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Spoonbread Bistro Scoops Up Second Location

Sarah Kerndt | June 15, 2018

Topics: Fan, French cuisine, Good Eats, rva eats, rvadine, Short Pump, Southern comfort food, Spoonbread Bistro

“We opened September the 20, 2016. It was supposed to open for lunch, but we never got the chance to open for lunch because dinner took off like gangbusters and we could never get to the lunch, and we still haven’t gotten to lunch.”

Those are the words of Spoonbread Bistro’s owner and Executive Chef Michael Hall, describing the boom in business that occurred upon the opening of the first Spoonbread Bistro location in The Fan in summer 2016. Richmond took to Chef Hall’s fusion of Southern Comfort food and upscale French cuisine like wildfire, sparking incredible amounts of business and growth for the restaurant. 

And now, the man who was behind M Wine Bistro in Rocketts Landing, and the former chef at 2300 Club in Church Hill, will expand his business west with Spoonbread Deux this weekend in the former Patina Grill location.

The original location at Floyd Avenue has been a popular spot for Richmond residents, and a highlight of Richmond Black Restaurant Experience each year, but where on earth did such a combination of cuisine come from? Chef Hall, a Richmond native who grew up in Church Hill, said it started with his mother’s cooking. “My love has always been my mom’s cooking, so you know, corn pudding, you see us have collard greens, we do sweet potatoes, you know just everything you would see in the south.” He was learning the ropes of southern cooking for years at home, but it wasn’t until his first job in a restaurant called The Butlery in 1985 that he would find himself on the path toward combining his love for southern comfort food, with French cuisine.

Bourbon Bread Pudding

“[It] was a French restaurant in the far west end. was the dishwasher, and really was going to leave there and go to take a job as an assistant to a real estate agent, but the executive chef actually talked me into staying,” he said.

After that, he became assistant to the pastry chef at the restaurant, and his skills in the kitchen really began to heat up from there.

“They really thought I had talent, and they actually fired [the head pastry chef], and her husband the executive chef… they were husband and wife team, so they couldn’t fire one without the other, so I became the pastry chef for this fancy French restaurant at the age of 23.”

However, The Butlery was only the beginning of Chef Hall’s foray into French cuisine. He would go on to attend the Culinary Institute of America for Pastries, work for Ukrop’s as a recipe development chef, and served as Executive Chef for Shockoe Bottom’s None Such Place for five years.

Chef Hall with Mayor Levar Stoney

Hall ventured out on his own with a restaurant called The Vine, but after that closed, it was his position at the 2300 Club where his vision for Spoonbread, which had started in 2003, began to come to life.

“[The 2300 Club] gave me the chance to really hone recipes, because it really wasn’t that busy, so when I did do things, I had a chance to go back to my recipe development days,” he said. “I kinda knew that I would do my own thing again, but I just didn’t know when.”

Now with two years of success under his belt at the Spoonbread in the Fan, Chef Hall was content, until he got word from a friend that the former Patina Grill on Lauderdale Drive had shuttered, and after some encouragement from his friend to check out the spot, he decided to dive in.

“I gotta be honest with you, I never thought about doing a second Spoonbread, I didn’t and I really hadn’t.” He was semi-familiar with the area because of a friend teaching at the 9Round, but it wasn’t until he noticed the name of a former colleague on the real estate sign that things really got on a roll.

“Believe it or not, a friend of mine that I use to work with when I was 20 years old, who worked with me at The Butlery is the real estate agent for this particular building, so when I saw the name, I was like, ‘I know Robbie, let me call him and see what’s up, so I gave him a call, he showed me the building, and I was like, ‘wow I kinda like this…we could do another Spoonbread,” Hall said.

The location proved ideal since it is in a residential area, it sits about a mile off the main Short Pump Strip, and the larger space allows for a larger kitchen. “The kitchen is bigger here, which means the menu can be bigger,” he added.

So what can be expected on the new menu? Well, a filet coated with 24 karat gold. Because, why not?  “We aren’t doing it at the other restaurant, but we are doing it here…it’s like this gold nugget on your plate,” he said. “I think the menu is going to be a lot more fun because we have the room to do certain things.”

Some new options will include stuffed oysters, and a Carpetbagger, an oyster-stuffed steak. Of course, his other eye-catching dishes such as the duck dish with smoke, and their steaks on salt blocks, and the popular crab cakes and braised short ribs will also be coming over to the new spot. Hopefully, we will the more unique dishes such as the lobster pop tart and pork siracha and collard greens egg rolls come over to the second location as well.

