Takeout hoagie on the couch, anyone? Head below to find out more about the fees associated with delivery apps and the impact they have on restaurants. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Adapting on the Fly
Like many of us during the coronavirus pandemic, local restaurant owners and other food industry types have embraced a new mantra: Necessity is the mother of invention. From a pork share featuring Autumn Olive Farms cuts and house-made charcuterie to Blue Apron-style chef-driven meals, the dining community has been putting on its collective thinking cap to devise innovative ways to pivot their businesses. (Richmond magazine)
Battle Royal: Delivery App Edition
With dining rooms closed, diners are turning to delivery apps more than ever. Whether it's Door Dash or Grubhub, we’ve all witnessed a $12 craving turn into a $22 do-I-really-want-this? purchase. But where does that extra dough go? Writer Genevelyn Steele talks with restaurateurs — some of whom are exploring managing takeout orders in house — and dives into the costs of delivery services, comparing Richmond-based and national players. (Richmond magazine)
Diner Dynasty
Diners are special places. Along with the ubiquitous mugs and convivial chatter, there’s a homey, comforting essence paired with unfussy, approachable fare, which Richmonders have found for decades at McLean’s Restaurant. Writer Stephanie Ganz shares the story of the almost 60-year-old family-owned local institution and discovers that sometimes your true calling finds you. We send our deepest condolences to co-owner Dionna Kelleher and all the McLean’s family following the passing earlier this month of her father and onetime McLean’s owner, Fred Wagner, due to complications from COVID-19. (Richmond magazine)
Born to Be Wild
Sourdough bread is having a moment, with Instagram stories and Facebook flooded with flour-dusted kitchen experiments and extreme close-ups of crumb. Serendipitously, in our most recent issue of Dine, Genevelyn Steele chats with the owners of The Broken Tulip and Chewy's Bagels RVA about their appreciation for wild yeast and why it makes all the difference in their baking. P.S.: Need to christen your new dough baby? Check out the names a few local bread enthusiasts have given their starters — Crustipher Walken is not one of them, but I wish it were. (Richmond magazine)
Moonstruck on Davis
Cozying up with some homemade pasta during this weird stay-at-home period sounds like a solid night. Add a bottle of Italian red, and now we’re really talking. Pre-pandemic, reviewer Laura Sant visited the neighborhood eatery Gersi in the Fan, a second iteration of the Northern Italian-inspired spot in Brooklyn, New York. While you can’t enjoy date night in the dimly lit dining room, Gersi is offering fare to go a few nights a week. Let’s be honest, pasta and PJs has a nice ring to it, anyway. (Richmond magazine)
Earth’s Echo Farm
As grocery store shelves remain sparse and social distancing a top priority, purchasing from area farms can be one of the safest and easiest ways to source food. Learn more about family-owned Earth’s Echo Farm, whose grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken and eggs can be preordered and picked up at the South of the James Market. (Richmond magazine)
Feel-good Food
Last month, the Holli Fund, a nonprofit that offers financial grants to food service workers facing economic crisis, hosted a virtual happy hour fundraising event. That night, the community showed up en masse, raising their glasses and paying it forward. The momentum has only continued, and within one month, the fund collected over $200,000 in donations from 3,000-plus supporters. Almost 1,500 restaurant workers have applied for the grants, which are used to cover bills including rent and car payments. (News release)
Brewing Never Stopped
Powhatan welcomed its second beer-centric business last weekend, Crazy Rooster Brewing Co., from owners Jason Miller and Tim Torrez. Named after a line in the Grateful Dead song “The Music Never Stopped” (“Crazy rooster crowing midnight, balls of lightning roll along”), the duo channeled the beloved jam band’s spirit and kept trucking with their brewing venture despite not being able to open the taproom. Beer fans can find two IPAs, an amber ale, wheat ale, saison and oatmeal stout available for growler, crowler and 16-ounce can fills to go. (Richmond BizSense)
Bartenders and Scholars
A number of Richmond hospitality workers have the opportunity to gain some knowledge via courses and workshops offered through The Virginia Wine and Spirits Academy. Earlier this week, the organization awarded scholarships to industry libation leaders affected by closures due to the pandemic. Local recipients include Marcelo Anthony-Cortez and Tony Hacker of The Jasper, Melanie Arthur of White Hall Vineyards, Yael Cantor of Saison, Taylor Guardia of Rappahannock, Hailey Hollifield of TJ’s Bar & Grill, and Sariann Lehrer of The Broken Tulip. (News release)
ICYMI
We rounded up a tasty assortment of slushie-style concoctions, classics and batch cocktails available locally following a recent gubernatorial decree that allows restaurants to offer mixed drinks to go. (Richmond magazine)
One of the newest breweries on the scene, Starr Hill Richmond Beer Hall & Rooftop, recently launched Pour It Forward, a program to show support for health care professionals on the front lines of the pandemic. Community members can purchase a beer online by clicking “Pour It Forward Pint,” and when Starr HIll’s doors safely reopen, health care workers can come in and enjoy a cold one on the house.
