Happy Friday! Are you wearing your eating pants? We've got a lot of food news this week, as well as events to sate all your culinary cravings in this cold weather.
- What do bivalves and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli have in common? [insert spawning joke here] As it happens, Cuccinelli is part of a new business venture—Tangier Island Oyster Co. — which hopes to supply RVA (among other locations) with year-round oysters, and Tangier with cleaner water. (Richmond magazine)
- The South Side's restaurant scene is heating up with news of a Boka Grill and Growlers concept from the Boka empire's Patrick Harris (Richmond BizSense) and a new Tazza Kitchen location (Richmond.com).
- In other expansion news, Kuba Kuba's heading west. The much larger, no-reservation second location is projected to open in March. (Style Weekly)
- Opening even sooner is food truck The Cultured Swine's first brick-and-mortar, set to serve Latin American-, Southern-, Jamaican- and Korean-influenced fare in Jackson Ward this February. (RVAnews)
- And in NOW OPEN news, Tarrant's West has finally arrived. (Richmond.com)
- On Tuesday, the Virginia Historical Society partnered with Ardent Craft Ales to sample a test batch of beer made from a 300-year-old recipe. The persimmon beer, brought to life from the records of an 11-year-old girl, rang in at just over 3-percent ABV and was a highly limited test run of what we hope will be the first in a long series of endeavors from an Ardent and VHS partnership. If you missed this sold-out event or you've got an unquenchable thirst for history, we've got more RVA beer trivia for you, with the help of the city's beer experts. (Richmond magazine)
- And if you're looking to try a new recipe this weekend, why not attempt Pillsbury's $1 million recipe from Richmond's own Beth Royals? (Pillsbury)
Hungry for more? It's time for the best upcoming food and beverage events:
- Tonight the streets will (OK, probably won't) run orange with the release of Center of the Universe's Orange is the New Stout. Head thattaway to sample the new chocolate stout made with oranges and sea salt. (Center of the Universe)
- Head out to Hardywood on Saturday for the brewery's Hardywood Christmas Morning release, blending their Gingerbread Stout with Black Hand Coffee Co. beans. And oh yes, there will be square dancing. Pro Tip: If you really want to try it first, Sticky Rice taps a keg of this new brew today at 4:30 p.m. (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
- You may as well camp out at Hardywood because on Sunday, it's hosting the Books & Beer Holiday Brew Ho-Ho in collaboration with Chop Suey Books. BONUS: 10-percent of all beer and book proceeds benefit the Virginia Children's Book Festival. (Richmond magazine)
- Over at Ardent, you'll find the Holiday Beer Craft Market on Saturday, specializing in gifts for the beer enthusiast in your life (and beer for yourself as you shop). (Ardent Craft Ales)
- Or camp out there, because on Sunday you'll wake up to Ardent's Sunday Beer Broast: A brunch cook-out with Sausage Craft and Pizza Tonight. (Ardent Craft Ales)
And now for a smattering of (inter)national food links:
- Sam Kass, White House chef, just announced he's stepping down at the end of the month to move to New York and spend more time with his wife. His replacement has not yet been announced (Politico)
- Across the pond, Belgians are petitioning for the right to claim fries as their invention, once and for all. (Foodbeast)
- Breathe new life into the ol' holiday gift letdown — here's how to make edible and enjoyable fruitcake. (Bon Appetit)
- Speaking of the holidays, the mistletoe-delivering drone that T.G.I. Fridays thought would be a good idea wound up slicing off a piece of a photographer's nose during a press preview. (Gizmodo)
- This vending machine will remember your face and probably judge you on your bad dietary decisions. (Food & Wine)
'Til next time, stay hungry and avoid drone-friendly restaurants.
