Mean Bird's brick-and-mortar space opens Friday, June 23 (Photo by Robey Martin)
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Actually, I don’t know, but Mean Bird, arguably the best food-truck fried chicken in RVA (real and vegan), has set up roost in the old Sticky To-Go-Go space on Main Street. Opening to the public at 4 sharp on Friday (June 23), they’ll be doling out their deep-fried goodness and sides for you to take home with extra late-night hours on the weekends. A hot chicken with apple slaw could be calling your name.
Scott’s Addition goes full Alpine
Dulcey souffle with creme anglaise from Brenner Pass (Photo by Susan Winiecki)
Few restaurants in RVA have been anticipated as much as Brenner Pass, opening today at 5 p.m. Chef/partner Brittany Anderson has channeled the European influences of her breakout eatery, Metzger Bar & Butchery in Union Hill, and dialed it up to 11 in Scott's Addition. Cheese fondue. Rustic breads. Beautifully chopped beef tartare. All that and well-crafted cocktails. One might forget they aren’t anywhere near Zurich.
Idle Hands gets busy on Strawberry Street
Fresh off a successful GoFundMe campaign, Jackson Ward's Idle Hands Bakery has found new digs in The Fan to meet growing demand for its baked goods. The new space on Strawberry Street will likely permit an expanded repertoire, from cakes and pies to deep-fried delights. More here
Saturday morning jump-start
School is out. Kids are bored. You’re just not quite ready for the day. The Byrd Theatre is running family classics on Saturday mornings at 9:30. Let the kids enjoy movies such as "A Monster Calls" (June 24) or "Around the World in 80 Days" (July 8) while you enjoy an invigorating cup of Lamplighter coffee.
Speaking of movies…
Michele Jones, Comfort/Pasture partner and lifelong lover of the "Rocky" movies, has inspired a lunch pop-up menu of hot and cold sandwiches at Comfort (thanks to Jason Alley) based on the movies and Philadelphia's classic sandwich combinations, all under the name The Paulie and starting Monday, June 26. Using authentic Philly ingredients such as Dietz & Watson deli meats, Amoroso’s hearth baked breads, and even a fresh supply of Tastykake desserts, you’ll find the City of Love right here on Broad Street.
Then there’s food festival overload
The choice among three food festivals this Saturday (June 24) couldn’t be more stark. Bryan Park hosts the Richmond Vegetarian Festival. In Manchester, Sacred Heart Church holds its RVA Latino Festival. And the Street Food Festival serves up all the music and meats on Brown’s Island. All are dishing up some great food, but the local bands on Brown’s, such as Mighty Joshua and Zion #5, might send me toward the James.
Festival food without the festival
Everyone has a special place in their heart for carnival food; you just might not want to brave the crowd. Gold Cart, a relative newcomer to the pop-up scene, is taking over Pasture Sunday night (June 25) with a State Fair theme but without the jostling crowds. Fair-style corn dogs and burgers top the menu, but don’t miss the pork parfait — layers of mashed potato, BBQ sauce and pulled pork in the form of an ice cream parfait. There is a vegetarian alternative with smoked mushrooms replacing the pork.
And then there are hand pies off Huguenot Road
There’s also something sweet happening at the intersection of Robious and Huguenot roads. Birdie’s Farmhouse Cafe & Mercantile, a hybrid lunch spot and store, is expanding its dessert offerings in a big way. Owner Tony Turner has brought in his daughter to whip up an array of three-layer cakes, cupcakes and hand pies. What’s a hand pie, you ask? Well, think of it as a cross between a pie and a turnover. Flaky crust filled with whatever fresh fruits and berries Ivey Turner can get her hands on. Perfect for after lunch or to satisfy that sweet tooth when you’re on the go.
News From Beyond
Tipple-toe
Cocktails with obscure ingredients are all the rage. Few, however, beat the Sourtoe — a cocktail specific to a single bar in Canada that includes the mummified toe of a Prohibition-era frostbite victim. Sadly, it would seem the toe has been stolen. The hunt is on. People are asked to be on the lookout for a well-liquored digit.
Virtue and chop suey
Authentic cuisine is hugely popular these days, but that wasn’t always the case. NPR has an interesting piece on how business and labor groups fought the spread of Chinese restaurants, known as chop suey houses in the 1800s, through arcane rules such as barring women from dining there for fear of “moral corruption.” Because nothing is more corrupting than lo mein.
