Plate and Goblet: Barber shop to wine bar, kimchi paradise, and Ronnie's rules

A former barber shop in the Tuckahoe Shopping Center on Ridge Road has been transformed into a wine shop.

Click a Wine Spot focuses on American wines, with retail up front and a wine bar in the back. The wine bar offers a chance to sit down and enjoy wines by the glass, as well as snacks ranging from tostadas to a charcuterie board. Currently, wine tastings take place on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., but the schedule of events is expected to expand.

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Good news for restaurant lovers in Eastern Henrico! Richmond BizSense reports that Maya Latin Kitchen is now open in its new Sandston location on Williamsburg Road.

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Another recent BizSense report highlighted the impending arrival of Ford’s Garage in Short Pump. The restaurant chain's location in West Broad Village – at the former site of Carolina Ale House and MPM Tiki Bar (which has moved around the corner) – will be the first in Virginia. Designed to resemble an old-timey service station, the venues often feature a Model A hanging from the ceiling and servers decked out in auto shop attire. Menu fare centers around burgers, BBQ, sandwiches and salads.

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Taco Bamba, a Northern-Virginia-based chain, is off and running in Willow Lawn. Known for its innovative twists on traditional tacos, the local venue also features Richmond-centric tacos such as the Rich Men and the Scott's Addiction, along with a patio and full bar.

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Ronnie's rules! The Original Ronnie’s BBQ restaurant recently bested a field of chefs and pit masters from across the South to win the top award at a BBQ competition in Chicago. Ronnie's – a Varina fixture located on the Virginia Capital Trail – won with a menu of smoked brisket, brown sugar bacon, sriracha deviled eggs, honey butter cornbread, mac and cheese and sweat tea lemonade pound cake.

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While a recent Richmond Times-Dispatchround-up of the area's rooftop bars centered around city venues, it also highlighted two Henrico sites: Sloop John B at Regency Mall and Casa del Barco in Short Pump.

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The newly-opened Asian supermarket in the Olde Town Shopping Center off West Broad has already acquired an enthusiastic following. Regulars rave about the Lotte Plaza Market's selection of Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Indian groceries, as well as its produce, Korean barbecue section, and seafood and meat markets. Located in a former Stein Mart store, Lotte has been dubbed the “Asian Wegmans,” and the “Disneyland of Asian grocers” for its extensive array of products – including an entire section devoted to kimchi.

Count me among Lotte's newest fans; the store is just plain fun to browse – even if you manage to resist buying. On a recent visit, I spent over an hour perusing the staggering array of noodles, soy sauce, and rice and exploring options in the seafood market, which features tanks with live fish and shellfish, along with delicacies such as baby octopus and shad roe. The freezer section boasted everything from goat stew and pork belly to lambs' feet and banana leaves, making me long for a cooking demo and tasting.

Judging from the crowds in the aisles and parking lot, however, Lotte has no need to drum up business with tastings. Besides, there's a food court with four vendors – all with appealing food and drink. If I hadn't been on my way to a dinner, I would've sampled all four. And a note to dormitory dwellers: If I were a student, I'd definitely check out Lotte's stock of dorm staples (instant ramen, noodle cups, etc.) and haul away a case or two for late-night snacking.

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Axios Richmond's Sabrina Moreno, a fan of Venezuelan cuisine, rejoiced recently that Henrico now has two Venezuelan restaurants (Bocata in Short Pump and ConSalsa on Mountain Road). Moreno also noted that her parents are hooked on Café y Sabor, the Colombian bakery and restaurant on West Broad Street. They recommend the "Picada," a shareable platter featuring multiple meats, sweet plantains, avocado, and more.

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A couple of Henrico shops made the list in a Richmond Magazinesurvey of nondairy frozen treats. The Big Scoop on Towne Center West Boulevard was lauded for its Dole Whip, a pineapple-flavored frozen dessert that got its start at Disney theme parks and is now found around the U.S. The Short Pump Town Center location of Big Scoop was highlighted as having the largest range of flavors in addition to classic pineapple: lemon, lime, orange, mango, strawberry and watermelon. Deluca Gelato on Gaskins Road offers dairy-free sorbetto in addition to gelato, and offers some sugar-free options besides. Lighter and icier than gelato, it comes in more than 15 dairy-free flavors, including chocolate with cherries, caramel and Champagne.

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Style Weekly recently ran a profile of bartender Walter Wolford at Cross Grain Brewhouse in Richmond International Airport, exploring the joys ("best hours I've ever had working a bartending job") and challenges (ensuring that potential over-imbibers are sober enough to board their flights) of serving RIC customers. "Drinking in Terminal A" also touches on the number (up to 1800 on a busy day) and variety of customers (from celebratory spring breakers and wedding guests to those on their way to funerals) to serving the occasional celebrity.

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Style Weekly also highlighted Tiki-Tiki in its series paying tribute to long-standing Richmond restaurants. The Patterson Avenue restaurant has been serving Chinese and Polynesian food (and tropical drinks ranging from umbrella-garnished fare to blazing volcano cocktails) since 1976.

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No word yet on when Playa Bowls will open in the Short Pump Station shopping center near Trader Joe's. The opening of the acai bowl restaurant chain, which also serves smoothies and cold-pressed juices, will mark its first appearance in the Richmond region.

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Diablo Doughnuts RVA in Glen Allen has closed; the owner cited a health issue.