We have a new dining experience to tell you about: It’s called eating at home. O.K., eating at home is not really Restaurantarama’s forte. If left to our own devices we’d be scarfing down mac ‘n’ cheese in front of the TV every night like the rest of America. We much prefer the more civilized culinary experience provided by, say, Eppies, where macaroni & cheese is prepared for us, from scratch, sans nasty pot of caked-on, processed cheese-like product soaking in our sinks for days on end. Well, what if we told you there’s a place where you can make your own meals—stay with us—but you do none of the menu planning, shopping, chopping or cleaning yourself and you end up with gourmet-sounding entrees like Grilled Honey-Lemon Tilapia and Marmalade-Glazed Pork Chops to enjoy in front of the comforts of your own TV? Such place is called Super Suppers and it just opened on Route 29N. Yes, there’s some hands-on labor involved at this make-your-own-dinner shop, but all of the really unpleasant work is done for you. In less than an hour and half, you can assemble 10 entrees that serve 4-6 people each. Each entree is prepped and ready for you to mix it all together at five little gourmet kitchen stands throughout the shop.
 Jill Costello made a business out of her favorite hobby: stacking away frozen meals for friends and family in need. You can create your own stash at Super Suppers on Route 29N |
And if you have a smaller family and really want to pack your freezer, you could split the make-your-own entrees in half plus pick up a few of the ready-made entrees prepared by franchise owner Jill Costello and her staff in the Grab & Go or Fresh & Go cases, and you’ll have a month’s worth of meals in less time than it takes Restaurantarama to scrub the mac ‘n’ cheese pot! And it’s all at a savings of about $125 off your monthly grocery bill, Costello says. (We’re not exactly sure how she gets that figure, but it sounds great to us!)
We have no idea what a freezer full of meals looks like what with the package of fudge pops and the hamburger patties circa summer of ’05 as the sole contents of Restaurantarama’s icebox, but we imagine it must be pretty satisfying for those
I-wish-I-were-more-like-Martha-Stewart moments and helpful for those housebound times during a snow storm, for instance, or after you’ve had a baby or when you just—gasp—don’t want to eat out.
Costello tells us that Super Suppers’ mission is to “get families back to the table.” Restaurantarama can get behind that.
Fallen Starr
Just when W. Main Street was getting really interesting again with the recent openings of Maya, Horse & Hound and Zinc, the dining spot that played a major part in the street’s resurgence, Starr Hill Music Hall and Restaurant, is shutting its doors after eight years (bringing restaurant mogul Coran Capshaw’s dining holdings down to seven). We checked in with Maya co-owner Christian Kelly to get his reaction. “It’s a bummer, “ he said. “It’s definitely going to affect everybody on the street.” Kelly says that the music hall has been a factor in drawing people off the Mall and into his restaurant, which has gotten slammed with the “pretheater” crowd before Starr Hill shows.
As for where you’re going to go for your Jomo Lager, well if Starr Hill’s master brewer Mark Thompson has his way, just about anywhere you can buy brewskis these days. Thompson told us about his plans for world domination when the brewery had taken up shop in Crozet in the gargantuan old ConAgra building last year. “We are going to be the next national beer brand,” Thompson said. Still, if you’re looking for a bit more atmosphere than your local 7-Eleven, the brewery plans to open a tasting room by mid-summer to early fall so you can enjoy the views of Jarman’s Gap as you sip your ale. Or you can go to the corner mart and get yourself a chili dog with your Starr Hill brew. Your choice.
Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.