Author: restaurantarama

Maybe local hunter Jackson Landers doesn’t know where he’s been—in the press, that is, as he hadn’t yet seen his mention in last week’s Food and Drink Annual when we called—but he sure knows where he’s going. “I spend a lot of time in the boondocks,” he says, all in the name of research for upcoming projects. 

The Locavore Hunter, as he’s called, is at work on his second book, Eating Aliens, in which he describes a different ecologically disruptive animal in each chapter. “[I talk about] how it got here, how it’s affecting the ecosystem,” he says. Then, he hunts and cooks the animal. He just got back from a trip to Boca Grande, Florida, where he was pursuing the black spiny tailed iguana.

If this is sounding a little like “Man v. Food,” that’s because it is—Landers recently wrapped production of a pilot for the “Eating Aliens” TV show. It’s currently being shopped around to four different networks. 

Also snapping up his time is his work with Slow Food NYC, a longstanding national movement dedicated to, in a nutshell, food appreciation. On October 30, Landers and Slow Food will host an event for hunting, cooking and eating the Canadian geese that New York State recently announced plans to euthanize. “If you’re killing these animals,” he says, “the least you could do is hunt and eat them.” It’s a philosophy Landers is dedicating his life to. In fact, in early September, he quit an 11-year career as an insurance salesman to hunt full time. But he’s not doing it just for fun.

“I don’t want people to think I’m being cavalier about this,” Landers says. “I’m offering this as an alternative to eating factory-farmed meat.”  

Bye-bye, Chang

Despite dishy rumors that acclaimed chef Peter Chang was planning to open shop at the former Asian Buffet space on Rte. 29N, as Restaurantarama reported a few weeks ago, that is not the case. Atlanta Cuisine reported last week that Chang will open a restaurant in Atlanta, to be named Peter Chang’s, by the end of this year. 

Mas drama

The owner of Belmont tapas spot Mas, Tomas Rahal, was taken into custody Friday, October 15, after an alcohol-related traffic accident, during which he sideswiped a police car. Rahal was charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to stop for an accident and refusal to submit to a breath test. A hearing has been scheduled for December 17.   

Chili out there

The Old Trail Chili Cook-Off is upon us and the judges have been announced: Brian Geiger (from thefoodgeek.com), Trailside Coffee owner Marcia McGee and Newsplex Meteorologist Travis Koshko will comprise the expert panel. Koshko says this will be his first Charlottesville-based cook-off, but that he was a judge for a similar event in Pennsylvania six years running. “I’m very seasoned in judging chili,” he tells us. (Pun intended?)

This year’s event, at Old Trail Golf Clubhouse in Crozet, is Saturday, November 6, from 1-5pm. If you’re just lookin’ to chow down, $15 gets you all the chili you can handle. Bonus: Proceeds from the event benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Matt Rohdie is about to do something he said he’d never do. Come November 15, the Carpe Donut owner will open a brick and mortar store. He’ll be sharing the space, at 1715 Allied St. in McIntire Plaza, with its existing inhabitant, Mike McBlair’s Wahoo Ridge Catering, and teaming up to provide an organic breakfast takeaway service. Together, they’ll offer Carpe Donut’s fluffy sinkers, McBlair’s organic breakfast burrito and a few other breakfast items from 7:30-10am, Monday-Saturday.

Rohdie’s sudden change of heart can be attributed to three words: supply and demand. In the last year, Carpe Donut has doubled its event bookings and can no longer keep up with the wholesale orders. To combat that, CD is making some changes.

First, the operation will switch from a sole proprietorship to an LLC and give employees an opportunity to buy a share in the company. Rohdie says that sense of ownership has always been a guiding philosophy for the family-run business. “The fact that the owner is sitting in the window makes a real difference,” he says.

Second, the donut cart will no longer make the trip Downtown. CD will be present at the upcoming Spirit Walk, this season’s last few concerts at the Pavilion and even the Vintage Virginia Apple Harvest Festival in the county, but Rohdie says it makes more sense to be open six days a week rather than one morning a week Downtown. Plus, he tells us he’ll post Twitter and Facebook updates to announce when the shop is open during donut production. Translation: An opportunity to grab sugary goodness right out of the oven.

Last, Rohdie says he has even bigger plans for the business—like a delivery option and an expansion to the 24 other Whole Foods locations in the mid-Atlantic region. (CD is already sold in the Charlottesville and Short Pump Whole Foods.) After that? He hints: “There’s 273 Whole Foods in the U.S.…And none of them have a donut machine.” 

Dough nuts

In other donut news, owner Andy Rod is all set to open his Corner-located Dunkin’ Donuts, which Restaurantarama reported on a few months back, later this week. The grand opening ceremony, on October 22, will feature Mayor Dave Norris, Dunkin’ brand CEO Nigel Travis and a whole lotta DD treats.  

