Author: alexanash

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Living

Save some room: 5th Street Station expands its options

Fifth Street Station is serving up another helping of restaurants, which includes a second location for a Corner favorite, and a Manassas-based traditional Thai restaurant.

Jersey Mike’s Subs: Grab a submarine sandwich from the New Jersey-bred chain at one of the newest additions to its 1,500-store résumé. The approachable menu assigns numbers to each sandwich, and they all come “Mike’s Way,” with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, spices, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Customizable toppings are available too. Open now.

Red Mango: The frozen yogurt franchise that began filling cups with all-natural creamy treats in 2007 has expanded into Charlottesville. A menu full of refreshing options includes the signature sweet and tart frozen yogurt, smoothies, parfaits, sorbettos and fresh juices. Open now.

Krispy Kreme: The international donut chain with the iconic Hot Now red neon sign that lets passersby know when the offerings are fresh, has found a home at 5th Street Station. With a visual donut menu in the form of a glass display case, choose one (or two, or three, or four…) from rows of traditional flavors such as chocolate glazed, or more eclectic ones like Reese’s peanut butter. Opening in October.

Basil Mediterranean Bistro & Wine Bar: The Corner restaurant that serves Mediterranean fare from Greece, Lebanon, Italy, Spain, France and Turkey is opening a second location on the south end of town. Its extensive menu includes a variety of region-specific dishes. Try one of the laffa options: a Lebanese-style pita roll-up with meats, produce and sauces inside. Opening in December.

Extreme Pizza: Pizza isn’t limited to average flavors at Extreme Pizza. International ingredients like Portuguese linguica, a smoke-cured pork sausage, take center stage, along with reimagined classics, such mandarin oranges on a Hawaiian pizza. This pie place chain will be part of The Yard food hall. Opening early 2018.

Zabb Thai Restaurant: The Manassas-based restaurant will open a second location in The Yard food hall, where it will offer up its authentic Thai fare, including noodle and rice dishes alongside signature entrées. Opening early 2018.

Fresh face

If you’ve visited Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards recently, you might have seen someone new. Ian Rynecki has taken over as executive chef from Bill Scatena (no word yet on what’s next for Scatena), and Rynecki says he’s looking forward to taking advantage of a lush garden and local produce and meat to create new dishes to pair with the vineyard’s vino.

With no culinary school training, Rynecki honed his chops while working in catering in several cities across the United States, including Philadelphia, Big Sky, Montana, San Francisco and New York City.

Virginia, however, is the land of new opportunity for Rynecki.

“The dairy and the meats that I can get here are some of the best in the country,” he says. “And the good thing is that I can visit all of these farms.”

Rynecki is working on a few new additions to the menu, with the help of Pippin Hill’s horticulturist, Diane Burns. His favorite is a duck dish using local meat, and an Andalusian-style gazpacho made from the tomatoes grown in the vineyard’s garden. The tomato dish is on the menu now; look for the duck option and a full-of-fall-flavor toffee carrot cake in September. Rynecki will add new dishes to the menu every month.

“We’re a winery that has to have really good food,” he says.

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Living

Main squeeze: The Corner’s not running out of juice

Joseph Linzon, co-owner of the Corner Juice Bar, says the restaurant on University Avenue aims to fill the need of fast, affordable food for students. Photo by Natalie Jacobsen.

The Corner has a new addition in time for the start of the school year. Corner Juice Bar at 1509 University Avenue offers cold-pressed organic juices, fruit smoothies, acai bowls and paninis. Co-owner Joseph Linzon (who also co-owns Roots Natural Kitchen) says the business is filling the need for fast, affordable food for students.

“We’re trying to make healthy food a sustainable part of your lifestyle,” Linzon says, adding that Corner Juice Bar is a different concept from The Juice Laundry down the street—a yoga studio is slated to open September 1 in its basement.

“What we’re trying to create here is not just a restaurant, but a wellness brand,” he says.

Thirteen deliveries of fresh, local organic produce come in each week, and the juice is made every morning (Linzon says he’s been fine-tuning recipes over the last year and a half). Whatever doesn’t sell after two days of bottling is donated to local organizations. The juice is also sold at Hot Yoga Charlottesville, and Linzon hopes to sell it at more local businesses.