A handful of area restaurants have closed for good, including chains Brio Tuscan Grille in Stony Point Fashion Park, O’Charley’s Stratford Hills and Tijuana Flats Willow Lawn, as well as Fox & Hound in Chesterfield. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
RVA Love
Boulevard Burger & Brew makes an appearance in this month’s issue of Bon Appetit, receiving a shout-out for serving up an A-plus, easy-stop-off-the-highway burger.
Virtual Events and Pickup/Delivery Pop-ups
We strongly encourage everyone to stay home when possible and to make safe and smart decisions. The following events occur online or via pickup and delivery.
- Rawish With Shayola, the Artisan (April 24): Learn how to create raw and vegan meals during this virtual class held every Friday.
- Lunchtime Under the Umbrella, Yellow Umbrella Provisions (April 24-26): The weekend special is coming in hot — hot Italian sausage sub, that is.
- Food Truck Week 2020, Three Chopt Recreation Club (April 24-May 3): Spice up dinner with takeout nosh from this rotating cast of food trucks.
- Drive-thru Herb Sale, Maymont (April 25): Choose from more than 35 herb varieties.
- Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen Pop-up, Wellesley Community Center (April 25): Doughnut delights made to order from 9 a.m. to sellout
- Vanilla & Bourbon Pop-up Drive-thru Bakery, Three Crosses Distilling Company (April 25): Mini treats to go from Bundt cakes to brownies and bourbon-banana pudding
- A Drive Up - Takeout Tiki Bar Experience, Bell Cafe (April 25): Tropical batched cocktails to go and take-and-bake meal options
- Drive Up Farmers Market With Walnut Hill Farms, Steam Bell Beer Works (April 25): A weekly opportunity to grab beer and preordered produce
- Beaunuts Pop-up, Toast at The Village (April 26): Key lime pie glaze with kettle corn crunch is just one of many buttermilk doughnut options.
- Virtual Cider and Cheese Pairing Workshop, Blue Bee Cider (April 29): Truckle Cheesemongers and Essex Street Cheese join the party for a guided tasting.
In Other Food News ...
- After receiving the side-eye from struggling independent small business owners across the country, specifically restaurateurs, burger chain Shake Shack has returned a $10 million loan granted through the underfunded federal Paycheck Protection Program. (Forbes)
- If you have three minutes to spare, please watch Virginia Sen. Mark Warner make a tuna melt. In the can’t-look-away clip, Warner walks viewers through a step-by-step process, aka a series of jaw-dropping moments, one of which involves a microwave. (Instagram)
- As much as we miss eating and drinking out and are plotting our list of restaurants to visit upon reopening, the reality is that COVID-19 will undoubtedly alter the dining scene forever. Eater explores how future experiences may include masks, limited capacity and how “normal” is not likely to return.
