Hey! Ho! Goatocado! The fast-casual local chain opens its first brick-and-mortar restaurant next week! Sure, you can find this quinoa bowl at any of the brand's beloved festival carts and pop-up stalls around town, but wouldn't you rather do it in a sleek new space? More on that, below. (Photo by Stephanie Breijo)
Hoooooweee, there's a lot to dish out this week. We've got relocations, beer destinations, new spots and celebrations. And, of course, you've got a ton of great events headed your way:
- YOU GOTTA RING THEM SALLY BELL'S — Last week, 92-year-old Sally Bell's Kitchen served its last boxed lunch in 708 W. Grace St., where it had been located since the late 1930s. Since then, the James Beard Foundation American Classics award winner has been setting up shop at 2337 W. Broad St., right across from the Science Museum, and the new space is bigger and better than ever. We stopped by the new restaurant — set to open any day now — and caught up with its owners about what we can expect in the new Sally Bell's (hot-food items! seating! Saturday hours!) and all of the incredible antiques and artifacts they've unearthed in the process of moving. For the story and photos of the new space, step right this way.
- If your palate skews more toward quinoa than pimento cheese, you're in luck: Goatocado opens its first-ever brick-and-mortar restaurant on Tuesday in the Fan! You've probably seen the local chain's numerous food carts and stalls at festivals, farmers markets and private events — and they ain't goin' nowhere — but now you can sit down to a table in the first Goatocado restaurant for quinoa bowls, noodle soups, chili and more, all at 1823 W. Main St., beginning next week. Want more? We've got ya.
- In NOW OPEN news, Takara Ramen is now open at 9468 W. Broad St. (Richmond BizSense) According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the support was so overwhelming that it ran out of everything in its first week of business. Find the full menu of ramen and rice bowls here, and the menu of appetizers here.
- Looking ahead, a bit of Buffalo will hit RVA when an Anchor Bar franchise opens up in Stony Point Fashion Park. The New York-based restaurant chain specializes in chicken wings, and aims to open its first Virginia location by the holiday season. (Richmond BizSense)
- In closures, Benny's BBQ shuttered earlier this month. The space where the Stony Point Shopping Center barbecue fixture resided since 2011 was seized by the building's owner on Oct. 6. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- Downtown's Lucca Enoteca, which we loved, sadly closed over the weekend. But there's a silver lining, especially for fans of the restaurant's Short Pump sibling: Owners Maria and Michael Oseguera will transform their former Lucca space at 525 E. Grace St. into a second Maya Mexican Grill, serving up Mexican and Colombian dishes as soon as next week. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- In brew news, Legend Brewing Co. is launching a three-barrel hub in Old Towne Portsmouth, along with a full-service restaurant that features a 70-seat patio. The new site will offer a similar view of Norfolk as its original location here in Richmond does of downtown, and should hit the area in spring of 2017. Brews 'n' views. Get excited. (Virginia Craft Beer)
- In more brew news, Stone Brewing Co. is reducing its staff by roughly five percent due to a slower-than-anticipated year. Sales are down, and the company is crediting both the competitive independent market and the presence of larger, well-funded international "Big Beer" acquisitions. (RVA HUB) According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond's Stone brewery, taproom and store will be "minimally impacted" by the job cuts.
- And to close out the week's beer-news bits, The Washington Post recently published a solid guide to Scott's Addition, with a focus on the neighborhood's booming beverage scene.
- Big, exciting news for the Rappahannock family: The team is opening up its first West Coast outpost! (Style Weekly) According to the Los Angeles Times, the L.A. Rappahannock will open in the ROW DTLA development in the spring and offer a full bar, raw oysters and dishes such as lamb and clams with merguez, sofrito, pigeon peas and aïoli.
- We've got a ton of Fall/Winter Dine content now online, and it's FULL O' FLAVOR. Dive into our spice issue with this in-the-kitchen look at how Pho Tay Do, Cheng Du and Nile Ethipoian Bistro all use herbs and spices to perfume your dishes and work your palate. How are you even tasting those Sichuan peppercorns? We take you inside your tongue, but not in a weird way, to find out just how your taste buds work. And no look at the local spice game would be complete without a trip inside the Sauer's factory, wherein we learn just how it's done.
