
Metzger Bar & Butchery in Union Hill has been serving up classics like this steak tartare for five years now. The eatery celebrates its birthday Sunday, June 23, and will host a late-night event featuring live tunes and $5 specials. (Photo by Ash Daniel)
Beard House or Bust
The Underground Kitchen, the elusive Richmond-based pop-up dinner series, is packing its bags for the Big Apple. On June 26, the team will serve a meal at the storied Beard House in New York City, considered a career pinnacle for many in the dining industry. The “Cultural Collaboration” dinner will highlight the diverse backgrounds and influences of the group, which includes chefs from the Graduate Richmond hotel, EAT Restaurant Partners and The Mantu. (Richmond magazine)
Pints With Purpose
Next time you find yourself brewery hopping — i.e., this weekend — take a good look around. Chances are that, despite a variety of sudsy offerings, there may not be a wide variety of people enjoying them. The general manager of Richmond’s Champion Brewing outpost, Eric Jackson, hopes to change that and help diversify area breweries through his recently founded social collective, Capsoul. (Richmond magazine)
Escape the City
Consider ditching Scott’s Addition, food truck lines and views of concrete for a mini road trip to Powhatan County, where you’ll find chef-driven bites and a lush, rustic escape at Fine Creek Brewing Co. What the brewery lacks in proximity to downtown, they make up for with genuine hospitality from a squad of seasoned industry pros, palate-provoking pints and an all-in-one brewery experience. P.S.: If “Million Dollar Bacon” is on the menu, don’t ask questions, just order. Also, be sure to snag one, or three, of Chef Sarah Tocco’s hand pies. (Richmond magazine)
Time to Dip
I hope you have chips on deck, because Michelle Parrish, owner of the Church Hill grab-and-go market Soul n’ Vinegar, has shared her recipe for sweet corn salsa. Hosting friends on the patio soon? The salsa is perfectly in tune with the season, with corn as the shining star along with tomatillos, onion and other fresh ingredients. (Richmond magazine)
Next Stop: Flavortown
Grab them snacks, cozy up and tune in to Food Network on Wednesday, June 26, because Richmond’s own Jason Alley is taking a trip to Flavortown. The co-owner of Comfort, Bingo and the recently shuttered Pasture will appear on an episode of “Guy’s Grocery Games” themed “Kitchen Heroes” that highlights charitable restaurants. Last February, Alley and co-owner Michele Jones announced that they would donate 100 percent of the proceeds from Comfort to local hunger-relief nonprofit Feed More. A viewing party will be held at Comfort the night of the show at 7 p.m. (Richmond magazine)
Craft Beer Cheers
A dozen area breweries recently left the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild’s annual Virginia Craft Beer Cup sporting flashy new medals. Over 300 beers were judged for the ceremony, held on Tuesday, June 18, and Richmond showed up flexing. Speaking of Fine Creek Brewing, the team proudly returned to Powhatan with a first-place win in the American Wild Ale category for their “Dry Hopped Brett Saison," as well as the runner-up spot for the ceremony’s highest award, Best in Show, for their dry hopped saison. During Bingo Beer Co.’s debut appearance, the brewery took home second place in the Dark European Lager category for Bingo Black Lager. Strangeways Uberlin, the beer that turned me onto sours and will always hold a beer dear place in my heart, scooped up first place in European Sour Ales. Other area winners include Center of the Universe Brewing Co., Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery, Castleburg Brewery and Taproom, Vasen Brewing Co., Final Gravity Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co., Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, Trapezium Brewing Co., Three Notch’d Brewing Co., and Starr Hill Brewery. (News release)
How the Cookie Crumbles
Have a playful relationship with a friend or co-worker and want to poke some fun? I know I do [peeks around office]. Send them a batch of Crow Cookies. The baked treats, with names like Sore Loser Lemon and Gloatmeal Raisin and space on the packaging for a custom message, were launched last month by Jonathan Mayo, a Mama J’s partner and co-founder of Serving Up Change, as a way “to celebrate winning at life” by inviting others to eat crow. Whisk Bakery owner Morgan Botwinick developed the recipes for the cookies, which are available online and at area farmers markets. (News release)
It’s Your Birthday
It has been one year since loyal Longoven devotees got what they all had been patiently awaiting: a brick-and-mortar home for the celebrated pop-up. To commemorate the occasion, from June 24-29, Longoven will offer a special five-course tasting menu for $55, and if you haven’t made it in yet, this is a wallet-friendly chance to do so.
Over in Union Hill, Metzger Bar & Butchery, the cozy, contemporary German-influenced outpost, is also celebrating another trip around the sun and turns 5 this Sunday, June 23. Break out those boogie shoes, because the restaurant will host Mr. Fine Wine, a Brooklyn-based DJ, dropping the soul, funk and disco tunes from 9 p.m. to midnight with $5 specials.