Spoonbread Deux will open this Sat., June 16 for dinner from 5 pm to 11 pm, and expand with lunch hours after Father’s Day.

Photos By: Spoonbread Bistro

Carytown’s Best Friends Forever Closing, Employees Return to Don’t Look Back

Amy David | May 16, 2018

Topics: Best Friends Forever, Don't Look Back, GOOD EATS RVA, rva eats, tacos

It’s been a wild ride in taco-related news these last few months. Bartaco announced its plans to open a location in Short Pump, RVA Mag took a tour through Southside for some of the best secret taco spots, and Don’t Look Back announced its return with two locations, one in Forest Hill, and the other in the former Triple location on West Broad Street, which just opened last weekend. And now, its sister restaurant in Carytown, Best Friends Forever, has announced it will close at the end of this week.

The burrito joint announced the news Tuesday afternoon that would close on Friday so many of the employees could return to their former jobs at Don’t Look Back.

“This Friday will be the last day of BFF. A major chunk of our staff has returned to Don’t Look Back & it really doesn’t make sense to continue with our burrito shop. And because DLB needs reinforcements, closing this weekend assures jobs for the rest of the BFF crew. We thank you for your tremendous support & hope to see your faces before we close our doors!”

Don’t Look Back was a longtime favorite for so many in Richmond with its chicken skin tacos and Frito pies, and locals were saddened when the Carytown restaurant caught fire last summer and forced it to shut down. (That was a dark day.) Luckily, owner Hamooda Shami opened his rotating pop-up restaurant Eleven Months in Carytown just a few months prior, which originally started out with the theme, “Best Friends Forever.”  It was meant to be a restaurant with a different theme and menu that switched up every eleven months, but ultimately, Shami and Chef extraordinaire Nate Gutierrez decided to shutter the revolving pop-up and rebrand with the original theme Best Friends Forever last September. The restaurant has kept our bellies happy and full with giant sauce-drenched burritos and margaritas ever since.

This was definitely a popular spot in Carytown so it will be sad to see them go, but luckily its sister has risen from the ashes just in time to feed the people. Last Friday, Don’t Look Back finally emerged in the former Triple poolhall spot at 3306 W. Broad St. The restaurant is now decked out with some sweet murals courtesy of Mickael Broth and fans of the food can rejoice because it looks as though they’ve kept the same menu with $3 and $4 gringo and traditional style corn and flour tacos, enchiladas, taquitos, and chips and salsa of course. And not to fret longtime Richmonders or those who you used to frequent The Triple, they’ve left the iconic triangle sign up so you can’t miss it as you’re frantically driving down Broad Street dodging The Pulse buses to get to your delicious tacos.

 

Don’t Look Back also has plans for a location in Forest Hill, which is slated to be open sometime this summer. So long Best Friends Forever, we will miss your burritos. Hopefully, they will make an appearance on the new DLB menu.

Photo By: Best Friends Forever

 

 

 

RVA #28 Good Eats RVA: Beijing on Grove opens, The Jackdaw, & Carytown’s Eleven Months restaurant

Amy David | May 2, 2017

Topics: GOOD EATS RVA, RVA, RVA dine, rva eats, rva food

This article was featured in RVAMag #28: Spring 2017. You can read all of issue #28 here or pick it up at local shops around RVA right now.

New Events & Other Happenings At Quirk Hotel

The boutique hotel located at 201 W. Broad St. has added quite a few programs recently. At the end of January, Quirk Hotel launched Wine Table Tuesdays in partnership with non-profit organizations. Each week, a new organization or charity will be featured with wine reps present to educate patrons on the chosen wine. Price: $17 per person that includes four tastings, with $2 of all tastings being donated to the specific charity that week. Events are held in Quirk’s restaurant, Maple & Pine, with past charities including the American Heart Association. Contact [email protected] to book.

Also at the end of January, Quirk Hotel’s restaurant launched its 10 Course Chef Tasting Series. Maple & Pine allows guests to leave all decision in the hands of Chef David Dunlap. These dinners will consist of 10 courses showcasing the chef’s favorite local ingredients and a variety of textures and techniques. Menus will change frequently and the series will run Thursdays to Saturdays. Price: $89 per person / Optional $25 Wine Pairing.

