Ed 165: Happy Hour Guide, New in Scott's Addition, Hot Tomato Summer
Hey, y’all! 👋
We are genuinely considering adding a section to The Weekly Insider intro each week called “dose of cuteness” where we link out to photos and videos of adorable animals in Virginia — whether pets or in the wild — just to make folks smile. Because honestly, there are so many terrible things happening in the world, and it brings us joy to spread good news when we can.
If we had that section in today’s edition, we’d 100% be featuring the baby rhino that was just born at the Virginia Zoo. Seriously, look how adorable he is.
What do you think, should we add it for future weeks? Tell us your thoughts!
WEATHER
Wednesday: Mostly sunny; high of 94°, low of 67°
Thursday: Partly cloudy; high of 86°, low of 66°
Friday: Partly cloudy; high of 87°, low of 67°
HAPPENINGS
Wednesday, 7 - 9 pm: Trivia Night at Tabol Brewing in Northside
Thursday, 5 - 9 pm: Flowers After 5 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Friday, 7 pm: Virginia's Finest & Brewer's Ball Untapped
CITY GUIDES
1. Your Guide to RVA Happy Hours, Every Day of the Week
2. Get Outta Town: 15 Day Trips Within 1.5 Hours of Richmond
3. The Top Local Places to Find Fresh Seafood
RICHMONDER TO KNOW
Lauren LeVine: Owner at Aloha Catering Co. This local chef grew up in Makakilo, on the west coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu — and her passion for crafting traditional Hawaiian fare as authentically and ethically as possible has led to a truly exquisite selection of delicacies.
You can find her next pop-up this Saturday, July 24 at Strangeways Brewing on Dabney Rd from 1 - 5 pm.
Keep scrolling for RVA’s latest social news, including the new bright and spacious Mediterranean restaurant opening today in Scott’s Addition, the week-long (tomato-specific!) foodie event happening now through Sunday at 12 different local restaurants, a can’t-miss outdoor dance party happening in the Museum District this weekend, the release of Richmond’s most unique monthly subscription service yet from a local LGBTQ-owned biz, and more!
THE LATEST:
THIS WEEK
Not “hot girl summer,” but close (and honestly, better). Duke’s Mayonnaise just announced Hot Tomato Summer, a week-long event featuring seasonal pairings of tomatoes and mayo taking place at restaurants all around Richmond including Saison, Fuzzy Cactus, Ruby Scoops, Common House, North End Juice Co., Cobra Burger, Lunch & Supper, Brenner Pass, Millie's, Perk! Bon Air, Union Market, and ZZQ.
You can find the hours and specials for each restaurant here — and be sure to use the hashtag #HTSRVA if you post about any of ‘em for the chance to win a Duke’s Mayo prize pack. There’s a sentence we never thought we’d say!
Bringing coastal Mediterranean to Scott’s Addition. Richmond’s newest restaurant, Pinky’s, is celebrating its grand opening TODAY (Wednesday, July 21) at 3015 Norfolk St in the space formerly occupied by Urban Farmhouse in Scott’s Addition!
Pinky’s boasts a bright and spacious place with a minimalist industrial-chic vibe, dreamy lighting, ample plant life, an awesome patio, and garage doors that open up with the weather is nice to let the breeze and sunshine in. The menu features coastal Mediterranean fare including tapas like lamb papas, Atlantic crab and sherry risotto, classic meatballs, char-grilled octopus, multiple cheese and charcuterie boards to choose from, and more. You can make your reservations here to check it out for yourself! We’re sure going to.
And here’s the pièce de résistance* — or rather, the Feast De Resistance. Taking place this Sunday, July 25 at 6:30 pm, Feast De Resistance: Black Food Matters is a grassroots outdoor experience featuring a three-course farm-to-table dinner by Sweets and Soirees and an urban garden tour. Seats are limited, so snag your tickets here if you’re interested.
The event is coordinated by The Happily Natural Festival, an Afrikan summer festival dedicated to holistic health, cultural awareness, and social change. You can see more of their upcoming events here.
*Did anyone catch that Hamilton reference? Or are we the only theatre geeks humming The Room Where It Happens over here?
