One restaurant closes, one pops up, and the weekend is filled with festivals

Lots going on festivalwise this weekend, plus restaurant closings and openings, and one local spot receives national attention.

August 9, 2012; 7:08 AM • by RVANews staff

This past Saturday, City Limit, the popular Near West End dive bar in the Village Shopping Center, closed its doors. According to Richmond.com husband/wife team Jessica and Josh Bufford are taking over the space to open their first restaurant, Toast. The pair have seven years of shared experience working in the Giavos family restaurants at the front of the house. Lunch will range around $12 for a sandwich and a drink with dinner averaging about $17 for an entree and a drink. They will also have wine on tap which is a newer concept for Richmond restaurants. The idea is to keep costs lower per glass–plus it’s a greener alternative! Toast is slated to open on August 16th.

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This Sunday Avalon will host a pop up restaurant with no pre-set ticket cost. Chef Ethan Vaughan, former head chef of Avalon, is saying goodbye to Richmond with one last course. In fact, the pop up restaurant is named “And for the last course…”, and will run from 5:30 — 9:00 PM. Diners can choose their dishes à la carte with offerings ranging from $9 – $12 per plate. Vaughn will join forces with Mattias Hagglund from Comfort who will create featured cocktails for the evening. Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended. Call Avalon at 804.353.9709.

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Greater Jackson Ward News is reporting that a new takeout joint has moved into the former Nate’s Taco Truck Stop spot on 2nd Street. Herman Baskerville, former owner of the Corner Bar and Grill, is the proprietor. Keep your eye on Greater Jackson Ward News for more details

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Food Festivals! RVA can’t get enough of ‘em and two take place this weekend. First, be sure to check out the Filipino Festival, held this Friday and Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church (8200 Woodman Road). There will be delicious Filipino food, live music, performances by the Latin Ballet, cultural exhibits, games, and best of all admission is free!

Second, on Sunday between 12:00 — 5:00 PM, head down to the 17th Street Farmers Market for the RVA-B-QUE which promises to provide endless beers, barbecue, and bands. The most up to date count shows 14 local breweries with a total of 31 beers on tap. That’s plenty of brewskis to wash down BBQ provided by over a dozen of RVA’s best barbecue masters.

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A big pat on the back goes to Peter Chang China Café which was nominated as one of the 50 Best New Restaurants in the United States by Bon Appétit magazine. If you haven’t experienced Peter Chang’s cuisine please remedy that soon! They are located at 11424 West Broad Street in Short Pump. Reservations highly recommended (804.364.1688).