Maple & Pine Restaurant has introduced their version of “Sunday Supper” entitled Feasting With Friends. This new offering is a special family style menu that will allow guests to engage with one another through good food and delicious drinks. With a rotating monthly menu of seasonal eats, guests can continue to come back to enjoy all that Maple & Pine has to offer. Feasting With Friends will take place every Sunday at the restaurant from 5 to 9 pm. Price: $25 per person that includes an enjoyable four-item, shared plate family style meal.

RVA’s EAT Restaurant Partners Return To Chinese Roots With The Bejing On Grove

On Dec. 31, The Blue Goat came to the end of its six-year run at 5710 Grove Avenue and in January, EAT Restaurant Partners returned it to its original Chinese roots with The Bejing on Grove Chinese Kitchen and Bar. It will be the eighth restaurant for the local restaurant group, which also owns Boulevard Burger and Brew, Fat Dragon, Foo Dog, Osaka, Wild Ginger, and Wong Gonzalez.

Prior to The Blue Goat opening, which was a popular place for cocktails, the spot near the corner of Libbie and Grove was home to Peking for over 30 years. Chris Staples, Director of Hospitality for EAT, said the former restaurant was run by the father of EAT Restaurant Partners’ owner Chris Tsui and his business partner, who owned five Pekings around Richmond. “When Chris was in high school he was a bus boy, a waiter, he worked here while his family ran the business,” he said.

After they made the decision to close The Blue Goat just before the New Year, Staples said Tsui wanted to bring back a concept that once did well in the bustling Near West End corridor. “The Blue Goat ran its course,” he said. “There’s five American style restaurants on this block and instead of trying to always think of ways to compete with them and share that same client base, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just bring in something that the neighborhood is starving for and nostalgic about,’ which was Chinese food.”

This Asian concept is a fresh, modern version of its original antecedent according to Staples. “It’s a modern take on traditional Cantonese food, and a really cool upbeat chic fun place to come and enjoy it,” he said.

At the helm of The Beijing on Grove is Chef Fei Zhao, who is from Guandong and served as the original chef at Osaka, and most recently Fat Dragon as executive chef. The restaurant’s menu features dishes such as Beijing Duck, Mushu Pork, Chili Dumplings and Guandong fried rice. “He makes Szechuan, he makes Hunan style, but the core of the menu here is Cantonese food,” Staples said.

Prices are along the lines of Fat Dragon with appetizers from $4-$10, entrees from $12-$28, and lunch combos around $10-11. And don’t fret Blue Gloat fans, Staples said they are keeping their popular cocktail and craft beer program in place so patrons will have the best of both restaurants.

“All we did was take the focus from the Blue Goat and amp it up even more, so still a big focus on craft beer, craft cocktails, and a really nice curated wine list,” Staples said. “You get the things you want if you’re nostalgic for Chinese food, but you also get the stuff you want if you’re into craft beer.”

The restaurant offers happy hour seven days a week from 4:30-7pm with $2 off drafts, specialty cocktails, high balls, and $5 glasses of wine.

Pizza Club 2.0: Nota Bene’s Victoria DeRoche Breaks Silence With Rebooted Monthly Club

You may have heard rumblings a few years ago of several local restaurateurs getting together for pizza and booze at the home of Victoria DeRoche, now owner of Italian restaurant Nota Bene, for what would become known as Pizza Club. No one was allowed to talk about it, but we all knew it was happening.

And now DeRoche, along with several RVA brewers and restaurant owners, has given Pizza Club a reboot and this time not only do you get to talk about it, but you get to be a member too. Starting in January, DeRoche turned her monthly backyard pizza parties into a monthly event where patrons can dine on a special pizza at her restaurant created by some of Richmond’s finest restaurant owners, along with specialty cocktails and tap takeovers by local brewers.

“It’s fun to see it go from a fun gathering to now bringing it a different playing field where we can host it at a restaurant…” DeRoche said. “There’s a lot of nostalgia.”

It all started back in 2009 and for two years every month, DeRoche would invite her friends — including Nate Gutierrez now of Don’t Look Back, Julia Battaglini of Secco Wine Bar, and others — over for a potluck, but with a twist. Members would come up with a pizza recipe based on DeRoche’s theme, and they’d make that pizza right there in the backyard with a small wood-fired oven.

“I would provide dough and sauce and I would throw out a prompt, and the prompt would be like heirloom tomatoes are in season, make your favorite pizza based on an heirloom tomato… or make your favorite pizza that’s based on a soup. People were encouraged to do a signature cocktail or I would do a signature cocktail for the event.”

