Who doesn’t love to eat? O.K., who besides Mary-Kate Olsen doesn’t love to eat? We’re so lucky we live in Charlottesville, where therestaurants rival Volvos for per capita representation. It’s like an open invitation for a long-term love affair. To help you organize yourmany food choices, the always-hungry staff of C-VILLE went on a hunt for some of the area’s most delicious morsels. Fifty platefuls later,we present our second annual catalog of what tastes great right now.
Bluegrass Grill’s
Chorizo Potato Dish
Untouched, this breakfast creation looks like a volcanic lake, the lava-like cheese coating archipelagos of potato cubes and Chorizo. But this is far more than a hearty hangover cure: This is gluttony for the refined palate. The meaty Mexican sausage suffuses the entire dish, giving the tender potatoes the flavor of a complex stew tinged by sharp green onions and green bell peppers. And those in the know need not be reminded that a dash of Cholula hot sauce makes virtually everything more exciting.
Fossett’s
Study in Pear
This elegant dish combines three pear-centric desserts to please any palate. The warm, flaky tart is garnished with cinnamon and conjures up images of the holidays, and the accompanying scoop of pear sorbet helps wash it down. A fluffy tower of cheesecake with a fruity, jam-like filling rises above the others. The only necessary addition? A pot of Fossett’s French-pressed coffee. This dessert combination all but eliminates the need for a main course.
Boar’s Head Inn’s
Braised Breast of Guinea Hen
For regular Joes it’s bacon bits. But at Boar’s Head’s Old Mill Room, it’s lardons. And, man, do the fresh-from-the-pig morsels capture the flavor of this seasonal selection, which saltily sits atop a bed of roasted potatoes with lardons, asparagus and thyme sauce for a delicate bitterness. The crispy hen is topped by a sprig of thyme inside a grid of fried and hashed potatoes for added aesthetics.
Baja Bean’s
Kahlua Milkshake
God bless the Kahlua milkshake, which heroically straddles two favorite indulgences: ice cream and booze. Is it a dessert? A potent potable? Yes, and yes. If you’re feeling particularly gluttonous, brave the 27-ounce goliath, which arrives in a glass the size of a small fishbowl, topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a cherry. The liberal dose of the cocoa-and-fruit-flavored liqueur quickly sends you to a very happy, high-calorie place. This dish no longer appears on Baja’s menu, but they’ll make it if you ask nicely.
Fuel’s
Egg Florentine
Any gas station can throw together an egg salad sandwich. But if the gas station is painted Easter-egg purple, stocked with its own brand of wine and bankrolled by Patricia Kluge, well—that egg salad sandwich better be damn good.
At Fuel you don’t get egg salad. You get “The Egg Florentine.” The egg salad is tastefully dressed in spinach and Parmesan, and the chickens that laid the eggs all hold college degrees. They do fine work. The $5 price tag is on par with the steep but delicious fare at this combination filling station/haute café.
Fox’s Café
Coconut Cream Pie
There’s nothing that tops off a tuna melt on rye like an inch of meringue over vanilla custard with coconut shavings on top and a flaky crust below. Fox’s pie melts in your mouth and somehow is light yet large!
Big Mouth Pizza’s
Blue Print
This is no ordinary pizza. Consider the toppings: Soft roasted red peppers, whole kalamata olives, delightful shiitake mushrooms and goat cheese melted into a thin bed of mozarella atop a tangy homemade tomato sauce. Then there’s the crust: Nearly an inch thick, yet so light and crispy you barely notice the size. Each quarter pie (roughly the equivalent of two slices) is made fresh when you order, making this pie a blueprint for tastiness.
El Puerto’s
Chicken Soup
A Mexican restaurant might not be the first destination that pops to mind when what you seek is a brothy cure for the common cold. But El Puerto packs so much flavor—not to mention chicken—into its soup that once you’ve had it you’ll have trouble thinking of any other place to get the soup. With leaves of cilantro floating cheerfully on the surface and spoonfuls of rice and peas waiting to be scooped up from underneath, this salty, homemade concoction is at once astringent and filling. Enjoy it con much gusto.
Firehouse Bar & Grill’s
Frosty PBR
Somewhere in Portland, Oregon, some hipster decided it would be cool to walk into a swanky brew pub and order a Pabst Blue Ribbon, and suddenly PBR emerged as the latest ironic trend. Is a little sincerity too much to ask? The Firehouse serves up the PBR the way it was meant to be enjoyed—ice cold, hipster free and—if you’re lucky—owner Earl Smith will be on the mic, doing his dead-on Bon Scott impression.
