Find Star Wars cocktails, small plates and even tiki mugs for sale at Saison this evening. (Photo by Justin Ayotte)
If you're anything like me, every year, the number of "May the Fourth Be With You" greetings you receive may be cause for a drink or five, no matter how much you love "Star Wars." Fortunately, with all of the "fourth"/"Force" puns come fabulous specials. This year is no exception, and a handful of restaurants are offering enough Star Wars-themed cocktails, dishes and activities tonight that you may, in fact, feel as large as Jabba the Hutt by the time you're through. (Hey, it's not gold-bikini season yet; go on and indulge.)
Hutch Bar & Eatery (1308 Gaskins Road; 804-308-0115), Talley's Meat & Three (7021 Three Chopt Road; 804-484-6046), and Toast (7007 Three Chopt Road; 804-525-4525)
All three restaurants in the Bufford empire will offer galactic specials this evening, but it's not just for Jedi masters; padawans can find kids' tables, where they can make their own Chewbacca or Yoda puppets, collect Star Wars stickers, and brighten up some Star Wars coloring pages. The hungry of all ages can find punny dishes such as Ewokamole (guac with queso fresco and tortilla chips, $8); Bahn Solo (a banh mi with pork belly, jalapeño slaw and honey barbecue sauce, $14); C3PYOLK Deviled Eggs (topped with shallots and candied bacon, $5); and Obi-Wan Cannoli (large cannoli with chocolate chips, $3).
Don't skip the "Jar Jar Drinks" menu, which includes the Darth & Stormy (Gosling's rum, ginger beer and lime juice, $7) and the Bantha Blue Milk (coconut rum, amaretto cream, milk and Blue Curaçao, $10).
5 to 11 p.m. at Toast, and 5 to 10 p.m. at Talley's Meat & Three and Hutch Bar & Eatery.
Saison (23 W. Marshall St.; 804-269-3689)
Then don your most comfortable Jedi robe, because you're going to be making your way through the specials at Saison for quite some time. In 2015, the bar team created a special menu to celebrate "The Force Awakens," and tonight, they're bringing back some of the magic with one-night-only cocktails, small plates and sausages to make you glow brighter than a lightsaber, whatever your affiliation may be.
Choose a small plate from the "Padawans" section, which includes the Star Destroyer (flatbread with herbed goat cheese, stuffed olives, bean dip, parsley sauce and tzatziki, $10); the Cloud City (pâté with sherry gelée, carrot relish, pickled Fresno chilies, and toast, $8); and the Storm Trooper (monkfish with purple fingerling chips, and a leek-and-parsnip soubise, $10). Two "Light Sabers," or sausages, round out the menu, whether you're more of a Luke (green chorizo with tomatillo relish, mustard and mayo, $6) or a Darth Vader (red chorizo with ramp crema, radish and scallion, also $6).
Of course, it wouldn't be a Saison Star Wars night without an intricate cocktail menu, and you can expect drinks such as the Stranded on Jakku (cream of coconut, Bangkok syrup, lime, overproof rum, pineapple and bourbon, $8) and the Tatooine Dreams (Jamaican rum, falernum, lemon, lime, passionfruit, cherry syrup, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, $10). What's more, you can take home one of Saison's Star Wars tiki mugs for an additional $20. I'm partial to the Chewbacca mug, in case anyone's wondering, though it would obviously make more sense to nab the Yoda if you're ordering the Dagobah Swamp cocktail (Jägermeister, grapefruit, passionfruit, lime, ginger, and angostura bitters, $9).