Juice prices range from $4 to $7, and smoothies cost $8, but Linzon hopes to eventually cut that price in half.

Remembering Romaine Brooks

Beloved Whiskey Jar bartender Romaine Brooks passed away August 10, and his friends and family remember him as patient, passionate and kind. His step-brother, Pierre Rico Brooks, says he was a natural leader.

“He was serious a lot of the time on the outside, but he had the biggest heart, and he would do anything for anyone without hesitation,” Pierre says. “He will always be my big brother, a great son, a great dad, a great husband, a great friend and who could forget, the world’s greatest grandfather.”

Rachel Pennington, The Whiskey Jar baker and owner of The Pie Chest, had a special friendship with Romaine, and watched him move up from dishwasher to bartender. “He kept to himself until he finally started to open up and we all got to see what a unique, kind, gracious and beautiful person he was,” Pennington says. “My interactions with Romaine create a composite of having a friendship and connection with someone that gave me unconditional support, encouragement and acceptance.”

Wolfin’ it down

Burnt-end brisket, smoked baked beans, pulled chicken and baby back ribs are only a few dishes from The Wolf’s Fixins Barbecue, a new Ruckersville restaurant from owner and pitmaster Keith Simmons, that’s set to open later this month.

“The name is a spin-off of The Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs,” Simmons says. “I guess I’m the wolf.”

Simmons began barbecuing six and a half years ago as a hobby. He developed everything from scratch—sauces, dry rubs and sides—and says he now has his method down to a science.

The menu is a collection of classics like pulled pork butt as well as specials such as smoked meat tacos and finished-to-order, reverse-smoked steaks. Brisket, sausage and hand-crafted burgers are also available.

“I’ve started this from nothing and watched it grow and turn into what it has,” Simmons says. “We can’t thank our families, friends and our community enough for all of the support.”

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Living

Three Notch’d Brewery shares expansion plans

Scott Roth, chief financial officer of Three Notch’d Brewery, says the 11,000-square-foot space at IX Art Park will be similar to a traditional beer garden with indoor/outdoor areas, as well as a full-service kitchen. Photo by Eze Amos

Sitting at the edge of IX Art Park is the new Three Notch’d Brewery restaurant and production facility, which will top out at 11,000 square feet between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The setup is similar to a traditional beer garden, but bigger, and Three Notch’d says it will be the largest restaurant in Charlottesville.

A mural featuring its new logo brightens up the building, along with giant windows with views of the art park.

“It’ll be very similar to the cool, laid-back vibe that the IX Art Park has done for the other businesses,” says Scott Roth, Three Notch’d’s chief financial officer.

Inside, there’s plenty of seating separated by an island bar and surrounded by an indoor/outdoor wraparound bar. High ceilings give an open, airy vibe, and tall windows look out on Monticello Avenue and IX Art Park. There’s also an event space that has views of the brewers in action.

Three Notch’d will continue to serve collaboration brews from its Harrisonburg, Richmond and Charlottesville locations and will work with UVA’s Darden School of Business, local nonprofits and homebrewers on new ones. The full-service, open-concept kitchen will use as many Virginia-sourced ingredients as possible, such as meat from Timbercreek Farm and microgreens from Fidelis Farm in Crozet, for dishes like beer-braised short ribs with fried cheese curds, hand-cut fries and Jack’s Java gravy, and a French onion soup that uses Three Notch’d’s West Coast IPA.

The restaurant is almost self-serve, says Roth: Walk up to a kiosk or use the smartphone app to place your order, and a waiter will bring it to your table.

But back to the beer. This production facility triples Three Notch’d’s distribution capacity, and the company plans to expand its distribution to other spots in Virginia and surrounding states. This means adding somewhere between 90 and 100 new jobs.

Three Notch’d hosts the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival on Saturday at IX, but the restaurant won’t be open until late August.

Salt in the wound

Salt Artisan Market, the sandwich shop in the old rock store on Thomas Jefferson Parkway, closed for good on Sunday, August 6. In a letter handed out to customers and friends, owners Barrett Hightower and Rani Morris (the brain behind sandwiches like the lamb-fennel bratwurst with harissa-roasted tomatoes, balsamic caramelized onions and arugula) credit their four-plus years in business to dedicated customers, local farmers and small producers.

