Yearbook Taco and Brookville duke it out for coveted patio space on the Downtown Mall. Photo: Robert Llewellyn.
Take a seat
It’s springtime, y’all, and nothing says warm weather quite like sipping a Bloody Mary outside. (Or sipping a margarita outside, or sipping an IPA outside…) For years, Downtown Mall restaurant owners have fought tooth and nail for the limited real estate on the bricks, and this year it seemed like a showdown between two restaurants on the west end was inevitable.
Yearbook Taco owner Hamooda Shami was thrilled that El Puerto, the restaurant he bought last fall, included outdoor seating. Meanwhile, Brookville owner Harrison Keevil was thrilled that El Puerto’s patio space was up for grabs. Unbeknownst to each restaurant owner, they were both vying for the same spot to set up shop for the spring and summer, and the city was cast in the role of King Solomon.
“I was blindsided by a letter saying that that patio belongs to the city, and any time a business changes hands, surrounding businesses could sort of claim a portion of the patio,” Shami said. “By the time we had basically half, we’d be looking at a two- or three-table patio instead of six, which was a bit of a shock.”
Fortunately, zoning inspector Craig Fabio had an easier job than Solomon, and he was able to cut the space in half in such a way that each business gets 200 square feet of outdoor dining space.
“With our Mexican concept, obviously we want margaritas on the patio,” Shami said. “They’re definitely our best seats now that the weather has come around.”
Next door and up the stairs, Harrison has been serving up local, Southern-inspired fare since 2011, but never had patio seating. With a menu that’s shifted from “über-fine dining” to more casual, Keevil’s thrilled to be able to serve it up al fresco.
“We don’t have everything piled high with microgreens anymore and do other things we did in the past,” he said, “and it’ll be easier for servers to get up and down the stairs.”
Yearbook Taco’s patio seating is up and running, and Keevil said as soon as the fencing goes up, Brookville’s will be, too. He’s aiming for mid-April.
“I think on our end it’s pretty fair because we have a good number of little restaurants and cafés, so there’s really not that much space down here,” Keevil said. “They were able to give us all a little piece of the pie, so it’s been pretty nice.”
Charlie’s, we hardly knew ye
The joint best known for allowing smoking and having horseshoe pits on High Street, Charlie’s, has been sold to a new owner and rebranded the Double Horseshoe Saloon.
Shane Ethridge and longtime girlfriend Atoyia Holt bought the place from Charlie Jones earlier this year and started welcoming customers back on February 18. In addition to the rebrand, Ethridge and Holt installed new plumbing and are overseeing an ongoing remodel of the place.
“We’re already getting big crowds, and we’re expecting them to get bigger and better,” Holt said.
Holt said she and Ethridge jumped at the chance to buy Charlie’s when the former owner decided to step away for health reasons. ”It’s been a dream of ours for a while,” she said. The couple plans to maintain the bar’s large smoking section, as it’s a main draw for most of their clientele, while putting their own stamp on the bar grub and parlor games. They’ll be adding cornhole and beer pong come spring or summer and are already hosting near-nightly pool tournaments. Other events to look forward to will be live music and biker nights, Holt said.
Food bank bank
Congratulations, C’ville diners. You did it. You raised more for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank during the January 2015 installment of Restaurant Week than you have during any other RW event. With 5,000 more diners participating in January than in last July’s Restaurant Week, $23,746 ($1 per person) went to the charity, an emergency food assistance agency that puts millions of meals in front of those who need them every year.
Of the 41 local restaurants participating in the latest RW, the stalwart Old Mill Room at Boar’s Head Inn, a $26 participant, attracted the most diners with 1,290. “It was nice to see someone who has participated since the beginning, someone who has done it that long, do so well,” said C-VILLE marketing director Anna Harrison. Zinburger, a newcomer to the local dining scene, attracted the most hungry philanthropists at the $16 price (1,275), and Downtown Grille was the highest grossing $36 restaurant with 900 diners, Harrison said.
The first 2015 Restaurant Week installment ran from January 24-31; the summer edition will be held July 18-25, and participating restaurants will be announced June 1.
Lauren Hoffman may be the most successful local talent you’ve never heard of. Check out her new band The Secret Storm on Friday at the Southern. Publicity photo
Lauren Hoffman had never heard of Paste Magazine. But in 2006, soon after the release of her most acclaimed record Choreography, the LP’s lead single was included on one of the national magazine’s music samplers alongside the likes of The Hold Steady, Bright Eyes and The Shins.
It wasn’t the only reach enjoyed by “Broken,” an atmospheric relationship track with a catchy-as-hell opening line: “You’re a little bit broken/I’m a sucker for that.” The song went on to earn around 300,000 YouTube views and twice as many iTunes downloads as any other track on Hoffman’s four-album discography. And that’s saying something considering her 1997 LP Meggido was released on the major label Virgin Records.
The Charlottesville singer-songwriter didn’t get to build on the success of “Broken” or Choreography. Hoffman essentially quit music in 2008 to focus on raising her daughter, who’s now going on 7 years old. She released one more record, Interplanetary Traveler, in 2009 but said she didn’t necessarily put everything she had into producing or promoting it.