The club events will take Sundays and DeRoche will be baking up the pies in her wood-fired oven, but the restaurant owners will be creating the recipes along with a signature cocktail or other special beer. And while Nota Bene’s kitchen team is busy making pies, the monthly specials guests will be behind the bar sharing stories.

DeRoche has made the club even better by offering attendees an official Pizza Club punch card towards earning a free pizza. These punch cards will only be available during Pizza Club Sundays but are redeemable for punches and redemption during any visit.

Pizza Club runs on one Sunday of each month from 5-9 p.m at Nota Bene. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at NotaBeneRVA.com.

Millie’s Diner Executive Chef Launches Asian-Influenced Pop-Up Series, The Jackdaw

Richmond was late to the pop-up game, but nevertheless, the one-night temporary restaurants have become quite the hit over the last few years with Underground Kitchen, Longven, and Pop Up Revolution making it a regular occurrence in our food-obsessed city.

One that seems to have flown under our radar is Ian Merryman’s “The Jackdaw.” Merryman, the Executive Chef at Millie’s Diner, started doing a Chinese-influenced pop up at local restaurants around town about two years ago as a way to challenge his culinary chops.

“The Jackdaw started just out of wanting to cook my own food instead of somebody else’s,” he said. “Working for someone else, cooking their vision, I just felt like doing something on my own and wanted to do something I hadn’t done before.”

The chef has worked off and on and Millie’s for the last few years, prior to that he held the chef spot at Antler & Fin, but had the idea while he was in between jobs. Merryman has put on pop-ups at the now shuttered Kinsfolk, Lunch, Shoryuken Ramen, Belle & James, and the last Monday of every month he hosts “Industry Night” at Millie’s Diner. “Millie’s has been my go to because Paul {Keevil, owner} has been really supportive,” he said.

Creating an ever-changing menu, Merryman first started with Chinese dishes such as dumplings, spicy Dan Dan Noodles, Congee with pork belly, and dan dan mein soup with squid ink noodles. “I have a heavy back ground in Asian background, but never Chinese food,” he said. “I wanted to do something that wasn’t in my comfort zone.”

Since then he’s evolved the pop-up to feature other cuisines, most recently, Filipino. “I don’t have any family ties to it, but my mom was in the military and actually went to school with half-American, half Filipino kids when I was younger and was exposed to the food from a young age and loved it.”

Merryman said he felt like it was a cuisine that’s not really championed in Richmond so he wanted to bring something to the table that was lacking in the city. By the time this comes out, the chef will have put on his first Kamayan dinner, a traditional Filipino feast which features rice, noodles, pork belly, shrimp, clam and oysters and other dishes you can eat with your hands.

“The Kamayan feast, they’ll lay banana leaves out on the table and serve the food communal style,” he said. “Eating with your hands is encouraged.”

Merryman usually has guest bartenders from RVA spots including Ron Rogers from Strange Matter and Shaun Loughran from The Rogue Gentlemen along with several Millie’s employees.

Long Read: Eleven Months: Chatting With Restaurateur Hamooda Shami On His Bold New Project

Never one for sitting back on his haunches, RVA restaurateur Hamooda Shami is always looking for the next exciting move to make when it comes to his businesses. Since 2006, he’s continued to shake up the local restaurant scene with unique ventures like New York Deli, Portrait House, and Don’t Look Back, and now Shami will tackle his next challenge with Eleven Months, a restaurant with temporary themes that will switch up every year.

Shami opened the first Eleven Months in Charlottesville, where he’s currently based, February 8th, and a Richmond spot will follow in Carytown sometime in the spring. Each year, both restaurants will open with an entirely new theme, coordinating interior, menu and cocktails. We caught up with the busy entrepreneur to hear about his latest venture and his time spent in the business.

Tell me a little bit more about your new restaurants, “Eleven Months.”

The idea of Eleven months, which is going to be the permanent name… every year we’ll shut down for a month for a remodel and it will open with a new concept. The idea essentially is every year, it’s mostly cosmetic changes, light fixtures and furniture, but also the food and beverage menus. We’ve been saying extended recurring pop-ups, when in actuality it’s more like a temporary restaurant. From the day we open there will be a large clock in the restaurant at Eleven months and when that hits zero, that concept is done.

What can patrons expect with the opening theme, “Best Friends Forever,” at the Richmond restaurant?