When Reverend Ann Willms, rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Simeon (located across the street from Salt), told her parish the shop would be closing that day, she says the congregation collectively sighed. With Salt, Hightower and Morris “cultivated a lively and authentic neighborhood sensibility. They have been a meeting spot, a place to regroup and refuel, a place to linger with friends over creative local fare,” says Willms. “They will indeed be missed on our corner.”

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Living

Get your fix at new mobile cake bar

Rock and Megan Watson started their by-the-slice cake business after seeing a similar operation in Dallas. Photo courtesy of Lora Kelley.

Have your cake and eat it, too: The newly launched Sliced. Cake Bar offers homemade cake by the slice, buttercream shots and cake flights (like a beer flight, but with cake).

Co-owners Megan and Rock Watson got the idea after visiting a popular Dallas cake bar. Only Rock thought the sweet treats couldn’t hold a candle to his wife’s (she’s been making cakes for various events for 15 years). With use of a bakery space from a friend with Craft Cville, they were able to bring Sliced. to life.

Six flavors are on the Sliced. menu: lemon, strawberry, confetti, chocolate with chocolate icing, chocolate salted caramel and carrot cake, all made with organic ingredients. For a cake flight, customers can choose three sample-sized flavors. The Watsons plan to experiment with local booze in their buttercream shots, too.

Sliced. debuted at Early Mountain Vineyards on July 29. The lemon and chocolate salted caramel cakes were fan favorites—Rock says they sold out of both.

The Watsons hope to bring their concept to local markets and will post upcoming dates and locations on Sliced.’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Eventually they hope to open a brick-and-mortar store and hire teenagers who are in the foster-care system or are at-risk as part of an internship program that teaches them about the bakery business. The couple has fostered and adopted children themselves.

“This is an opportunity for us to take something that we love doing and teach it and show it to others,” Megan says. Icing on the cake.

Not so sweet

According to a post published on Miso Sweet Ramen + Donut Shop’s Facebook page Thursday, August 3, the restaurant will close its doors for good on Friday, August 11, after two years in business. The post also mentions that Miso Sweet chef and owner Frank D. Paris III will soon work at Graduate Charlottesville.

Shenandoah Joe buzz

The Shenandoah Joe roastery and coffee shop on Preston Avenue is expanding, not only in terms of space but what it has to offer. The shop will nearly double in size and have more seating indoors and out, as well as a community cupping room, where Shenandoah Joe coffee experts will teach C’ville java enthusiasts how to taste (really taste!) their coffee and make a damn fine cup o’ Joe at home, among other things.

And good news for coffee-cravers: The coffeehouse will remain open throughout remodeling, which will incorporate the former CASPCA retail store next door.

“We’ll try not to close the doors and stop C’ville from being caffeinated,” Shenandoah Joe owner Dave Fafara says.

The coffee shop will top out at right under 6,000 square feet once the expansion is complete in late September, and there will be “a little more parking than before,” Fafara says.

“It’s gonna be pretty cool,” he adds. “It’s kind of like a wedding: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

Neighborhood lunch

Serving a comforting plate of homemade casserole has a way of bringing people together, and The Haven is doing just that with some help from Downtown Mall denizens who sometimes go unseen. The Haven will serve homestyle meals to the public on Wednesdays beginning in mid-September, and café staff (servers and hosts) will be guests of the day shelter.

Diana Boeke, director of community engagement at The Haven, says the inspiration to serve lunch once a week to the public came from Our Community Place in Harrisonburg, a homeless and in-need shelter like The Haven. The Haven offers breakfast to the shelter’s guests daily, but Boeke says there is more need for community interaction.

“For those people who are sort of in a state where they can’t engage with society very regularly, [these meals] create a sense of purpose and community in their life,” Boeke says.

Eight Haven guests have signed up as waitstaff to gain job experience. There will be two invitation-only soft launches for the lunch program in August.

The meal—a choice of salad or soup, a meat or vegetarian entrée and a dessert—will cost $10, all of which will go to The Haven.

“All of our guests are your neighbors, too, whether you see them here, or you see them on the street or you don’t see them at all,” Boeke says. “They’re a part of the Charlottesville community.”

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Living

Freeze frame: Local treats to help you play it cool

Keep your cool this summer by ordering any of The Juice Place’s smoothies in popsicle form. Staff photo.

