Now we’re into our fifth installment of GOOD EATS RVA, and its filled to the brim with restaurant news, new menus at local eateries, chef series and more. If you’re still among the few who missed RVA Magazine’s launch of GOOD EATS RVA, head over here to read up on it.
Just as before, we’ve got a huge helping this go around, so make some more room on your plate and pull up a chair and get ready for some GOOD EATS.
Henrico Restaurant Week
So we’re right in the middle of Henrico Restaurant Week, but you have plenty of time to go try out some food at one of the participating restaurants. The event kicked off April 1 and will run through Sunday the 9th. You can get yourself a two-course lunch for $20-$25 or a three course meal at dinner for $20-$30. Coal Pit Learning Center will receive $1 for each HRW lunch sold and $2 for each HRW dinner sold during the week. Participating restaurants: Athens West, Buz & Neds Real Barbecue, Charlie’s Kitchen Caribbean Cuisine, Deep Run Roadhouse, The Grapevine Greek & Italian Restaurant, Hattie Mae’s Southern Kitchen, India K’ Raja, Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon, Texas de Brazil, and Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar.
Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream reopens
After a fire forced them to close just before Thanksgiving, Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream in Carytown is now officially back up and running again as of April 1. According to their Facebook page, you can get all the classic flavors and the shop will have some exciting special ice creams. Hours are noon until 10pm.
Pizzeria Pupatella opening in former Rancho T spot
Arlington’s pizza joint Pupatella will make its way to Richmond to bring its Neapolitan pies to the former Rancho T spot at 1 N. Morris St. sometime this summer. Enzo Algarme, Pupatella’s founder and owner, has joined forces with founding partners of Elevation Burger who grew the country’s first organic burger chain from one to more than 50 restaurants worldwide.
Ames’ Hot Southern Honey Interview
Read up on our with interview with Ames’ Hot Southern Honey, a local business selling red chili-infused honey to pour on fried chicken, biscuits, our whatever your little heart desires (and can handle).
April’s Pizza Club: Ardent Craft Ales with co-owner Tom Sullivan
RVA restauranteur Victoria DeRoche of Italian eatery Nota Bene is a few months into her monthly Pizza Club and its quite the success! This month, they co-owner Tom Sullivan of Scotts Addition brewery Ardent Craft Ales will serve as special guest on April 30. Be on the lookout for details of what sort of pie will be in store for you in a future Good Eats.
Savory Grain to host dinner to benefit for Richmond SPCA April 5
Dine out for a good cause! The Savory Grain on West Broad Street is hosting a dinner for the Richmond SPCA this Wednesday, April 5th. 15% of food sales will be donated to the SPCA, and yes, pups are welcome on our patio.
Julep’s New Southern Cuisine kicks off Cocktails for A Cause
Julep’s New Southern Cuisine recently launched Cocktails for a Cause, where the second Wednesday of every month the East Grace Street restaurant will host a happy hour from 4:30 to 7 pm with $2 of your order going to a local charity. 10 percent of sales from that evening will be donated to the designated charity. On Wed., April 12, Julep’s will host their first event to benefit he Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Garnett’s Cafe opening second location at The Valentine
We gave you the scoop on this back in March, but Garnett’s Cafe will open up a sister restaurant, Garnett’s at the Valentine, at the downtown museum sometime this spring. The new spot will go in museum’s garden cafe and serve the longtime Fan restaurant’s signature salads, sandwiches, soups, coffee and desserts. You can read more on that here.
Brunch at Secco Returns April 30
Starting April 30, Secco Wine Bar will bring back its weekly brunch. Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., guests can dine on returning favorites like the weekly take on Eggs Benedict, shrimp and grits, and more from Chef Julie Heins.
“Every person who asked us to bring brunch back asked about the Benny of the Day, “ owner Julia Battaglini said in a statement.
Along with that Benny, Julia and team are working on a menu of special brunch cocktails along with plenty of sparkling bubbles, Carytown Teas and Lamplighter Coffee to go around.
Reservations can be made here. Patio seating will be available first come, first served. 325 N. Robinson St.
Bakery opens on North Meadow Street
French inspired sweet and savory treats have settled in the Fan! Red Cap Patisserie, which started out at St. Stephen’s Farmers Market, opened (quietly it seems) on March 30 but will host their grand opening April 15 at 719 North Meadow St. Owner Martine Wladar will be offering up croissants, tourtieres, and other delicious sweet and savory baked goods. Join them for their full menu, the first 100 guests will get free treats! 1-4 pm.
Long read: The Brunch Market & Lunch.Supper’s Urban Roost space give Richmonders yet another reason to love Scott’s Addition
Comfort food spots Lunch.Supper are favorites in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood. The owners behind them continue to serve up delicious and inventive cuisine, have an awesome beer garden in the works, and now they are on to their next project, Urban Roost.