Fresh on the Scene
Cue Beyonce’s “Upgrade U,” because that is the vibe inside the recently debuted Scuffletown Garden, which hosted its grand opening in the former Strawberry Street Cafe space last week. The famed bathtub may still be in the picture, but new approaches abound, with a rooftop garden, environmentally conscious practices, and a concise, seasonally driven menu featuring a dangerously delicious three-bean salad. (Richmond magazine)
Poor Boys opened in the former Flora space at 203 N. Lombardy St. on Saturday and rolled out, you guessed it, po’boy sandwiches along with other N'awlins and Louisiana-inspired bites at the Cajun-Creole eatery.
Third time’s the charm for First Watch, the breakfast chain hailing from South Florida — think Waffle House meets farm-to-table vibes — which plans to open another Richmond outpost at Regency Square Mall, joining locations in Midlothian and Short Pump. (RVA Hub)
ICYMI
We all know Virginia has some seriously strict and limiting ABC laws, but starting July 1, restaurants and bars finally — and lawfully — will be able to advertise happy-hour specials for imbibers before they enter the door. Cheers to change! (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
I have faith that you marked your calendar, but in case you need a friendly reminder, Negroni Week — a weeklong charitable celebration around the world — kicks off Monday, June 24, and 18 area restaurants will be whippin’ up classic and inventive variations of the cocktail.
From June 23-30, Midlothian barbecue spot Shane’s Rib Shack plans to host a Fire and EMS Appreciation Week and will offer complimentary pork sandwich combos to firefighters, paramedics and EMTs.
Good Foods Grocery is adding to its healthy lineup and is now offering ready-made meals for delivery or in-store pickup after purchasing local company Daily Jars, which focused on providing meals for those with dietary restrictions. (News release)
RVA Love
Shagbark in Libbie Mill-Midtown has received plenty of recognition for its fare, but the restaurant recently got a shout-out for its wine selection. Wine Enthusiast named Shagbark one of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants, noting a list where “state-made expressions are given priority” while also featuring atypical sources such as Bulgaria. (Wine Enthusiast)
Former professional chef (and current Richmond magazine writer) Stephanie Ganz knows her way around some ingredients — no surprise if you follow her on Instagram, where she shares the beautiful bounty of local goods and produce from her weekly market hauls. Ganz recently explained the method to her meal-planning madness and how she transforms a prep list into dishes for her family of four. (Bon Appetit)
Upcoming Events
- Summer Solstice Garden Party, Boketto Wellness (June 21): Seasonal plant-based nosh with cocktails and mocktails
- The Longest Day, Virago Spirits (June 21): Sip spirits in support of the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Richmond.
- Beekeeping Workshop, Southern States Cooperative (June 22): Want your own hive? Check out the demo and discussion of beekeeping practices.
- Chef Demo, The Market at 25th (June 22): Chef Taz Bowles of EAT Restaurant Partners teaches attendees how to make crostini sabich.
- Stone's Throw Down in RVA: Lineup Announcement, Stone Brewing (June 22): Live music, bites and beer for the kickoff and lineup announcement of the annual celebration in September
- Drag Dinner and Fundraiser, Little Saint (June 23): Dinner and specialty cocktails paired with performances and prizes
- Abuelita’s Pop-up, The Jasper (June 24): The South Side eatery heads to Carytown to serve up authentic Mexican stews.
- Taproom Dinner Series Featuring: Southbound, Garden Grove Brewing and Urban Winery (June 24): Chef Craig Perkinson of Southbound dishes out five courses of Southeast Asian-inspired street food paired with libations.
- Bourdain Day, Social52 (June 25): Five courses and beer pairings in celebration of the late chef and storyteller, encouraging mental health awareness.
- Guest Culinary Series: Belmont Butchery's Tanya Cauthen, Mise en Place (June 26): The renowned Richmond butcher explains the nose-to-tail philosophy.
- Brew Class: Kalita Wave, Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co. (June 26): A look at the special coffee brewing technique
- Pop-Up Kitchen Featuring Chef Tye, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery Shockoe Bottom (June 27): Gourmet Hemp Foods presents a menu of hemp-infused fare.
- 2019 Richmond Brewer’s Ball, Historic Tredegar (June 27): Area restaurants and breweries join forces for the celebration that benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In Other Food News …
- The Culinary Institute of America, from whose Hyde Park, New York, campus the late Anthony Bourdain graduated in 1978, is introducing the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship. The grant will be awarded to one or more CIA students each year and offer them the chance to study abroad. (The New York Times)