Park it in Belmont
It’s no secret that the lack of convenient restaurant parking can make dining in Belmont a little less than desirable, especially on the weekends. Now, on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 6pm, drivers from Southern Star Valet are on hand outside tavola and The Local to deal with the hassle of parking your car so you don’t have to. It’s only $5 per car—cheaper than taking a cab.
RIP, Dragon Lady
As of a couple weeks ago, the Ivy Road Chinese favorite Dragon Lady is under new ownership. After 25 years of serving up staples like sesame chicken, meat dumplings, and vegetable spring rolls, former Dragon Lady owner Fay Chang announced that the restaurant has changed hands, and the space will soon re-open as Osaka Eastern Hibachi Restaurant. According to the Facebook announcement, Chang’s nephew David Chiang will “continue to manage the restaurant with the high quality ingredients, preparation, and service that has been in our tradition.” The building is currently under renovation, and the new restaurant’s estimated grand opening is Friday, August 15.
Whose burger is best?
Do you go ga-ga for ground beef? Can you feel yourself start to salivate as you envision all the toppings you’re going to load onto the patty between those two slices of bread? If you think you could give the pros a run for their money when it comes to designing the perfect burger, check out Zinburger’s third annual burger contest, which invites burger fans to submit their own creations via the restaurant’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/zinburgereast.
Zinburger has nine east coast locations, and the Charlottesville spot opened in the Barracks Road Shopping Center in March of this year.
The last day for contest entry is Tuesday, August 12, and the guidelines are as follows: certified Angus beef only, must utilize a Zinburger’s bun, and any and all toppings and sauces are fair game. The winning burger will be chosen by Zinburger chefs and Facebook fans based on taste, mass appeal, name, complete recipe, creativity, accessibility of ingredients, overall cost to produce, and ability of the submitter to participate in media promotions.
We’re always keeping our eyes and ears open for the latest news on Charlottesville’s food and drink scene, so pick up a paper on check out c-ville.com/living each week for the latest Small bites. Have a scoop? E-mail us at bites@c-ville.com