For the second year running, Sunny Baweja, master of Indian street cuisine and chef-owner of Lehja in Short Pump Town Center, was nominated for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
A Very Good Year
Judging wines for the 38th Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition sounds like a pretty sweet gig, but with over 500 vying for top honors, it’s a lot more daunting than one might expect. We dove into the judging process for the competition, considered one of the most rigorous of its kind in the country, from judges' ideal breakfasts to their tasting strategies. We also reveal the 2020 Governor’s Cup winner and 11 other top contenders. On a related note, the Virginia Wine Expo returns March 3-8 to celebrate the commonwealth's wine, spirits, beers, ciders and cuisine. (Richmond magazine)
Eye Spy
Do you know which fine-dining restaurant in Richmond sports a string of Yoda lights inside? Or which bakery has a pink memo board with clever one-liners hanging near the counter? Channel your inner detective and put your knowledge of Richmond dining establishments to the test with this out-of-the-box scavenger hunt highlighting old favorites, new gems and the most selfie-worthy bathrooms in the city. (Richmond magazine)
Beard or Bust
For years now, Richmond's culinary stars have graced the list of semifinalists for the annual James Beard Awards, recognizing the creme de la creme of the food world, and 2020 is no different. This year marks the fourth time that brother-and-sister baking duo Evin and Evrim Dogu of Church Hill's Sub Rosa Bakery has been in the spotlight. After receiving his first nod last year, Sunny Baweja, who celebrates 10 years as chef-owner of Lehja in April, was again nominated for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. The finalists will be announced in March, and the awards gala takes place in May.
Black Restaurant Experience 2020
Get ready to plot a week of dining out, because Richmond Black Restaurant Experience is back for year four of showcasing the black-owned restaurants and businesses in the city, and the list of participants has only grown. From March 1-8, organizers encourage diners to grab a friend and dive into the diversity of the dining scene, including almost a dozen first-timers from Ms. Bee’s Juice Bar to Nutty Buttery and Ipanema Cafe. The Sunday-to-Sunday event kicks off with a corral of over 15 food trucks during Mobile Soul Sunday and wraps up with Stick a Fork in It — a walk-around event with small plates and chef demos. P.S.: A portion of the week’s proceeds will benefit the Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals. (Richmond magazine)
ICYMI
The Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference will come to Richmond in February 2021, bringing brewers, brewery guilds and media from across the country. Why’d they pick us? It seems The New York Times' 52 Places to Go in 2020 caught their eye, as well as the burgeoning brewing scene and Virginia's ranking as one of the six U.S. states where craft beer has grown the most. (News release)
A new chef is has landed in the Bottom via Portland, Oregon. Henry Preston, a dishwasher who moved through the ranks to chef and restaurateur, will open Smith & Foundry, a bistro with multilevel concepts, within the next few weeks. (Richmond Bizsense)
VCU graduate Rabia Kamara plans to roll out Ruby Scoops in North Side at 300 W. Brookland Park Blvd., and Gelati Celesti fans in Midlo can soon get their fix at 13487 Hull Street Road. Both spots plan to open around April. (Richmond Bizsense)
The Vietnamese eatery Pho 95 Hai Ki Mi Gia, from a husband-and-wife team who opened two noodle shops in California, is set to open in Willow Lawn at the beginning of March. (Richmond magazine)
Kroger Mid-Atlantic grocers recently joined forces with Richmond Public Schools to donate $10,000 for a new food pantry at Chimborazo Elementary School. The grant will also help stock 16 other school pantries in the district. (News release)
RVA Love
Shout-out to Libbie Mill-Midtown’s Shagbark and The Jefferson Hotel’s Lemaire, both of which earned repeat AAA Four Diamond ratings. Making the list for the first time this year is Longoven. The ratings range from simple to luxurious and focus on restaurants' service, amenities and decor. (AAA)
How should an out-of-towner spend a weekend in Richmond? By saying goodbye to sleep and noshing and imbibing their way through over 20 hot spots in the span of two days. From Abuelita’s to Restaurant Adarra, Mama J’s and Triple Crossing, Arlington magazine placed these spots on their can’t-miss list.
Upcoming Events
- Matato’s Potatoes, Alewife (Feb. 28): A late-night pop-up with a menu of potato-based bites
- Keya & Co. Pop-up, Hardywood West Creek (Feb. 29): The owner of Candy Valley Cake Co. dishes out butter chicken pop tarts and Bombay-style chai.
- Girl Scout Cookie & Beer Pairing!, Intermission Beer Company (Feb, 29): Five brews paired with five cookie varieties
- Elysium Honey Pop-Up, Fine Creek Brewing Co. (Feb. 29): Sample Elysium products and check out the special menu incorporating assorted flavors of the unique honey.
- Leap Day! It's So Extra, Blue Bee Cider (Feb. 29): $2.29 draft pours, including bumper pours from 2:00 to 2:29 p.m. to celebrate leap year
- Cheese Board Building Class and Wine Tasting, Manchester’s Table (Feb. 29): Learn about and taste different pairings at the former Camden’s Dogtown Market’s newly renamed space.
- Soul Taco Sing-along Party Brunch, Soul Taco (March 1): Liven up your Sunday morning with tunes and tacos.
- Plant Talk : Milk Thistle, Ninja Kombucha (March 1): Head to this herbal community gathering for a plant profile discussion.
- Real Local RVA's March 2020 Meeting, Saint Stephens Episcopal Church (March 2): Annual monthly meeting featuring Help to the Shelf winner Favour Cookie Co.
- March Richmond Rum Society Meeting, Virago Spirits (March 2): Rejoice with other rum fans and sip and discuss your favorites.
- Beer Tasting: Saison/Farmhouse Ales, The Butterbean (March 3): Sample saisons and farmhouse ales from near and far.
- Kudzu Ramen Pop-up, Starr Hill Brewery (March 4): Get your dose of ramen at this weekly pop-up.
- Malabar Takeover and Dosa Pop-up, Ellwood Thompson’s (March 5): A dinner takeover with popular Southern Indian classics like dosas and lassi
In Other Food News ...
- Acclaimed Szechuan chef Peter Chang, owner of two cafes in Richmond that bear his name, is seeing as much as a 50% drop in sales at his restaurants in Maryland and Northern Virginia amid coronavirus fears, despite no cases being identified in the region. Chang's mother is living under quarantine about three hours outside of Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. (Washingtonian)