“In 2006, I was working really hard at making it all happen as an independent artist, and I was starting to feel like, ‘I don’t know where this is going,’” Hoffman said during a recent interview at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. “And then life changed and I had a kid. It changed my priorities, because doing music…you can just write songs and put them on SoundCloud, or you can go way out on a limb for them.”
Nine years later, the local songstress is going out on a limb for a new project, The Secret Storm. The band, comprising six local musicians of various stripes, will play its third show on April 3 at The Southern Café and Music Hall. The Secret Storm is in the process of finishing its first full-length record. Hoffman said several singles and videos are completed and should be released soon, followed by the LP early next year.
“It’s exciting to be starting over as The Secret Storm because my Spotify profile still has something about me being 17 or precocious or something,” she said.
That precocious 17-year-old was born in Los Angeles and moved to Charlottesville when she was 2. Her father, Ross Hoffman, worked with Coran Capshaw in the early years and was instrumental in the launch of another C’ville singer-songwriter, Dave Matthews.
Indeed, it was through working at the Dave Matthews Band fulfillment offices that Hoffman met fellow musician and Matthews’ collaborator Shannon Worrell, who introduced her to John Morand and David Lowery of Sound of Music Studios in Richmond. Working closely with Morand, Hoffman produced her first record, hoping a label would pick it up. She moved to New York, earned some word of mouth and press buzz, and was signed to Virgin Records. The teenager was poised for a breakout.
Hoffman’s debut didn’t go as planned, though. The original A&R rep who signed her soon left the label, and the team that took over never really knew what to do with her.
“After that whole thing went down with Virgin, I came back here, and there is a whole chapter about how I got out of my deal,” Hoffman said. “It was my choice.”
Hoffman admits she’s never been as closely associated with C’ville as some local artists. Despite first learning bass under local jazz icon John D’earth as a middle schooler at Tandem, despite attending three high schools in the area and despite her connection to Capshaw and DMB, Hoffman’s always operated outside the local mainstream. She said that’s probably why, when she returned from New York, she was drawn to the punk scene at the Tokyo Rose, where she started an acoustic series called “Shut Up and Listen.”
“I came back here and discovered these people I had known from different worlds as a child and a teenager were in a band together,” she said. “When I first heard them, I thought it was sort of funny.”
The band was goth rockers Bella Morte, and one of those people was guitarist Tony Lechmanski. Lechmanski opened up a world to Hoffman that became her musical home and introduced her to some of the people who now make up The Secret Storm, which is rounded out by cellist Cathy Monnes, keyboardist Ethan Lipscomb, bassist Jeff Diehm and drummer Jordan Marchini.
The Secret Storm gives Hoffman the opportunity to be what she’s always wanted to be, she said: a lyric-driven songwriter. She doesn’t play an instrument with the band, and that’s been freeing in a way. It’s also been freeing to think of her musical career as less of a profession and more of an expression.
“Mostly I am hoping for the same thing that happened with ‘Broken’—just hoping that a couple of these songs really speak to people,” Hoffman said. “It has to be a balance. I want to teach my daughter that there’s great value to doing this thing that you feel is what you’re meant to do in life, but I don’t want her to feel like it comes first. That is a hard balance.”
Do you have a favorite track from a local singer-songwriter? Tell us in the comments.
As Executive Vice-President of the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association (BRHBA), Kristin O’Connell Sorokti might be expected to think that Central Virginia is “a very, very good place” for homebuilders and home improvement buffs. But O’Connell doesn’t ask us to take her word for it. O’Connell invites us to see for ourselves. The BRHBA shows it to us every year at a trade show that has companies both in state and out calling her up to book a booth, and more than 1,500 building and landscape professionals, home handymen, and do-it-yourself-dreamers coming to check out the latest in building concepts, gardening and landscaping ideas, and remodeling solutions. Come spring, we dig and dream, hoist and hammer. But first comes the Home and Garden Festival.
The 2015BRHBA Home and Garden Festival will be open to the public at the John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For the first time, both admission and parking will be free. Once again, BRHBA will collect donations at the door for the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP), a non-profit that aids seniors and other community members in need.
A professional trade association organized in 1964, the BRHBA unites builders and developers with the allied trade industries, businesses, and professions that have interest in the building industry. BRHBA works to consolidate resources and build coalitions that will develop the industry and the community. Its annual Home and Garden Festival is the largest and only trade show of its kind in Central Virginia, with 130 indoor and outdoor vendor booth spaces available.
“This has been a big local event for 42 years,” Sorokti says. “The idea is to give our builders and anybody in the homebuilding industry the opportunity to interact with the public and share all of their innovations with the community. Homeowners, and even people who are renting, can get ideas of what they can do in their home or their future home. They can see what is out there in the market now.”
“As you walk into the main lobby, AHIP will be building a pretty spectacular display with one of our landscape partners,” says BRHBA president Ben Davis. “There will be a beer garden with local favorites.” Blue Ridge Pizza, Mouth Wide Open, Carpe Donut, and Pie Guy will be on hand with food trucks. Hourly door prizes and kids’ activities will add to the festival atmosphere.
