Next Thursday, 2/9, the restaurant is holding a special Dogfish Head event. Josh Fruchtman from the brewery will be there, and the bar will be tapping eight special Dogfish Head brews you’ll have trouble finding elsewhere. Options include:
- Bitches Brew, a bold, dark beer
- Ta Henket, an earthy, ancient-inspired ale
- Theobroma, a special beer infused with cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, chilies and annato
- Red & White, a Belgian-style witbier brewed with coriander and orange peel, then fermented with pinot noir juice
- Palo Santo, an unfiltered brown ale
- World Wide Stout, a roasty, complex beer brewed with lots of barley
- Sahtea, a modern take on 9th century Finnish beer that’s fermented with German weizen yeast and flavored with juniper berries from Finland, black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black pepper
- My Antonia, a continually hopped pilsner

Stop by to try something new!

Every Monday the restaurant offers special wine flights, which makes for a fun way to expand your tastebuds. For $10, you get the dealer’s choice. Just let your server or bartender know what you love, hate or are in the mood for, and let the expert concoct an awesome combination for you. For $12, you can pick any three wines off the by-the-glass menu to sample. And, there’s also a flight of the week you can choose—this consists of three wines from a particular region, grape or just something owner Julia Battaglini has been loving lately. Price varies.

While you’re there, make sure to check out the amazing selection of cheese, meats, house-made pates and inventive small plates. You’re sure to find something perfect to go with your wine.

The Maymont Flower & Garden Show has long been a Richmond tradition. You’ll learn about the latest trends in horticulture and gardening through impressive displays (think indoor garden displays the size of a room or larger) and seminars with fabulous guest speakers, plus you’ll get to shop a humongous marketplace packed with a wide array of plants and garden adornments. Part of the convention center is transformed into a garden wonderland that’s heaven for those with green thumbs.

Along with the Maymont show, your ticket gets you admission to the MAC Events 2011 Richmond Home Show, which features ideas for your home and garden including remodeling solutions, landscaping ideas, interior design trends, furnishings and ways to make your home more environmentally friendly. With more than 300 displays, this show is the largest home and garden event in Central Virginia.

We at the Grace Manor Inn can direct you to parking near the convention center. We can also suggest some stops along the route if you want brunch or lunch before you go.

Children’s Health Involving Parents (CHIP of Greater Richmond) will host its seventh annual Chocoholic! on Thursday, February 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Virginia War Memorial. There’ll be local chocolatiers, bakeries and other speciality shops on site with samples of their best confections, along with wine from Barboursville Vineyards and beer from Capital Ale House. As you indulge, there’ll be live music, plus a silent auction with all sorts of items to bid on.

Tickets cost $50 each and include two drink tickets. Get yours here and plan a long weekend in Richmond.

Opened in 2011, this craft brewery is quickly becoming known for producing quality brews and distinctive seasonal flavors. The tasting room is open Thursdays from from 4-7 p.m.; Fridays from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 2-5 p.m. Hours can vary, so check the listing here before you go.

The tasting room offers samples of Hardywood’s brews, including Hardywood Singel, a Belgian abbey-style blonde ale, as well as whatever seasonal brews on are on tap. Past concoctions have included Hardywood Farmhouse Pumpkin, a Wallonian-style farmhouse ale brewed with pumpkin and fall spices, and Hardywood Gingerbread Stout, an imperial milk stout brewed with fresh local ginger and honey. If you find a favorite, you can purchase freshly filled growlers or bottles to take home with you in the tasting room as well.

Even if you don’t make it to the brewery, keep an eye out for Hardywood’s beers when you’re dining around town. This addition to the city’s beverage scene is quickly showing up on menus everywhere.

Your $5 admission fee gets you in for the whole day—you can come and go as you please. There’ll be festivities going all afternoon and evening, including an appearance by the famed writer himself at 5 p.m. and birthday cake. There’ll also be live bands, belly dancers, a Victorian seance, Edgar Allan Poe Jeopardy and an 11:30 p.m. champagne toast. Go here for a full schedule of events.

The museum will be open too, so you can also step into 19th century Richmond were Poe lived and worked and view a collection of the author’s manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings.

Stop by and enjoy the party!

All in one spot you’ll find than 50 independent crafters from across the country selling jewelry, home decor, toys, baby clothes, apparel, wall art, and more. All that, all in one spot for your convenient, buying pleasure. The show is juried, so you know you’ll find the best of the best in independent crafting. Happy shopping!