Friendship and everything wonderful that comes with it. But there’s also a strong kitsch element, whether it be old photos of kids frolicking in a park or the more recent (and unnecessary) phenomenon of duck face selfies. Think Moonrise Kingdom meets Freaks And Geeks, if that makes any sense. There’s also an understated irony to the name, as it seems when you’re at the age when you’d actually use the term Best Friends Forever with complete sincerity… well, those friendships tend to rarely last.

You recently launched the first Eleven Months concept in Charlottesville with the theme, “Sorry It’s Over.” Can you elaborate on that?

It’s going to be all breakup based. I have breakup letters from my bartender, I got her and her husband’s old breakup letters that will be up there, think The Smiths. It’s completely camp, but there’s some substance there if you want to dig in. This won’t work if we take ourselves too seriously it’d be really easy to be pretentious. We’re trying to have fun with it.

Do the menus for both locations coincide with the themes?

[Charlottesville is] a contemporary American bistro. It’s sort of a mix of dishes, some of them are comfort-themed like mac and cheese on this first go. We’re still working the Richmond one out. It’s going to be rotating, it won’t necessarily be tied into the theme. The menu will sit on its own as something that will be fun and an opportunity to be creative. I think the Eleven Months concept will lend itself really well to cocktails. Like a featured eight or so every year. Like in Sorry It’s Over, it’s the name of depressing songs, “Boys Don’t Cry”… so having fun with that.

You decided to rebrand your Charlottesville restaurant Yearbook Taco into the first Eleven Months. What made you want to run with this idea?

Late summer, it became apparent it’d be madness to keep doing what I was doing. Essentially, what happened there, we were around for two years, I closed it December 31. We had a really good first year, second year slowed down considerably, the downtown mall in general in Charlottesville kind of had a bit of slowdown. Outside of the flagship ones like Whiskey Jar, Citizen Burger — a lot of places there started struggling including us. Anytime you face a challenge, there can be a positive outcome out of it, and to me it was, “I have to come up with a really compelling idea for this space.” People aren’t going to the mall are weekday nights. Parking is a problem so I need to come up with something that I think is compelling. I had to reach into my vault of restaurant ideas and come up with one that was a little admittedly, at most kind of out there. That could be the positive outcome of the slowdown I had at Yearbook, I really had to take a risk and this is definitely a risk.

Was this concept something you saw in other places?

I did conduct some research once I decided I was going to go forward with this, there was no one quite doing the same thing. The closest one we could was in Chicago, it’s called Next. Fine dining though, every three months they change the theme of the menu, but they don’t change the actual restaurant. So we’re the first doing this in this manner. I contacted a market research report all over the world because I was curious. I’ve figured out some of the numbers so it could make sense, but again, we won’t really know if it’s something people are going to be into until we open those doors.

Are you working with anyone on themes or branding for both restaurants?

I’m working with Campfire & Co., they’re on the branding and interior design. They have been instrumental in the process, leading the branding and interior design at both locations. What’s been lost in some of the initial buzz is that we’ve been compared to places that change their menu themes over different time intervals. When what we’re actually doing is creating an entirely new brand and restaurant experience every year. The signage will indicate Eleven Months, but when you walk through the doors, you’ll be walking into an entirely new concept. That’s why Campfire & Co. is so crucial to the model we’re attempting to execute, as the plan is for them to be the ones to develop the new sub-brand and interior design on each iteration at both locations. They have been instrumental in the process, leading the branding, logo and interior design at both locations.

Did you approach your previous restaurants in the same way, when it comes to creating the concept?

I feel like when you’re building a restaurant like NY Deli or Don’t Look Back, a place that you want to last for a while, you’re constrained with how insane you can get with regards to creativity of the theme. It would get old. Like the one in Charlottesville, the break up theme. If that went two or three years it would get kind of tired, but it could be really fun for eleven months. Any time I try to come up with a different concept, [it’s] same sort of thing. I’ve kind off had to have that in mind, I had to be, “this would get old soon.”

Why was this something you wanted to do and do you think it will take off?

The restaurant business is sort of a young person’s game and if I didn’t do this Eleven Months idea now, I was never going to do it. That sort of time thing keeps coming into play here… I think the Richmond arts community would really take to it. Richmond in general has been growing like crazy. When you put something on white board or an Excel spreadsheet, it’s not the same as reality. We won’t know if it’s something people will be into until we open those doors. There’s been a lot of positive feedback so far, but now we have to execute. This done the wrong way, is really cheesy and gimmicky. Done the right way, is creative and something we can have fun with and the neighborhood can have fun with.

