culinary picks for this weekend’s Richmond Folk Festival – The Richmond Folk Festival–perhaps the region’s most popular and well-attended festival of the year–is this weekend, and while the three-day affair is known for its diverse selection of talented folk performers from around the globe, there is an awesome selection of food to match! Karen Newton, writing for Style Weekly, zeros in on two local chefs offering festival-goers some unique and tasty soul food options to enjoy amid the seven stages of live music. Let the mouth-watering deliciousness commence.
Soul food (n’ vinegar) rolling into Church Hill – Speaking of delicious soul food, Church Hill residents will soon have a new go-to spot with the opening of Soul n’ Vinegar at 29th and R Streets–the former Ruth’s Beauty Shop space. The goal, owner Michelle says, will be to provide affordable and healthy prepared meals to the neighborhood’s diverse residents. She says the food shop anticipates opening in March of 2018 if all goes according to plan, and fully intends to be a partner in the community by participating in neighborhood events, hosting popups at nearby restaurants, and more. Get the scoop from Church Hill People’s News.
Curry replaces cheese in Jackson Ward – A space recently vacated by quesadilla joint BoDillaz is already hopping once again in Jackson Ward. First time restaurant owners Richard Washington (a Virginia Department of Health employee) and Debra Medina (a local real estate agent with Caribbean ties) opened The Pot, a Caribbean concept, last Friday, a day before thousands descended upon the neighborhood for the 2nd Street Festival. Read on to learn more about what’s on the menu and what the owners hope to achieve with the new venture from Richmond BizSense here.
Plant the seeds of your food-based business with a series at Ellwood Thompson’s – Have you always wanted to start a food-based business, but aren’t quite sure where to begin? A new series of classes hosted by local entrepreneurs Stephanie Ganz and Barb Upchurch might be just the place to start. The first in a four-part series from the pair was held on Monday at Ellwood Thompson’s. Want to get in on the fun? You can purchase tickets for the remaining workshops here.
This week’s restaurant reviews
Weekly Food News
Weekend Radar: Harvestfest, Home Show, Hardywood Birthday, Rams Soccer
Wonder what you’re going to do this weekend no more. We’ve got four great activities for you and yours.
On the Radar
Lewis Ginter Harvestfest – Celebrate all that fall has to offer! This two-day event has a festival vibe with live music, food, and adult beverages, plus family-friendly activities.
- Lewis Ginter Gardens | 100 Avenue of Champions | Saturday, Oct. 23, 9 AM to 8 PM and Sunday, Oct. 24, 9 AM to 5 PM | $8-$14 | Buy Tickets
Richmond Home Show – We’ve all spent way too much time in our homes the past year or so. As a result we can see all the things we’d like to change. This weekend is your chance to start the ball rolling on those changes. The Richmond Home Show presents the ideal venue to connect with knowledgeable local home remodeling, design, and construction professionals who can help you get started.
- Richmond Raceway | 600 E Laburnum Ave | Friday, Oct. 22, 11 AM – 8 PM, Saturday, Oct. 23, 10 AM – 7 PM and Sunday, Oct. 24, 10 AM – 5 PM | $6-$8 | Buy Tickets
Hardywood Turns 10 – It will be a day of live music from local favorites like Good Shot Judy and 64 Crayons, food trucks all day, beer releases like Trickery, Super Singel (an amped up version of the first Hardywood beer), a 10th Anniversary special barrel blend, plus some classic Hardywood brews from through the years including Bourbon Sidamo and Chocolate Heat. Plan to end the evening with a festive fireworks display to celebrate!
- Hardywood West Creek | 820 Sanctuary Trail Drive | Saturday, Oct. 23, 11 AM – 10 PM | $5 entry pay as you go | Tickets and Full Event Details
Under the Radar
Rams Soccer – Both the men and women VCU soccer teams wrap up their home games this weekend. The men on Saturday and the women on Sunday. At both games bring the kids in costume and they’ll get some free candy. It’s also the Senior Game for both teams and the senior will be honored. The Peppas will be rocking the stands both days as well.
- Sports Backers Stadium | 100 Avenue of Champions | Men Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7 PM, Women Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1 PM | $7-$12 | Buy Tickets
Weekly Food News
Food News: Top-tier pho and ramen coming soon, the current state of #rvadine, a Taste of Richmond, and a rooftop juice bar
The week in food
It’s almost go-time for the new Pho 95 Hi Ky Mi Gia concept at Willow Lawn, and I’m excited because I love nothing more than a delicious bowl of hot pho this time of year, and this place is dangerously close to my day job. Eileen Mellon at Richmond Magazine says married couple and co-owners Christine and Steven Phan have quite a following on the pho circuit. Here’s a little more about them and when you can expect the restaurant to officially open.
