Weekly Food Notes: Stone’s Soft Open, Ironclad Coffee + More

Pioneer: Members of the local dining scene and others were saddened last week by the news of Coalter Turpin’s death. The 54-year-old owner of Bottom’s Up Pizza, Turpin was one of the first to open in Shockoe Bottom. A generation of servers and kitchen staff learned the restaurant business from an owner not much older than they were at the time. Turpin also worked with the Daily Planet and Freedom House, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Special Olympics, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and sponsored boys at Fork Union Military Academy.

Openings: Stone Brewing’s tasting room opened quietly two weekends ago — so quietly that only the Times-Dispatch heard the doors swing open. Brewery spokeswoman Nickie Peña says that the lack of ballyhoo was because Stone isn’t geared up for local production yet — once its Richmond-brewed beer is ready this summer, the celebration will begin. The media, state and city officials and other local brewers finally got a glimpse last week. stonebrewing.com. … Ironclad Coffee Roasters is cooking beans and is ready for business in Scott’s Addition. It’s not a traditional coffee shop but a retail store and roaster, with beans and coffee accessories for sale. ironcladcoffee.com.

Winning: Keswick Vineyards’ 2014 Cabernet Franc Estate Reserve won the 2016 Governor’s Cup. The tasting notes describe the wine as “light and graceful, but also powerful — dense with black pepper and exotic spices that turn into darker fruits as the wine is aerated.” It’s available online and at the vineyard located outside of Charlottesville. keswickvineyards.com. … Metzger Bar & Butchery made Elle’s list of the best female-run restaurants in the United States, and Food Network declared Kuba Kuba’s huevos rancheros as the best breakfast in Virginia.

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