You’ve been in the industry for over 10 years, how do you think you’ve managed to stay successful?

The importance of your staff it’s not just an aspect of the business it is the business. I’m at the point now, I want to work with professionals, I want to work with good people and people with a work ethic. The reason Don’t Look Back has made it is not because of me it’s because of the crew here. Really importantly is separating myself out from it. Starting with the earliest restaurants I worked at in DC, I’d work there and hang out there’s that sort of clubhouse mentality. I’ve learned to detach myself a little bit. People compare their companies often times to being a family, it’s tough to fire your sister or nephew whereas if you’re on a team you have that cohesive energy, you have to perform. I fired myself at the Deli at one point. I burnt myself out I looked at myself I was a manager, and I said that manager is not performing. I feel like a team mentality over a family mentality is the way to go. Every role is crucial. If the dishwasher or host doesn’t show up on Saturday night, the whole thing falls apart.

What are some of things you’ve learned along the way as you’ve worked your way up?

I read somewhere when I first getting into this that the two main reasons places fail are lack of knowledge and lack of capital. I was fortunate enough to, for the first couple years, not work as an investor, but as an assistant GM in DC. I could make mistakes so I was able to get a good knowledge base to start with so I wouldn’t make that fatal mistake in the first six months. And the second part is just making sure the place was financially secure enough to get through the waves in the beginning. Every one of my places at some point had an existential crisis. Every one, I was able to get through the slow times, occasionally have to strong pivot, but just making sure you have a safety cushion, some line of credit, and make all the mistakes before you try to start your own.

Words by Amy David.

GOOD EATS RVA 005: Urban Roost/Brunch Market, Henrico Restaurant Week, & Red Cap Patisserie

Amy David | April 4, 2017

Topics: GOOD EATS RVA, RVA, RVA dine, rva eats

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 [email protected]. For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please email John Reinhold at [email protected].

Words by Amy David. Image courtesy of The Brunch Market

RVA Magazine launches new restaurant column, GOOD EATS RVA

Amy David | February 9, 2017

Topics: GOOD EATS RVA, RVA dine, rva eats

It seems as though every time I turn around, a new restaurant has popped up in Richmond, a world-renowned chef has taken over a local eatery and created a new concept, or longtime staples are coming up with new and innovative ways to keep their restaurant fun for customers.

Richmond became a top destination for foodies in 2016, and that didn’t go unnoticed by RVA Magazine. In keeping with our standards of providing our readers with the latest news and trends in music, art, craft beer, local government fashion and more, RVA Magazine is proud to announce the launch of GOOD EATS RVA, a recurring column on our site dedicated to the local restaurant scene.

While RVAMAG.com will continue to post longer form restaurant stories on the site, the Good Eats RVA section will act as a bi-weekly rundown of Richmond restaurant news. The section will feature short food blurbs such as new menus, new cocktail programs, or a new chef at a local eatery, as well as one main story of a new restaurant opening or featured chef, and links to recent restaurant news to recap anything you may have missed.

So with that said, let’s jump into our very first edition of “GOOD EATS RVA:

Valentine’s Day Giveaway with RVA Magazine & Savory Grain

To kick off the launch of GOOD EATS RVA online, we thought we’d do a fun giveaway. One lucky person will win a Valentine’s Day dinner for two at local restaurant Savory Grain which includes one appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert for $50. RVA Magazine will announce the winner on Friday. See details in the photo below for how to win.

Win Valentines’s Day Dinner for 2 at Savory Grain! 1) REPOST this photo 2) TAG @RVAMag @TheSavoryGrain to enter! We’ll pick a winner this FRIDAY! Dinner includes 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and a dessert! #rva #rvadine #rvafood #rvavalentines

A photo posted by RVAmag (@rvamag) on Feb 6, 2017 at 11:23am PST

Also be on the lookout for a second Valentine’s Day giveaway with us and Ellwood Thompson’s. Details will follow on our Instagram.

Valentine’s Day Menus

Valentine’s Day is in exactly one week, and every year many local restaurants whip up special menus perfect for two. Check out some of RVA’s restaurants below with special VDAY menus and prices.

Secco Wine Bar
is running a $50/pp special all next week and will an optional wine pairing for $25. The four-course menu includes oysters, lamb ravioli and petit fours. Check out the full menu here.