Oxo’s
Seared Scallops Appetizer
As if three perfect scallops were not enough to get your salivatory glands pumping, this meal-starter also features sautéed lima beans, bacon, short rib and red pepper coulis. Presented with standard Oxo elegance in a deep-lipped white plate, the troika of shapes privileges the cylindrical: Three perfectly seared scallops top a corona of limas perching in a swell pool of red-orange coulis. The earthy aroma rises from the shreds of meat, but somehow your mouth registers delicate, not gamey taste. The textures harmonize, too, with soft scallops contrasting the slightly blackened crispiness of the beans.
C’Ville Coffee’s
Vietnamese Grilled Chicken Pho
The aroma of this traditional Vietnamese soup is sweet, with the waft of cinnamon giving it a cold-weather feel. But this soup also has the fiery kick of the Orient, particularly if you dump in the included jalapeno slices and a healthy dose of Sriracha HOT chili sauce (the bottle features a picture of a rooster). Also included on the side of this steaming soup are basil leaves and crisp bean sprouts. The tender white chicken is cooked in the broth for more than two hours, adding a robust meatiness to the complex mix of spices and making this Pho a particularly decadent healthy meal.
The Korner Restaurant’s
One-Eye Bacon Cheeseburger
Generally speaking, the Korner’s cinder-block-wall and linoleum-floor lunch counter celebrates all things blue collar without too many frills. That is, unless you go for this sandwich: a fried egg over hard bacon and American cheese—an entire breakfast—overtop of a beef patty that hangs off the grease-sopped bun. For when one meal just won’t do.
Baker’s Palette’s
Cinnamon Bun
Could this be the best cinnamon bun in town? To the casual eye there’s little difference from any other breakfast pastry. The dough swirls around the ribbon of gooey, semi-crystallized cinnamon and nutmeg topped with just enough icing. But one bite reveals a uniquely subdued spiciness that lingers even after you’re done. Tip: It’s best served warm.
Tastings’
Kir apertif
On its own, Aligoté wine is neither here nor there—semisweet, semidry…or maybe somewhere in between. But then, one would never mix a great wine. Tastings’ Kir aperitif pairs the mediocre French white with cassis liqueur in a concoction that’s bound to set you on your way to a great meal. The sweetness of the black currant and dryness of the grape blend into a warming fruity taste, like spiked punch.
Court Square Tavern’s
Shepherd’s Pie
You’ve been doing manual labor all day. Tonight, the rain is pouring down and the wind is howling. This is your fantasy of how you spent your day, and what you need is a good dose of shepherd’s pie. There aren’t many places you can find it outside of Great Britain, but Court Square Tavern serves it piping hot. Nothing says rejuvenation like equal parts beef and potato (with corn mixed in for good measure, surrounded by a soft, flaky crust). Wash it down with a Guinness from the tap and life’s lookin’ up, lads.
La Cucina’s
Linguini with Classic Tomato Sauce and Homemade Sausage
The tiled patio outside La Cucina, tucked beside the former Metro on Water Street, provides a shady outpost off the Downtown Mall. Ceiling fans whir overhead while a sweet aroma wafts from the Italian sausage, which clumps beautifully in your linguini and tomato sauce. Less is more—the plain sauce gives you plenty of room to savor the sausage’s spicy flavor.
Splendora’s Café’s
Affogato
Splendora’s has excellent coffee and tasty gelato, so it simply seems logical to combine the two. The café’s affogato pairs a hearty scoop of gelato with a shot of espresso, creating a dessert that turns into a caffeine-fueled Italian milkshake as it melts. While hazelnut and vanilla are both solid, dependable flavors, the chocolate gelato pairs the best overall with the espresso. Like chocolate-covered coffee beans, only better.
Italian Villa’s
Cavalier Country Breakfast
Let’s face it—with the demise of the Blue Moon Diner, fans of a hearty breakfast are finding their options dwindling. For those who crave meat sopped in egg yolk, the Italian Villa still serves a hangover-curing repast, with nary a shiitake mushroom or crumbled goat cheese on the menu. Get your ham fried, your eggs runny, your grits buttery, and stir it all into a pile. That’s a day-starter.
