Plate and Goblet: Lotte lovers, tortillas by the thousands, and Veganuary

Food writers like to kick off the new year with lists of the latest food trends, and one top trend I recently read about struck me as right on the money: "Asian Flavors and Chains."

I can vouch for this trend after a recent visit to Lotte Plaza Market, one of my favorite places to stock up on Asian snacks like seaweed and Korean rice puff sticks – and to just plain browse.

The store was considerably more crowded than on my first visit soon after its opening – but the crowds were in no way annoying.

Instead of dodging carts steered by typical grocery store shoppers hellbent on zipping through, I found families of all ages and ethnicities moving at a leisurely, "oh-what-have-we-here?" pace. Delighted by the multilingual customer chatter, and amused by the wide-eyed kids staring at towering stacks of exotic treats, I was as entertained and intrigued by the diversity of the clientele as I was by the array of products.

It seems that chefs and food-industry types like to shop at Lotte, too. A Richmond Magazine survey of restaurant workers and food shop owners found among them fans of Korean fried chicken, kimchi pancakes, and red bean buns from the Lotte food court and bakery. But the foodies also praised Lotte's plentiful produce, sushi ingredients, and variety of Indian foods, among other fare.

Recent Richmond Magazine issues also includes a number of shout-outs to Henrico restaurants, including a December round-up of best new places that listed Doña Cocina Mexicana, White Tiger, Con Salsa, Cantonese Kitchen, Shoreline Seafood Market, Taco Bamba, and Farm and Oak.

The January issue highlights Cupertino's N.Y. Bagels, along with ShoreDog Cafe's breakfast Super Bowl and the Chicago-style deep-dish pizza at Redemption BBQ (which must be ordered ahead and is available only on weekends).

Back in the July issue, Redemption also was lauded for its hand-cut fries cooked in lard, while Bocata Arepa Bar drew praise for its Venezuelan hamburguesa, and Fat Boy's Bar & Grill in Sandston was recognized for its signature sauce enhancing the patty melt and namesake burger.

Roy's Big Burger in Lakeside, Ronnie's BBQ in Varina, and Q Barbeque in Glen Allen were also highlighted, while in the June issue, the "Best Bites" section noted Eggmania's paneer bhurji and Vietnam One's broken rice BBQ. Tiki-Tiki also was profiled in the "Remember That Place?" feature, and Kismet Modern India was singled out for its extensive selection of craft cocktails and mocktails – a feature not often found in Indian restaurants.

The magazine also noted recently that, while Surrounding Counties specialty coffee shop has temporarily closed, it will reopen in mid-March in the Village Shopping Center. The new shop will at first be run as a take-out-only, "grab-and-go" venture, but with an eye toward returning to a full-service coffee house.

Also in the coffee-shop department, the folks at RIC Today noted a few Henrico spots in their guide to RVA coffee, including Ironclad Coffee, which has a cafe on John Rolfe Parkway. The Italian cafe Caffespresso on Gaskins Road won praise both for its caprese panini and the local art that lines its walls, and Front Porch Cafe on Nine Mile Road was acclaimed for its classic breakfast sandwiches and beef brisket hash.

Beer bust?

Another brew has been in the national news lately, as it experiences a surprising downturn after years of steady growth.

In a story entitled "Has the Craft Beer Industry's Keg Finally Kicked?", the New York Times noted that for the first time in decades, more breweries closed than opened last year – and some speculate that the beer boom is over for good.

But others in the industry comment that while trends indicate Gen Z adults in particular are consuming less alcohol than previous generations, they are also a big part of the shift toward the rapidly-growing popularity of non-alcoholic beers.

Craft beer may not be the novelty that it once was, say the experts, but beer is hardly going away. Brewery closures are just a sign that the marketplace has maxed out and matured, and that brewers simply need to become more focused.

In December, VPM profiled the owner of Tortilleria Mixteca, Beato Ortiz Hernández, and traced his journey to opening Virginia’s first large-scale tortilla manufacturing factory.

Located behind the restaurant on Nine Mile Road, the factory employs a staff of eight and produces more than 80,000 tortillas weekly. Ortiz Hernández imported the shop's machinery from Mexico and grinds the corn – also imported from Mexico – using a special mill equipped with volcanic stone. To him, the shop is not simply a business, but a way to celebrate the Mixtecan culture and its indigenous peoples – as well as to help his Henrico neighbors to learn more about it.

Pizza for Veganuary

Mellow Mushroom is celebrating Veganuary, the annual movement to promote plant-based dining, by bringing back one of its plant-based menu items for a limited time. Available through March 10 at many Mellow Mushroom locations, the Miss Mushroom pizza is made with minced garlic, red sauce, fresh spinach, dairy-free mozzarella, sliced portobello andcaramelized onions, and is then baked and topped with feta crumbles and chives.

Recent openings and coming soon

A new location of Cava, the fast-casual Mediterranean chain, is now open in the Creeks at Virginia Center in Glen Allen.

Dave's Hot Chicken is now open in Short Pump, near the corner of Pump Road and West Broad Street.

Shawarma Inc. has opened on West Broad Street near Tan A Supermarket, in the former location of Lebanese Bakery.

The Smoothie Spot, a New-England-based chain, is expected to open a location in Gayton Crossing Shopping Center by the end of February.

Ugly Dumpling, a Chinese-street-food chain, was slated to open this past fall in Willow Lawn but pushed back its opening to early 2025 due to construction delays.

Richmond BizSense reported that an Indian restaurant is coming to Rocketts Landing, and pizza chain Emmy Squared will soon take over the old Burger Bach space in Short Pump.