Summer in Charlottesville can be brutal, and this year is no exception (our car’s temperature display read 104 degrees last week!). Relief comes in many forms, but, let’s be honest, an icy, frozen treat on a scorching day is the ultimate refresher. Whether it’s a guacamole sundae at La Flor Michoacana or a boozy “poptail” from Vitae Spirits, here are some cool local hot spots where the experts will help you beat the heat.

The Juice Place

While a smoothie from this juice shop on the Downtown Mall is certainly refreshing, the coolest kids know to order their smoothie in popsicle form. All of The Juice Place’s smoothie flavors (made with organic fruits and vegetables and no refined sugar) are turned into a healthy popsicle for $2. Try mango orange for a bright kick, or the creamy vegan fudgsicle made of cacao, banana and agave.

La Flor Michoacana

A scoop of homemade ice cream with a Mexican twist is a surefire way to feel refreshed on even the hottest summer days. La Flor Michoacana offers dozens of ice cream options and more than 50 flavors of paletas, popsicles made of fresh fruit and water or milk. At $2 a scoop, you can load up on ice cream flavors such as guava, rum raisin and pistachio. Looking for something quirkier? Try the guacamole ice cream with lime, avocado, coconut and cherries.

Wonderment at Snowing in Space

Drop cookies and a reservoir of more than 60 flavors of ice cream make for some sweet summer lovin’ at Wonderment Bakeshop & Creamery, which makes its ice cream and cookies from scratch. Seasonal ice cream flavors include honey lavender, strawberry basil and lemon. Our favorite? The strawberry frozen custard made from berries from Chiles Peach Orchard sandwiched between two sugar oat cookies for iced-out bliss.

Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery

Frozen margaritas are a standard go-to, but what about frozen wine? Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery boasts a wine slushie machine that churns out glasses of frozen peach bellini and red sangria for the refined slushie drinker. These babies are offered at both Carter Mountain Orchard and the winery’s Leon, Virginia, location. Pro tip: Mix the two flavors together for the ultimate sweet boozy treat.

Wiffle Pops

This popsicle joint got its name from a frequent mispronunciation of its hometown: Wytheville. Its all-natural, handmade, locally sourced frozen treats are a staple at City Market in the summer. Owners Matt and Tessie Temple met in Charlottesville, and they make the pilgrimage every week to sell their popular pops with rotating flavors including mango, strawberry orange, blueberry lemonade, raspberry hibiscus and watermelon. Wiffle Pops creates custom orders as well, so get creative: How about cantaloupe dill?

Boylan Heights

The burger joint on 14th Street offers the typical milkshake flavors but with a 21- and-over twist. The Raspberry and Cream shake features black raspberry liqueur, and the Rumplemint, spiked with Rumple Minze, will also wet your whistle. Feel free to ask the bartender to add booze to any of the more traditional shakes too: A staff favorite is adding Rumple Minze to the Cookies N Cream.

Vitae Spirits

The craft distillery on Henry Avenue is known for its rum, gin and cordials, but it’s now getting into the summertime spirit (er, spirits). Vitae just launched a series of “poptails” using its alcoholic bounty—basically frozen cocktails on a stick. The initial line of flavors —piña colada, Modern Grape and orange dreamsicle—are sold at the tasting room, and future flavor suggestions are welcome.

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Living

Fast food: New to-go lunch spot doubles as event space

Andy McClure is opening Penny Heart, a lunch spot and small event venue, in the former 11 Months space on the Downtown Mall. Photo courtesy of Eze Amos.

A quick to-go bite to eat on the Downtown Mall is sometimes hard find, but Andy McClure, owner of the Virginian Restaurant Company, is making it easier with the opening of Penny Heart, a new lunch spot and small event venue that’s going into the former 11 Months space.

“Our fast casual options [on the mall] are very limited,” says McClure when asked about his new eatery, which will serve bowls with fresh, local ingredients and grains. “[Penny Heart] comes from a need and it’s appropriate.”

Penny Heart also has room for about 100 guests, and it is fully equipped with audio and visual components for weddings, company meetings or friendly gatherings.

He describes the restaurant as a cross between Chipotle and Sweetgreen, which mixes produce, meats and grains into one bowl, adding that the goal is to use as many local ingredients as possible. The bowls are designed to be taken away, and Penny Heart will also have a bar. The space has room for about 100 guests, and it is fully equipped with audio and visual components for weddings, company meetings or other gatherings.

