The perks of being a line cook, the approach of Cider Week, dat fire (flour & fork), and an ode to a calzone

JACK ATTACK

Do you crave ramen and burgers at late hours? Do you get off after a long night of working the line looking for dumplings? The Jackdaw knows all about it, and Ian and the crew have created a pop-up for like-minded industry friends and the night owls that love them. On Monday, November 14th catch The Jackdaw at Millie's from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am. Take a look at the menu on their event page, and imagine all the ways it will satisfy even your deepest case of the munchies.

THE BLOOD OF APPLES

We're about to embark on another Cider Week! Fill your week (and your drinkin' cups) from November 11th to 20th with sweet (or dry) Virginia Cider at a slew of cider-related events. Get your fill at the Hill & Holler Ploughman's Feast at the new Blue Bee Cider in Scott's Addition, on November 13th from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Blue Bee will welcome cider friends from Albemarle CiderWorks, Potter's Craft Cider, & Foggy Ridge Cider; and Dutch & Co, Stroops, Stock Provisions, and Twenty Paces will serve up food, inclusive in the $35 ticket price. (Cider is pay-as-you-go. Budget accordingly.)

And if you're looking for an advance taste of all the cidery goodness, check out this preview event this Saturday at Ellwood Thompson's Beet Café.

PORK PALS

If you eat pork at any of Richmond's (or VA's or DC's, for that matter) best restaurants, you've probably come across the darlings of Virginia-raised heritage-breed pork, Autumn Olive Farms. In this article, Phaedra Hise delves into the way Autumn Olive was able to establish an influencer marketing campaign by choosing smart partners and creating lasting relationships. It's clearly working for Autumn Olive. Could it work for your business?

THE 'F' WORDS

Fire, Flour & Fork is right around the corner! So much so that I'm having crazy food festival dreams on a nightly basis. I call them "Festival Sweats," and they're very real. If you still need a nudge toward FFF perfection, take a look at my Top 6 Insider Picks over on CBS6, and then get with the ticket buying!

DARK RYE RISES

If you like your stouts like you like your Leonard Cohen songs--dark and dry--Ardent Craft Ales is sure to hit the spot this weekend with the release of their Dark Rye Stout. Here's how the folks at Ardent describe the brew: "The spiciness of the rye is privileged over the roasted quality in both aroma and flavor. The beer is full-bodied, with a dry, chocolaty finish." And what pairs better with full-bodied beers than smoked brisket and tacos? No, seriously, I'm asking. ZZQ and Intergalactic Tacos will be on-hand with food to pair with those stouts.

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE...

Support the Byrd Theatre tomorrow by watching The Big Lebowski on the big screen. Optional bathrobe bar crawl would make El Duderino proud, especially if you order a bunch of caucasians. Just watch the rug, man.

SIP OF THE WEEK: Hardywood's Rye Whisky Barrel Pumpkin

The pumpkin-y beer took the 7th place honor on Draft's Pumpkin Beer Ranking, and here's what they had to say about it:

At 10.5% ABV and thick as heavy cream, this big boy from Richmond, Virginia would be a chore to drink if it wasn’t also so nuanced. Sweet and spicy as a cinnamon roll inside a wet rye whiskey barrel, the beer overlaps warm cinnamon with peppercorns and clove, while pumpkin rind and innards are expertly supported by a foundation of caramel, vanilla pods and dark fruit sugars. It’s a little hot but well-constructed, finishing dry for its sugary strength and capturing all the desired qualities of pumpkin, spice and barrel.

BITE OF THE WEEK: Maldini's Calzone

I'm as surprised as you are, but the calzone at Maldini's taps into a place that I had forgotten--my early memories of Calzones (and Kendalzones) from Mac & Bob's in Salem, VA. The combination of molten marinara, mozzarella, and ricotta in a perfectly crispy calzone shell is one that makes taking my kid to play soccer in Forest Hill Park at 5:00 pm tolerable, and that's saying something.

GRAM OF THE WEEK: @the_cask_cafe

Happy 3rd birthday, Cask Cafe!