Davis is also Sales Director for Charlottesville’s Craig Builders, Home and Garden Festival sponsors for 42 years. Founded in 1957, Craig specializes in both attached (one-level villas and townhouses) and detached homes, all built to customer specifications. “We see that buyers looking for hands-on information,” Davis says. “We want to be there for folks interested in building a new home from scratch.” Besides displaying photos of some of their homes and offering advice about customized homes, the Craig folks will bring along a face painter and a putt-putt miniature golf hole.
For Richard Pleasant, owner of the hot tub, swim spa, and exercise pool business EnviroSmarte, the Festival is “an opportunity to show our products to people looking to improve their backyard and outdoor living space. It’s a convenient way for people to see lots of products related to that whole environment at one time instead of going to my shop and then maybe going to see a landscaper,” he says. “All those different aspects are right there. Many of us work with each other anyway.” Besides meeting new customers and making sales, Pleasants says the event offers another type of business activity, “the networking between companies that goes on before and after the show.”
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville comes to the Festival every year, with info about its work and a selection of wares from its Allied Street store. “Usually we bring a sample of our smaller inventory like hand tools and paint, says Habitat’s Caitlin Riopell. “We try to bring at least one item from all of our departments to show the breadth of our inventory, and then we do a small display with our used doors and planters. Last year we started to track how many conversations we were having and people we were meeting who had never heard of our store, and we were having 50-60 conversations. We really enjoyed it.”
While Habitat for Humanity helps people achieve the American Dream of homeownership, Festival beneficiary AHIP helps low-income community members keep their homes in good repair, so they have basic necessities like heat, water, insulation and adequate roofing. In addition to this critical hands-on labor, AHIP also works to educate the community about the importance of safety in the home.
The group grew out of relief efforts after Hurricane Camille swept through Nelson County in 1969. “Volunteers from the University of Virginia, both students and faculty and staff had gone to help with the rebuilding process,” notes Ravi Respeto, AHIP’s Director of Development and Marketing. “What they discerned through that process is that there are people who are in need throughout the year, whether we have a storm or not, for basic things like indoor plumbing and heat – the essentials that we kind of take for granted, that these families went without on a regular basis. So that’s where the inspiration came to start AHIP. We serve the county and the city, so we’re a very local, hands-on organization.” Since its incorporation 38 years ago, the group has served roughly 2,000 clients. Its 353 volunteers put in a total of 3,195 hours in fiscal year 2013-14 – equal to an estimated $70,859 worth of financial support.
Since BRHBA first partnered with AHIP in 2012, it has donated an estimated $40,000 in in-kind labor and material and donations. This year again, BRHBA will ask each festivalgoer for a $5 donation for this important local charity. “We are delighted to be working with our friends and partners at AHIP,” Sorokti says, “and to support the remarkable work they do here in our community to keep our neighbors safe, warm, and dry.”
“There is a huge need right now,” Ravi Respeto says. “We have about 412 families on our wait list. We are able to service about 150 families a year, and as we’re helping folks, new people are coming on to our wait list. At any given time we have 30-40 families that are going through the process. That’s just the need that we know of. Those are people that have actually called and reported what kind of rehab or critical repair issue that they’re having, so it’s probably larger than that.” Roughly half of these families need emergency repairs to their homes. The other half need home rehabs.
When families and individuals ask for help, AHIP assesses their needs, conducts a financial assessment to ascertain that they’re eligible for services, and then rates their situation in terms of urgency. Families with small children, individuals with critical illnesses or disabilities, and seniors typically get priority.
Oftentimes people call lacking heat in the winter. “We get a lot of that,” Respeto says. “Some families heat by opening the door of their oven, or by kerosene heat which is very dangerous. Those are homes that we would get to right away.” Other people call lacking water because their wells need electrical or mechanical repair. Seniors recovering from strokes in care centers may need wheelchair ramps back home. “We get a group out to build that ramp so they can go home.
Sometimes old homes are hazardous to kids. “We have families with small children who have been to the pediatrician and have high lead levels in their blood, so it’s critical to have all the old lead paint removed. That’s something that requires a trained crew.”
All that work takes many hands. “We have a variety of churches, businesses, associations and schools that come out and help,” Respeto says. “Last year we had 18 different groups ranging from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy to the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors (CAAR) and the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association, but also groups like Madison House, the main volunteer arm of UVa. We also have corporate groups like Wells Fargo; they come out and do three large projects a year, where they commit 60 hours of volunteer hours and donate $15,000 per project. We’ve also had the UVa Law School and (the law firm) McGuire Woods. We are always looking for new groups and individuals that want to get involved.”
ReMax REALTOR® Rachel Reynolds began volunteering with AHIP on one of the semi-annual Build Days sponsored by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. In the last couple of years she’s done “everything from helping paint exteriors and interiors of homes, and building decks and porches, to fundraising in our silent auction and live auction.”
Respeto describes AHIP’s booth at the Home and Garden Festival as “an outreach” about both the organization and the importance of housing in creating a vibrant and healthy community. “One of our primary objectives right now is to get folks to understand the financial aspect of how we operate,” she says. “We do get public funds, but they’re dwindling. Twenty-five percent of our funds now come from private sources, and that is going to go up to about 50 percent in the next few years.”
