Welcome back to your biweekly fast and furious food zoom.

This time, we’re fueled by espresso martinis at Fire & Hops Pizza Co.—they are frothy, strong and 100% vroom-inducing.

What we’ve heard

An opening date for Ugly Dumpling

We put in a call to Ugly Dumpling and were told that the restaurant is slated to open Wednesday Feb.19. The regional chain that’s known for incredible soup dumplings—among other fun dumpling treats—has pushed back opening a few times. We hope this one sticks so everyone can slurp the soup dumpling sampler with one pork, shrimp and spinach; one pork and crab; one chicken; and one pork and truffle (dang!).

Comings and goings at Hardywood

Over at Hardywood Park Brewery, the beer, the commitment to quality and the environment remain the same, but there’s been a little shift in day-to-day operations. Patrick Murtaugh, owner, founder and head brewer, has stepped back.

Murtaugh was one of the instrumental players in SB604, the Virginia law that lets us, the public, drink in breweries around the state. While Murtaugh remains an owner, he will be taking his several (13) years of experience of leading an award-winning brewery toward other projects.

While we’re on the topic of Hardywood, try the latest cocktail on the menu at the Ownby Park location: the Oaxacan in a Winter Wonderland  combines mezcal, coconut, rye and a splash of locally made Virago Spirits coffee liqueur. Perfect for dissociating from cold temperatures while still feeling in season.

Where we’ve been, what we’ve seen

Mardi Gras mayhem

Speaking of cold, a full month of Mardi Gras snacks and cocktails are just what we need this winter. Get Tight Lounge has a new themed menu with gumbo, red beans and rice and jambalaya. “I still meet so many people and they have no idea what Get Tight Lounge is,” says co-owner Drew Schlegel. Yes, GTL (nope, not gym, tan, laundry)  is a music venue and bar, but Schlegel also wants you to visit this spot for dining and gathering with friends.

To that end, there’s a new chef in the kitchen. Arthur Siler, out of Los Angeles, is focused on fine-tuning the food to pair with the already excellent live music lineup. Whether or not you are laissez-ing les bon temps rouler, you should not miss Siler’s wings. They are baked then grilled, so you know, “healthy,” and all the sauces are made from scratch. Honey Old Bay is our flavor winner. And of course, you can still get the signature pit beef sandwiches featuring meat that’s cooked fresh over open coals, or the meat-free pit beet. Don’t miss the french fries. Schlegel takes his potatoes seriously, and for that he deserves 2,000 high fives.

Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day is still looming 

The Hallmark holiday is still polarizing and still only made better, in our humble opinion, by snacks. Here’s what we’re hoping for if anyone wants to send us a treat for red day.

If your Valentine is a vegan (say that three times fast), Horne Dogs and Tiny Vegan are teaming up for a special Valentine’s menu at Tiny Vegan on the big day from 5 to 8 p.m. We haven’t seen the menu yet, but if we know Horne Dogs, the selection will be playful and pun-filled. Because really, nothing says love like a meat-free version of a food that’s barely meat to begin with. Our advice: get there early.

If you thought pop-up bars ended with the new year, you are wrong! Napa Kitchen and Wine Bar is hosting “Cloud Wine” through Valentine’s Day. The  restaurant is packed with over-the-top lights, decor, themed cocktails and even a kissing booth photo opp. Make your reservation at nkwine.com.

Still hoping to scratch your Bridgerton itch (or wear that Regency-style empire gown you bought for one party)? Laura Lee’s is hosting a Victorian Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day fete Feb. 13. The “promenade” features drink specials AKA “tea that is absolutely *scalding.*” There won’t be any dukes, but you can expect nattily dressed drag queens Sweet Pickles , London Lestrange and Stacy Max. It’s sure to be nanty narking all for a good cause, The Holli Fund, which provides emergency grants to food service workers in crisis. Full disclosure, Robey is a founder of the nonprofit named for former Richmond restaurant critic, Hollister Lindley. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased here.

You’ve got to try it (and can we get more of it)?

Power pillar

We have knocked a lot off our RVA eating bucket list, but this may be the tallest order. The Tower of Power at Black Lodge features two tiers piled high with the Lodge’s signature haute hot dogs, wings, patty melts and skinny french fries. It’s meant to feed six and a bargain at $110. On a recent visit, the patty melt—topped with caramelized onions, gruyere, dijon mustard and au jus—stole the show, along with the house-made celery ranch sauce. If you really want to make it a party, add the caviar and shots: two shots of your spirit of choice paired with caviar, creme fraiche and kettle chips. Be a true baller and dip those tower fries in the creme fraiche, then top with the caviar.

Super spirals 

It’s the fattest everything bagel in Richmond, for sure, and most likely the most “everything-ed.” Sunday Bagel began popping up in 2022 and is hanging a Sunday residency shingle at Pamplemousse Gallery in the Fan through the end of February. Owners, Julie and Jesse Roberts, hail from New York so they know a little about bagels. We suggest anything they do with mortadella, but the salmon is pretty dang great as well. Definitely get a couple—you have to buy them in twos; snag a pickled pepper cream cheese and head home for a toasting. For what it’s worth, this residency means less of the mile-long lines and sellouts Sunday Bagel is known for.

What we’re eating at home

Robey: I am not the only one super into this low-intervention wine thing, but I might be carrying Richmond in the amount I am consuming. My favorite right now is from winemaker Vinyes Singulars, a winery that began making wine in 1405. Wow-ee, right?  For Vinyes, their wine has always been natural meaning: organic, low-intervention and biodynamic. You can get yours at Shields Market.

Megan: The desserts from Stella’s Grocery are on rotation in my fridge. Big and sturdy enough to stay fresh for a week of straight-from-the-fridge bites, I can’t stop sneaking more of the espresso martini cheesecake and the chocolate mousse pie.

Where we’re headed

It’s official, Peterspatch is now a staycation contender. And we have been all up in Hotel Petersburg’s (which opened to the public in December) website looking at all of the reasons we should travel 25 minutes outside of Richmond to chill.

Here are a few we see:

• There’s a speakeasy, The Boiler Room, with fun cocktails like the Cold Fashion, an upper of Mr. Black coffee liqueur, Bulleit Rye and orange bitters.
• Shirley’s, the main restaurant, boasts a 20 West Shrimp Salsa Martini served with tortilla chips—yes please.
• And coming this spring, there’s a rooftop bar—with fire pits.

—XOXO Megan and Robey