New restaurants! New brunch! New happy hour specials! What Breaking Bad's creator thinks about the RVA dining scene! We've got all this, and a few WPA Bakery Valentine's Day recipes, right over here:
- Kicking things off with some national praise, let's offer a hearty congratulations to The Roosevelt on making Thrillist's "13 Best Restaurants in The South" list. If anyone needs us, we'll be scarfing down plates of their Southern Poutine. (Thrillist)
- If you're forever craving sushi and you happen to live by/frequent the Devil's Triangle, there's some good news on the horizon: Kevin Mak, owner of Akida and Carytown Sushi, is opening Akida Japanese Restaurant next month. (Richmond BizSense)
- If you could always go for a taco (or two, or three) and happen to live by/frequent the South Side, Boka Grill & Growlers is set to open next week in the Lowe's Shopping Center! BONUS: If you're one of the first 20 customers, you'll be granted a free growler. Get to it. (RVAnews)
- Brunch is about to get bloody; GWARbar just launched its "Brutal Brunch," complete with scrambles, chicken and waffles, duck omelet, steak and eggs with Bloody Mary hollandaise, biscuits and gravy with lobster and more. Check out the full menu here. (GWARbar)
- And Metzger Bar & Butchery just launched its every-day happy hour, available at the bar from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday). Get $2 off drafts and house wine carafes, plus $1 off pickled eggs, Liptauer cheese spread, smoked trout rillettes and chicken liver mousse. (Metzger Bar & Butchery + interview)
- In a bit of sadder news, Thai spot Beauregard's is closed. A new restaurant, Alexandria's Sang Jun Thai Room, will take over the space. (Richmond.com/Richmond Times Dispatch)
- Valentine's Day is only a week away. Don't settle for cheap chocolate; try one of these V-Day recipes from WPA Bakery instead. Your loved one (and your own taste buds) will thank you. (R•Home magazine/Richmond magazine)
- Over in Le Fan, Strawberry Street Café is undergoing a menu overhaul to update the spot, which has remained more or less the same for the last few decades. Expect new menu items, new/extended specials nights and more beer on tap! (Richmond.com/Richmond Times Dispatch)
- Speaking of beer on tap, Helen's Restaurant started serving draft beer this week! Currently available: Left Hand Brewing Co.'s Milk Stout, Blue Mountain Brewery's Kölsch 151, Terrapin Beer Co.'s Hopsecutioner IPA and New Belgium Brewing's Fat Tire. (Helen's)
- And on the national front, a new Virginia bill is on its way to the Senate, hoping to instate mandatory allergy-awareness staff training in all restaurants. (WTVR)
- In #Hollywood news, we interviewed Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, an L.C. Bird High School graduate who maintains ties to the area, and he shared some of his favorite spots to eat in town. "Man, I tell you," he says, "Richmond has become a real foodie destination." We couldn't agree more. (Richmond magazine)
- In more #Hollywood news, we interviewed Meg Ryan, who gave a special shout-out to Ellwood Thompson's and its juice bar, as well as Petersburg's Demolition Coffee. (Richmond magazine)
Looking for events? Look no further!
- Cary Street Cafe, everyone's favorite Grateful Dead-themed dive bar, turns 20 today! They're partying with their new beer, Going Down the Road Feeling Brown, brewed exclusively for them by Smartmouth Brewing. And yes, there will absolutely be a Grateful Dead cover band. (Cary Street Cafe)
- On Saturday from 2 to 9 p.m., Hardywood's celebrating the launch of its WRIR X beer. The new brew, in tribute to the Richmond nonprofit, alternative radio station's 10 year anniversary, is a Belgian-style pale ale made from Azacca, Citra and Amarillo hops. Feast on Goatocado, Paris Creperie and Southern Charm BBQ Co. while you sip (or chug). (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
And now for a few (inter)national links:
- Confused in the kitchen? Here's a handy guide to choosing the best knife for the job. (Foodbeast)
- If you're looking to go vegan, or you're simply a Queen Bey devotee, Beyoncé just launched her own vegan meal delivery service called 22 Days. (Business Insider)
- More on the healthy-food front: U.S. farmers' market sales are down, but this might not be a bad thing. (NPR)
- Salty, sweet, spicy and near-neon: Here's a primer and brief history lesson on Chinese takeout's condiment trifecta of soy sauce, duck sauce and hot mustard. (Lucky Peach)
'Til next time, keep warm by storing fat like a bear and hibernating. (This is me giving you permission to eat and sleep a lot because it's cold, darn it.)
