One of the new savory breakfast bowls at Jackson Ward's Mahogany Sweets, featuring grits, smoked beets, rosemary red potatoes and soft egg (Photo courtesy Mahogany Sweets)
It’s frigid. It’s Drynuary. All your friends are on some sort of diet. No worries, we have Elby nominations, new restaurants in progress and a visit from the Vegan Black Metal Chef to get you through.
Stop Pinging Me! Elby Noms Are Here!
OK, my Messenger and text inboxes have been inundated of late with one question: Where are the Elby nominations? You can stop now. You’ll find them here.
Starting the Year on a Healthier Note
Even with the best intentions, sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to make changes to your diet. To help get that ball rolling, pop into The Woodlot, a co-working space at 2219 W. Main St., on Tuesday, Jan. 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Meet clinical nutritionist Jessica Godfrey, who is also co-owner of Daily Jars meal-prep service. She’ll be introducing a Four Weeks of Wellness nutrition program. The program is free, but, for those of us who need a bit more assistance, they’ve also got a meal-prep program and one-on-one coaching.
Another challenge to eating healthy is making good choices when eating out. To that end, Richmond Vegan Action is presenting its first vegan restaurant challenge, V72, the weekend of Jan. 26. The 72 hours of vegan mania will kick off that Friday at Strange Matter with a cooking demo by the Vegan Black Metal Chef, and restaurants across the city, from Perly’s to Citizen, will offer vegan meals that might make you consider a plant-based lifestyle.
Since it’s Drynuary, mocktails to the rescue. This year the hot trend is tea-infused drinks. Tessa Nin over at Secco is whipping up a black iced tea with blood-orange-and-rose-hip syrup, gorgeous in a champagne coupe. Meanwhile, Katy Best is mixing up black tea with citrus, cinnamon and a spicy ginger ale from behind the bar at The Roosevelt. Don’t forget to check out Catherine Amos Cribbs’ look at Heritage’s mocktail offering, The Teetotaler, and Robey Martin's take on local (nonalcoholic) craft sodas from Steam Bell Beer Works and Navy Hill.
Your Daily Bread
There was sadness, but not much surprise, when Idle Hands Bread Company announced their Jackson Ward location would be shuttered for good. According to owner Jay Metzler, the logistics of getting their yummy pastries across town from their booming Strawberry Street location, combined with the ongoing problems from the GRTC Pulse construction, just made it impossible to continue.
Of course, Jackson Ward isn’t bereft of choices. Mahogany Sweets has expanded their hours, offering pastries, breads and cakes (including vegan and gluten-free options). Plus, starting Jan. 9, they’ll be expanding their menu to include more savory options, including some tasty grits bowls with roasted chickpeas and sesame or smoked beets with rosemary red potatoes and a soft egg.
And if all that doesn’t excite you, there’s always coffee and possibly the best chicken biscuit in town over at Saison Market.
Eagerly Awaited
OK, we’ve got arctic temperatures right this minute, but there are signs that things will be heating up on the dining front this spring. From ZZQ to Longoven in Scott’s Addition, there’s a lot of restaurant-related activity going on. Most of those involved are pretty tight-lipped, but you can see the progress at Mike Ledesma’s Perch in the old Joy Garden space on Broad, and, according to him, once they get their hands on the approved building permits, they have a pretty audacious 90-day timeline for getting the place up and running. Michele Jones is a little more pessimistic — she hopes to have the Bingo arcade bar open late this spring, but the scope of the project might cause it to slip into early summer.
For something perhaps a little sooner, we’ve got Swan Dive (Kevin Roberts’ post-Black Sheep venture) in The Fan. When asked how things are going and whether the mid-January projected opening is still in the cards, he replied, “LOL.” I’m going to hope that’s progress and not gallows humor.
When You’re Right …
Perhaps you recall Richmond magazine’s food writers proclaiming Lehja Restaurant of the Year in the November Best Restaurants issue. Well, since then the accolades have continued pouring in for this jewel of Indian cuisine in Short Pump. Open Table named them to three of their Top 10 lists, including Best in Virginia.
Laws and Measures
The General Assembly comes back to town next week, and it seems, at least at this point, there is no push to change “the food-to-beverage” ratio that plagues some restaurants that hold mixed-beverage licenses, such McCormack's Whisky Grill and Smokehouse, which sells some very top-shelf liquor. This state regulation requires that a minimum 45 percent of a restaurant’s total gross sales must come from food and nonalcoholic beverages. One of the groups that was working on the issue last year, the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, isn't focusing on the ratio this session, according to CEO Eric Terry, but the industry group plans to lobby to limit the number of "carve-out" ABC licenses that are issued to venues without normal food service such as craft breweries, meaderies and cideries.
Quick Bites
- Club Tropicana, Pasture (Jan. 6) — Forget the cold and enjoy tropical drinks and conch fritters. Proceeds to benefit relief in Puerto Rico.
- Happy Birthday to Us! Boulevard Burger & Brew (Jan. 7) — In honor of their second birthday; look for burger and beer specials all day, including six very limited-edition craft beers.
- Chateau de L’Entrecote, Chairlift at Brenner Pass (Jan. 21) — The first in a series of pop-up dinners on the third Sunday of the month. January's theme is Parisian steakhouse, and with only 30 tickets, you’d better jump fast.
News From Beyond
When Dryunary Is Over
After going without for a bit, you might want to imbibe a bit —or a lot. The Brazilians have an idea for how to mix that special cocktail: in a washing machine.
Maybe Next Year
The idea of spending New Year’s in an Olive Garden is pretty much the opposite of what I would want for a good time. Spending $400 to do it knocks it even farther down the list. Turns out, if that Olive Garden is in Times Square, it might not be such a bad idea after all.