Small, affordable [event] venues are hard to come by, McClure says. “There’s a larger market for that than we realize,” he says, adding that since Penny Heart will only be open from 11am to 4pm, the space will be ready as a venue by 6pm.

The anticipated opening date is Aug. 10, and McClure says it will be a quiet, casual grand opening.

Frosting on the cupcake

Carpe Donut has gone beyond the cinnamon sugary, cakey confection it’s known for—all-organic maple, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, sprinkles, thick-cut antibiotic-free bacon and a vanilla cake donut have been added to a sweet new menu that’s being rolled out for the company’s 10th anniversary.

Matt Rhodie, Carpe Donut CEO and founder, says the discovery of organic confectioners sugar allowed more experimentation.

“I’m trying to expand the identity of Carpe Donut,” Rhodie says. The team has been working on flavors for years, but had to find the right ingredients that align with their ideals. All of the new ingredients are organic and pure, including the sprinkles, which use vegetables for color.

“Everybody loves sprinkles, so I had to do it. Kids love them, an embarrassing number of grown-ups love them, so who am I to deny that?” Rhodie says.

Some of the new flavors are available at the Charlottesville City Market on Saturdays, Fridays After Five and at the Carpe Cafe in Studio IX. Rhodie plans to offer a few more flavors, including new combinations, at special events and festivals.

“I will not stop experimenting, and we may swap some out,” Rhodie says. “Some glazes may be less interesting than something that’s fruit infused, so I’m open to trying more flavor profiles.”

Trendy tea

You can thank UVA students for convincing the owners of Kung Fu Tea, a new bubble tea room, to open shop in Charlottesville. By the end of August, 1001 W. Main St. will be home to trendy Taiwanese tea elixirs with signature tapioca or fruit bubbles at the bottom.

Co-owners Kelly Tran and Owen Wang are from Northern Virginia, where bubble tea is everywhere, but they say their Charlottesville store will be the biggest in the world.

As for the shop’s offerings, “Passion fruit blew my mind…everything on the menu is mind-blowingly good,” Tran says. Among the other teas on Kung Fu’s top 10 list are strawberry lemon green tea, Kung Fu milk tea, honey green tea and taro slush. The bubbles, or bobas, are then added at the bottom for a chewy, squishy treat to be sucked through a massive straw.

Tran says he’s excited to join the Charlottesville community with Kung Fu Tea after multiple career changes.

“You have to dabble in everything,” he says.

Dessert beer

What pairs perfectly with a local craft beer? Chocolate. Gearharts Fine Chocolates has created unique truffles in collaboration with a handful of local breweries, including Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Champion Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Alexandria-based Port City Brewing Co., which have their signature beers infused into milk or dark chocolate, along with more delectable ingredients to make up The Virginia Brewers’ Collaboration.

“Wine and chocolate go great together, but I’ve always had a soft spot for beer and chocolate,” say Gearharts’ owner Tim Gearhart.

This article was updated August 23 to correct Kung Fu Tea owner Kelly Tran’s name.

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Living

Dinner and a movie: Full experience at Alamo Drafthouse

Alamo Drafthouse at 5th Street Station offers seven theaters complete with rocking seats, recliners and your very own waiter. Photo by Ron Paris

Imagine making a reservation for a seat at a movie theater, knowing that your meal could match the movie you’re watching—and it’s all delivered to you. That reality exists at Alamo Drafthouse at 5th Street Station, which opened July 20.

The theater features seven screens, with rocking theater seats and recliners. Reservations and walk-ins are welcome, but make sure to arrive a half-hour before the show. A waiter greets moviegoers to take food and drink orders, and continues to serve you throughout the film.

Creative Manager James Sanford says that when he first joined the Austin, Texas-based company he was surprised.

“My jaw literally dropped when I opened the menu…you could get just about anything you wanted,” he says.

Popular dishes include the banh-mi hot dog, shrimp po’ boy and the Southwestern tofu quinoa salad. Alamo uses local ingredients from vendors such as Cavalier Produce, Shenandoah Joe and Albemarle Baking Company. The menu also includes milkshakes (adult and kid-friendly) and a cocktail and beer list from its bar, Glass Half Full. Sanford says about 80 percent of the beers are Virginian, including Devils Backbone Brewing Company, South Street Brewery, Hardywood and more, with rotating taps.