Breakfast all night?

It’s the most important meal of the day, you know. And, says Bluegrass Grill & Bakery general manager Chrissy Benninger, soon you’ll be able to eat it long after the morning’s gone. Beginning October 21, the Glass Building eatery will be open evenings, Thursday to Saturday. The hours aren’t set in stone yet, but Benninger says doors will open at 5pm. 

Toliver redo

Here’s the buzz from Gordonsville: The Toliver House is under new management. Donna Sharer, a Savannah transplant, took the reins last month and so far, she says, it’s been “a lot of construction and getting the phones working.” But, she plans to revamp the menu and freshen everything up to “get the old place back on track.”

 Now that construction has begun on Bill Atwood’s Waterhouse project on Water Street, which demolished the building that formerly housed Sidetracks and Balkan Bakery, we’re wondering: Is it curtains for the southeastern European eatery?

We’re not the only ones furrowing our brows. In fact, when Restaurantarama contacted Anja Cetic (whose parents, Bozana and Panto, own the bakery), she said, “I thought you were one more worried customer asking for an order of baklava and a meat pie.” 

Turns out, we won’t have to worry much longer. Cetic and her husband, Jozo Andelic, plan to open a new iteration of the Balkan Bakery theme within the next month. Tentatively named The Roof, the restaurant will be located on West Main Street in the building that once housed Under the Roof. It will take inspiration from Balkan, but will expand on its menu. Cetic says they plan to offer some of her favorites, like potato-stuffed peppers and homemade sausages, and also some Western staples like mac and cheese and chicken wings. But, she promises, “We are going to keep all of Mom’s desserts [and] all of Dad’s meat dishes.” Balkan Bakery as we know it will remain at the City Market, where it originated.  

She says the new restaurant will be a “bigger picture of our success and appreciation for being able to do what we love to do.”

Hey, old Chaps

Downtown mainstay Chaps is getting an upgrade. Restaurantarama stopped in last week, just in time to spot Crutchfield employees installing five flat-screen TVs. The sets, located in the front window, above the front door, on the back wall and above the counter, will regularly play old movies and TV shows—like “The Little Rascals” and “Who’s On First?”—and, on game days, UVA football and basketball games. Owner Tony LaBua says this technology invasion has been 25 years in the making. “It’ll make Chaps more fun than it already is,” he says.

Beer up

Here’s what’s new in brew: Mellow Mushroom has applied for an off-premises ABC license. The West Main pizza joint has plans to start selling kegs.  

Over in Gordonsville, The Gordonsville Deli on North Main Street now serves beer and wine. Plus, it’s extended its patio hours to 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays. While we’re on the topic of Gordonsville, other restaurant news is on its way from there. Check back next week for more.

 It’s true: What goes around, comes around. But, when it comes to 218 W. Market St., we’re talking restoration, not karma. 

The building that houses places like Artful Lodger and Ananda Wellness Center will add The Livery Stable, a restaurant and bar, to its roster. Not without a few changes, though. Says Chicago architect Allan Mellske, the lead designer on the project, the Board of Architectural Review is set to assess the proposed alterations—like removal of the stucco façade and the addition of windows and a handicap entrance —this Tuesday, before John McIlhenny, the grandson of the building’s owner, can go forward with the plans. 

The building itself has already seen many changes. It began as a—uh, duh—livery stable in the early 1900s and later was leased to A&P Grocery before finally being converted to a strip mall, adding an extra triangular structure to the south end. It’s in the basement of that structure where the new pub will be located.

McIlhenny and his cousin, Ian Dugger, who will manage the restaurant, plan to keep the menu to an as yet undetermined 10-15 items. The project is still in the early stages—and in the BAR’s hands. The structure has been in McIlhenny’s family since the 19th century and local architect Candace Smith, a liaison for Mellske, thinks it’s “a no-brainer.” 

“[The renovation] takes it from a utilitarian space…to a place people want to hang out,” she says.

Rocktoberfest

With fall officially underway this week, we can count on one local spot to celebrate. Horse & Hound Gastropub knows how to ring in the season: with happy hour deals and a special menu. We can’t pronounce much of what’s on it, but it sounds tasty. We say go for the Rinderrouladen (beef rouladen filled with bacon, onions and pickles, pan-fried potatoes and red cabbage) with a side of Wiesnbrezn (large soft pretzel with grainy mustard). Enjoy the West Main Street spot’s special offerings until October 16. Plus: live music every Thursday and Saturday.

