Maybe there’s a free lunch after all
The City of Charlottesville recently launched a campaign to support local restaurants: Dine out at a Charlottesville restaurant, post a photo of yourself and your meal, tag @eatlocalcville and use the hashtag #eatlocalcville, and you might be one of the two winners selected every other week. If you win, you could score a gift card to a local restaurant. If you don’t, you’ll still be spreading the word about a restaurant you love. We’ll call it a win-win.
Give back to the garden
Every Tuesday can be giving Tuesday if you go to Petit Pois on the Downtown Mall for lunch or dinner on what the restaurant calls Garden Tuesdays. For more than a decade, chef/restaurateur Brian Helleberg and his team have been donating a portion of sales (more than $10,000 so far!) to the area nonprofit organization City Schoolyard Garden, a group that connects Charlottesville youth with nature through gardening. Several other local restaurants also support CSG, including MarieBette Café & Bakery, Albemarle Baking Co., and Sticks.
Pie without limits
Saturday, March 14, marks the annual celebration of Pi (or should we say pie?) Day. Founded in 1988, it celebrates the mathematical constant π (3.14). We suggest you follow the lead of the symbol’s never-ending nature and eat all kinds of pie. The Pie Chest is celebrating its fifth anniversary with daily specials all week, and New City Arts joins the fun with free pie at the Welcome Gallery on March 13.
Return of the leprechaun
St. Patrick’s Day falls on Tuesday this year, and if you’re looking to find some golden ales at the end of the rainbow, breweries are a good place to start. Random Row Brewing Co. is hosting a family-friendly event on Sunday ahead of the holiday, with crafts, music, dancing, and kids’ tattoos. One dollar per pint sold during the event will go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help fight childhood cancer. On March 17, Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery will celebrate all day long with Irish dishes and green cocktails. There will be fun for the whole family here too, with a leprechaun garden-making workshop and a face painter on site. On the Corner, Trinity Irish Pub offers its usual Guinness beef stew, corned beef sandwiches, and fish and chips.
From the ocean to the mountains
Update: As of Friday, March 13, this event has been cancelled.
The bi-annual Oyster Festival at Early Mountain Vineyards is a family-friendly event in a beautiful setting about 40 minutes from Charlottesville. The spring edition is slated for the weekend of March 14 and 15, with Eastern Shore oysters, crab cakes, lobster rolls, Virginia wines, and live music. Tickets ($5 for under 21, $20 for over 21) are available online and include entry, a glass of wine, and a wine glass to take home. earlymountain.com.