On Tuesday, Oct. 8, two dozen area restaurants dished out small plates during the seventh annual Folk Feast at Upper Tredegar.
Born of a desire from local chefs to support the Richmond Folk Festival, now in its 15th year, the Folk Feast has solidified itself as a yearly tradition known to leave its hundreds of attendees satiated and eager for the music-filled weekend. This year’s sampling soiree sold out in eight hours and welcomed 500 guests, raising roughly $40,000 to support the festival and assist in keeping attendance free (organizers continue to welcome on-site donations at the festival).
The three-day music festival, set for Friday, Oct. 11, to Sunday, Oct. 13, transforms Brown’s Island into a sanctuary for thousands of music and culture lovers who flock from across Virginia and the country to attend the rain-or-shine celebration.
Folk Feast first-timers this year included Salt & Forge, Fatty Smokes, Bingo Beer Co., and Scuffletown Garden, along with veteran participants from Saison to Mama J’s and Comfort.
If you missed the Folk Feast, enjoy it vicariously through the photos below. If you didn't, relive the experience today with comfy pants on.
Acacia Mid-town and its chef and co-owner Dale Reitzer dished out "redneck crab cakes" paired with a curried Napa cabbage salad and Acacia remoulade.
Chef Ida Mamusu of Africanne on Main returned after making a debut Folk Feast appearance last year. She served West African falafel and akara bean cakes with spicy and mild sauce.
Focaccia with a winter squash marmalade, kale, squash seeds and a hefty sprinkling of pecorino from Brenner Pass
Other than ice cream sandwiches from Nightingale, Chairlift provided one of the few desserts for the evening, a pistachio marjolaine with Concord grapes and creme fraiche.
Jason Alley of Comfort, which recently celebrated 17 years in business and has been a participant at Folk Feast since its inception, served country ham toast with roasted apple mustard and watercress.
"This is the best cornbread I've ever had," said an event attendee as she returned to Croaker's Spot for a second round. Southern sauteed chicken over rice and a seafood chili were available to pair with the cornbread, which was topped with a buttered "soul sauce."
Grilled mahi tacos with radish, mango relish, jalapeño, cilantro sprouts, guacamole and housemade hot sauce from The Daily Kitchen & Bar
Dutch & Co. dished out spaetzle with apple, bacon lardons, Cabot clothbound cheddar, frisee and a hard cider-date puree.
East and West Coast Provisions, part of Richmond Restaurant Group, teamed up to create a dish of tuna crudo, sous vide beets, pickled plums, freeze-dried olives and crispy quinoa topped with olive oil.
The crew behind Fatty Smokes, including EAT Restaurant Partners Executive Chef Mike Lindsey (second from left), made their first Folk Feast appearance. They served pork sliders with coleslaw and their Virginia Red barbecue sauce.
The Graduate served a spin on shrimp and grits: Atlantic red shrimp, blue corn grit cake, roasted red peppers, caramelized shallots, smoked duck and rabbit sausage, Old Bay seasoning, and Meyer lemon cream.
Forest Hill's Laura Lee's plated pressed pork shoulder with a Brussels sprout slaw and a spicy Virginia honey.
Sunny Baweja, chef-owner of Short Pump's Lehja, served a dish of beet and Yukon gold potato patties with a spiced yogurt mousse, tamarind, white peas and pomegranate.
A crowd favorite was the corned beef hash with sweet potato, celery root, leeks and horseradish aioli from Lucy's, the eatery on Second Street in Jackson Ward.
If there's one thing attendees can always look forward to at Folk Feast, it's catfish nuggets, greens, and mac and cheese from Mama J's.
Union Hill's Metzger Bar & Butchery, which recently turned 5, offered bay scallop crudo paired with celery, apple and hazelnut.
Nota Bene Executive Chef Laine Myers prepared maitake-smoked scamorza, romesco verde and preserved tomato.
Last year it was pastrami ribs; this year Saison did a 180 and made a vegan dish: marinated chickpeas, carrot, tamarind, shallot and herbs.
Scuffletown Garden, the restaurant that opened in the former Strawberry Street Cafe space, made its Folk Feast debut with "Scuffy Dogs" — house-made cotechino topped with smoky sauerkraut, yum yum relish and fish pepper hot sauce on a poppyseed potato roll.
Folk Feast is attended by an average of 500 people each year.
Julie Heins, executive chef of Secco Wine Bar in The Fan, served bowls of seafood escabeche with cucumber and melon gazpacho.
The Roosevelt kept in touch with its Southern roots, serving pork tenderloin with pimento grits, caramelized fennel, apple-bourbon glaze and mustard greens.
Southbound chef-owners Lee Gregory (also of Alewife) and Joe Sparatta (also of Heritage), made a she-crab congee with ginger, sesame, bonito, Old Bay seasoning and togarashi.