Taste tested

Between the Top of the Hops and Midtown Street Fair events a few weeks ago, Restaurantarama had a chance to stop into The Backyard, on Elliewood Avenue. We gorged on a fresh salad topped with salmon from Seafood at West Main. But, it’s the fixins’ that really impressed us. Crunchy-but-not-too-tough croutons, a side of perfectly crispy french fries sprinkled with—ready for this?—parmesan cheese. Plus, brown sugar pie for dessert. We hesitate to quote Rachael Ray, but yum-o!

 The times, they are a-changin’. At least, in the restaurant world. Says the second quarter report from the Virginia Department of Taxation, food sales tax revenues are up in the city and down in the county as compared to the same time last year. In fact, the county pulled in $1,508,994 less this year. What accounts for this decrease? We asked La Cocina Del Sol and Brasserie Montiel owner Alejandro Montiel, whose Southwestern eatery has outposts in both Crozet and Charlottesville. 

The restaurateur says that, while factors like the economy and an increase in dining options make it difficult to give hard data on the reason for the county revenue decrease, he observes this: “It’s just not what it used to be.” Montiel says he’s seen a marked switch in the variety of diners: less family dinner outings and more Baby Boomers going out to eat. 

And it’s not over yet. Montiel says that, in the city, he sees more diners are staying in. “More people are out in Crozet than in Charlottesville,” he says, though this is of course anecdotal. Looking at the city’s $1,515,123 increase in revenue, could that mean fewer of you are simply eating more? Don’t look at Restaurantarama; it’s called “research.”

Movin’ and shakin’

By the time you read this, a new tenant will be in the former Outback Lodge space. The venue, called Deuces Lounge, will be used for musical acts and DJ dance parties, but we hear there’ll be food, too. Owner Jerome Cherry Sr. says the main menu item will be burgers.

Over on the Corner, you may have been hearing the loud “thwack!” of hammers on Elliewood Avenue. That’s Lex Gibson, making some serious headway in the renovation of former L7 spot The Pigeon Hole. She expects a mid-October opening for her venture, which will include a late-night breakfast menu.

Monday=Tuesday

Pasta lovers unite! To celebrate the start of the season, beginning September 20, Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar is offering a Monday night special: a two-course dinner (salad and pasta) for $18 per person. Choose from Bolognese, spaghetti and meatballs, Italian macaroni and cheese with prosciutto, shrimp scampi or baked Italian sausage pasta. Sounds like a deal we could fall for.

Even with this year’s strain on the seafood industry, one local restaurant has managed to catch a big one. Full-service chain Bonefish Grill took four top prizes in this year’s Zagat Fast-Food Survey: Top Food, Top Healthy Options, Top Service and Best Seafood. 

It seems that, in part, the restaurant’s success is driven by our own local spot on Rte. 29N. Last year, Scott Hutson, who is one of the three managing partners, earned the distinction of “Partner of the Year,” an annual title doled out from the home office in Tampa that recognizes those restaurants that are performing above and beyond the call. Says a modest Hutson, “We’re holding our own.” But the prizes don’t stop there. Bonefish won the runner-up spot for seafood in C-VILLE’s 2010 Best Of contest.

So, what does a winning restaurant do once it reaches the top? Keep climbing. Always striving to turn hungry tummies onto its famous Bang Bang Shrimp, the company spends its marketing dollars on “excursions:” “You bring in a group of eight to 10 people and then use them as ambassadors,” Hutson says. If the customer’s experience was positive, chances are they’ll rave about the restaurant to friends—and they’ll come back for more. Hutson says a majority of the restaurant’s customer base is regulars. Talk about reeling ’em in.

Fair share

Get ready for some fanfair, foodies. As we reported a few weeks ago, the Midtown Business Association will host a street fair on Saturday, September 11, which will shut down West Main between Fourth and Seventh streets. What we couldn’t report then, though, was that the event will include live music, face-painting, a vintage bike show and a penny-farthing. And, says event spokesperson Sarah Heid, a BBQ cook-off between a bunch of the corridor’s restaurants like Zinc, Blue Moon Diner, West Main and Maya.

Master class

Back in April, Restaurantarama reported that The Happy Cook would host its first Chefs Week. Steve Belcher, husband of Happy Cook owner Monique Moshier, says the first one was such a success they’re doing it again September 27-October 1. In fact, the Barracks Road store will host Chefs Week twice a year from now on.

Register early for a chance to cook alongside chefs Brian Wilkinson (of l’étoile), Christian Kelly (Maya), Luther Fedora (Horse & Hound Gastropub), Melissa Close Hart (Palladio) and Marisa Catalano (Charlottesville Cooking School). Just $10 will get you one of the 20 available seats (though Belcher says there’s standing room available). All proceeds will be donated to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Call the store at 977-2665 for more information.