Tobacco Company is taking Valentine’s dinner reservations a from 5:30pm – 10:00pm on Tuesday, February 14th. Treat your sweetheart to an unforgettable evening with a romantic dinner and valentine’s cocktails. As another special treat, the restaurant will also be selecting their February “Couple of the Month” on Valentine’s evening -one lucky duo will receive dinner on the house.

Rappahannock Restaurant is serving up a three course menu for $48. Reserve a table by calling 804.545.0565.

Their parent company, Rappahannock River Oysters, is giving away a bag of 50 Rappahannock’s for a dinner in for one lucky couple for Valentine’s Day. To enter, just like or share this post or leave a comment about your first date. The winner will be announced this Wednesday.

Amour Wine Bistro is getting ready for Valentines Day early with their Love of Champagne event on Wed., Feb. 8. Five Champagnes to taste from Reims, Epernay, Ay, Montagne de Reims, $45 per person.

The Carytown restaurant is also hosting a five course Valentines Dinner with two seatings, one at 5:15 pm and 8:30 pm. $79/person without wine. Add $29 for wine. See menu here.

Flemings Steakhouse will serve a three-course dinner during Valentines week featuring Filet Mignon paired with your choice of New Zealand Salmon or an Australian Lobster Tail for $89.

For those looking to live a little more lavishly, Flemings has something for you as well. The Stony Point restaurant is offering a Wine, Dine & Sparkle dinner for two for $1,000. Your Valentine’s Day experience will begin with a bottle of JCB Brut Burgundy N° 21 sparkling wine, paired with an four-course dinner menu for two. Their Wine, Dine & Sparkle dinner for two also includes a gift from a specially curated collection by the world’s most iconic Jeweler. Your selected gift will be waiting at the restaurant to be personally delivered to your table.

All Boathouse locations will have Valentines specials all next week. Both restaurants are offering a three-course menu with wine pairings. Preset packages featuring sparkling wine, flower arrangements and chocolate covered strawberries available, staring at $50. Standalone flower arrangements and champagne also available.

Strawberry Street Cafe is serving a four course dinner for two which includes Lobster Bisque, salad bar, 3 entree items (including seafood + steak) and dessert for $39.

This Valentine’s Day Quirk Hotel is offering a four-course tasting menu from Executive Chef David Dunlap with the option of wine pairings at their restaurant Maple and Pine. $85/person) / Optional $25 Wine Pairing. Check out the link above for menu details. Reservations required.

Lulu’s is offering a three-course menu for $42. Call for reservations.

Kabana Rooftop is serving a two-day Valentines Dinner February 11th and 14th. Featuring a four-course meal, live Jazz music, his and her cocktail options, complimentary glass of champagne, and more. $120 per couple.

Acacia Midtown will serve a three course Valentines Day menu for $45 and a four course for $55. See menu details here. You can also order a small Valentines TOGO meal for $20 plus tax here.

The Roosevelt is serving a three-course prix fixe for $45/person. Menu in link.

Dutch & Co. in Church Hill is offering a Four Course Menu. The first two courses are set, with an option for entree and dessert at $55. per person (+tax & 20% gratuity)Tickets available via RESY or their website. See menu details here.

The Jefferson Hotel has an entire package for you to extend your Valentines Day for a few days.Package includes one dozen red roses, traditional Southern breakfast for two in the restaurant, breakfast gratuity and valet parking. Rates from $375.

In a different kind of Valentine’s Day event, Sticky Rice has teamed up with local pitbull rescue group, Ring Dog Rescue to deliver a doggie date to your door. On Valentine’s day call Sticky Rice and they will deliver a RDR ambassador dog for a 10 min. date with you. Want dinner Too? Quickness will be out delivering all the usual Sticky Rice fare. The restaurant will start taking orders at 5pm.

Quirk Hotel is also hosting Qupid’s Love Brunch on Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the most romantic week of the year at Maple & Pine and the “Love Tonic” mixology station. Time: 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Reservations required.

And for those wanting to extend their Valentine’s Day into the weekend, Quirk Hotel is offering an Overnight Package which includes a bottle of champagne and a special package of aphrodisiacs in room (some edible).

Weezie’s Kitchen launching new cocktail program

Caryown’s Weezie’s Kitchen plans to roll out a new cocktail program at the beginning of March. The updated cocktail menu will feature 10 new and original cocktails that are focused on spring flavors according to new Beverage Director, Vanna Hem.

