An orzo salad from Ipanema: a bed of squash, artichoke hearts, spinach, Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers and portobello mushroom. One of Richmond's original vegan/vegetarian restaurants, Ipanema turns 20 this weekend. (Photo by Curtis Childress)
The Test of Time
Before being vegan was trendy or socially conscious, before the 900 block of West Grace was surrounded by VCU buildings, before the widely acclaimed Roosevelt, and before little V's began popping up on restaurant menus everywhere, there was a young, vivacious Kendra Feather, who took the leap to open Ipanema, a vegetarian and vegan cafe in Richmond. Twenty years later, Feather is a powerhouse restaurateur and the force behind multiple spots around town, and Ipanema is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Sept. 15. (Richmond magazine)
Cheersss
“You want to go where everybody knows your name.” If those lyrics don’t ring a bell, I suggest heading to Hulu or Netflix while you’re trapped inside this weekend and refreshing your memories of "Cheers," because when Cobra Cabana — a new restaurant at 901 W. Marshall St. in the former Black Sheep space — opens its doors, it’ll be reminiscent of the legendary watering hole, but with a punk-rock vibe. Get the lowdown on Cobra Cabana, coming to Carver later this month. (Richmond magazine)
Charitable Comfort
Help ring in Comfort’s 16th birthday with a Southern-inspired “pay what you can” Sunday supper buffet from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 23, where guests can pay whatever amount they deem appropriate or can afford. If you know Comfort owners Michele Jones and Jason Alley, you know they are gung-ho on giving back to the community. “If there are people who can benefit from having a free meal on Sunday, that’s amazing, and we’re stoked — others may be feeling more generous," Alley says. The goal is to raise $5,000 for hunger-relief organization FeedMore. Another pretty rad aspect: Purchase $25 raffle tickets from Comfort or Pasture for a chance to win a personalized chef experience — five courses with beverage pairings — for 10 people, prepared by Richmond culinary heavy-hitters Joe Sparatta, Lee Gregory, Adam Hall, Brittanny Anderson and Jason Alley in the comfort (no pun intended) of your own home. “We’ll cater a menu to whatever their needs,” says Alley, who adds that the meals could be backyard barbecue or fine dining. “Luckily, we have such a great chef community. … The nice thing is we’re all super close and work together often."
Take Pride
Scott’s Addition is always bustling with boozy offerings, but on Saturday, Sept. 15, from noon to 6 p.m., prepare yourself for the kickoff of PrideFest Week with the first-ever Scott’s Addition Pride Crawl. "Many of our beverage producers in the neighborhood have been looking for a way to partner with Virginia Pride,” says Blue Bee Cider owner Courtney Mailey. “Since [Scott's Addition] businesses have already worked together on several collaboration and crawl events, this was a natural fit.” Grab a passport and sample everything from beer to whiskey, cider and mead in support of Virginia Pride. Participating spots include Ardent Craft Ales, Black Heath Meadery, Blue Bee, Buskey Cider, Isley Brewing Co., Courthouse Creek Cider, Reservoir Distillery, The Veil, Three Notch’d RVA Collab House and Vasen. Pro tip: If you’re a fan of a juicy, refreshing hefeweizen, try Tropic Like It’s Hot — the official/exclusive brew for PrideFest 2018 bursting with passionfruit, pineapple and lime — a collab between Ardent, Center of the Universe Brewing and Hardywood. And grab your rain boots, because this event has been promoting itself as “rain or shine.”
Suds in South Side
Out with the old, in with the new. Basic City Brewing from Waynesboro has officially opened the doors of its first satellite location in the former Twisted Ales space, which closed in June, last weekend at 212 W. Sixth St. in Manchester. You won’t find them brewing in the space quite yet, but you will find their full beer lineup and Hops Kitchen, a food truck dishing out eats infused with Basic City brews including pierogies with cheddar, potato, green chilies and a 6th Lord (beer) bacon jam. (Richmond BizSense)
Dinner and Brews With a View
Interested in sipping and sampling a variety of brews from Hardywood? Fan of the flavors emerging from the kitchens at Maple & Pine, Shagbark, Heritage, The Roosevelt, or Saison? Think a dinner outside on historic Maple Row on the Maymont grounds surrounded by lush, green lawns sounds appealing? If you answered yes to any (or all) of those questions, check out the For Every Saison Beer Dinner at Maymont on Sunday, Sept. 23. Top chefs from across the region will dish out five courses, and Hardywood will provide beer pairings such as "For Every Saison," a crisp farmhouse ale flavored with ingredients grown at Maymont, including lavender and thyme. Tickets are $175, and all proceeds benefit the Maymont Foundation.
RVA Love
Last week, The Washington Post released a tasty itinerary of places to stop for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Richmond. Enormous fluffy biscuits at Early Bird Biscuit; the Bow Tie — a plump patty resting beneath basil pesto, gooey mozzarella and drizzles of balsamic — from Boulevard Burger & Brew; and a rustic, hearty Bolognese from Executive Chef Craig Perkinson at Southbound, the South Side strip mall gem, made the list.