Brix Marketplace’s
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
The pastry chef arrives at 6:30am to start whipping up these sublimely rich creations. A great cookie should be neither hard nor gooey, but a combination of both textures. This cookie is crisp and firm on the surface, with a hearty dollop of whole oats that gives it a fresh, substantial feel. Inside is where the sin gets serious, with loads of moist chocolate chips that melt before they hit the tongue. Buy only one of these gourmet delights, as you’ll be hard pressed to resist eating a second given the chance.
Sakura’s
Bento Box
A piping hot bowl of miso soup and small lettuce salad with UVA-orange ginger-and-fruit dressing bring your tongue to a Zen-like bliss. Then Sakura makes you one with everything: Its all-encompassing Bento Box, in what looks like a plastic TV dinner container, offers giant shrimp, broccoli and mystery root vegetables in flaky tempura with a ginger dipping sauce, thinly sliced meat and vegetables in a sweet teriyaki, California-style sushi rolls with avocado and artificial crab, and steaming, sticky rice.
Mudhouse’s
Carrot and Orange Juice
Sure, the beta-carotene is good for you and all those freshly pressed enzymes help to shoo away hangover nasties. But on its own carrot juice can be so…vegetably. That’s where the splash of fresh OJ comes to the rescue, providing just the accent of straight-ahead sweetness that’s needed to reassure your palate that you’re doing the right thing.
Foods of All Nations’
European Candy
Walking into this Ivy Road grocery’s candy section is like entering Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. There you’ll find shelf after shelf of bizarre sweets from around the globe. (Alas, no everlasting gobstoppers or snozberry-flavored wallpaper.) One of our favorites is Swiss chocolatier Nestle’s Aero bar, primarily enjoyed in the United Kingdom. Chocolate covers a mysterious bubble-filled center that the manufacturer boasts is “all bubble, no squeak!” We have no idea what that means. God bless the Brits!
Copacabana’s
Paella
Normally the ideas of “Brazil” and “cuisine” make as much sense together as “Barry Manilow” and “jam band”—until you’ve had the Paella Copacabana. A fruits-de-mer backbone of mussels, shrimp, clams and oysters is the main attraction, along with a carnival of chicken, pork and sweet-tasting sausage chunks. Strands of mustard greens, onion, and red and green peppers flavor and color the stew, while saffron rice soaks it all up—bringing you the hottest dish west of Whole Foods.
Wolfie’s Smokehouse’s
North Carolina Pulled Pork
You can’t go wrong when picking among the various barbecue varieties on which to gorge at Wolfie’s, but nothing beats going south of the border to sample North Carolina’s finest. Tar Heels know a thing or two about the pig, focusing on tenderizing and deeply smoking the meat rather than dousing it with heavy sauces. Wolfie’s massive pulled-pork adheres to this old-school technique, and the fine strips of meat carry a smoky, mild spiciness.
Southern Culture’s
Grits
With a little Wilson Pickett on the patio radio and the sun beating down on your back, only a heapin’ plate of Southern Culture’s grits really says “down-home Southern cooking” on a Sunday morning like they mean it. “Grit” is right, but get used to it because the more grit, the more flavor. Alone, this stick-to-your-ribs, flavorful dish is sweet, savory and spicy in turn. But add some butter, salt and pepper and you know the Lord has blessed you. Amen.
Chap’s’
Chocolate Egg Cream
If your original address has the words New York in it, you’ll be positively relieved to get a swig of this liquid Madeleine, which, naturally, has neither egg nor cream in it (its three ingredients are chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer water). If you’re from around these parts to begin with, you might regard the oddly named fountain drink as a mystery. So take a shot and solve the puzzle: The taste is chocolate milk for grown-ups or chocolate soda for the school-lunch set, depending on your perspective. Either way, the effervescent mild sweetness is a pleasure cruise for your gullet.
Dürty Nelly’s Pub’s
Barrister Sandwich
A recent travel article in The Washington Post gave Dürty Nelly’s a shout-out on a list of places that ’Hoo football fans coming from NoVA should hit on their trip to Charlottesville for the big game. Dürty Nelly’s loves them some Cavs, and we love the Barrister, whipped up in the Dürty deli. It’s a white bread envelope bursting with roast beef and turkey, bits of coleslaw and Russian dressing dribbling over your fingers. Messy enough for any sports fan.
Hamiltons’ at First & Main’s
Vegetarian Blue Plate Special
This ever-changing entrée could convert the most carnivorous eater to vegetarian. Recent specials have included cheesy eggplant casserole with breadcrumbs, caramelized Vidalia onions, tangy black-eyed pea salad, lightly fried cheese fritters and stuffed poblano peppers. Submit yourself to the chef’s culinary whims—you know you want to!
