A new tapas bar, the Greek Festival returns, and get ready for Broad Appétit

This weekend brings with it a delectable array of food festivals: the beloved Greek Festival returns and Broad Appétit will showcase the best of RVA food for $3. Plus Six Burner revamps its menu and interior.

May 31, 2012; 9:56 AM • by RVANews staff

Food festivals! If you love them, you’re going to LOVE this weekend. Starting today, the Greek Festival is in full swing. Feta, wine, baklava, gyros, oh my! If you’ve never been to the Greek Festival, don’t tell anyone because they may try to publicly shame you. The bottom line is that it’s one of Richmond’s favorite food events, so make plans to be there this weekend.

Thursday May 31st: 11:00am – 9:30pm
Friday June 1st: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Saturday June 2nd: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday June 3rd: 12:00pm – 7:00pm

If you want to plan your dining attack, take a sneak peak at the menu.

When Sunday rolls around you may have had your fill of Greek food, in which case head to Broad Street for Broad Appétit. From 11am to 6pm, the 100-300 blocks of Broad Street will close for a true culinary delight! Over 60 of Richmond’s most talented chefs will prepare $3 samples of their best dishes. Pro tip: hit up the ATM before you go so you are armed with cash and ready for tasting.

Broad Appétit Bonus! If you just can’t wait until Sunday, you can kick off this event early by attending the OFF Broad Appetit dinner (held at Pasture and hosted by Richmond Magazine) on Saturday evening. Some of the East Coast’s best and most talked about chefs will be cooking dinner for you. Tickets are $150 per person and are going fast. Here’s the chef lineup:

Sean Brock–Chef at Husk in Charleston, South Carolina; 2010 James Beard winner for Best Chef Southeast
Jen Carroll–Chef & Owner of Carroll Couture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Top Chef All-Star contestant
Dean Maupin–Chef at Keswick in Charlottesville, Virginia; Star Chefs 2010 Rising Star
Edward Lee–Chef at 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky; Challenger on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”
Bryce Caron–Pastry Chef at Blackbird, Chicago, Best New Pastry Chef, Food & Wine Magazine
Jason Alley–Chef at Comfort and Pasture Restaurants in Richmond, VA; Star Chefs 2010 Rising Star

Switching gears, according to Style Weekly, Shockoe Bottom has a new tapas bar. Nick Rossicci and Maximo Mozo have brought a taste of Europe right into RVA. Friday, June 1st marks the grand opening of Maximo’s Spanish Tapas & Authentic Italian Cuisine at 14 North 18th Street. The menu boasts seafood, vegetarian, and meat tapas with full entrees also available. They’ll be open Monday through Thursday noon–10pm, Friday and Saturday noon-11pm, and closed Sunday.

New menu alert! In an effort to bring you the best dishes with the freshest ingredients, Pasture has a new summer menu (PDF) including some large plate options if you hate to share (maybe you didn’t go to kindergarten?).

Speaking of new menus, according to Fan of the Fan, Six Burner has been closed since Monday, May 28 and will reopen tomorrow with a refreshed interior and a new menu focused on small plates. Ry Marchant, owner of both Six Burner and Pasture, says Six Burner’s new menu is about making the food more accessible and affordable to more people. With small plates, it brings the price point down and allows diners to taste more dishes. Remember, they have half price wine on Tuesdays, if you’re so inclined.

photo by Ashley Jenkins