The just-announced monthly subscription we didn’t know we needed. Local trans-owned biz Dayum This Is My Jam is always our go-to for pickles, salsas, and jams when we visit local markets — but we were psyched to learn that we can now get their insanely tasty products delivered straight to our doorstep (along with surprise goodies from other local BIPOC/LGBTQ+ businesses) every freakin’ month through their new subscription program! The options are:
MINI JAM ($25) - 1 jar of mystery member-only jam, 1 jar of mystery member-only pickles, and 1 surprise item per month
MONTHLY JAM ($35) - 1 jar of their top-selling jam (choose between 3 flavors), 1 jar of mystery member-only jam, 1 jar of mystery member-only pickles, 1 jar of salsa with chips OR waffle mix (your choice), and 1 surprise item per month
DELUXE JAM ($65) - 3 jars of their top-selling jams (1 each of Blackberry, Strawberry, and Raspberry), 1 jar of pickles (of your choice), 1 jar of mystery member-only jam, 1 jar of mystery member-only pickles, 1 jar of salsa with chips OR waffle mix (your choice), 1 mini mystery jam, and 1 surprise item per month
We’ll never cease to be amazed by the creativity of Richmond’s small businesses, and we’ll never tire of supporting them — hopefully, you feel the same way!
Saturday night dance party, anyone? In-person music and dancing are returning to the VMFA this Saturday, July 24 with ARTrageous x After Hours: Down South Hustle, a special event inspired by VMFA’s current exhibition The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse.
Local phenom Kelli Lemon will host this outdoor dance party in the VMFA's beautiful sculpture garden, with DJ Lonnie B on the spin, all in celebration of the African American South and generations of artistic and cultural influence on the region and the nation. RSVP here to enjoy one drink ticket (so you can taste at least one of the evening's specialty creative cocktails — additional drink tickets will be available for purchase), heavy hors d'oeuvres, dessert, free parking, and full access to the entire museum!
COMING SOON
Bringing Puglia to Carytown next month. We’re thrilled to learn that the beloved pop-up Sprezza Cucina will be taking over The Broken Tulip at 3129 W Cary St this August with their rustic whimsical southern Italian fare. The folks at Sprezza will be treating the month as a fundraiser of sorts, in an effort to catapult themselves toward their goal of opening their own brick-and-mortar spot in Richmond.
Every day that Sprezza is open in August (which will be many!), sales will go directly towrd a permanent Sprezza location. Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates about ordering and new menu items — we're already drooling just thinking about it!
Taking team bonding to the next level. Now that so many businesses are returning to the office, it’s time to make up for all of the team lunches, happy hours, and more that you missed — which is where the Anthem Corporate Run comes in!
Local companies have the chance to celebrate being able to get back together with their work crew by running or walking this post-work 5k at Innsbrook (happening on Thursday, September 23), then hanging out at an outdoor party complete with a DJ, adult bevvies, and more. You can go hard and spark some friendly competition, or go the relaxed route and walk with the work friends you missed all pandemic long. Learn more here!
Weekly Giveaway
World of Mirth
If you’ve never explored this wonderland of whimsy in the heart of Carytown, consider this your sign to do so!
World of Mirth is one of those stores you could spend hours in. We usually visit when we’re in the mood to find something fun and creative like scooters, kites, slip’n’slides, tie-dye kits, or basically any kind of game.
It’s also a go-to spot when we’re searching for unique gifts (like this Sangria cocktail making kit or this modern lavender sage prayer candle) and items to show off some local love (such as this Richmond notebook or this RVA tote).
We’re giving away a $20 gift certificate so one lucky RVAx member can go explore World of Mirth themselves!
To enter to win: Tell me one of your favorite summertime fun activities as a kid!
Last week: Congratulations to Sheetal M. for winning our TASTE giveaway!
Member Perks
Discover Richmond Tours
Whether you’re new to the city, bored with all of your “usual” places, or just looking for a new way to experience the city, Discover Richmond Tours is definitely the answer.
DRT offers walking food tours, bus-based brewery tours, self-guided tours, scavenger hunts, and gift boxes that let you feel like an insider in RVA!
This husband-and-wife-owned local biz features the city’s top-rated, most delicious food and brewery tours like the Church Hill Food Tour, the Downtown Mural Tour, and so many more.
Members can use code RVAxMEMBER for 10% off of all public tours and scavenger hunts — you can book now here!
new + trending from RVAx
SAVE THE DATE
👋
Hey, new members!
We'd like to welcome 22 new members this week: Nancy S., Elizabeth N., Maisie S., Rachel H., Kevin M., Cheryl P., Charles F., Julia B., Julie B., Jahi W., Carter M., Caroline H., Ram P., Jessica P., Jere M., Annie O., Shaina L., Jill M., Caitlin C., Senta G., Aaron W., and Tanner L., we're so glad you're here!
It takes a village, so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 165 of The Weekly Insider.
Have an awesome week & weekend!
- The Richmond Experience
OUR LOCAL PARTNERS