Aficionados Smoke Shop’s
Macanudo Cafe Cigar
&
Downtown Grille’s
Brandy
Though the Macanudo is a light, inexpensive cigar, it still packs a punch. After a deep puff, the tobacco coats your palate with the taste of a fine hickory smoke pit. Once fully prepped with the rich smoke, it’s time to swirl the brandy under your nose, getting a full whiff of the sweet, medicinal liquor. The swig of the potent potable is surprisingly deep, almost cleansing, but not overpowering—its stiff bite tempered by the husky tobacco. High rollers know what they’re doing: There are few combinations more ideal than brandy and cigars. The warmth of the brandy moves to your stomach after you swallow, but the tingling sensation stays in your mouth, your tongue feeling almost lightly burned. It’s time for another puff. So very Vegas, baby.
Saigon Café’s
Bun Thit Nuong
Most folks refer to this dish as the Vietnamese pork bowl. For ordering ease, just say “No. 901, please.” But whatever you call it, this simple Asian meal tastes great. Slices of flavorful grilled pork and peanut crumbles top a heaping bowl of steamed rice noodles, mixed with various greens, such as cucumbers and lettuce. Pour on Saigon’s delicious dipping sauce to add a refreshing vinegary zing.
Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar’s
Goat Herder’s Platter
The Goat Herder’s Platter is like a well-led life: diverse and balanced. The center of the dish is hot pita bread, seasoned with sumac leaf, toasted sesame and thyme, which you then dip into a smooth homemade hummus with garlic. Reconnect with your inner hunter-gatherer by sampling the various nuts, dates, figs and cheeses that surround the center. Finish with dried mangos and crystallized ginger. Inner peace found.
Café Europa’s
Venetian Sandwich
There are cold cuts and there are sliced deli meats. Cold cuts harbor the slightly waxy fat of Mr. Oscar Mayer. But deli meats…those are the sophisticated sandwich fillers worthy of baguettes and croissants. Café Europa’s Venetian stands out among many delectable sandwiches at the Corner stand-by for its combination of thinly sliced Italian meats (Cappicola ham and Genoa salami) with fresh, slightly sweet Provolone cheese served up with lettuce, tomato, olive oil, wine vinegar and oregano on a section of fresh baguette. Adding to the pack-separating brilliance of this lunchtime selection are the hot peppers and roasted red peppers that kick in with gusto, forever banishing any notion that the Venetian is a cold-cuts sandwich.
Blue Light Grill’s
Oysters on the Half Shell
Take them on a dare, as an aphrodisiac or because your boss told you to—this seafood delicacy is good for any occasion. Harvested from Chincoteague’s Coan River, the raw oysters are remarkably mild with a “crisp cucumber aftertaste,” according to the menu. You can trust the slimy filter feeders to be thoroughly cleaned, so after a splash of hot sauce, some lemon juice and a little alcohol, you’re left with a happy, tingly feeling—not that bad, nauseated one.
Miyako’s
Sake
Sake is a Japanese fermented rice drink and, like sushi, you may not appreciate the flavor on your first taste. But it’s worth getting used to.
First-rate sake, like Miyako’s Sho Chiku Bai Nama, contains fewer hangover-inducing impurities than most alcoholic drinks. At 15 percent alcohol by volume, sake brings on the hilarity without the headache.
Miyako’s organic sake arrives in a cold green bottle. The waitress pours it into a nifty carafe, which keeps it lightly chilled (the ideal temperature for fine sake). The texture is between a wine and beer, fermented grain without bubbles. The flavor is numb, like drinking airline white wine at 10,000 feet, before your ears have popped.
Blue Ridge Country Store’s
Salad Bar
Although now the only salad bar available to Downtown lunchgoers (R.I.P. Liquid), the offerings from this faux general store earn notice with or without competition. The dozens of fixins include the ordinary (romaine lettuce, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes) to the homemade (homemade pasta salad, jerk rice). Speaking of homemade, go for the wasabi cucumber and raspberry vinaigrette dressings.
Feast’s
Grilled 9-Cheese Sandwich
A gourmet, multicheese twist on the traditional sandwich. Mozzarella, white cheddar, Parmesan, American and five additional cheeses are shredded, combined and melted together between grilled slices of fresh focaccia. A splash of Spanish olive oil and a light layer of homemade red pepper spread are standard additions, while slabs of Roma tomatoes are optional but highly recommended. It’s nothing like your mother used to make, but it’s so much better this way.
