Meals Tax Debate Heats Up
Tension surrounding Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s proposal to increase the city’s meals tax from 6 percent to 7.5 percent heightened after an email began circulating last night from former 3rd District School Board member and Education Compact Team mayoral nominee Cindy Menz-Erb suggesting recipients “only patronize restaurants who support the meals tax.”
The mayor disavowed the email and acknowledged "strong feelings on both sides" of the meals tax issue. He said on Facebook, "As this debate moves forward, I plan to visit restaurants on all sides of this issue, to thank them for what they do for our city, and to learn how, I, as Mayor, can do more to help them grow and thrive in Richmond."
Restaurant Row
Second Street in Jackson Ward is quickly becoming a foodie destination, with its tightly packed row of hot spots like JKogi and Fighting Fish along with Lucy’s a block away. Across the street from Big Herm’s (and its renowned mac and cheese) there’s a row of boarded-up storefronts just waiting for renovation. Well, we’ve got the first entrant landing there with a slated opening for mid- to late March: Salt and Forge.
The brainchild of David Hahn, a former Chipotle exec who came to RVA for the bike races and found love, Salt and Forge will be dishing up breakfast and lunch with familiar offerings such as Reubens and Cubanos in the afternoon and an array of biscuits to start the day. Dinner service is a possibility once he gets everything up and running and the Pulse construction is wrapped up. Pretty sure he’s going to have a place for you to lock your bike up, too.
Chocolate from Miss Maude's (Photo by Adam DuBrueler)
An Octave of Sweetness
The grand opening isn’t until Feb. 9, but the doors are already open at Miss Maude’s Bar of Chocolates over on Three Chopt near Melito’s. Unlike other RVA chocolate makers, Miss Maude’s is going to concentrate on chocolate bars, albeit with a little twist — each piece of the chocolate bar will be a different flavor: eight, to be exact. Their signature bar, Why Choose?, is available now and has squares with flavors ranging from Peruvian Pink Salt to Japanese Tart Cherry. There’s even a French Veuve Cliquot Champagne flavor.
Owner/chocolatier Jessica Leonard, who left the world of finance to follow her sweet culinary dreams, plans an array of eight-piece bars in the future.
Not Your Ordinary Canned Tuna
I’ve long been fascinated by the episode of Anthony Bourdain's “No Reservations” where he travels to Spain and finds these little seaside bars that serve not fresh but tinned seafood, known as conservas, packed gorgeously in premium olive oils and spices, to be served simply with crackers, bread and wine. Well, now I can indulge in this exotic delicacy in RVA and see if I agree with Bourdain, who claims it can be superior to fresh. The Jasper, just opened this week in Carytown, will serve three types of conservas: tuna belly, squid and octopus. Conservas Ramón Peña, in Galicia, Spain, is the source for these yummy morsels, and I’m looking forward to tasting these, washed down with a nitro bourbon and ginger, instead of hopping a flight to Spain.
A Strange Win
Strangeways Brewing was named the Best Taproom in Virginia for the fourth straight year by RateBeer. To celebrate, they’re having four four-hour happy hours (Feb. 5-8, from 4 to 8 p.m.). I’d tell you how little you’d spend on each beer to help them celebrate this win, but the ABC frowns upon advertising the actual prices of drink specials, so you’ll have to stop in yourself to find out. Or you could make four guesses.
Terracotta Army Madness!
Plan on popping into Hardywood (Ownby Lane) to purchase the fruits of their collaboration with the VMFA on Friday, Feb. 9. The Sunken Sentinel (find it at VMFA's Best Cafe Feb. 16 and at an official launch party at Hardywood Feb. 17) is billed as a flaked-rice-and-plum beer that is Saison brewed to add effervescence and keep the flavors light and fruity. Or, if you’re feeling peckish, Fat Dragon and Beijing on Grove have rolled out a Terracotta Army-themed special menu that includes Fragrant Duck with Plum Sauce and a Chinese 6 Spice Chicken.
Small Dishes
Cafe Caturra in Midlothian shut its doors this week after 10 years, while Duck Donuts closed its Short Pump location after two. Caturra will continue its tradition of serving wine to RVA’s moms on Grove, and Duck will still have its Willow Lawn location. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, RVAHub)
Meanwhile, the summer lunchtime pop-up that stayed, The Paulie at Comfort, is finally ending its run. The last Philly cheesesteaks will roll out on Friday, Feb. 9. For now, Comfort will remain closed during lunch, with Chef Jason Alley planning on reevaluating daytime service once the GRTC Pulse is complete. I’m sensing a theme with the Pulse here.
Kevin Roberts had hoped to have his post-Black Sheep endeavor, Swan Dive, opened by the end of January. Alas, not quite yet. Flu has felled him and his family, causing a bit of a setback in progress. Now looking at mid- to late February.
Little Nickel, Forest Hill's tiki-themed neighborhood eatery from the Giavos team, has moved its start for dinner service from Feb. 9 to Feb. 8 — with the expected blessing of the ABC arriving that day. In the meantime, you can check them out for lunch service.
Back to School
Ever been at a bit of a loss when you are around a bunch of people talking about wine? Well, here’s your chance to brush up, learn the lingo, and learn to swish and spit. On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Secco Wine Bar will host its first back-to-basics Wine 101 course — a primer on tasting. Subsequent classes will cover pairing, reds and even champagne. There are only 12 seats for each hour-long class, so don’t hesitate or you might miss out. Or, you could hold off until April, when they’re planning a three-hour mega class. You might want an Uber for that one.
Quick Bites
- Spring Pale Ale Release, Legend Brewing Co. (Feb. 1) — Is it spring already? Who cares, grab a beer.
- WRIR’s 13th Birthday Party, The Renaissance (Feb. 2) — Celebrate 13 years of independent radio in RVA with drinks, music, comedy.
- Ciders & Sliders, Buskey Cider (Feb. 3) — Sliders from Boulevard Burger & Brew and cider
- Super Bowl, Castleburg Brewery (Feb. 4) — Bring a donation for FeedMore and enjoy sportsball.
- Super Bowl, Burger Bach (Carytown) (Feb. 4) — Burgers and sportsball. Limited seating. Make a reservation.
- Super Bowl, Casa del Barco (Downtown) (Feb. 4) — Tacos and sportsball.
- National Pork Rind Day, Maple & Pine (Feb. 5) — Pork rinds with blue cheese powder. Plus some hair of the dog after the Super Bowl.
News From Beyond
And You Thought Black Friday Was Bad
A supermarket promotion for Nutella causes riots in France. I can only imagine. I’ve seen my boys fighting over the last bit in the jar. (BBC)
The Perils of Online Ratings
Have you ever seen a rating list on Yelp or Trip Advisor and wondered, “Why is that place there?” Well, to no one’s real surprise, those ratings can be easily gamed. One intrepid reporter used Trip Advisor’s own system to make his little eatery, The Shed at Dulwich, the top restaurant in London. The problem? It didn’t really exist. (Vox)
