Sure, you've had green beer, but have you tried naturally dyed green cider? Find it at Buskey this weekend, and find a lot more festive fun — and food news — below. (Photo courtesy Buskey Cider)
We've got Whole Foods news, festive brews, verdant hues and more this week, not to mention a slew of great events to make the most of your St. Patrick's Day. (Green beer not required, but recommended if you feel like turning your mouth green.)
- Great news for Fan dwellers and Richmond Whole Foods enthusiasts alike: After the supermarket's 2014 announcement to build a Richmond Whole Foods on the site of the old Pleasant's Hardware store, the line of new information went slack. Until, that is, this week, when the chain submitted plans to the city. The elevation drawings outline a brick facade and entrance along 2022 and 2024 W. Broad St., as well as another facing the parking lot. While the grocer will incorporate a historic building into the new store, the former home of Pleasant's will be demolished. "We haven’t announced an opening date for this store yet," Whole Foods representative Annie Cull told us via email. "We typically do that about 60 to 90 days in advance." For more info, step this way.
- Call it a hunch, but this weekend will probably be full of "Irish goodbyes," a term denoting the practice of ducking out of social situations without ever saying goodbye or alerting the host to your departure. Tony Ammendolia was so tickled by this concept that the owner and brewer of Final Gravity set out to make a beer called just that. Here's a bit more on the brewing company's Irish Goodbye — a foreign extra stout — as well as the practice of the party escape, so you can master the Irish goodbye in all its forms. (Richmond magazine)
- Speaking of beer, Ardent Craft Ales recently purchased its Scott's Addition home at 3200 W. Leigh St. and is setting its sights on expansion. The brewery already hopes to raise the roof (literally) in order to install taller tanks, upping its beer output. (Richmond BizSense)
- And speaking of owning your own building, Joe and Emilia Sparatta now own the building that houses their Fan restaurant, Heritage, at 1627 W. Main St. Congratulations, team.
- And in Now Open news, Hattie Mae's Southern Kitchen just opened its doors on Wednesday in Willow Lawn, in the former American Tap Room space at 1601 Willow Lawn Drive. Expect oysters, cocktails, and Southern fare such as fried chicken, banana pudding and low-country boils, with brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- And a hearty congratulations to a number of Richmond establishments for landing on Southern Living's "The South's Best" list of great bars, restaurants, breweries and more. The Roosevelt took the award of best bar in Virginia, while Pasture took home best restaurant in the state. Not to ignore our booming beer scene, Strangeways Brewing landed at No. 8 on the publication's list of "The South's Best Breweries." Find the full "South's Best" package here.
Ready for the weekend? Because it's here, with lots of fun things for you to do/eat/drink:
- And of course it's St. Patrick's Day, so you know there's a lot of beer and a few green-hued specials around town. O'Toole's in South Side has been celebrating the holiday for four decades now, and this year is no exception. Find music, libation and Irish fare all today and tomorrow, and you can find the full lineup here.
- In the Fan, F.W. Sullivan's is throwing its eighth annual Sully's St. Paddy's event, where you'll find drinks, DJs and eats up until around 2 a.m., when they peel you off the floor and kick you out, but lovingly. (F.W. Sullivan's)
- For those looking eschewing green beer — so old (leprechaun) hat — or just want something gluten-free and festive, Buskey Cider teamed up with Ellwood Thompson's to color its ciders bright green — naturally! Stop by the Scott's Addition cidery today and tomorrow for that good good. (Buskey Cider)
- Today beginning at noon, Maple & Pine is giving us its own take on St. Patrick's Day with executive chef's David Dunlap's take on shepherd's pie, plus an Ardent Craft Ales tap takeover. (Maple & Pine)
- On Sunday, head to Acacia mid-town for Gender Confusion, an evening challenging norms through art and beverage. Enjoy new work from local artist Garyt Shiflett and new cocktails from Acacia bar manager Danny McDermott, all from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. "This work and the mixed drinks are an attempt to conceptualize the ambiguous idea of gender," reads a news release. "Our experience as queer has taught us that gender is a spectrum. Most of the conflict encountered in this milieu stems from a superficial construct — a construct that also promotes shame. False projections are a staple of survival, but only perpetuate an archaic idea that there are only two genders."
- And don't forget Nota Bene's five-course, Umbria-inspired dinner featuring special guest Letizia Mattiacci, chef and author behind the new book, "A Kitchen With a View." A $65 ticket includes delights such as braised wild boar with polenta, and an onion-and-chicory soup. Wine pairings and Mattiacci's book are available at an additional cost. Find your tickets here. (Nota Bene)
- ALSO on Sunday: Celebrate International Pilsner Day in delicious style at Cask Cafe, where a number of pilsners will be on tap from 2 to 7 p.m., including Defenestrator, a new doppelbock collaboration between Cask and Ardent. (The Cask Cafe)
And now for a few (inter)national links:
- WINNER WINNER VOCAB DINNER: Want to learn to talk like Guy Fieri? This First We Feast guide breaks down the Food Network star's funkalicious turns of phrase. Don't forget to whip out these righteous words when checkin' out your favorite funky little joints. God help us all.
- And in some major food-media bummer news, it seems that Lucky Peach, one of the world's finest and most irreverent food publications, will cease operations with the release of a double issue in the fall. Here, LP contributors, chefs and fans alike will share their favorite memories and stories from the excellent food pub. Personally, my favorite issue was vol. 6, the "Apocalypse" issue. It gave me clearance to eat ripened "expired" foods until we're all wiped off the face of the earth, however soon that may actually wind up being. (Eater)
Till next time, pick up some issues of Lucky Peach, old and new, here. You won't regret it.