The New Deli’s
Lemon Squares
The New Deli’s lemon squares, generously dusted with powdered sugar on top, offer a sweet, smooth filling. Lemon can be relied on to be tingly, sure, but it’s the crust that really raises the bar: buttery and soft, almost cookie-like.
Kokopelli’s Café’s
Yo-Yo Ma’s Oriental Wrap
Chicken takes center stage in almost any wrap concoction these days, but the surprise in this popular selection at the noisy Crozet eatery is what we think of as the La Choy factor: crispy Asian noodles and a spicy-sweet sauce drizzled over a filling that includes bean sprouts.
Northern Exposure’s
Grandma Sylvia’s Classic Beef Lasagna
You know you’re in for a gut-bursting challenge when the waiter wishes you good luck finishing a meal. Grandma Sylvia knows how to fill a guy up. With a portion roughly the size of a human head, this no-frills Italian delicacy is an Atkins freak’s worst nightmare. Layers of noodles, fresh ground Angus sirloin, and ricotta and mozzarella cheese await under practically a lake of peppy marinara sauce.
Milano’s
Spumoni Gelato
Nothing bad can be said about gelato. Even less bad can be said about gelato when it’s mixed with alcohol. Take, for instance, Milano’s Spumoni. The sweet creamy mixture of vanilla ice cream and bourbon, with whole maraschino cherries hidden here and there, goes down like a decent mixed drink.
Escafé’s
Horseradish Crusted Salmon Sandwich
This sandwich proves that an expert mix of fresh ingredients in a small package easily trumps huge portions. The bread, baked everyday at Albemarle Baking Co., is light and airy, but the thick salmon cut is slathered in butter and all that healthy fish fat. Mixed in a lime cilantro sauce that creates a soft tangy twang, the horseradish isn’t of the nose-rush variety. The sandwich can be a tad messy, but isn’t that the way with almost anything worth eating? For a fuller experience, wash it down with one of Escafé’s hard-hitting Rye Manhattans.
Maharaja’s
Samosas
Potatoes and peas, spiced with tumeric and garam masala, come smooshed inside a pair of fried pastries that look surprisingly like conquistador helmets. The spices make the soft potatoes taste like a mouthful of summer night.
Downtown Thai’s
Thai Iced Tea
Asking what goes into this orangey beverage might earn you a suspicious leer at the recently opened, relocated Thai Thip when, after an extensive brewing process, the refreshing drink emerges from the kitchen. The strong, distinctly Asian flavor of the tea—somewhere between green and Chai—is cut by the sweetness of condensed milk. Adding to the exotic appeal are small, tropical-flavored gelatin cubes floating in the bottom.
Pupusa Crazy’s
Pupusa Platter
The Pupusa Platter piles a lot of Latin American flavor onto one plate. The pupusas themselves are fried, filled with cheese or pork, and have the light consistency of pancakes. Beside them rests a chicken tamale, cooked with cornmeal and wrapped in a banana husk, and a delicately fried yucca. Finally, a scoop of pickled slaw washes the hearty food down with a nice, tangy aftertaste.
Zocalo’s
Drunken New York Strip Steak
Once you have finished admiring the artful presentation of the various-colored rectangles and arrows of food in this signature dish at Downtown’s It restaurant of the moment, get ready for a taste-inspired reverie. Marinated in Guinness, which yields a yeasty, battery taste, and drizzled with chipolte demi-glaze, the tender slices of beef almost literally melt in your mouth. The dish is served with tangy polenta fries, and a couple bites of these moist-sharp squares will have you praising lipid-loving cornmeal and perhaps denouncing the humble potato forever. Add to that perfectly crisp spears of asparagus and you have a triumphant triumvirate of distinctive and hearty flavors that is not soon forgotten.
Ludwig’s Schnitzelhouse’s
$2 Beer and Brat Special
Following in the tradition of ala carte and tapas menus, Ludwig’s Thursday night beer-and-brat special shows that Germany too can be a master of culinary innovation. Instead of fancy choices, fill yourself with unlimited $2-a-pop, expertly cooked wursts. Dress up the mild sausages with eye-wateringly spicy mustard on a slice of pumpernickel bread. Then wash it all down with a sweet, smooth, 10oz. dark beer, pilsner or Heffeweissen.
