An odd sight popped up on the Downtown Mall during the last week of December. Right next door to Chaps, where a long-established coffee cart known as Java Hut sits outside the ice-cream parlor, Sal’s Caffe Italia opened its own coffee cart. There they were, looking like Tweedledee and Tweedledecaf.
Whispered rumors of a feud between the respective owners of Sal’s and Chaps aside, we find this competition more comical than anything. Check out the twin carts next time you’re on the Mall, and order a cup while you’re at it—from whichever cart you prefer.
 Dueling coffee carts give Downtowners twice the buzz. Can you spot the newcomer? |
So long! Farewell!
Ever get the urge to work yourself up into a pleasant state of melancholy? You know, by thinking about old boyfriends or reflecting on how long it’s been since you’ve been inside your high school? It was in this spirit that Restaurantarama got in line for lunch on the Hardware Store’s next-to-last day of business, December 29.
We weren’t alone in our quest. In fact, the place was packed. True to family-friendly form, the Store was at that moment hosting legions of people under 16, most of whom seemed to be shopping for candy in our personal space. Like all the smaller shops around its skirts, the Hardware Store’s candy shop was running deep discounts and looking slightly picked-over. In a poignant bit of spin, this was being billed as a “Christmas Sale,” but the crowd knew what was up: We heard plenty of patrons mention the 30-year-old restaurant’s imminent closing.
Finally, the perennial host—a tall, thin man in shirtsleeves and tie—led us to our table in one of the place’s small back rooms. As we followed him, we passed high shelves lined with retro Corning Ware boxes and cookie tins, wooden booths where patrons washed sandwiches down with bottled beer, a bustling pastry counter and a giant freight elevator (part of owners Stan and Marilyn Epsteins’ effort to preserve the building’s past as a landmark hardware store). It all seemed exactly as it always has been, with no particular sign of Last Days.
That included the novel-sized menu, where the eatery’s more-is-more philosophy was most evident: more sandwiches, more sundaes, more employees in blue denim shirts. We ordered what we thought was a modest lunch and were presented with two heaping platters of food. Downing the plump dolmades that came with our “small” Greek salad, we started to feel a little blue. Looking around at the comfy upholstered chairs and the old-Charlottesville photos on the walls, we got bluer still. By the time a lady at the next table ordered the Reuben and proclaimed it a farewell gesture, we were practically sniffling.
Sure, there remain 300-plus restaurants around town. But we’ll still miss this one.
Lunch plans
When Café Cubano recently expanded its footprint in Downtown’s York Place, a small space behind homegrown noodle shop Marco & Luca opened up. We suspected Dragana Katalina-Sun and Sun Da, noodle shop proprietors, might have plans to take it over. Sure enough, says Katalina-Sun, they’re getting ready to remove the wall between the two spaces (where Marco’s stove is now) and add seating—probably in spring—to accommodate more dumpling enthusiasts.
They’ll expand their menu too, though specifics are still in the works. Look for more Asian dishes, probably in the noodle and dumpling family, in which the pair have proven themselves to excel.
Also this spring, Katalina-Sun plans to open an organic juice bar and sandwich-and-salad joint in the tiny window on Second Street where Marco & Luca got its start five years ago. She’ll call it Nicolas’ Veggies, after the couple’s youngest of three sons.
One more
An addition to our list of restaurant closings in 2006: Rococo’s Bistro has gone to that big saucepot in the sky.
Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.