Food News: More Stella’s, more Kuba, more berries, and more juleps, please!

New outposts open for Stella’s and Kuba Kuba, Agriberry’s crop is IN, Saison Market turns one, and the Derby makes it A-OK to drink bourbon elegantly, all day.

April 30, 2015; 12:00 PM • by Stephanie Ganz

NOW OPEN: STELLA’S GROCERY AND KUBA KUBA TWO-BA

The opening day of a restaurant or grocery store is absolute madness–a million last-minute details, a litany of municipal regulations, and inquiries from the media left and right. But this isn’t Johnny Giavos’s first rodeo, not by a long shot, and this past Monday, Giavos and partners opened the doors on two new locations, Stella’s Grocery across from Stella’s on Lafayette and Kuba Kuba Dos on Ridge Road in the West End. The inexhaustible Karri Peifer spent Monday morning bouncing from Stella’s to Kuba, and she’s got all the details you might want.

DERBY DAZE

Once a year, the opportunity comes around for everyone to don their most fetching crown and yell at horses on TV while drinking profusely. If I’ve missed anything about the Kentucky Derby and its ensuing festivities, don’t even bother to tell me because that’s plenty for me. Anyway, Horse Party Time is THIS WEEKEND, and Richmond Magazine’s Bird Cox tells you not just where to go on Saturday but also which lucky horse corresponds with the party of your choosing. As for me, my derby drink of choice is Jell-O Shots, and my horse is Bolo because it probably stands for “BROS ONLY LIVE ONCE.”

ONE YEAR OLD AND ALREADY POTTY-TRAINED

Saison Market celebrates their one-year anniversary TODAY! Congrats to them! I don’t know how I dealt with a hangover before their Nitro Stout and Chicken Biscuit entered my life. (JK, it was a Cajun Filet Biscuit and a Diet Dr. Pepper!) Anyway, when Saison celebrates, we all celebrate; so go give them a high five today and enjoy a beverage with your very own employee discount!

COCKTAILS & TERRARIUMS

This Saturday, scoot on over to Pasture and learn how to make your own terrarium while enjoying Beth Dixon’s botanical-themed cocktails. I never thought I would say something that sounded quite so Brooklyn, but there it is! John Wharton of Glass Gardens will lead the show, and the event is from 2:00 – 5:30 PM, with class starting “around 3:30.” Reserve your spot a la Facebook.

CUATRO (AND CINCO) DE MAYO

If you want to get a jump on Cinco De Mayo (dos fiestas > una fiesta), you’ll want to nab a ticket to Ardent Craft Ale’s Cuatro De Mayo Dinner in collaboration with Joe Sparatta and Lee Gregory of Southbound. But don’t take my word for it–peep the menu, which makes me positively swoon with a trifecta of octopus salad, pupusas, and sopes. ALSO BEER! This will be Ardent’s first dinner on-site at the brewery, but, I’m dearly hoping, not the last.

AND for the big day, I strongly suggest loading up on tacos and tequilas to the sounds of the best Spanish-speaking Ramones tribute band of all time, Los Ramones, at En Su Boca. Viva México!

#RVA #PSA’s

STRAWBERRIES ARE HERE! Have you been bumming yourself out for the past nine months with Driscoll’s, which taste plenty like straw but not at all like berries? Agriberry to the rescue! Strawberries are the harbingers of berry season, which, I’m happy to report, has been officially harbinged. You can find Agriberry at the South of the James, St. Stephen’s, and William Byrd House Farmers Markets.

Also, don’t miss out on your shad roe moments! Those shad are ovulating all over the place, and you can either grab your own roe at Yellow Umbrella or let Mamma ‘Zu handle it for you…while supplies last!

From Elsewhere…

Avocados BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

And now it’s time to play “Bistro or Ristorante?”

SIP OF THE WEEK: MINT JULEP JELL-O SHOTS

Don’t thank me; thank Southern Living, who, quite preciously, calls them ‘gelées.’

BITE OF THE WEEK: PIZZA.FOR GOOD

OK, yes, I have given Pizza 2000 “Bite of the Week” status already. First, let me say, I hear you; and I will try to diversify moving forward. And second, pipe down over there, this is my bite of the week, and I can make it pizza every damn week if I want to.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, THIS SUNDAY at 7:00 PM, Sub Rosa Bakery will host a ‘wood-fired pizza duel’ with their Pizza 2000 pals and live music from the likes of Josh Small and Big NO. The dinner is a benefit for nice guy, neighbor, and Church Hill business owner Jay Moritz, of Seven Hills Studio, whose BIG C medical bills are no joke indeed.

‘GRAM OF THE WEEK: @WRIGHTKITCHEN

Its pretty impressive how quickly the internet works sometimes. Some of you that have been around for a bit know that I have a constant battle of keeping my art in my name. Though the issue is becoming less, I just took a lap around reverse image searching some of my photographs and found that it’s still a very real problem. I try to stay focused and creating more, but some of the ways I've seen my images manipulated makes me feel sick. I wanted to repost this photo I created in January of last year since it has become so widespread and so far from having my name attached to it. Thanks to everyone who messages, comments, and emails me when they find my art deep within the internet with someone else calling it their own- you all mean the world. #foodgradients

A photo posted by Brittany Wright (@wrightkitchen) on Apr 7, 2015 at 5:25pm PDT

Seattle-based photographer Brittany Wright is really really good at Instagram.

April 30, 2015 12:00 PM 0