The Slice: A pleasing collaboration, an eclipse after-party, and damn fine coffee

photo: Stephanie Ganz

PRETTY PLEASE

For their first-ever collaboration dinner, the team at Brenner Pass welcomes chef Ryan Santos of Please in Cincinnati for a six-course dinner with wine pairings by Nathan Conway on Sunday, September 17th. Brittanny Anderson says, "Ryan and I cooked together in NYC for indie chefs week and hit it off. He's awesome and super talented! The only thing I know for sure is that he's doing his abelskivers, and they are delicious! When I had them last, he served them with apple, caramel and gjetost as a sort of cheese course." Tickets are $80/person.

THERE IS A SAISON, TURN, TURN, TURN

The lush, geometrically shaped beds and babbling fountains of Maymont's Italian Garden will provide a picturesque backdrop for four of Richmond's most notable chefs at a special fundraising dinner on Sunday, September 10th. For their "For Every Saison" dinner, Maymont will welcome chefs Joe Sparatta, Lee Gregory, Dale Reitzer and Walter Bundy, who will create a five-course menu paired with five selections from Hardywood. Tickets are $150 and proceeds benefit the jewel of the city that is Maymont.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

We're less than two weeks away from a solar eclipse that will be visible within a roughly 70 mile stretch of the country, including a wee glimpse from right here in RVA. On eclipse day, 8/21, 821 will host an Eclipse After-Party, featuring Josh Small performing on the patio, and a screening of The Watcher in the Woods after sundown. Eclipse-themed food and drink specials will also be available.

KNOW THY FARMER('S MARKET)

It's #NationalFarmersMarketWeek! If you need an excuse to get out there and buy food with traceable origins from people who contribute to your local economy, well, here you go.

PASSPORT IN HAND

You don't need a passport to travel to Latin America tonight. Just mosey over to Libbie Mill - Midtown for Real Richmond Food Tours' Passport to Summer: Latin America, where you'll find eating, drinking & dancing with the Gaucho and Panchito food trucks, beer from Duvel, performances by Sacred Heart Center, and a live cooking demo by Sergio Gomez of Flora. Proceeds from this event benefit Tricycle Urban Ag.

THERE WAS A FISH IN THE PERCOLATOR

Gold Cart is teaming up with The Great Southern to host "Fire Brunch With Me," a Twin Peaks brunch, on August 27th at Comfort. Menu details are forthcoming, but we can all rest assured, there will be (damn fine) coffee.

EAT STUFF THIS WEEKEND

This Saturday is one of the final ZZQ appearances at Ardent Craft Ales before the brisket-smoking team will open their nearby restaurant this winter. (You can also catch them at a special industry night on August 14th at Ardent if you miss this one.) Brasa pops up at The Veil on Friday and Ardent on Saturday, both 4-9. Gaucho will be at Väsen on Saturday from 4:00 to 6:00 and Blue Bee on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00. Go Go Vegan Go is dealing with some mechanical issues but should be at Ardent Sunday from 1:30 to 7:30.

SIP OF THE WEEK: BUSKEY CIDER'S HONEY HABAÑERO

The folks from Buskey Cider and Belle Isle Moonshine will be posted up at Fat Dragon on Friday, August 11th from 5:30 to 11:00 pm for the release of their new Honey Habañero cider. 

BITE OF THE WEEK: (MOSTLY) VEGAN DONUTS AT SUGAR SHACK

According to Style Weekly, all of the dough used for Sugar Shack's addictive/delectable/relationship-with-pants-jeopardizing donuts is now VEGAN. Some toppings may still include ingredients derived from animal sources, but not that yeasty, fluffy dough. Unless you consider yeast to be non-vegan, in which case, I can't help you. No one can.

GRAM OF THE WEEK: @COLLAGE_BALL

Typically, I focus on food-related Instagrams, both here and in my daily life, but this one just came across my feed, and it is ACES. Take a lifetime collection of baseball cards, turn them into Art, and here we are: Collage Ball.