Speaking of hot bowls of awesome, a popular DC ramen joint is heading to Richmond for one night only. Toki Underground will pop up at Carytown cocktail bar The Jasper on Sunday, March 1st at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $16 per person and you can be guaranteed they’ll sell out. Karri Peifer has the absolutely delicious-looking menu over on Richmond.com for your viewing pleasure.
Speaking of special events and the RTD, they’ll host their Taste of Richmond event at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump on May 3rd. This year’s featured restaurants include Mama J’s, Mantu, Dover Hall, the Salty Pig, Hobnob, La Vita E’Bella Ristorante Italiano, Fall Line Kitchen & Bar, Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon, Texas de Brazil, and more. An all-access pass to enjoy unlimited samples is $75, and there’s a discount code available here.
Over at Richmond Magazine, Piet Jones has an excellent snapshot of the current moment in Richmond’s dining scene evolution through interviews with industry veterans including An Bui, Kelli Lemon, Michelle Jones, and others who have been instrumental in the #rvadine scene’s meteoric rise.
There’s a new kind of rooftop bar coming to the Fan. No, this one won’t be overflowing with spirits a la Scott’s Addition, but rather, a rooftop juice bar. The Pit and the Peel is moving their VCU location a block from where they currently are, having recently purchased a building at 1210 W. Main Street. This seems like a really cool idea and – if they’re investing just south of a million on a full renovation, clearly the VCU location is doing quite well. More here.
The Big Kitchen, Tazza Kitchen’s gourmet to go, Brew Thru-style concept in Scott’s Addition closed months ago, so seeing that the closure just now made the news over at BizSense surprised me, but then again maybe I was the only one who went there almost weekly. Picking up dinner to go there was tasty, convenient, and dare I say fun – all the convenience of a fast-food drive-thru with far superior food and service by Tazza. That said, most times I picked up, my order was the lone bag sitting on the shelf of the glass door refrigerators in the covered bay. So I wasn’t totally surprised, albeit definitely disappointed, when they closed. All that said, looks like the owners are brewing up a new restaurant concept for the space. Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense has more.
Review roundup
- Croaker’s Spot (Style Weekly)
Foodiegram
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Weekly Food News
Food News: A “last last call” for Comfort, 24 hours in “Hell” with Gordan Ramsay, and #rvadine regulars
The week in food
If you didn’t get a chance to get into Comfort before the restaurant officially closed for business, you’ll have one more chance this weekend. The restaurant will reopen Saturday night for a “last last call” party. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Stop in at 6:00 PM until everything’s gone – and that includes food, booze (even rare bourbons apparently), and some of the restaurant’s memorabilia. It’s your last chance to enjoy the iconic restaurant. Yes, really this time. More here.
What happens when Gordan Ramsay shows up at your restaurant dressed as an old church lady at your restaurant? You spend the next 24 hours in the kitchen filming a TV show, as one local restaurant owner found out. Shane Roberts-Thomas, the owner of Southern Kitchen in Jackson Ward, was recently featured on Ramsay’s TV show “24 Hours To Hell And Back” which airs on FOX. Ramsay typically disguises himself when he shows up at restaurants who have agreed to participate in the show. She was contacted in advance about the possibility of a TV show filming there, but she didn’t know which one she’d be on – or if it would happen. She spent the next day (yes, non-stop) filming. Karri Peifer with the RTD has a great interview with Roberts-Thomas in advance of the episode, which airs Friday night at 9:00 PM. Check it out here.
A new chicken wing joint is coming to the Fan. The Cocky Rooster, at 2523 W. Main Street across from 3 Monkeys, won’t just be another restaurant with wings, but rather one that focuses on them, with other offerings. The joint will supposedly be open until 3:00 AM on the weekends, competing with nearby Benny Ventano’s Pizza that caters to the late-night, post-bar (read: hammered) crowd. Richmond BizSense has all the details here.
HogsHead Café, a popular and delicious barbecue and comfort food joint in the West End (one that I discovered by accident about six months ago), is moving to a bigger location. They’ll take over the space formerly occupied by Havana ’59’s West End outpost before it closed. I always like to see locally-owned West End restaurants, which are increasingly fewer and farther between, succeeding amongst the bevy of chains. More here.
Over at Richmond Magazine, Genevelyn Steele has an intriguing interview with bar regulars (we’re talking folks that, in some cases, are at their favorite haunt almost every night) and what keeps bringing them back. We’re running the gamut here from L’Opossum to Home Team Grill. I found this one fascinating. Read it here.
Review roundup
- Gersi (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- Parterre (Style Weekly)
Foodiegram
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