Ed 74: More Fall Festivals, The Most Food News, Headlines
This edition of The Weekly Insider is proudly brought to you by AR Workshop!
Hey there!
Fall is officially underway and the festivals continue to roll on! There are five big festivals this weekend, so much food news we are stuffed just writing about it, and one of our Richmond 50 partners is celebrating their one year anniversary. Plus a long awaited spot just quietly opened and RVA is all over the headlines. Happy reading!
THE LATEST:
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FOOD + DRINK NEWS
In some of the biggest food news this year, Richmond is getting a food hall! Your mind might immediately go to a mall food court with lots of neon signs, bad fake plants, and fast food — this is not like that. Imagine well-designed spaces, local food and drink, has WiFi, sometimes offers a market, shopping or other services, and it’s actually cool. The food hall craze has swept the nation over the last few years with vendors, restaurateurs, and patrons all praising the convenience, community, and vibe within each market. New York’s Chelsea Market, Chicago’s Eately, Austin’s Fareground, and Miami’s La Centrale are just a few of the over 100 in the US. The Bellville, Richmond’s Food Hall, will open at 1509 Belleville St in Scott’s Addition next year with 16 vendors and a rooftop. The Veil Brewing will move their taproom to the new food hall keeping their current space for production. This is a huge development for Richmond and we’re excited to see the final outcome! (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
A local cidery is building a cider lab, moving to a bigger space, and closing their current location. Bryant’s Cider will move to 2114 E. Main St giving them more production space and the ability to distribute statewide. So what’s a cider lab? It’s a create-your-own cider flavor on the spot using flavored tinctures (concentrated liquid herbal extract). “The cider lab is a fun way for us to embrace all the weird and funky flavor profiles we like to create and share the experience with our customers” says owner Jerry Thornton. Of course, if you like the Unicorn Fuel (which has developed a cult-like following) then skip the lab and head straight for the taps. Look for this to open January 2020. Their current space in Jackson Ward will close sometime in December.
Blanchards on Broad St opened QUIETLY yesterday. They are hoping to stay low key for a bit so take this information, go get you a cup of coffee, and tell no one. Also, you didn’t hear it from us.
Calling all musicians, a guitar shop is coming to Scott’s Addition! On October 18 One Three will open its doors providing specialized and personalized service and repairs of all kinds, new and used guitars, plus accessories and of course community! Hang out at the shop, meet other musicians, and try a guitar (yes, you may play Stairway). RSVP for their free opening event here happening on Friday, October 18 from 6pm to 11pm.
Speaking of music, the 2020 Innsbrook After-Hours concert series was in the balance but it sounds like things will continue as is for the upcoming year. (Richmond Bizsense)
A new Italian restaurant has opened in The Fan! Gersi serves Northern Italian cuisine featuring handmade pasta dishes and simple ingredients. This is the second location for Gersi, the first located in Brooklyn, NY. A quick Google search shows they are well rated on sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Open Table. According to this article and several online reviews, the Spaghetti Al Limone is a staple dish. We are sad to see Swan Dive go but pasta and wine will surely cure our blues. (Richmond Mag)
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Brewer’s Cafe is named best coffee shop in Virginia by Buzzfeed, again! Using an algorithm that ranks reviews on their site, Yelp provided data to Buzzfeed to generate this list of top spots. The review they chose to share is spot on citing the relaxed vibe with hip hop music and books, great food (side bar: Brewer’s was also named best sandwich in Virginia in Travel and Leisure two years ago), and the lattes as all the reasons to love Brewer’s.
Forbes featured tons of spots around Richmond in a recent article “A Weekend In Virginia: From Capital To Countryside”. As you can guess, the booming food and craft beer scene was heavily covered including Mama Js Kitchen, Lehja, Longoven, Alewife, Brenner Pass, Heritage, Courthouse Creek Cider, Blue Bee Cider, Strangeways, and Ardent as well as the forthcoming Fire, Flour, & Fork festival. Recommendations for stay included The Jefferson and Quirk Hotel. Scott’s Addition was described as (wait for it…) “Neverland, where adults never grow up, but instead play shuffleboard at Tang & Biscuit and challenge friends to Pac-Man and Donkey Kong duels while guzzling craft beer on tap at The Circuit Arcade Bar”. The iconic pedestrian bridge to Belle Isle and T. Tyler Potterfield Bridge were both mentioned along with the new American Civil War Museum.
People named Proper Pie Co the best pie in Virginia! They partnered with Eater’s “regional bureaus to choose the best-tasting pies, giving special weight to those with regionally inspired recipes and locally sourced ingredients” reads the article. With this chilly fall weather rolling in it’s the perfect time go get a warm savory pie!
HAPPENINGS
Richmond Restaurant Week’s Fall iteration is happening October 21-27 and restaurants are starting to share their menus. Start organizing your group and making reservations, you’ll be happy you did!
Check out the event calendar below for the top events happening this weekend and throughout the month! ↓
Image Credit: @aaron__adkins
Weekly Giveaway
Top Golf
Last Friday Top Golf opened in Richmond! Offering a wide selection of games that utilize micro-chipped golf balls to keep track of every shot, you can see the accuracy and distance of each ball (which is not always a good thing 🤣) . The venue has tons of TVs, shareable bites, a full menu, bars, and more. This week we’re giving away a $40 gift card! To enter, tell us if you’ve ever been to a Top Golf. We had been twice before but hadn’t gotten the chance to play until now. The Richmond Top Golf is impressive!
In all the excitement of launching the new site last week, we forgot to announce the winner of the $25 Union Market gift card —congratulations to Katie B. for winning! Enjoy the proscuitto & fig, it is GOOD!
The winner of last week’s giveaway, two tickets to Garden Glow at Maymont, is… Nydia H.! Hope you have a great time with your Dad and we wish him a happy birthday!
Member Perks
AR Workshop
This Sunday AR Workshop celebrates their one year anniversary at Stony Point Fashion Park with an open house! Visit their beautiful workshop space, enjoy complimentary sips & sweets*, take advantage of giveaways and promotions, browse new seasonal sample projects, and shop the retail boutique featuring home decor, jewelry, gifts & accessories! Plus the first 50 people in the door get a FREE Fall mini make & take.* Register here!
Members get 15% Off any standard project! Use code: RVAEXP15. Valid through 12/31.
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It takes a village so let us know if you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, tips, or recs! Thanks for reading edition 74 of The Insider.
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