In the summer, things slow down a little. The openings, the closings, the plans and expectations for the Richmond dining scene — none of it is quite as hopping as usual. Nonetheless, the local world keeps on turning. The Weekly Food Notes took a hiatus last week, so we’re doing a little catch-up.
Hey, hey! The Richmond Wine Station is now open, it announced on its Facebook page. For more details, follow this link to a little story I did about it a while back. richmondwinestation.com
The Times-Dispatch reports that the new Sauer Center development where Pleasant’s Hardware had resided most of my adult life — and which will be anchored by Whole Foods — has been conditionally approved by the city. Um, conditionally? Has anyone told Jeff Bezos?
The Pit and the Peel, VCU’s favorite juice spot, opened its second location in Carytown in the former Pomegranate space at 3321 W. Cary St. You can expect an expanded menu and plenty of store swag on offer. thepitandthepeel.com.
The owners of the Pig & the Pearl have sold the restaurant’s building, coincidentally right across the street from the future Whole Foods, for the tide sum of $1.2 million, reports Richmond BizSense. They’re in a dispute with one of their investors, but Season and Mathew Appelget say the sale has nothing to do with it, and the restaurant will continue to operate. pigandpearl.com.
Nothing succeeds like success. Idle Hands Bread Co. is opening its second location at 407 Strawberry St., Richmond magazine reports. That’s the old Strawberry Wok and Sushi space. For another look at Idle Hands and owner Jay Metzler, follow this link. facebook.com/idlehandsbread.
Did I mention that Brenner Pass, the latest from the folks at Metzger Bar & Butchery, opened last week for dinner? You’ll find James Beard Award-nominated chef Brittanny Anderson at 3200 Rockbridge St. in Scott’s Addition serving Alpine-inflected cuisine. Obviously that means fondue, but also other dishes such as fritto misto with white anchovy, fennel, onion, lemon, and trout grenobloise with pommes fondant, lemon and parsley. brennerpassrva.com.
Mean Bird, the fried chicken food truck, opened a permanent spot in the old Sticky Rice To Go Go spot at 2227 W. Main St. tomorrow, while Hanami Sushi closed the same day in Glen Allen. meanbirdrva.com.