The Shebeen’s
Sadza Cakes
This filling vegetarian dish features golden Parmesan polenta patties (sometimes shaped like mushrooms) smothered in eggplant, spinach, sugar snap peas, and shiitake and portobello mushrooms, then lightly coated in a lemongrass sauce. The inch-thick cakes are perfectly cooked, leaving them crisp around the edges. Each bite blossoms: The rich, dense cakes pack a slightly grainy base, accompanied by the lightly sweet, but still reserved, sauce and then finished with earthy flourish from the ‘shrooms and eggplant. The side of sweet potato “chips” chases it all with zip.
El Rey del Taco’s
Enchiladas Poblanas
He’s the King of the Taco. Tacos make pilgrimages to his kitchen on bended knee. How can you beat that? The Rey, that is, Rudy Padilla, buries his enchiladas like chicken-and-mole treasures beneath a layer of lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. Dig it out, and hail the king.
Atomic Burrito’s
Grilled Chicken Burrito
Wrapped up in warm tortillas as wide as an extra large pizza, these burritos are vacuum-packed with fresh Mexican flavor. The coconut rice and crisp lettuce taste cool and sweet against the spicy marinated chicken, while the five flavors of salsa give you control over the heat. For a milder temperature, go with the fresh fruit blend. If you’re feelin’ loco, however, crank things up with the fiery Salsa Diablo. After all, they don’t call it Atomic Burrito for nothing.
Food service
Where to satisfy your taste buds
Aficionado’s Smoke Shop 108 Fourth St. NE, 975-1175
Atomic Burrito 109 Second St. SE., 977-0117
Baja Bean 1327 W. Main St., 293-4507
Baker’s Palette 126B Garrett St., 295-3009
Big Mouth Pizza 909 W. Main St., Suite 102, 220-1070
Blue Light Grill 120 E. Main St., Downtown Mall,295-1223
Blue Ridge Country Store 3315 Berkmar Dr., Downtown Mall, 295-1573
Bluegrass Grill and Bakery The Glass Building, Second Street SE, 295-9700
Boar’s Head Inn 200 Ednam Dr., 972-2230
Brix Marketplace 1330 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy.,295-7000
C’ville Coffee Co. 1301 Harris St., 817-2633
Café Europa 1331 W. Main St., 295-4040
Chap’s 223 E. Main St., Downtown Mall,977-4139
Copacabana 400 Shopper’s World Ct., 973-1177
Court Square Tavern 500 Court Sq., 296-6111
Downtown Grill 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 817-7080
Downtown Thai 111 W. Water St., 245-9300
Dürty Nelly’s Pub 2200 Jefferson Park Ave., 295-1278
El Puerto 2045 Barracks Rd., 872-9488
El Rey del Taco 380 Greenbrier Dr., 964-1439
Escafe 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 295-8668
Feast 416 W. Main St., in the Main Street Market, 244-7800
Firehouse Bar & Grill 946 Grady Ave., 293-3473
Foods of All Nations 2121 Ivy Rd., 296-6131
Fossett’s Inside Keswick Hall, off 250E,979-3440
Fox’s Café 403 Avon St., 293-2844
Fuel 900 E. Market St., 220-3700
Hamiltons’ At First & Main 101 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 295-6649
Italian Villa 129 N. Emmet St., 296-9977
Kokopelli’s Café The Square, Crozet, 823-5645
Korner Restaurant 415 Ninth St. SW., 977-9535
La Cucina 214 Water St., 295-9050
Ludwig’s Schnitzelhouse 2208 Fontaine Ave., 293-7185
Maharaja Seminole Square,Wertland Street,973-1110
Milano Main Street Market annex,220-4302
Miyako 112 W. Main St., 984-3000
Mudhouse 213 W. Main St., several otherlocations, 984-6833
New Deli 1640 Seminole Trail, 978-4757
Northern Exposure 1202 W. Main St., 977-6002
Oxo 215 Water St., 977-8111
Pupusa Crazy 29N, across from Sam’s Club,975-6600
Saigon Café 1703 Allied St., 296-8661
Sakura 105 14th St., 923-0238
The Shebeen Vinegar Hill Shopping Center,296-3185
Southern Culture 633 W. Main St., 979-1990
Splendora’s 317 E. Main St., Downtown Mall,296-8555
Tastings 502 E. Market St., 293-3663
Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar 414 E. Main St., Downtown Mall,293-9947
Wolfie’s Smokehouse 1525 E. Rio Rd., 975-3100
Zocalo 201 E. Main St., in Central Place, 977-4944