Bob Hughes with Nest Realty has been attending the Home and Garden Festival since he began his real estate career back in the early 90’s. Even though, as a realtor, Hughes is “typically swamped on weekends showing houses,” it’s an event he hates to miss. “I love seeing the new products that are coming out, and changes in the whole home building process,” Hughes says. “It is always great to run into people I have not seen in awhile. A lot of my clients love to attend. We in this area are very fortunate to have such a extensive annual show.“
“I think the Home and Garden Festival is a great opportunity for the local public to get to understand what type of services are provided in our community,” Respeto says – “not just the non-profit sector but all the great businesses that we have. Encouraging people to think local and buy local is really important.”
Experienced REALTORS® will tell you it’s critical to price a property appropriately from the get-go. Research shows overpricing a home and then dropping the price several times often leads to a final selling price that’s less than what you originally should have asked. In fact, the longer a property stays on the market, the lower the eventual selling price is likely to be.
Naturally, sellers want to sell their property based on what they paid for it and definitely for enough to cover their mortgage balance. The truth, however, is that the house is only worth what the market says it’s worth. If the price is too high, potential buyers might not even look at it. On the other hand, if the listing price is below market, the property will sell quickly, but for less than it could have.
Just ask Todd McGee, a broker with Charlottesville’s Nest Realty. He’s helped many folks set well-gauged listing prices. His advice? “I would tell people that next to selecting their real estate professional, setting an accurate list price is the most important thing you do when it’s time to sell.”
He points out the listing price must reflect today’s market, not what the house was worth last year or what the sellers “need” to get out of the property. “It’s really important to take into account similar properties sold in last six months and also your active competition,” he declares. “Overpricing your property will enable similar, right-priced houses on the market to sell first.”
Some people scout out websites such as Zillow or Trulia. While these give a general range of prices, histories, and even tax bills for a specific property, they include properties not currently on the market and there is no guarantee of accuracy. Besides, McGee observes, no computer-based algorithm can replace the experience of a real estate professional who has actually been inside similar places in the last six months and knows local neighborhoods.
“Zillow, for instance, doesn’t take into account what might be next door or across the street,” he points out. There’s a lot of difference in being adjacent to a boarding kennel or daycare center or being next to a greenspace or golf course.
He does mention Realtor.com as a good site with listings of properties currently on the market. The searchable website has filters for zip code, type of home (condo, single family), the number of bedrooms, baths, stories, and other features like a garage, or fireplace.
Comparative Market Analysis
The best tool for determining a listing price is a comparative market analysis (CMA) of recently sold properties. These properties should be similar in terms of number of bedrooms, square footage, school district, age, improvements, and other amenities such as a garage, basement, or fireplace.
It’s seldom possible to find a twin to the property being sold, of course, but the CMA will give a range of prices. Other considerations are similar properties currently on the market, how long various properties were on the market before selling, whether properties have been withdrawn because they didn’t sell, and the difference between the original listing price and the eventual selling price of the properties. (McGee reports that last year, most listings our region sold within about three percent of the listing price.)
People usually receive CMAs from REALTORS ®. “Usually it’s good to talk to a couple different agents from different companies,” suggests McGee. “Different agencies might offer different services. Let the agents know what your specific goal is. For example, do you need to sell the house within a month? The need to move fast is a factor that will impact price and marketing strategy.”
He also says agents won’t be upset that you are consulting with others. “Agents know it’s a job interview,” he says. “You have to realize that different professionals will have different ideas. On might say you should do these five things to get ready to sell while another might say do nothing. You have to trust your relationship with the person you choose.”
McGee also suggests sellers ask questions when meeting with real estate professionals. Questions might include: What concessions are buyers are asking for, such as helping with closing costs, leaving appliances, or giving an allowance to replace carpeting? Have you sold properties in our neighborhood?Should we do a home inspection before listing?
“A lot of our job is managing sellers’ expectations,” concludes McGee. “If we can inform about how it will go, it will be a smoother transaction. And setting a realistic listing price can make all the difference.”
##
By Marilyn Pribus
Marilyn Pribus, formerly a real estate agent in Newport News, lives with her husband and their new CASPCA shelter dog in Albemarle County near Charlottesville.
Mock rock cyberpunks ONWE come to the Tea Bazaar in order to shame you for your extravagant lifestyle on Monday. Photo: Melissa Cha
Derisive punk pranksters ONWE make their second local appearance this month at the end of a tour that has booked up and down the East Coast as well as four shows at Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. Since the 2014 release of the single “Unpaid Internship,” the trio has risen to the summit of the indie scene on its unapologetic style of pop-punk satire. Frontman David Welles plays the part of a privileged and entitled young white urbanite, using the character, along with bitingly sardonic lyrics to mock the scourge of apathetic American culture that is seemingly obsessed with mindless media, social and otherwise. The sarcasm isn’t lost on many, especially in ONWE’s hometown of Brooklyn—ground zero for the hipster epidemic.
Monday 3/30. $7, 8:30pm. Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, 414 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 293-9947.
Be warned: Emily Hearn will be your new favorite singer-songwriter. On her sophomore effort Hearn grows artistically by leaps and bounds with a rich, understated vocal prowess, a sonic palette beyond the country and folk stylings of earlier albums, and lyrics that are simultaneously clever, profound and catchy. This relationship-focused record makes it’s mark with atmospheric country pop (“The Oak Tree”), ’80s-era modern rock (“Save Me”), Gospel (“Thank God You’re Holding Me”) and ambient folk (“Long Summer), and all the while Hearn anchors the songs with moody, emotional trajectories. The radio-ready “Annie” calls out “Don’t you dare make this all about him/ Because he’s never made it all about you” and is bound to be a hit. Introspective and wondrous, Hourglass is certain to go down as oneof the year’s smartest, most satisfying releases.
