Find Your Happier Place with Katie Brown of @realfoodwithgratitude
Happiness means balancing everything from social life, solo time to recharge, home cooking, eating out, dranks, nights out, nights in, fitness, and rest. But when it comes to venturing out, which she loves to do, she chooses to do it…locally! Not only is it important to support local from an economic perspective but also, your body appreciates things with less preservatives and seasonal food (ie. It’s more nutritious AND tastes better!) So let’s dive into a “week in the life” of Katie Brown, Real Food with Gratitude
Guest blog by @RealFoodwithGratitude
You can find her anywhere from teaching barre classes at local clubs/taking yoga and barre classes at local boutique studios, boxing her heart out at 9round Boxing Gym, or walking the streets of the Fan with her Goldendoodle, Stella. Onto Saturday where she is either going to indulge in a boozy brunch with friends or head to the RVA BIG Farmers Market to grab some fresh seasonal produce + grabbing coffee & a bagel. You can also find her making her way through the breweries/local hang-out spots in Scotts Addition, on a rooftop drinking a cocktail, sipping wine on the Union Market patio, at Ruff Canine Club (the dog park bar), or eating out at one of her favorite Richmond restaurants!
One of her favorite ways to celebrate and support local is reveling in a Napoleon-style pizza that sources from farms nearby and sipping on a cirrus cocktail or RVA brewed beer, at one of the few pizza and beer places around the city, with people that lift her up (usually she will be with college friends, her brother or her boyfriend!) To her, that is pure happiness. However, the yin to her yang is a clean house with a home-cooked meal or grabbing To-Go food from one of her favorite to-go takeout spots.
One thing she is very passionate about is eating REAL food. To her, REAL food means less processed, as local as possible, and fresh. What’s better than FRESH Locally made bread? Her favorite places to grab a big loaf of sourdough or honey whole wheat are Montana Gold Bread, Ellwood Thompsons, Idle Hands Bread Company, or Flour Garden Bakery.
Now, let’s jump into the good stuff. WHERE can you find Katie Brown?!
Fitness:
- The Hot Yoga Barre
- BarReVA
- BOHO Quad
- or sweating at Purify (an infrared sauna)
RVA BIG Farmers Market (some of her favorite local vendors):
- Kitchenette (uses Cupertino bagels)
- Bombolini Pasta
- Barham Seafood
- Reyes Farm
- Normas Produce
- Norwood Cottage
- and Village Garden .. just to name a few of my fave vendors!
Local Hang/Booze/Socialize Spots:
- Wood & Iron
- Brambly Park
- Vasen Brewery
- The Hof Garden Rooftop
- River City Roll
- Bingo
- Slingshot
- PBR
- and Jungle Room
Brunch:
- Moore St Cafe
- Loveshack on Main
- Perly’s
- Helens
- River City Roll
- Can Can
- Supper
- Sidewalk Cafe
- Millies Diner
- The Grill
- Southbound
- Nates (grab and go bagels)
- and KubaKuba
Take Out:
- Stellas Grocery
- Lemon of India
- 8 1/2
- Sabai
- Beijing on Grove
- Elephant Thai
- Chen’s
- Belmont Pizza
- Chicken Fiesta
- Hatch Local
- Ellwood Thompson
- and Union Market
Go To Restaurants:
- Bacchus
- Little Nickel
- Edo’s Squid
- Jack Browns
- Fat Dragon
- Lucky AF
- Hatch Local
- Can Can
- Fire and Hops
- Cocodrillo
- and River City Roll
LOCAL LOVES (specific dishes from favorite spots):
- Chicken Salad lunch— Christopher Runaway Gourmet food cart
- Chicken Quesadilla — Don’t Look Back
- Rainbow Cookie Ice Cream — Gelati Celesti
- Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream — Scoop
- Chicken Nachos — Little Nickel
- Breakfast Burrito — North End Juice Co
- Duck Breast with Polenta and White Beans — Edo’s Squid
- Braised Fennel — Edo’s Squid
- Steak and Cheese — Union Market
- Big Mac Burger —River City Roll
- Burger and Frites — Can Can Brasserie
- Fingerling Potatoes (brunch) — River City Roll
- Chicken Biscuit (Brunch) — River City Roll
- Cocktails from Cocodrillo, Alewife, Grisette
- Fried Rice — Sabai
- Grilled Chicken Salad — Joe’s Inn
- The Hilltop Sandwich — Taste
- Unlimited Vodka Limeade — Continental
- The Elvis — Jack Browns
- Sesame Chicken — Lucky AF
- Loaded Fries — The Grill
- Roasted Potato and Arugula Salad — Tazza Kitchen
- Club Sandwich — Superstars
- 32oz Mimosas — Moore St Cafe
- Arugula Pizza — Brambly Park
- Malaysian Ramen — Foo Dog
- Pork Belly Bao Buns — Foo Dog
- Bao Buns — Peter Chang’s
- Fish Tacos — En Su Boca
- Carbonara — Bacchus
- Cheeseburger Sliders — Wood and Iron (+ their ranch)
- Chicken Sandwich or Chicken Tenders — Buttermilk and Honey
- Vegan Ranch — Ellwood
Other local gems:
- Cirrus Vodka
- L&M Leggings
- Duke’s Mayo
- Belle Isle Moonshine
- VMFA Happy Hour