That would be the trip we just took over to Carlton Avenue, where we scouted out the leading edge of the outer-Belmont dining scene. There, we were part of the very first lunch crowd served at the brand new Pad Thai restaurant. This place is part of a new shopping center and, on March 8 when we visited, exhibited all the signs of a restaurant caught just at the moment of its emergence. In other words, some of the niceties were not quite in place yet, but the most important part—a long menu of Thai dishes—was there in force.
 Santi and Utaiwan Ouypron have just started serving up Thai deliciousness in outer Belmont. |
It’s a plain space, white-walled and concrete-floored, that hadn’t yet been decorated when we were there, nor blessed with the conversational lubricants of music and alcohol. But owner Santi Ouypron was very accommodating as he served up a tasty, and mighty spicy, green curry and a little dish of pickled veggies on the side. And some guys at the next table gave their endorsement to the Thai iced tea.
Give this little spot some time if you demand an elevated ambience; if you just want a yummy meal, head over anytime.
Trend watch!
Know what a verrine is? Neither did any of the local restaurateurs we asked after we read that verrines are the hottest thing going in Parisian restaurants these days. A verrine is, essentially, a layered appetizer or dessert served in a small glass. Chefs play with color and texture as they artfully arrange the layers (for example, according to the West Coast food writer, “a layer of scrambled egg yolks, then a purée of Jerusalem artichoke, topped with a crispy piece of walnut bread”).
Yes, our local chefs invariably greeted our verrine-related questions with a brief silence, then a “What is it again?” But once we explained, many of them realized they’d been serving verrines for years, just not calling them by that name. Said Brian Helleberg, owner of Fleurie and Petit Pois: “We’ve done a peach soup topped with peach sorbet [at Fleurie], in a glass at an angle to showcase the different colors. [And] in the summertime, when tomatoes are nice, we do two different color tomato soups—bright yellow, then bright red, and basil puree on top of that…It’s in a narrow shot glass at an angle.” Sounds to us like it counts. The X Lounge and Palladio also reported that they’d served things that would seem to fit the definition of verrine.
Pat yourself on the back, Charlottesville: You’re on the cutting edge, and you don’t even know it.
The Luddites have a point
We are very happy to know that some of you read Restaurantarama online—after all, it’s a nice way to catch up on old columns. However, we are not at all happy to discover that an error was introduced to the online column dated February 9. This error, which did not appear in print, was the application of the adjective “now-defunct” to Cassis, which is nothing of the kind. We think we’ll boycott electricity for a while in protest. Meanwhile, to be perfectly clear: For the love of newsprint, Cassis is open!
Stop: Quiz
Speaking of the website, our sources tells us that, on that very same c-ville.com, you can win a free lunch at Revolutionary Soup by answering some very easy questions about your news needs. Look for the “News Survey” button. And then start weighing the benefits of French onion versus potato rosemary versus that killer arugula salad versus…
Night moves
Now that it has its lunch legs, The Nook will be open for dinner starting March 15—“the first day of the NCAA tournament,” owner Stu Rifkin helpfully points out.
Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.