He says Alamo Drafthouse isn’t looking to replace Violet Crown Cinema, it’s just offering another option for dinner theater.

“So much of our food is not just there as an accessory; it’s actually tied into the film and connects cocktails [and] menus with movies,” Sanford says. “The food becomes just as much a part of the evening as the film.”

Soul food

Tiffany Davie, owner and chef of Miss Tiff’s Catering (and also known as the “Macaroni and Cheese Queen”) is doing a trial run of her Spanish, soul food and Caribbean eats at The Ante Room.

“It’s still young, [but] we’ve been getting really great responses,” she says. “It may work, it may not, but it’s a great location, great exposure and connection to the people in Charlottesville.”

Her famous mac ’n’ cheese is on the menu, of course, along with fried chicken and international dishes like jerk chicken. The same fare can also be found on her catering menu.

“This is what I love to do; this is a God-given gift,” she says.

Sweet practice

Local acupuncturist and chiropractor Dr. Doug Cox is healing with honey. A self-described “novice beekeeper,” he started his hives three years ago to produce honey to sell to the public; proceeds will go to the Virginia chapter of the Wounded Warrior Project. His business is Hero Honey, a name his active-duty son-in-law suggested.

This is the first time Cox is donating the honey, because it takes about three years for the hives to produce enough nectar. He’s also gotten other local beekeepers to donate their honey to the cause.

He will start selling Hero Honey out of his office the second week in August. He has about 20 orders so far, but there’s a limit of one bottle per customer.

“I’m going to sell out immediately,” he says.

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Living

Truffle shuffle: Know what you’re going to get in this box of chocolates

Mary Beth Schellhammer closed My Chocolate Shoppe on the Downtown Mall July 15 but has started Clean Conscience Chocolates, a line of paleo, vegan, organic and gluten- and dairy-free treats. Photo courtesy of Eze Amos.

My Chocolate Shoppe on the Downtown Mall has closed, but owner and chocolatier Mary Beth Schellhammer isn’t giving up candy for good—she’s started Clean Conscience Chocolates, a line of paleo, vegan, organic, non-GMO, gluten- and dairy-free sweet treats.

“I cannot continue to contribute to our obese society, and I cannot continue to sell gummy bears with Red Dye 40 in them,” Schellhammer says. My Chocolate Shoppe’s last day was July 15.

“I’m just trying to provide a better option,” Schellhammer says, and Clean Conscience is “about my conscience being clean of producing these things.”

Schellhammer’s new line of truffles include four healthified flavors: toasted coconut, almond espresso, maca cinnamon turmeric and raw cacao. All are made without refined sugars, and Schellhammer emphasizes that “chocolate is food, not candy.” She will also offer a new version of her peanut butter cups that aligns with her clean-eating values, along with her paleo almond joyfuls, nut and seed bark and butter toffee bark, which is one of two products with refined sugar.

Some of My Chocolate Shoppe’s more popular candies will still be available at Baggby’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop, and Schellhammer’s Clean Conscience treats will be sold there and at Rebecca’s Natural Foods beginning July 19.

She’s also working on a line of chocolates made with spices aimed to heal each chakra, and hopes to sell them in yoga studios. Beginning in September, Schellhammer will teach clean eating and chocolate-making classes at The Happy Cook.

Noodling around

The owners of Monsoon Siam are moving a Thai fusion restaurant called Urban Bowl into Cardamom’s old spot in York Place…and they’re bringing noodles.

Urban Bowl, open seven days a week from 11am-3pm and 5-9pm, will serve Thai- and Vietnamese-inspired fare, including noodle bowls and noodle soup with a choice of beef, pork and shrimp. It will also serve crispy and fresh spring rolls, with plenty more options to come.

Urban Bowl owner and manager Saydee Aut and owner and chef Kitty Asi say that they’ve been eyeing the space for a while. Cardamom owner Lu-Mei Chang (who also ran Monsoon once upon a time) approached Aut and Asi when she decided to close and asked them to bring the space (and their vision) to life.

“It’s been my passion to open my own restaurant,” says Aut, whose family comes from Vietnam and Thailand. “I love cooking.”

