Food News: Restaurant Week approacheth, more CSAs, Skynyrd, and Spanish wine

Were you aware that Citizen is moving, classic rock is back, and there are TWO Restaurant Weeks to worry about??

April 9, 2015; 12:00 PM • by Stephanie Ganz

Citizen on the move

Late last week, Citizen announced they would be moving on up after four years in their subterranean courtyard on Ninth Street downtown. Later this summer, look for their notoriously well-drawn chalkboard art and the smell of pupusas to lead you to their new location at 1203 E. Main Street. Luckily for you, if you forget and go to the old place, you can quickly correct the problem by walking several blocks!

El Cuarto de Secco

What kind of wine do you like with your tapas? Italian wine? French wine? HELL NO, you like Spanish wine with your tapas. Secco knows this, and thus, next Thursday (April 16th), they’re inviting two Spanish winemakers, Antonio Revalo of Garcia Revalo in Rueda and Ceferino Lopez from A Coroa in Valdeorras, to join De Maison Selections’ André Tamers as he pours their wines into our glasses. Chef John Ledbetter will whip up aforementioned tapas for the occasion.

Half of April is Restaurant Week

Restaurant Weeks are coming at us left and right. Henrico’s starts this Saturday and runs through the 19th, and Richmond picks up right where Henrico leaves off and takes us all the way to the 26th of April. Maybe it’s just me, but that sounds kind of like a dare to see if I can eat at a different restaurant for 16 nights in a row. I LOVE DARES.

Even more CSAs!

Earlier this week, RVANews published my RVA CSA Guide, and since then I’ve had two people contact me about options I missed! My sincere b, guys! I would be remiss to leave out Agriberry’s all-fruit CSA, featuring their strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, plus peaches and apples later in the season. Agriberry’s CSA supports a youth education program with about 40 participants. COOL.

Toby Vernon is the Co-Director of the Community Food Collaborative. His organization partners with Henrico County Public Schools to support an urban-ag entrepreneruship initiative at Fairfield Middle School. Their Tuesday market and CSA pick-up is from 4:00 – 6:30 PM at the school. It’s a classic CSA model available in two sizes with an admirable selection of produce and a 15% discount for all CSA members.

Putting the Cream in “Cream & Sugar”

“You know what this coffee needs? More Skynyrd,” says everyone all the time. Thankfully, someone is addressing this problem head-on by finally opening a Classic Rock Coffee. Grab a latte; get an earful of The Who. Want a wrap for lunch? It comes with a side of Argent. Want to learn more about Classic Rock Cafe on their website? Please believe The Doors will start to play before the slideshow is fully loaded. It’s CLASSIC ROCK, BABY.

Dinamo on the go

Starting on Monday, Dinamo will join the 25 other establishments (including places like The Naked Onion, Lemon Cuisine of India, and Saison Market) that offer delivery via Quickness RVA. Now a bufala mozzarella and prosciutto sandwich and a bottle of montepulciano are just a phone call away. This isn’t so much news as it is a reminder for what I’m going to do for lunch on Monday.

Call me shellfish

Virginia’s shellfish supremacy was reaffirmed according to last year’s numbers. Both hard clam and oyster farmers reported record numbers in 2014. But I think we can do even better in 2015 and, to wit, I will commit myself to eating as much of the stuff as possible from this point forward. It’s my duty as a Virginian. (Related: Drinking more Virginia wine.)

From Elsewhere…

Gordon Ramsey has made himself a big old pile of money spewing phrases like “Move your ass, you fat cow!” at helplessly cow-eyed, hapless cooks for what seems like decades now. It’s gross. But Ramsey is not exactly the least realistic depiction of a chef I’ve ever seen. Some of them yell. I would suggest that, at least for a time, it would’ve been easily more common to find a chef that yelled at his cooks than a banker who yelled obscenities at his tellers, for example. I’ve been berated on the line more than a few times in my life; and I’ve never been just outright screamed at, flecks of spit hitting my cheeks, in any other line of work. This Munchies article breaks down bullies vs. screamers and examines what happens when leaders don’t yell.

SIP OF THE WEEK: Family Meal‘s Pisco Swizzle

When pisco takes on the familiar combined flavors of mint and cucumber, it becomes the perfect medium for fresh ginger and sweet, nutty velvet falernum to get mixed up in a bunch of perfectly crushed ice. This is ideal warm weather drinking material.

BITE OF THE WEEK: GOAT CHEESE

Dany Schutte knows all about cheese, but she loves the goat variety the most. Join her on Sunday at Southern Season to learn why and how and what’s up with the cheese of the beast.

‘GRAM OF THE WEEK: @SALADFORPRESIDENT

Julia Sherman and company know their way around a salad, I tell you what.

Photo by: I Believe I Can Fry

April 9, 2015 12:00 PM 0