Food News: From Duck Donuts and Gilpin Court grub to cupcakes and koozies

A couple brings soul food to Gilpin Court, a vegan taco and cupcake joint shuts down, Duck Donuts waddles into town, and yet another Charlottesville restauranteur opens a location in town…and much more!

July 10, 2014; 12:44 PM • by Trevor Dickerson

By now, you’ve no doubt heard the news that an Outer Banks donut darling, Duck Donuts, has selected a location for their first Richmond shop. The small chain with roots in Duck, North Carolina will open its doors this fall in The Shops at Willow Lawn. Let the RVA Donut Wars continue!

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VCU quesadilla spot Bodillaz is opening its second location in Jackson Ward at 321 N. 2nd Street. Owner Bert Terranova hopes his second location will cater more to the downtown business crowd. “Bodillaz on Broad is more a VCU and college spot,” Terranova said. “Now that we’re closer to downtown, we’re going to have more of a professional, formal setting.” He also ponied up the city’s required $2,500 fee to bring his food truck to the Redskins Training Camp later this month.

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Speaking of Redskins Training Camp, the five other food trucks selected by event coordinator SMG to join Bodillaz are Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, Carytown Burgers and Fries, Opa Food Truck, Red Eye Cookie Co., and The Boardwalk Hot Dogs, according to WTVR.

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A husband-and-wife team is taking a chance on the Gilpin Court neighborhood, and they’re the first to do so in more than a decade. Alicia and Lamont Hawkins opened Inner City Blues Takeout just blocks north of Jackson Ward, but a world away in one of the city’s housing projects. Alicia Lamont isn’t fazed though, explaining to Style Weekly, “A lot of people have stereotypes of being near a housing project, but I think you need to bring things to the urban community.” The takeout spot specializes in southern soul food and home cooking like barbecue, mac-and-cheese, collard greens and baked beans, a menu the couple says was put together “by design” to feed an underserved community.

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A former Northside restauranteur has put down roots (or should I say ‘routes?’) on Route 33–more commonly known as Staples Mill Road. Eat 33, a new concept by Allen Davis who owned Shenanigans on MacArthur Avenue, opened Wednesday. The casual diner-esque eatery specializes in American diner classics like eggs cooked to order, meatloaf, a variety of burgers (including the ‘Shenanigan Burger’ paying homage to the former eatery), and southern-inspired sides.

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Torero Tapas Bar & Grill, which bills itself as a new authentic Spanish tapas restaurant, hosts their grand opening Friday and Saturday, June 11th and 12th. It’s the latest venture for Dave Bess, owner of nearby Cha Cha’s Cantina and Society American Grill (formerly Lucky Buddha). Bess says Torero’s menu will feature traditional Spanish fare, inspired by Executive Chef Augusto Lopez. Featured menu items include regional Spanish meats and cheeses, Gazpacho, traditional Spanish salads and entrees, and an extensive wine and cocktail list.

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Cafe Verde has closed its doors for good, but not without putting up a good fight first. The quirky Shockoe Bottom vegan spot, which served up tacos, cupcakes, and other fare, raised money via a GoFundMe campaign for improvements to the interior and later pleaded with fans on Facebook to support the restaurant, citing hard times, before closing up shop this week.

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Just two weeks after we brought you the news of Charlottesville cantina Continental Divide’s opening in The Fan, a second C’ville restauranteur has opened a new location in the Richmond area. Bella’s Restaurant opened in the Short Pump Plaza shopping center last week (near Peter Chang’s China Cafe). The authentic Italian restaurant serves up family-style dishes inspired by the neighborhood restaurants owner Valeria Bisenti grew up with in Rome. The restaurant even went so far as to hire a five-star Italian chef to train servers on the traditions of dining in Italy, in order to create a more authentic atmosphere.

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Ah, the classic, all-American hot dog–it’s quintessential summer fare, and there’s no shortage of places serving them up in RVA. But does Richmond have a signature hot dog all its own? That’s the question Nicole Lang sets out to answer over on Richmond.com.

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Hardywood is gettin’ funky this weekend for the release of their new Virginia Blackberry Belgian-style brew. Three local bands will play throughout the day, including hip-hop from Radio B, soul-rock from the Photosynthesizers, and a tribute to the music of the late, great James Brown himself from The Big Payback.

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Heritage’s koozie contest is back! Order one of the staff beers (selection varies) off the menu (It’s a grab bag–I was served a Natty Boh last night) and you’ll get a Heritage koozie. Take a creative photo with your koozie and upload it to Facebook or Twitter, and you’ll be entered for a chance at free brunch from the restaurant. A surprise beer and a chance at free brunch? Not a bad deal.

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It may not hold a candle to our awesome local food trucks, but apparently TGI Fridays is on a nationwide tour offering samples of their new menu. If you’re at the Diamond tonight for the Flying Squirrels’ game against Akron, visit the truck for their stop in Richmond. It may be a chain, but hey, they are free!

Photo: Bella’s Restaurant