Aut says she’s excited to start serving customers the food that she grew up cooking.

“I would love for everyone to come in and check it out and leave comments,” Aut says. “I am here to serve, because that’s what I do.”

Beefing up

Timbercreek Market will offer more responsibly farmed options with its recent remodel. Half of the current space in the old Coca-Cola building on Preston Avenue will house a USDA-certified meat processing area, which allows for in-house butchering and increased distribution to wholesale customers, and the other half will hold a new full-service restaurant called Back 40, with executive chef Tucker Yoder at the helm.

Once Timbercreek hired Norman Engelhardt, formerly of The Rock Barn, the expansion happened quickly.

“With Norman on board of an already killer team made up of Adam Lawrence and Rodrigo Mejia, the decision was easy to start butchering [on our own] for our wholesale needs,” says Sara Miller, who co-owns Timbercreek with her husband, Zach.

Back 40 is the brainchild of Yoder, who says it’s inspired by seasonal, local ingredients, which the current market already uses in its café.

“It will be his menu, his creations and his inspiration that he brings to our followers,” Miller says.

While the Timbercreek Market storefront is closed until Aug. 1, its products will still be sold at Farmers in the Park at Meade Park on Wednesdays, and at the Market Street Market and Crozet Great Valu. Timbercreek will also offer butcher boxes to fill the void until opening day.

Tune in

The Charlottesville edition of “Cheap Eats,” in which Cooking Channel show host Ali Khan has 12 hours and $35 to find the best deals in a city, airs at 10pm July 19. Restaurants featured include Bodo’s Bagels, Red Hub Food Co., Firefly and Oakhart Social.

Minute Man triumphs

Three Notch’d Brewery’s Minute Man IPA was named No. 10 on Draft Magazine’s list of the best 50 IPAs in America. Out of the more than 387 total beers submitted, Three Notch’d was the only Virginia-based brewery to place, and the magazine said that imbibing Minute Man, a New England-style brew, is like drinking a glass of boozy OJ.

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Bodybuilder Severine Bertret trains to compete

Bodybuilder Severine Bertret sticks to a strict diet, exercise and pose-practicing regimen when training for a competition. She works out seven days a week; her “rest day” is cardio only. Photo courtesy of Martyn Kyle.

Charlottesville is dark and quiet when Severine Bertret starts her day at 4am. First on her schedule is fasting cardio, so she doesn’t eat before hopping on the treadmill or doing sprints around a track. She measures and weighs her food, eats, then lifts: high repetitions of heavy weights (with, say, a 15-pound dumbbell in each hand)—she’s training for her fourth bodybuilding competition. She drinks her beloved cup of coffee and subtracts it from her two-gallons per day water intake.

Bertret’s regimen is extremely strict for three months, with meal plans and workouts carefully composed by her coach. She works out seven days a week; her “rest day” is cardio only. She eats six times a day, every two to three hours, and has nightly cardio sessions to shed the layer of fat that forms naturally over muscles, so that the muscles are more visible. The 5-foot, 1-inch 39-year-old is also a hot yoga teacher and pole fitness enthusiast. She’s asleep by 8:30 every night.

Bodybuilding wasn’t always on Bertret’s radar; the opportunity arose last year when she met a male bodybuilder—her first coach—at the gym.

“I always like new challenges,” she says. “I get bored quickly. That’s part of why I went into bodybuilding.” She started hot yoga 20 years ago after moving to the United States from France—the practice helped her beat a 10-year-long battle with anorexia. Fitness became her literal lifesaver and passion.

“My main goal is to show people that it’s possible to get better, and I like to inspire people if I can,” Bertret says.

She competes in the bikini and figure categories of bodybuilding. Bikini competitors are toned and lean; figure competitors have larger muscles that are as toned and symmetrical as possible. Achieving these body requirements is difficult, but posing is Bertret’s foe.

“[Posing is] maybe more important than how you look,” says Bertret, because a good pose best shows off a competitor’s muscles. Bertret practices often because poor posing could cost her the podium.

In the Lenda Murray Pro AM in Norfolk on July 8, Bertret placed third in the masters bikini category and fifth in true novice figure.

“I didn’t place as well as I wanted, but I’m content with what I brought on stage. Just got to put more work into it and decide which category I’m going to stick with,” Bertret says. She’s competing again in August in a natural competition, which does not allow steroids and aligns with Bertret’s own practices. She has high hopes for what’s to follow.