JD McPherson
Let the Good Times Roll/Rounder Records
JD McPherson is a throwback to the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll. His echoing vocals ring with melodies and rhythms pulled straight from Motown, surf and Jerry Lee Lewis records, and the album swings enoughto compare with a Brian Setzer project. The title track is a dance fest from the word go, and the groovy “It’s All Over But The Shouting” is a Chuck Berry-style hip shaker. McPherson goes for blow-the-house-down soul on tracks like “Bossy” and “You Must Have Met Little Caroline?” while still maintaining a modern flair on this time warp of a release. Let the Good Times Roll, indeed.
Brandi Carlile
The Firewatcher’s Daughter/ATO Records
One of the hallmarks of Carlile’s work has always been the raw energy that filters through her songs. It’s as evident on subdued tracks like “Bear Creek,” as it is on the kinetic rocker and fan favorite “The Story.” On The Firewatcher’s Daughter, Carlile is in full force, moving seamlessly between throaty growl and honey vocals paired with heart-on-the-sleeve-level lyrics. Gritty rockers like “Blood Muscle Skin and Bone” are made more electric when she shouts about her need to be with someone strong when she is weak, and “The Things I Regret” and “Beginning to Feel the Years” offer an unflinching hindsight. The album spends a lot of time in the folk and Americana genres, but “Mainstream Kid” stands out as a hoot and holler, dance yourself silly rock song that’s too much fun to pass up.
The banana pudding at PastureQ masquerades as a crème brûlée, with rich banana custard under slices of sweet, perfectly burnt bananas. That’s what we call Southern comfort.
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? We don’t have a definitive answer, but the egg’s appearance in everything from omelets to mayo suggests it’s at least trending. That’s why, for the first issue of Knife & Fork, we’ve tracked down nature’s incredible, edible gift from backyard chicken coops to your next breakfast sammy; from Bodo’s egg salad to Tin Whistle’s Scotch egg. Chickens may get the credit, but we’re giving eggs the glory. Order up!
Blue Moon Diner co-owner Rice Hall says the key to cooking eggs comes down to two things: heat and oil. Photo: Amanda Maglione
Makin’ an egg
Sometimes the basics aren’t actually all that basic. In fact, they often take the longest to master. So we asked Rice Hall, who mans the kitchen at one of Charlottesville’s most popular breakfast spots, Blue Moon Diner, to help us understand a few tricks of the trade. Here are the three universal rules: Start with a warm pan, use a bit of oil (vegetable, not olive!) and cook on medium to low-medium heat. Want to up your own egg game? Get crackin’.—Caite White
Sunnyside up
Crack your egg in a warm pan and then leave it alone. When it’s done, the white part should be cooked (i.e. no longer translucent), the yolk will be runny and the bottom will be slightly browned.
Over easy, medium and hard
Crack your egg and cook it for about 10 seconds (over easy), 25 seconds (over medium) or 40 seconds (over hard), then flip it to briefly (just a few seconds!) cook the top side.
Scrambled
To scramble an egg, add the egg mixture to a warm pan and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (in other words, a utensil without sharp edges), keep scraping the pan and moving the eggs around until they’re cooked. Adding cheese? Do it about halfway through cooking the eggs.
Poached
Fill a pan with about 1″ of water (enough to submerge the egg without it touching the bottom of the pan), then salt the water and pour in a bit of vinegar (“It should taste a little like salad dressing,” Rice says) and bring the water to a boil.Crack the egg in a bowl and slide it into the water. Parts of the egg will slough off (that’s normal) and, about three minutes later, use a slotted spoon to retrieve the remaining egg ball and gently jiggle it to check for consistency. It should be somewhere between an over soft and over medium egg yolk (“You end up with a little goat scrotum,” Rice says). If it’s ready, put the egg on a plate to drain the water (about 30 seconds), then serve.
Photo: Max March
Devilishly good
When Red Hub Food Co. opened in January, owners Ryan Hubbard and Mark Marshall tested out this deviled egg—
with bacon(!) and spicy relish mixed in with the egg filling—before adding it to the menu permanently. Our vote? We’ll take a dozen!—C.W.
Photo: Andrea Hubbell
Into the frying pan
Add this handmade 8″ carbon steel frying pan from Charlottesville-based Blanc Creatives to your kitchen collection. Blacksmith Corry Blanc makes a 10″ version too, and says both are used by chefs all over town—from Brookville Restaurant and The Local to MAS and Ivy Inn. Hey, if it’s good enough for them… (8″ for $145, 10″ for $180, blanccreatives.com)—C.W.
Fresh starts
It’s the most important meal of the day, so do it right. Here’s what we’ve been waking up to lately.
Photo: Emily Sacco
1. Oeufs en Cocotte at MarieBette
700 Rose Hill Dr., 529-6118
There’s no cuter dish than these poached eggs mixed with cream and served in a miniature cast iron skillet. Try it with garlic and fresh herbs or with a choice of smoked salmon, goat cheese, artichokes or spinach.
