Food news: New vinyl, a neighborhood grocery, and The Fan’s best flavors

As the wheels of time turn, so are more Richmond restaurants opened and lauded with national praise.

November 7, 2013; 7:26 AM • by Ross Catrow

How many record stores can Richmond support? I say the more the merrier, and that Monument City, a combination coffee shop and record store, brings an interesting competitive angle to the current vinyl landscape. Plus, I’m absolutely in love with the logo.

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Are you a gentleman? Perhaps one that feels a bit roguish? Well Jackson Ward has just the spot for you: The Rogue Gentlemen. Billed as a pre-Prohibition speakeasy, The RG will focus on an excellent bar program for, presumably, both gentlemen and ladies alike. BizSense has all the gory (totally not gory and mostly tax and real estate-related) details. Look for The Rogue Gentlemen in the coming weeks/months.

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Richmond BizSense also has a bit more about Harvest Grocery and Supply (originally brought to our attention by Fan of the Fan a couple of weeks ago). Owner Hunter Hopcroft hopes to fill a niche for those Belmont Butcher, Yellow Umbrella-type customers—people looking for something a little more focused, thoughtful, and convenient than Martin’s or Kroger.

They also hope to fill a niche for local news organizations that may have an office directly across the street and are eagerly anticipating Harvest Grocery and Supply’s opening.

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Somehow, and I’m not going to point fingers here, we missed that Richmond’s newest brewery opened up in Scott’s Addition back on October 26th—that’s like one million years ago! Isley Brewing Company has been up there, brewing away, while I’ve been over here in my cold, dark office not drinking their beers. Unacceptable!

Earlier this week they released their newest beer, Betwixt American Pale Ale, and would like you to stop by, give it a try, and fill a growler or two.

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Oh hey, it’s a new Restaurant Week-like festival! The newly created Fan Area Business Alliance brings you Flavors of the Fan–a week long celebration of, you guessed it, The Fan’s various flavors with proceeds benefiting Fan Free Clinic. Hit up one of the participating restaurants from November 11th – 17th, experience one of the classic flavors from your favorite RVA neighborhood (excluding “city possum” and “drunk dudes on Robinson”), and help out a local cause.

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So Zagat, who you may know as a big deal in the whole “deciding who’s good at stuff” scene, recently picked 24 humans that are “Restaurant-world power players around the U.S.” Well who should make this list but RVA’s own oyster king Travis Croxton!

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The Daily Meal has named Richmond in their 2013 list of “America’s Best Small Towns for Food.” They also stuck Charlottesville in that list too, which, hooray Virginia!¹

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November 7, 2013 7:26 AM 0