The biggest and saddest news of all was about the fire this past weekend at Rappahannock. The East Grace Street restaurant will be closed until the necessary repairs can be made. You can check in with Rapp Session next door — owners Ryan and Travis Croxton hope to keep it open for the duration. rroysters.com.
Now for the good news: The ever-popular Early Bird Biscuit Co. is opening a second location at 1221 Bellevue Ave. in North Side. People, I can walk to that place from my house. Northsiders were devastated when the bakery moved from its Lakeside location to the Fan almost a year ago. Don't worry, Fan denizens, that spot will remain open. earlybirdbiscuit.com.
It's hopping on this northern side of town: Boogaloos Bar & Grill will open at 210 W. Brookland Park Blvd. — it's also within walking distance of my house — in the fall. "[Owner Nerisa J. Ford's] vision: a small, neighborhood place offering an atmosphere like the bar in the television show 'Cheers,'" reports the Times-Dispatch. My name is Brandon, Ms. Ford. I'll see you soon.
We’ve been waiting for the confirmation and now we have it: Black Hand Coffee Co. has begun roasting its beans over at 15 E. Brookland Park Blvd not too far from Boogaloo's planned location and across the street from the now-closed Streetcar Cafe. The plan is for an April opening. You can expect a patio and food truck events — possibly even beer, reports Richmond BizSense. And never fear, the Patterson location will keep chugging along, as well. blackhandcoffeeco.com.
I received a mysterious Japanese cocktail the other week, and it turned out to be a gift from the folks at the Rogue Gentlemen. Over at 506 W. Broad St., Boka Tavern gave it a real shot before it closed last year, but now Rogue Gentlemen owner John Maher is taking over the space. Yaki, Maher’s riff on the Japanese izakaya — or pub — married with the country’s street food — yakitori — will open in May, reports Richmond magazine. facebook.com/yakirichmond.
And my bad — I don’t know how I missed it, but Burger Bach announced that it plans to move to a bigger space at 3426 W. Cary St. We like to call it “The Bach” in my family, and the joy of garlic aioli on a burger knows no bounds — nor will it even a block away from where it's located now. theburgerbach.com.
Happenings:
It's Black Restaurant Week right now and until Sunday, March 12 — I spoke to one of the organizers, Kelli Lemon, and she gave diners all the information they need to get out there and eat. blackrestaurantweek.com.
The Virginia Wine Expo starts today at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and runs through Sunday, March 12. It’s one of the most wide-ranging Virginia wine-tasting events, and a way to keep up with an industry that sold 6.6 million bottles in 2016, according to Gov. McAuliffe’s office. virginiawineexpo.com.
On Thursday, March 9, you can sample two different French wines with each course of this four-course meal at Amour Wine Bistro. The Dueling Distributors Dinner
starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $69. facebook.com/amourwinebistro.
El Balderinos — let’s contemplate that name for a moment. It’s from the consistently wild imagination of the folks at Center of the Universe Brewing Co. On Saturday, March 11, COTU is throwing a St. Patrick’s Day party for a team of folks that will shave their heads — El Balderinos — at the Church Hill Irish Festival. The group raised $15,680 last year with the shave to benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation which supports childhood cancer research. cotubrewing.com.