Photo: Emily Sacco
2. Frittata at Petit Pois
201 Main St., Downtown Mall, 979-7647
It’s the Cherry Glenn Farm ricotta that sets apart this dish, which also includes spinach and caramelized onions and is served with herbs de Provence potatoes and greens.
Photo: Emily Sacco
3. The Joan Marie Special Omelet at Bluegrass Grill & Bakery
313 Second St. SE #105, 295-9700
The fluffiest one we’ve tried, this omelet, named after the restaurant’s original owners, is made with spinach, tomatoes, Swiss cheese and herbed cream cheese, which contains the ingredient that really makes this dish shine: dill.
Photo: Emily Sacco
4. Summer quiche at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery
6701 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Crozet, (540) 456-6431
Depending on what the farmers bring by, you can always expect an artful combination of local veggies, greens, meat and cheese, such as Caromont Farm’s Farmstead Chevre, in Greenwood’s homemade quiche, available both by the slice and as a whole.
Photo: Emily Sacco
5. The Ranch Boss at Beer Run
156 Carlton Rd. #203, 984-2337
This meal of fried eggs with sausage, peppers and onions, served on crispyseven-grain tortillas with homemade salsa verde, is a brunch favorite.—Jennifer Senator
Oakhurst Inn & Café’s eggs meurette. Photo: Emily Sacco
Bed and breakfast
You don’t have to stay overnight to get a taste of the capital breakfasts in our area’s finest sleep spots. Try any of these four Sunday brunches for an egg-cellent start to the day.
The Old Mill Room at Boar’s Head Inn
200 Ednam Dr., 972-2230
Reservations are recommended for this $35 spread. You’ll find classic breakfast offerings like grits, hashbrowns and, of course, eggs aplenty, plus a carving station, fresh fish and even a dessert table. There’s a continental buffet option for $16, too, but go big or go home, we always say.
Fossett’s at Keswick Hall
701 Club Dr., Keswick, 979-3440
It’s hard to choose just one entrée from the menu at Fossett’s, but we’ll take a crack (pun intended!) at it: Eggs Keswick—a slice of brioche bread topped with Kite’s ham, Gruyere and creamed leeks—is a local twist on classic Eggs Benny. An upgrade, if you ask us.
The Pointe at Omni Hotel
212 Ridge-McIntire Rd., 971-5500
At $16 per person (and an atmosphere where you can bring the kiddos), the breakfast buffet at The Pointe is your classic brunch setup: standard breakfast fare, plus made-to-order omelet and Belgian waffle stations.
Oakhurst Inn & Café
1616 Jefferson Park Ave., 872-0100
No buffets here—and that’s too bad, because we could eat the eggs meurette (eggs poached in a red wine sauce) all day long. And we’re not alone—the pint-sized café’s dish was recently featured on the pages of Southern Living magazine.—C.W.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
Mayo always
One of the more divisive condiments, mayonnaise tops off everything from your grilled cheese to your chicken salad. We asked Leni Sorensen, local culinary historian, to share her personal recipe, which she’s been using for 40 years. “Once you do it a few times, and your family gets a taste for it, you’ll never go back to the store-bought kind,” she says. And, naturally, “Fresh eggs just add that extra ‘Yum!’”—C.W.
Leni’s Homemade Mayonnaise
Makes 1 quart
Part I:
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. dark mustard (like Gulden’s Spicy Brown)
Part II:
2 cups oil (half canola, half olive)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Put all Part I ingredients into blender jar. Run the blades on high till thoroughly mixed and beginning to thicken slightly. With the blender running high, begin adding oil in a thin stream, pouring the oil into the vortex of the mixture. After you have addedone cup of the oil, add the vinegar all at once. Add the remaining cup of oil slowly, stopping and scraping the mixture down with the spatula as needed.
Pour the finished mayonnaise into a wide-mouthed quart canning jar. Let the jar sit on the counter for an hour—it aids the acid and the eggy/oil emulsion to set well. It will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
Leni Sorensen teaches cooking and rural skills classes from the kitchen at Indigo House, her home in White Hall, including a recently added course on condiments: mayo, mustards and ketchups. Visit her website, indigohouse.us, for more info.
Ramen at Kokoro. Photo: Emily Sacco
Asian delights
Nothing says Americanbrunch like eggs, right? Omelets, Benedict, scrambled, fried. But let’s talk about Asian cuisine, where the egg has been a star player at breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes for centuries. According to Yukiko Tauchi, Kokoro Sushi Japanese Restaurant co-owner and chef, the reason for putting eggs in classic Asian dishes like ramen is simple: “It just makes it more tasty.” We won’t argue.
Here are a few of our favorite local Japanese, Chinese and Thai dishes with eggs in the spotlight.
Ramen at Kokoro
112 W. Main St. #6, Downtown Mall, 977-0167
Tauchi was right. The giant bowls of traditional Japanese soup—with the meat and broth of your choice in varying spice levels, kamaboko (cured fish cake) and fresh herbs—features a soft-boiled egg with a yellow-orange yolk cooked to perfection. It’s not runny, but it’s creamy enough to stir into the broth for an extra level of depth and flavor.
