Folk Feasting, new restaurants, puppies, and beer, oh my! Let's do it to it, Richmond, because we've got a lot of great food, beverage and partying ahead:
- The Fan is about to get a whole lot fresher, thanks to new takeout and delivery spot Strawberry Thai and More. The restaurant, projected to open Aug. 10 on Strawberry Street, will offer Thai, Japanese and Indonesian food, plus a to-go case with house-made fresh rice noodles, cold Asian salads and three types of kimchi. Read all about it over here, and then play a little game I like to call "How Many Noodles Can I Eat on Aug. 10?" (Richmond magazine)
- In Save the Date news, the 3rd Annual Richmond Folk Feast just released its lineup and opened its ticket sales, making for a very drool-worthy start to this year's Richmond Folk Festival. You can grab your tickets to the dining event here; if you get there quick enough, you can snatch a $75 "early bird" ticket. If you don't, you should snatch the regular $100 ticket, because this event looks wonderful, with food from 15 great RVA restaurants, live music from The Whiskey Rebellion, beer from Wild Wolf Brewing and wine from Tap 26. (Remember how much great food was there last year?) This year, on Oct. 6 at Historic Upper Tredegar, you'll find small plates from Carena’s Jamaican Grille/Jamaica House, Comfort/Pasture, Coriander, The Daily Kitchen & Bar/The Hard Shell, Dinner in the Field/The Boathouse, Lucy’s Restaurant, Mama J’s, Metzger Bar & Butchery, Rappahannock, The Roosevelt, Saison, Shoryuken Ramen, Southbound, Toast/Hutch and WPA Bakery. (news release)
- While Estilo closed less than two months ago, former owners Josh and Jessica Bufford already have plans for the West End space: a family-friendly meat-and-three concept will open in the Village Shopping Center, potentially this September. (Style Weekly)
- Looking east, it seems as though Shockoe Valley Pizza & Bar will take over the old Flames 231 spot at 423 N. 18th St. (Church Hill People's News)
- And now for a very important PSA: August is Virginia Craft Beer Month, and if you're planning to go all-in (because is there any other way?), this is the guide for you; behold: The best events and festivals to celebrate craft beer throughout the state. You should probably start stocking your fridge with coconut water and your nightstand with Ibuprofen now. (Richmond.com/Richmond Times Dispatch)
- If you're looking for a non-alcoholic way to quench your thirst, we've got you covered. Confluence Coffee Co. is a new company split between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, and it's barrel-aging cold brew coffee made with Blanchard's beans. Check out our full profile here, then head to Ellwood Thompson's to grab yourself a bottle (or two or three). We recommend the lemon flavor. (Richmond magazine)
- And if you're looking to cool down in this horrible Breijo-forsaken heatwave, please direct your attention to this fun roundup of sweet, refreshing, so-chill, locally made treats around town. (RVANews)
- And at the beginning of June I mentioned Whisk, the new Shockoe Bottom bakery that will fill the old Globehopper Coffee location this fall (probably October), and offer a variety of French-inspired pastries and cakes made to order. Well guess what? This bakery needs your help and it just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the large oven it needs; donation incentives range everywhere from magnets and free coffee to catered breakfasts and private cooking classes. "Each pledge received is so important not just financially, but because it's a vote of confidence and a showing of support from the people who matter most — our future customers," says chef and owner Morgan Botwinick. (news release)
- Have you ever wondered just how ZZQ gets the perfect brisket to melt, expertly seasoned, in your mouth every darn time you take a bite? I certainly have, so I spent the day at the smoker with pitmaster Chris Fultz and his pitmistress, Alex Graf. Here's how they do it, hour by hour, minute by minute. If you can't set aside 11-plus hours to trim, season, rotate, spritz and wrap a piece of meat, the duo will be back at Ardent Craft Ales next Thursday (Aug. 6) selling that good good. Do yourself a favor and grab some. BONUS: Take a peek behind the scenes of ZZQ's brisket with this video! (Richmond magazine)
- Speaking of barbecue, we've got some additional July issue content now on the site: Dig into Beard-B-Q, the RVA Beard League's tips for dipping-and-dotting your way to clean, bearded summer eating. (Richmond magazine)
- And now for another very important PSA: On Aug. 3, The Dog & Pig Show closes for an entire month of renovations. (Eep!) Get some dalmation cookies, tomato jam, and shrimp and grits by Aug. 2, or suffer the sad and hungry consequences until the shop reopens Sept. 1. Just around the corner, Proper Pie Co. is getting ready to close for its annual summer vacation. You have four days left to stop by for flaky, filling deliciousness until the pie purveyors reopen on Sept. 2. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. (The Dog & Pig Show and Proper Pie Co.)
- Hey! Did you know that you can donate canned goods and receive great local art, plus food from Heritage’s Mike Hill and Lemaire's Bryan McClure in return? No? Well you're about to get edumacated because on Aug. 9, it's all happening at the return of Foodist Colony at 1708 Gallery. Read the full spiel here, but just know that there's a potluck involved and it will probably be delicious. (Richmond magazine)
- And looking far, far ahead, Chinese food pop-up The Jackdaw just scheduled its next event for Monday, Aug. 31, at Torero Tapas Bar & Grill. The new menu includes rye steamed buns (with hot and numbing pastrami, Karashi mayonnaise and daikon slaw), congee (with pork belly, slow-cooked egg, crullers and peanuts), ginger-scallion noodles (with tofu, cucumber and sesame seeds), sticky rice hash browns (with spicy Kewpie Mayonnaise and scallions), General Tso's chicken (fried chicken wings with Chinese broccoli and puffed rice), and deep-fried bao (with red bean pudding, sesame glaze and lychee). Keep your eyes on Jackdaw's social media for ticket updates. (news release)
Puppies? Beer? Live music? This weekend's events are here, and your body is ready:
- Tomorrow, Friday, head to The Urban Farmhouse in Scott's Addition for happy hour specials and, oh yeah, PUPPIES. Richmond Animal Care and Control is teaming up with Urban Farmhouse for a dog adoption event from 4 to 7 p.m., so you can snack and play with adorable dogs and hopefully take one home with you. Again, there will be snacks and specials and puppies. What more do you need? (The Urban Farmhouse)
- And on Saturday, taste the sweet along with a little of the bitter at Strangeways Brewing Co's BOOM! Choc-o-Lotta Chocolate Lager release. (I mean, it WILL be craft beer month, after all.) (Strangeways Brewing Co.)
- Or ramble on over to Blue Bee Cider from noon to 7 p.m. for live music, fare from Camden's Dogtown Market and, of course, Blue Bee Cider's variety of pressed ciders. All local, all the time. (Blue Bee Cider)
And now for a few (inter)national links:
- Hey, guys. The future called. It's telling you to wait an hour before you head out to your favorite restaurant. Thanks to Google, you can now find a particular restaurant's busiest and slowest hours thanks to a new search function. (Grub Street)
- If you've got a minute, take that minute and set it aside for this great read, "The Life of an Indian Cucumber." (Lucky Peach)
'Til next time, we will be eating all the cold treats, always.