The owners have leased the old Velocity Motorcycle garage on Marshall Street to open a space behind their restaurant for catering and special events.
John Reynolds, Catering/Events Manager for Lunch.Supper said Urban Roost will primarily be used for private events.
“Things like birthday parties, corporate events, meetings, social events, whether it be a club meeting or wedding rehearsal or reception that sort of thing,” he said.
But the space will also be home to The Brunch Market, a new monthly event featuring local artisans selling their goods, music and of course, brunch courtesy of Lunch.
“The Brunch Market is a great example of what we’re looking to use the space for, it involves the community, it allows us to showcase the space, we can serve great brunch food there, but that’s just one good example of what we’re using the space for,” he said.
About two years in the works, Reynolds said they first started testing out the space in December with Christmas parties.
This is where Brittanny DeRaffele, the organizer of The Brunch Market, came into the picture. DeRaffele runs local jewelry business Sun and Selene and was looking for a place to showcase her work along with fellow RVA vendors.
“I had this idea to work with a few friends who are also makers and we were like, ‘let’s just put together a holiday market,” she said.
Her husband Steven runs the kitchen over at Lunch.Supper and conveniently around that holidays, the restaurant had just finished renovating their Urban Roost Space. DeRaffele said after looking at it, she realized it would be the perfect place for her pop up holiday market.
“I knew it was going to be done soon and I’d been over with them checking it out and when all this fell together I was like, ‘why don’t we just do it here?’”
DeRaffele
Her husband provided the food, they had music, and had about 18 vendors at the holiday market. And the event was a success. Realizing the potential of the space, DeRaffele got to work putting together what would become the monthly Brunch Market.
“We had so much fun and a great turn out,” she said. “After the holidays died down, January came about and I was like, ‘I want to continue that’, my husband and I work great together, and I started getting great feedback from vendors and people who came to the event.”
She sketched out the idea for The Brunch Market and held her first event in February. The market is held once a month on Sundays from 11 to 4 pm. Local DJ Anthony Bryant, owner of Little Nomad, is the resident DJ for the market.
Since its launch, the market has become increasingly popular, growing from 18 to now 30 vendors selling their products while shoppers sip on Mimosas, Bloody Marys and dine on a special menu of biscuits and flatbreads prepared by Lunch.
Richmond makers Lightbox Print Co., Maven Made, Super Fun Yoga Pants, Mac’s Smack, Naked Goat Soap Co., Bad Ass Booth, and BeeGoHandmade are just a few of the vendors that have sold goods at the market.
Lightbox Print Co
“We have the bar set up at the back of the space so it’s great for a really cool traffic flow for all the vendors, everyone gets really good exposure,” she said. “I try to give a good variety of really cool, quality Richmond makers and retailers.”
And it’s not just vendors who want in on the action, hungry brunchgoers are clamoring to get in the doors of the new, trendy pop up.
DeRaffele said when they first started the market attracted around 600 attendees and more recently, its drawn up to 1,000 people.
“It’s been surprisingly successful, we were really blown away,” she said. “The feedback that we’ve heard from customers…one of the best things I heard someone say, ‘it feels like the Richmond thing to do, and my heart was fluttering’,” she said.
The next brunch market will take place April 22 as part of a bigger collaborative event with The Big Pig Project.
The Block Party, which Lunch/Supper held a few years ago, is a BBQ festival with live music and vendors and a bunch of cement pigs. Yes, you read that right.
“They have about 30 to 40 cement garden pigs, and have local businesses and artists purchase them and paint it, decorate it and design it,” DeRaffele said.
At the Block Party they auction off the painted pigs with proceeds going to Richmond Ronald McDonald House Charities. Brunch Market will be part of the big day this year.
“It’s just a really cool fundraising event that they’ve done before and as part of that they knew they wanted to incorporate a vendor market so it was a no-brainer to do the Brunch Market the same day,” she said.
The block party, which will take place between Summit Avenue and Marshall Street, will be on Saturday, April 22 from 12 to 6 pm. Follow The Brunch Market on Instagram @thebrunchmarket to find out vendor updates.
Food Porn: Look at this deliciousness from East Coast Provisions! I’m not a vegan, and I usually like my desserts to be super rich and dripping with some sort of chocolate sauce, but this looks so tasty. Rhubarb six ways! @eastcoastrva
Head over to RVA Magazine’s instagram @rvamag to check out more photos of local good eats.
To submit news, ideas, press releases, menus, or other restaurant news, please email Amy David at amy@rvamag.com. For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please email John Reinhold at john@rvamag.com.
Words by Amy David. Image courtesy of The Brunch Market