Pad see ew at Pad Thai
156 Carlton Rd. #202, 293-4032
Eggs are scrambled into the stir-friednoodle dish, adding texture and a little sweetness to the mixture of meat (or tofu) and broccoli, carrots and other veggies in a garlicky brown sauce.
Egg drop soup at Taiwan Garden
2171 Ivy Rd., 295-0081
Usually served with bits of tofu and scallions, the classic Chinese meal precursor is made with beaten eggs in a boiled chicken broth.
Moo shu at Osaka Eastern Hibachi Restaurant
2119 Ivy Rd., 979-9292
Served with your choice of white or fried rice, the chopped meat (chicken, pork or shrimp) is mixed with scrambled eggs and stir-fried with thinly sliced veggies, garlic and soy sauce.
Egg foo yung at Tea House Chinese and Sushi Cuisine
325 Four Leaf Ln., 823-2868
A cross between an omelet and a pancake, this traditional Chinese dish is offered with your choice of chicken, pork or shrimp, plus soy sauce and veggies.—Laura Ingles
Photo: Emily Sacco
Eggs a-go-go
Simple is better. Take, for instance, the Scotch egg at Tin Whistle Irish Pub: A centuries-old delicacy in the U.K., this picnic-perfect treat is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, covered in breading and then deep-fried. Why didn’t we think of that?—C.W.
Hardy Whitten and his wife Betsy have raised chickens in the backyard of their Fry’s Spring home since 2010. They acquired the current group, six white hens, last spring after they hatched in the kindergarten class Betsy teaches at Johnson Elementary School. Photos: Emily Sacco
He grew the coop
One urban chicken farmer is making it look easy
“They’ve got fennel today,” says Hardy Whitten as his six white hens peck at scraps from the family’s dinner last night, which, judging by the food strewn about the yard, also included greens (the chickens’ favorite), celery, onions and avocado, plus oranges and lemons.
Whitten and his wife Betsy have raised chickens in the backyard of their Fry’s Spring home since 2010, and before that, at their home in Albemarle County since 2000. While the Whittens have raised many varieties—including “Martha Stewart-type chickens,” as Whitten calls Araucanas, which lay distinctive blue-green eggs—these birds are more common white hens, hatched last spring in the kindergarten class Betsy teaches at Johnson Elementary School. “At the end of the year, no one could take them,” says Whitten, “and we had a place for them to go.”
The hens have a fenced yard and two-story coop designed and built by Whitten. The structure, which looks like a tower from a fairy tale, is made of scrap wood and shingles from the Habitat Store. It has two large windows, since “chickens need lots of sunlight to lay eggs,” Whitten says, and there’s a separate door to access the roosting boxes where the chickens lay their eggs. But the most important feature of the coop is the protection it offers from predators.
“That’s the hardest thing about having chickens,” Whitten says. He buried chicken wire in the ground before building the structure to keep predators out, and while it has been mostly effective, he didn’t count on the volume of wildlife in a city neighborhood.
“We’ve had foxes, raccoons, possums, hawks, raptors…” he says. Recently, an owl plunged into the yard despite the web of twine Whitten had constructed over the area to keep out birds of prey. But Whitten says the effort is worth it to have fresh eggs every day.
“They taste better,” he says. “It’s like homemade bread versus store-bought. They’re fresher.”
The hens lay six or seven eggs per day—more than the Whittens can eat—so Oscar, their 7-year-old son, sells them to neighbors and friends for $4 a dozen. Because the chickens also eat feed, they aren’t considered organic or free-range, even though they have a yard to roam. Whitten laughs, “I call them free-spirit chickens instead.”
For others who are interested in raising chickens, Whitten suggests consulting the website backyardchickens.com for tips on getting started and visiting local county fairs to see the many varieties of chickens. “And there are plenty of people around here to talk to if you need advice or have a problem,” he says. “There really is a chicken culture here.”—J.S.
Crunchy gray sea salt completes this egg and potato dish, Tortilla Española. Photo: Lauren Stonestreet
Yes, MAS!
We can’t prove it, but we’d be willing to bet the Most Eggs on the Menu award goes to Belmont tapas spot MAS. We asked chef/owner Tomas Rahal to expound on the use of eggs in Spanish cuisine and his favorite eggy offerings.—Caite White
“One of my first trips to Spain, I noticed baskets of fresh eggs at nearly every little market. The eggs had deep orange yolks that stood up tall. Rich, buttery yolks make excellent meals, or add richness and minerality to dishes.
“The yolks would be given to convents whose nuns turned them into delicious confections. As a part of Eastern and Western religious celebrations, the egg has significant representation. Think Salvador Dalí. Ferran Adrià. Eggs have also been important in the traditional Spanish wine culture, which used egg whites to help clarify wines.
“MAS buys eggs from local farms, Forrest Green Farm primarily, because they’re organic, pastured, nutritionally-dense, well-bred chickens, that are an integral part of our tapas, dessert and cocktail menus.”
Arugula salad
Hard-boiled farm eggs complement the bitterness of the greens, raw or cooked.
Tarta de Santiago
“Almonds and eggs make a simple, delicious, nutritious treat for travelers on el Camino, during the holidays,” Rahal says.
