Richmond Food News: Week of Oct. 16-20

Time to dust off that oyster knife. Naw, not really — there are tons of people happy to shuck all those oysters for you this weekend.

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Oysters, Oysters, Oysters

If you love oysters, this is the weekend for you. On Saturday, St Thomas’ Episcopal Church is holding its annual Oystoberfest — a family-oriented oyster roast from noon to 6 p.m. Ride your bike to the event and get $2 in free tickets! Over in Church Hill, Union Market is throwing a beer and oyster block party with live music and plenty of craft beer to take you a little further into the evening.

Also Saturday, Veil Brewing Co. is rolling out its Imperial Oyster Stout for the brewery's 2nd Annual Oyster Roast. The stout, Unloved, made with oysters from Tangier Island Oyster Co., is billed as the perfect match for the grilled oysters and meats being churned out by the Brasa food truck.

If you manage to make it through Saturday and still have the craving, Sunday is the Shell-Raiser’s Shindig, to benefit the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program. This all leads up to November, when you’ll want to mark your calendar for the 60th annual Urbanna Oyster Festival on the 3rd and 4th and Oysters, Barbecue ... Battersea! in Petersburg on the 4th to benefit the Battersea Foundation, dedicated to preserving historic homes in Petersburg.

Seismic Shifts in Carytown

Word has broken on the new occupants of the Amour Wine Bistro, which quietly closed last September. According to Richmond BizSense, a married couple, David Crabtree-Logan and Sariann Lehrer, purchased the space and are slated to open mid-November under the name The Broken Tulip Social Eatery.

The theme is communal, two seatings per night at large, shared tables with as many as six, or possibly even more, courses for a set price featuring premium local ingredients and purveyors. It’s a concept that really hit it big a few years ago with vegetarian-turned-carnivore Chef Naomi Pomeroy’s (of “Top Chef Masters” fame) meaty Portland, Oregon, restaurant, Beast. Having dined at Beast, I can attest to the fun that such a meal can bring, especially when there’s a well-chosen ingredient to tie the dinner together.

Just a few doors down, Coriander abruptly closed up shop on Monday. According to a sign in their window, the Armenian restaurant is in need of more space and hopes to find a new home soon.

Outside of Carytown, but still on Cary Street, established vegetarian restaurant Fresca on Addison is now open for dinner. Seems they’ve built a bigger brick oven to churn out bigger pizzas — something you can now get delivered to the comfort of your own home via QuicknessRVA.

But Wait, There’s More — Wine, That Is

There are those of us, myself included, who tend not to hang out with the rest of RVA at the myriad craft breweries across the River City. The answer, in my case, is simple: I don’t drink beer. Apparently someone has noticed the absence. Saturday, Garden Grove Brewing becomes Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery with a launch party that includes three wines on tap and two bottled wines — their Red Sun Sparkler sounds interesting, made with clover honey and tangerine peels. Seems I’ve lost another reason to stay home.

Boutique wine makers produce wines that you typically can’t find in a store or at most restaurants. Very limited production means most of these get snapped up by members of their mailing lists. Happily, Central Coast Group Project, a California boutique wine maker, is coming to RVA, and you’ll be able to sample some of their hard-to-procure wines at what may very well be Lemaire’s first all-vegetarian dinner on Nov. 9.

Speaking of wine, Richmond discount grocery store newcomer Lidl is rolling out its French Wine Fair this week, featuring Pomerol, Pouilly Fuissé and Chateauneuf-du-Pape — wines everyone recognizes but usually can’t afford. With price points under $20, stock up now for the holidays before they run out.

Quick Bites

News From Beyond

The Price of Plain

Vanilla might seem boring or plain, but this simple flavor is a ubiquitous component of many of our favorite dishes — especially dessert. A March cyclone did major damage to Madagascar’s vanilla production, sending prices spiking by as much as 600 percent, and now plain has never been quite so dear.

‘Chipocalypse’

Changing weather patterns and extreme weather events are playing havoc with our food supply worldwide. Heavy rains have destroyed much of the New Zealand potato crop, leading to increased prices and potato chip shortages. Don’t judge me if I start hoarding Utz chips just in case.