Weekly Food News
Weekly Food News: Casa Del Barco sails west, Dogtown Brewing Co.’s forthcoming menu, erase your library fines with a donation, and more
Casa Del Barco is set to open their Short Pump location, a look at where to get the area’s best smoked fish dishes, how to erase your library fines with a food donation, and more this week.

All the news that’s fit to eat
Casa Del Barco opening soon at Short Pump Town Center – HOUSEpitality Group, the folks behind The Boathouse and Casa Del Barco, will open their second Casa location, bringing the Mexican flavors of their Canal Walk restaurant downtown to Short Pump Town Center. No opening date has been publicly announced, but we hear it will be very soon (in fact we’re headed to preview the soon-to-be-completed space Thursday morning). The 8,400-square-foot restaurant takes over the space formerly occupied by Tara Thai and will feature upscale decor, a private dining area, and an open-air rooftop tequileria where patrons can choose from a menu of 200 tequilas and mezcals. The second location of Casa del Barco will offer a similar menu to the original, featuring Mexican cuisine made with fresh, local ingredients and inventive cocktails. Read our article announcing the location from back in February here.
Blaze Pizza now open in Innsbrook – A fast casual pizza chain’s second Richmond area location is firing up in Glen Allen. Blaze Pizza opened in Innsbrook this past weekend at 4101 Dominion Boulevard in a newly-constructed outparcel building in front of The Shoppes at Innsbrook. The concept offers nine signature pizzas, a build-your-own option, and a selection of salads. Everything is made to order. The company’s first Richmond location is in Midlothian. Read more here.
Richmond’s next brewery will feature all sorts of snacks and entrées – Husband and wife team Michael C. Hild & Laura Dyer Hild own both are at it again. The pair behind $4 million in investments in Manchester (including the forthcoming Butterbean and Hot Diggity Donuts concepts) have announced plans for Dogtown Brewing Co. at 1209 Hull Street. Beyond beer, though (the details of which you can read in our RVA Beer Explorer) you can expect everything from small bites to larger plates–a rarity in the Richmond brewing scene. Expect everything from oysters and soups to pupusas, burgers, and ribs when the new spot opens in late 2018 or early 2019. Richard Hayes has the scoop here.
A rundown of some of Richmond’s best smoked fish – Would you buy smoked fish from a barbecue place attached to an auto shop? Dina Weinstein, writing for Richmond Magazine, says don’t overlook it! She names TD’s Smokehouse in the West End as one of the area’s best spots for the dish, popular at holiday tables. Restaurants such as Southbound, Heritage, and Perly’s are also named among the roundup. I can personally attest that Perly’s fish board is probably one of the best in town. Check it all out here.
All is forgiven at the Library of Virginia if you donate to FeedMore – It happens to the best of us. If you’ve been avoiding the Library of Virginia because you haven’t returned books or other materials, take heart: a donation of canned foods to FeedMore means all will be forgiven, according to their Facebook page. Just bring canned foods, not money, and your fines will vanish into thin air. If only this worked with credit card debt! Get all the details here.
Donate to Pasture’s annual foster care holiday gift drive – Speaking of donations, the good folks at Pasture, led by Michele Jones, are once again collecting items for kids in Central Virginia’s foster care system. Drop off everything from essentials like hats, scarves and gloves to toiletries, toys, and clothes to the restaurant at 416 E. Grace Street by December 17th. All gifts must be new and unwrapped. Details 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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