“Were going to still have our odes to classics…so I’m going to be doing one or two variations on classics,” said Hem. “We’re also going to be doing a lot of Amaro-based cocktails, fun cocktails with ingredients like coconut milk-infused Belle Isle, pineapple-infused plantation rum, we’ll do a lot of things with shrubs…and we’re going to be doing a lot of things with aromatics and oils.”

Hem was most recently the head bartender at Vagabond and Can Can Brasserie and Balliceaux prior to that. He came aboard to Weezie’s this week with hopes of livening up the local spirit scene.

“I feel like the Carytown cocktail scene hasn’t been what it used to be since I’ve been at Can Can,” he said. “Something fun, but also very approachable to get people excited about cocktails again.”

Some of the plays on versions of classic cocktails include a daiquiri with Scotch and a few classic gin martinis, but with sesame oil put on top.

Prices will range around $8-$10 with the most expensive cocktail coming in at $12.

Inspired by New York’s Holiday Cocktail Lounge, Hem said he and owner Todd Gelsomino wanted to bring unique cocktails while keeping the restaurant laid back and inviting.

“Its a neighborhood bar, kind of a little divey, but it’s still fun and quirky you go in there and get a burger and a beer, but you also have access to these great and unique cocktails and that’s the kind of atmosphere we want to bring to Carytown,” Hem said.

In addition to Hem coming on as Beverage Director, Weezie’s also added on former Can Can Executive Chef Brian Brown as Head Chef several months ago.

Quirk Hotel Wine Table Tuesdays

This month, Quirk Hotel launched “Wine Table Tueadays” in partnership with non-profit organizations. Each week, a new organization/charity will be featured and $2 of all tastings will be donated to the specific charity. Wine reps will also be present to educate on the chosen wine. $17 per person (includes 4 tastings) 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Contact [email protected] to book.

Pizza Club

Rebooted from her old backyard parties of piece-mealed pizza and booze, owner of local Italian restaurant Nota Bene Victora DeRoche, along with several other RVA restaurateurs, are bringing Pizza Club to the public once a month. The club launched last month and from now on one Sunday each month, the public can dine on a special pizza at Nota Bene created by some of Richmond’s finest restaurant owners, along with specialty cocktails and tap takeovers by local brewers. This month’s event will take place Feb. 26 with Stephanie Ganz of The Apple Cart as the featured guest. Read more on the Pizza Club in our story here.

Cary St. Cafe extends kitchen hours

Cary St. Cafe’ kitchen is now open until 1:30am, for in-house, take-out and delivery.

The Dog & Pig Show closing

About two weeks ago, Church Hill spot The Dog & Pig show announced via their Instagram that they would be closing their storefront on North 25th Street Feb. 12. The owners did give a hint about what could possibly be coming next for the husband and wife team in their post which you find below.

Gelati Celesti scoops up location in Scott’s Addition

Longtime ice cream chain Gelati Celesti has landed a spot at 1400 N. Boulevard in Scott’s Addition, the fourth shop for the brand that’s been serving up sweet treats since its first Richmond location on West Broad Street in the 80s.

Owner Steve Rosser said he and his wife Kim live in the city and have wanted to open up a shop there for quite some time.

“It’s centrally located between Northside and the Fan, the Malvern area, there are so many people who live around there. Plus, the residents in Scott’s Addition alone, that neighborhood is growing at an incredible rate,” Rosser said of the expansion. And it’s right on the Boulevard across from the Bow Tie Cinema and just down the street from The Diamond.”

Read more in our interview here.

Boka Tavern has closed

The restaurant at 506 W. Broad St., which served burgers, burritos, tacos and more announced Jan. 18 on their Facebook page that they would be closing to focus on core operations with their catering events, weddings and their new box lunch program out of their primary Richmond facility at the Boka Grill. Delivery is being converted over to a new independent operation that will be announced in a few weeks.

Food Porn: Check out The Constantine over at Stella’s. 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 [email protected]. For advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please email John Reinhold at [email protected].

Words by Amy David

RVA Bacon Festival returns to 17th St. Farmers Market this Sunday, all plates $4

Carola Rojas | June 9, 2015

Topics: 17th St. Market, RVA Bacon Fest 2015, rva eats

Bacon wrapped corn dogs, macaroni and bacon, bacon deviled eggs, bacon cornbread; are you hungry yet?
[Read more…] about RVA Bacon Festival returns to 17th St. Farmers Market this Sunday, all plates $4

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