“I want to get my pro card down the road,” she says, which would allow her to only compete with other professionals and give her opportunities to qualify for the world-renowned Olympia competition. Ultimately, though, she says her goal is simple: to “stay in fitness for as long as I can.”

Categories
Living

Dig in! It’s a full plate for Restaurant Week

Tommy Lasley, executive chef at Fry’s Spring Station, says the restaurant’s must-have Charlottesville Restaurant Week item is its pizza. Varieties include The Dude Abides, Happy Accident and Piggy Smalls. Photo by Sanjay Suchak

Hope you’re hungry: Charlottesville Restaurant Week is upon us, that glorious, twice-a-year event, this time featuring 42 restaurants (including five new participants) offering three-course menus at different price points: $19, $29 and $39. With $1 of each meal donated to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, you have an extra incentive to eat out July 14 through 23. Need another reason to partake, other than helping those in need? Some of the restaurants dish on don’t-miss Restaurant Week menu items, as well as new favorites. 

Rocksalt

Paul Chinco, executive chef

Don’t miss: Tomato gazpacho with crab salad

Debut dish: The tuna tartare; there might be some changes, but they will be simple changes that will elevate the dish.

Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar

Pete Evans, chef/partner

Don’t miss: The summer vegetable salad. It’s a mixture of grilled and raw summer veg with preserved lemon, feta and grilled fennel vinaigrette.

Debut dishes: There are a few dishes here that will be on our summer menu: the gazpacho, melon and cucumber salad, fish of the day, the salmon and the risotto.

Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar

Erica Vorhauer, wine director

Don’t miss: Our beet-infused risotto dish is a feast for vegetarians but can also be a delight to carnivores by adding steak.

Debut dish: Fresh, local peaches will be added to celebrate summer. We are the first restaurant to debut our friend Jake Busching’s beautiful viognier and cabernet franc, and Commonwealth will also launch its new wine list in time for Restaurant Week.

The Pub by Wegmans

Branden Cheney, manager

Don’t miss: Our chicken shawarma wrap. Our restaurant chefs spent some time perfecting the spices and ingredients to make them unique and as authentic as possible.

The Fitzroy

Richard Ridge, co-owner/operator

Don’t miss: The peach and cucumber salad. Cooling off by eating chilled fresh produce is my favorite way to begin a summer meal.

Fry’s Spring Station

Tommy Lasley, executive chef

Don’t miss: All of our pizzas. We get a five-day ferment on our dough, combined with our house cheese blend and all in-house made toppings make for great pies.

The Shebeen Pub & Braai

Walter Slawski, chef/owner

Don’t miss: A South African version of the Southern classic shrimp and grits, incorporating samp (cracked hominy), boerewors (our house-made South African sausage) and prawns in a prego sauce.

Timberwood Tap House

Brandon Masters, kitchen manager

Don’t miss: The chorizo fritters. Spanish Manchego cheese and Yukon gold potatoes are going to be the perfect vehicle to experience this traditional sausage.

Debut dish: Chocolate cheesecake bread pudding. We make a vanilla ice cream base as the binder, then fold in chocolate chips, crusty French bread and scoops of our house- made cheesecake with caramel and chocolate sauces, then more ice cream.

Jack’s Shop Kitchen

Eric Bein, chef/farmer

Don’t miss: Our pork belly dish, featuring pork and beets from Jack’s Shop Farm, potatoes from Edgewood Miller and watercress from Planet Earth Diversified.

Debut dish: Our fry pie, in hopes that it will become a mainstay. We would change the filling throughout the year to reflect the season.

The Bavarian Chef

Jerome Thalwitz, chef/owner

Don’t miss: The summer schnitzel. The traditional hand-breaded veal schnitzel is topped with grilled local tomatoes, buttery Gouda cheese and fresh pineapple. It is truly a taste of summer.

Debut dish: The Bavarian cream napoleon has a real shot at earning a permanent spot on our dessert menu. One guest called it “life changing.”

Tavern & Grocery

David Morgan, chef

Don’t miss: The pork shank. We are using a new farm, Buckingham Berkshires, and we are very excited to highlight them.

Debut dishes: Chicken wings and panzanella are late-summer favorites.