- In Quit Being a Wanker news, someone stole the chalkboard sign in front of Patrick Henry's Pub & Grille. Give it back, please. (Church Hill People's News)
- A hearty congratulations to The Speakeasy Grill, which Food & Wine just declared one of the nation's best spots to grab some chicken and waffles! BONUS: In addition to Speakeasy's traditional chicken-and-waffle option, you can also add some spice with a version that's slathered with habanero and jalapeño sauce. (Food & Wine)
- And a big hat tip to L'Opossum, Shagbark, Spoonbread Bistro, Peter Chang, Metzger Bar & Butchery, Rapp Session, and Sugar & Twine, all cited as can't-miss dining options in Richmond, according to James Beard Award-winning Washington Post dining critic Tom Sietsema. (The Washington Post)
The weather's going to be a real stunner this weekend, so I suggest you get out of the house and make the most of it:
- Happy first birthday, Whisk! Head to this Shockoe bakery today for all-day fun stuff like discounts, free coffee with purchase, and treats in celebration. There will be a photo booth, and the winner of the photo tagged with #WhiskTurns1 will win a cake! There will also be a raffle (tickets given out with every purchase made between 5 and 7 p.m.), and the winner of THAT wins a cake! So sweet in every way! (Whisk)
- Let your cup runneth over at Powhatan's Festival of the Grape at 3800 Old Buckingham Road, where 30 wineries, 100 vendors and live music will fill your heart, belly and ears on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Never fear, beer fans, that's there, too.) A $30 ticket at the gate nets you samples and entry, but if you snag your ticket online ahead of time, you'll save $5. (Powhatan's Festival of the Grape)
- I love coffee and I love spooky things, so naturally I'm going to point you to the release of Ironclad Coffee Roasters' Edgar Allan Poe-inspired blend, House of Usher. Stop by Stir Crazy Cafe on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon to check out this dark and mysterious blend, and snack on some baked goods from Sugar & Salt and C& C's Cinnamon Rolls while you're at it. (Ironclad Coffee Roasters)
- Saturday afternoon, celebrate Hardywood's fifth anniversary most deliciously from 1 to 10 p.m. with the release of the Cassowary milk stout, plus beers from Virginia breweries including Strangeways Brewing, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. and Steam Bell Beer Works, plus live music, plus food trucks. (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
- If you're a person who doesn't believe breakfast is an always food, then you most likely haven't yet dined in Louisiana and Alabama's hyper-popular Big Bad Breakfast, nor have you probably leafed through James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence's new cookbook, "Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day." Fortunately, Currence and his big, bad, delicious-looking menu is here to sway you at a dinner on Monday night at Southbound. Three courses and a copy of the new book can be yours for only $50 (plus tax 'n' tip), which is, let's be real, kind of a steal. Also, there's an optional breakfast-inspired cocktail menu. Do you really need more nudging? OK, have it your way. The menu includes items including but not limited to: sausage cinnamon rolls; shrimp gravy biscuit sundaes; chorizo migas; and pork tenderloin with crab, pecan butter and garlic cheese grits. Call Southbound at 918-5431 to make a reservation and dine between 6 and 8 p.m. (Southbound)
- Celebrate making it through Monday with another Jackdaw pop-up, this time back at Kinsfolk! This event is also spooky-inspired, with letters to Lovecraft in the form of items such as the Call of Cthulu squid-ink congee with lechon kawali, sinigang onion jam and mustard greens, or The Colour Out of Space turnip cakes with mushroom xo sauce, carrot, and lapcheong marmalade. Blood sacrifice not even necessary to nab a reservation! Simply email thejackdawrva@gmail.com and reserve your seat, then head over as early as 5:30 p.m. (The Jackdaw)
And now for a few (inter)national links:
- Anthony Bourdain says your terrible taste in food is what drives chefs to drink. Discuss amongst yourselves. (First We Feast)
- YES, HELLO, START YOUR ENGINES AND READY YOURSELVES: America has a surplus of cheese to the tune of 1.2 billion pounds. By Vox's calculations, it is literally so much cheese that it could form a small mountain. This means that cheese prices are falling, but of course the flooded market is having a negative impact on farmers, and a number of dairies are going out of business. The USDA stepped in to help and is distributing $20 million of cheddar to food banks, which is great, but really, we should all be doing our part. Everyone start buying and eating as much American-made cheese as you can. Make me proud.
Till next time, make sure you're all about that cheese.
