Curry chicken salad and cream of broccoli soup from The Good Leaf
Some new places to eat out
EAT Restaurant Partners, of Food Dog/Fat Dragon/Wong Gonzales and more, continues its march across Richmond with the opening of Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi in Short Pump (12221 W. Broad St.) on Monday, July 31. RVA has been chomping at the bit in anticipation of high-end sushi and steaks from Executive Chef Mike Lindsey and Sushi Chef Hai Truong, but what has really caught my eye is photos of their amazing looking mac-n-cheese topped with a beautiful lobster claw.
After some excellent steaks and cheesy goodness, you might need something a little healthier. Fortunately, The Good Leaf just opened in Carytown at 2925 W. Cary St. Look for custom-built salads made from fresh, locally sourced produce. And even though it might be uncomfortably warm outside, don’t skip their freshly made soups. Seriously, the soups are really good.
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Photos from Lidl's grand opening of one of four Richmond stores this week
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Ready meals
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Produce
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Bacon and more bacon
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Wine
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The bakery
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Store specials
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Frozen baked goods
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The checkout aisles
Some new places to eat in
Grocery store madness continues here in RVA. We got our first Publix a couple of weeks ago and get our second this Saturday, July 29. Today, however, is the grand opening of four Lidls across the city. If you like Aldi, you’re going to love Lidl. Think of it as Aldi’s slightly older, cooler big brother. Bigger stores. More choices, especially for fresh produce and baked goods. Sure, you still have to bag your own groceries, but at Lidl you don’t have to search your car for a quarter to get a cart.
Maybe not exactly new, but new to me: Rose & Eddie’s (2028 Huguenot Road). AC units across the city have been having a hard time keeping up, and the last thing most of us want to do is heat up the kitchen cooking a big meal. Instead of falling back on fast food, pick up a family meal to go from Rose & Eddie’s, like baked ziti or meatloaf, to feed the whole family without breaking a sweat.
Some new people in the kitchen
Julep’s New Southern Cuisine has settled into its new home on Grace Street (420 to be exact) and has now rolled out its new menu under new Executive Chef Cory Chaney, formerly of The Blue Goat and Kinsfolk. Old favorites like fried green tomatoes and their shrimp and grits remain, alongside new offerings such as a pecan crusted heritage pork from Black Boar Farm.
The Shaved Duck (15408 Westchester Commons Way) still isn’t slated for opening until fall, but they have announced their head chef, Matt Kirwan. Formerly a sous chef at The Rogue Gentlemen before heading up to New York City for a stint at Virginia’s, Chef Matt’s return looks to set the bar high when this Midlothian eatery opens.
The mystery of 1731 W. Main
Can a space be cursed? 1731 W. Main has possibly played home to more restaurants than any other spot in RVA over the years, from the nearly mythical Dogwood Grille, which still comes up in conversation long after its closing, to Peacock Pantry, which probably generated more questions than actual diners. Over the years a number of places opened and closed there; some seemed to last only a few weeks, gone before you could even swing by. Most recently, Brux’l Cafe had a decent two-year run, churning out amazing fries and tasty mussels. Sadly, they closed abruptly last June.
#RVADine loves a good mystery, and a new, oddly worded sign has recently appeared in the window of 1731 and started tongues a-wagging: Latino Italian Kitchen. Facebook feeds across the city filled up with speculation over what that could really mean. Turns out it's a combination of Mediterranean and Central American dishes, according to first-time RVA restaurant owner Giorgio Marcoyannakis. They have no name for the restaurant and no opening date as yet, but it sounds like the next odd chapter of 1731 is about to begin.
News From Beyond
So simple it’s hard
Scrambled eggs are, for many, the first dish one learns to make. But while it may be simple, everyone seems to have a slightly different method, and results vary from watery to unfortunately solidified. To add to the confusion, nearly every food website has a different method for what they claim is the way to make the perfect scrambled eggs. Epicurious now claims to have found the definitive method, one that is pretty counterintuitive. It actually works surprisingly well. (Shout out to Kevin Clay of Big Spoon Co. for spotting this piece.)
A border wall that can’t be breached
Taco Bell is the restaurant we love to hate. We make fun of its slogans. We make fun of its food. We make fun of the altered state of its late-night patrons. Still, most everyone lights up a little when someone says they’re picking up food there. With restaurants around the world, they’ve brought their version of Mexican food to the masses. Well, nearly everywhere. One market they can’t quite broach, and not for lack of trying, again and again: Mexico.