There is nothing quite like slurping oysters and sipping on a black cherry mojito while overlooking the James River, and it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so. Open Table, the restaurant reservation app, released its list of the 100 most scenic restaurants in the country, and The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing was the only Virginia restaurant that made the cut. (USA Today)
ICYMI
If you missed our latest Feedback video, we hit up the Broad Street eatery Tiny Victory, from chef Ian Merryman, to find out what diners thought of its creative cocktails and Filipino-inspired eats. Richmond magazine contributor Piet Jones sits down with Merryman and partner Devon Adair Creed to talk about the transition from pop-up to brick-and-mortar, Tiny Victory cuisine, and the importance of service in a restaurant for his segment Open Face on WRIR 97.3's Open Source RVA, Friday, Sept. 14, at noon. Tiny Victory will also be adding brunch service beginning Sept. 23.
Speaking of brunch, Laura Lee’s, the South Side eatery on Semmes from the aforementioned Kendra Feather, says it’s no longer strictly a Sunday venture: Saturday brunch service begins Sept. 23.
Science on Tap: Tribute to Grunge, the interactive, hands-on, booze-friendly and adults-only event at the Science Museum of Virginia, has been rescheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1.
As a pickle fan and avid pickle juice drinker, I’ve been looking forward to the Pickled and Fermented Festival at Center of the Universe Brewing for weeks, but Hurricane Florence has preemptively rained on my parade; the event has been rescheduled, but the date is TBD.
Another event postponed for a drier date is the second annual Indian and Sri Lankan Food Festival, which has been moved to Oct. 13.
Upcoming Events
- Brunch at the Farm, Courthouse Creek Cider (Sept. 15): Frittatas prepared by Chef Michael of Stotler’s Home Cooking, featuring eggs from the farm along with local produce, meat and cheese, paired with cider-mosas
- Oktoberfest: Kickers vs. Ottawa, City Stadium (Sept. 15): Enjoy brats, brews, beer cheese and soccer.
- Family Italian Night, Mise en Place (Sept. 15): Whip out your chef's coat and learn how to create Italian offerings including stromboli and antipasto.
- The Brunch Market, Urban Roost Event Space (Sept. 16): Biscuits, bloodies, cold brews and locally made goods all under one roof
- Spanish Cheese & Wine Pairing Seminar, Secco Wine Bar (Sept. 16): Sample quality cheeses from Spain, sip on wine pairings, and learn a thing or two about production, regions and milk types.
- Sungay Funday, New York Deli (Sept. 16): Deejays, dancing, drag performances and Jell-O wrestling in celebration of the approaching PrideFest
- Fourth Anniversary, The Answer Brewpub (Sept. 17): Special events planned daily for a weeklong celebration of Richmond’s brewing gem
- Toast the Trees, Lemaire (Sept. 17): A special evening with Angel’s Envy that includes a private tasting, hors d’oeuvres, interactive demos and surprises
- Toxic Air in Urban Veggie Gardens, The HofGarden (Sept. 17): Hosted by the Science Pub RVA, a Virginia Union University Ph.D. dishes the dirt on the role air plays in urban gardens and how it affects the produce we consume.
- Cocktail List Takeover, Maple & Pine (Sept. 18): Classics and revamped cocktails influenced by Mexico City
- Omega-3’s, Ellwood Thompson’s (Sept. 19): Learn about the health benefits of fish oil.
- Cocktails and Choreo, Turn Cardio Jam Studio (Sept. 19): Sip on cocktails, lower your inhibitions and learn new dance moves — pretty standard drinking excursion.
- Smoked Hen on the Boulevard, Buz and Ned’s (Sept. 19): Smoked Cornish game hens with sides and pie
- UGK Luxury: Neat or on the Rocks (Sept. 20): Six courses focused on local cuisine paired with Virginia whiskey
- Starry Night Chefs Event, Altria Theater (Sept. 20): A five-course dining experience featuring area chefs including Joe Sparatta, Michelle Williams, Walter Bundy, Adam Hall and Dale Reitzer to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
In Other Food News ...
- With late nights and a culture where "surviving" the night before is a badge of honor, drinking is ingrained in the restaurant industry. Bon Appetit wrote an engaging piece about a celebrity chef-helmed dinner series in Portland that presents courses with nonalcoholic pairings. Ben's Friends, an industry-based support group that recently launched in Richmond, also gets a mention.
- If you were a fan of the healthy-eating magazine Cooking Light, it's time to say goodbye. Meredith Corp., a media conglomerate that merged with competitor Time Inc. last year and owns popular mags like Southern Living and Food & Wine, has ceased publication of Cooking Light and merged it with Eating Well. (Eater)
- Sharing time: I absolutely love churros. When I traveled to Spain last summer, I ate them almost every day. Lidl has a line of products imported from Spain, Sol & Mar, which includes olives, patatas bravas and, as of Wednesday, churros. It may not be quite the same, but my inner churro fiend has me heading to the supermarket. (Delish)