Aioli
An olive oil and garlic-based emulsion that goes with patatas bravas, gambas and anything off the grill. “We add farm egg yolks to stabilize and enrich, then slowly mix with a paddle,” Rahal says. “No blenders or food processors ever.”
Asparagus, duck egg, truffles
A beautiful springtime dish with a rich duck egg, soft-boiled for five minutes.
Tortilla Española
Rahal says it doesn’t get more Spanish than this dish of eggs and potatoes: “Slowly cooked to golden perfection and sprinkled with crunchy gray sea salt. Pure, simple food.”
Photo: Andrea Hubbell
128 pounds
That’s how much egg salad is made per week between Bodo’s three locations.
A powerful representation of hidden modern economies defines London National Theatre’s streaming production of Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the Paramount.
Photo: Richard Hubert Smith
Pulitzer Prize winner Katherine Boo’s nonfiction masterpiece, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, hits the big screen in a live streamed National Theatre production directed by Rufus Norris. Peek behind the curtain of Mumbai’s luxury travel industry to discover the ambitions of a bevy of slum dwellers: From garbage-trading homemaker Zehrunisa to scholarly Manju to scheming thieves Kalu and Asha, the powerful interdependence of community is revealed.
Sunday 3/29. $10.50-14.50, 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 979-1333.
Get yer cukes (and other locally grown produce) at the City Market, which runs through autumn. Photo: Ashley Twiggs
Mark your calendar—these spring and summer food events will fill you up.
City Market
Opens April 4, 7am-noon
Every Saturday through October, head to the parking lot at the corner of Water and First streets to take in all the things that are great about Charlottesville: artisan goods, community and, of course, food. Get there early to grab a taco! charlottesvillecitymarket.com
Tom Tom Festival
April 18, 11:30am-4pm
Main Street Arena (Downtown Mall)
Tom Tom Founders Festival hosts plenty of food-focused events (check out the Farm-to-Table Restaurant Week April 13-16), but we’re most excited about the chili cook-off. Your $10 ticket gets you samples of chili from home cooks and restaurant chefs alike. And what goes better with chili than beer? The event includes a blind local beer battle with area breweries competing for the title of People’s Choice Champion. tomtomfest.com
Men Who Cook
April 25, 6-11pm
Fry’s Spring Beach Club (2512 Jefferson Park Ave.)
$75 general admission (includes food and drink, but no guaranteed seating) or $400 reserved seating for four (includes wine/beer, bite size tasting from each chef and a reserved table for up to four guests)
Fifty amateur chefs serve bite-sized dishes (plus wine and beer!) for the 28th annual event from the Monticello Area Community Action Agency, which serves low-income families in the Charlottesville area. macaa.org/NewsandEvents/MenWhoCook
Montpelier Wine Festival
May 2 (11am-6pm)-May 3 (11am-5pm), Tickets $15 in advance, $25 at the gate; $5 for designated drivers and persons age 12-20; free for kids under 12
Specialty food vendors, live music and “cooking with wine” classes are just a few of the highlights at this annual fest held at the home of fourth president James Madison.montpelierwinefestival.com
Charlottesville Restaurant Week
July 18-25
Everybody likes a deal. And a deal that benefits charity? Even better. Get a taste of more than 20 local restaurants at a discounted price point—three courses for $16, $26 or $36. One dollar of every meal goes to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which works to alleviate hunger in Western and Central Virginia. charlottesvillerestaurantweek.com
We’ve got class
Want to develop some new skills in the kitchen (or brush up on the few you already have)? Try one of these local classes through cookingschools, wineries and inns in the area.
This three-hour class, led by Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School graduate Ashley Brooks, will teach you to make your own green curry with mortar and pestle, as well as how to incorporate curry in other dishes like Thai hot and sour prawn soup, green mango salad or tropical skewers.
Spring in Virginia
April 12 at 10:30am, $75
Spend three to four hours with CCS owner and instructor Martha Stafford as she guides you through preparing a seasonal meal of creamy asparagus soup; a spring salad with local lettuce and green garlic vinaigrette, light tender omelets filled with fresh herbs, spinach and Caromont goat cheese and made from local farm eggs; sautéed mushrooms with fresh herbs on an Albemarle Baking Company baguette and strawberry soufflé.
Italian Antipasto
April 18 at 6pm, $75
Led by Soledad Liendo, this Italian appetizers class will prep you for your next dinner party—melanzane alla menta (eggplant with mint); pizza a la rucola (pizza with arugula and fresh tomatoes); cozze gratinate (mussels gratin) and apricot panna cotta with red berry sauce.
High Tea for Moms and Their Kids
May 10 at 2pm, $75 for mother and child (age 7 and up) pair ($35 for each additional guest)
Spend a couple hours making English scones, chocolate-covered strawberries and creme puffs together, then enjoy the fruits of yourlabor with a cup of tea or lemonade.
Learn to prepare frilly root salad (by spiral-slicing beets!), parsleyed potatoes and Black Forest parfaits to accompany the classic French chicken dish.
Gabriele Rausse, the “father of Virginia wine,” leads this two-hour session on wine production. Thomas Jefferson said, “No nation is drunken when wine is cheap.” Learn how to make your own—from harvest to fermentation to bottling —in this hands-on workshop.