Coming soon to a parking space near you: The Lunchbox. The latest in a string of food cart developments already reported on this year, Josef Young and Daniel Heilberg’s bright red 18’x8’ pull-behind trailer will bring yummies right to you (and your tummy). 

Young and Heilberg, recent James Madison University grads with degrees in business, say their sense of community will be reflected in their new venture. The two Charlottesville natives plan to show up to as many local events—Fridays After 5, the City Market and musical festivals among them—as they can, and their menu and operation will evolve.

For now, they’re working out some basics. The trailer will arrive in about a month to be outfitted with a grill, an oven and stove combo and a fridge. Plus, the owners met with Crutchfield last week to talk about a TV and sound system for the mobile kitchen. And what mobile kitchen is complete without a satellite dish?

And what of the menu? Young tells Restaurantarama that they’ll draw on his Peruvian heritage for at least one of the staple dishes, but The Lunchbox will also serve kabobs, sandwiches, fried foods and a few vegetarian options. “We’re meticulous and picky about what we eat ourselves,” he says. “We want to bring restaurant quality food at fast food prices.”

Welcome home

The search is over, folks. We’ve been following Keswick’s hunt for a new chef for weeks now and, says General Manager Matthias Smith, they’ve finally found someone. Or, rather, returned to someone. 

Dean Maupin, who worked at Keswick from 2002-2006, will be leaving his current post at the Clifton Inn in two weeks and heading back to Fossett’s. We wonder, why’d he ever leave? Smith says, “It’s not so much going away as coming to something.” 

Since Maupin left, the hotel’s operation has gotten even larger, giving the chef a lot of opportunities to put his stamp on things.

Wings ‘n things

New business alert! Wings Over Charlottesville, a new—you guessed it—Buffalo wing joint, just opened on Ivy Road. The menu boasts more than 18 different sauces and free delivery. Visit wingsover.com for more info.

Up 29N, the fifth Guadalajara is underway. The restaurant, located in the former Royal Indian spot on Seminole Trail, has applied for an ABC license.

Wine on

Attention, wine lovers: Wintergreen Resort will host an International Wine and Food Festival on Saturday, September 4. The event will feature more than 50 varieties of vino from Argentina, Australia, California, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa and Virginia. Ten tastings will run you $20; additional tastings will be two for $1. And don’t forget to eat! The Festival will also offer food for empty—save for the wine, of course—tummies. Visit wintergreenperformingarts.org for more info.

 The recent revision to Belmont’s noise ordinance may have lowered the legal decibel level (to 55, that is), but things in the neighborhood are still heating up. Bel Rio, the food and music venue credited with kicking off the noise debate, could get a new tenant.

The building’s owner, Jeff Easter, says that C&O owner Dave Simpson, a onetime Bel Rio partner, and Gareth Weldon, who remains a partner of Bel Rio LLC, paid the August rent for the site that was abruptly shuttered last month when Bel Rio owner Jim Baldi disappeared, trailing lawsuits and legal charges behind him. Both Simpson and Weldon are signers of the lease. Now, in Baldi’s (unexplained) absence, they’re searching for subletters.

While calls to Simpson were not returned, Easter says six parties have expressed interest in the space so far. “Mostly on the restaurant side of things,” he says, noting that keeping the space as a restaurant is reasonable, given the current set-up.

Of those six, the leading contender wants to turn the venue into a family-friendly pizza place. “If it’s going to be a restaurant,” Easter says, “that’s what I’d want it to be,” adding that it would be good for the neighborhood. About the most noise you can expect from a pizza joint is the satisfied “mmms” to be heard when people smack their lips around a fresh slice. That, and maybe a few tunes coming out of the radio in the kitchen. And, at any rate, Easter figures a pizza place would wrap up business by 11pm. That ought to make the neighbors smile.

Over at the Downtown spot once occupied by Cassis, which closed its doors in April, site co-owner Tim Burgess says he and business partner Vincent Derquennes currently have three parties interested in opening a restaurant in that Water Street location. The duo—who also own and operate Bizou and Bang!—had set a deadline of August 1 before they would turn the venue into an event space themselves. But, they relaxed that deadine because, says Burgess, “with three parties interested, I wanted to give them every opportunity.”

Brew news

Cheers to this, readers: The Brew Ridge Trail, the award-winning collection of breweries in Nelson and Albemarle counties, is adding one more to the roster. Wild Wolf Brewing Company, from the mother-son team of Mary and Danny Wolf, will open a Nellysford home-brew shop next month. The company’s own pub space won’t be ready for another two years, but the shop will offer beer and winemaking supplies, brewing demos and classes at its temporary spot at 2773A Rockfish Valley Hwy.

One thing we’ll say for Semolina: The Corner restaurant sure knows how to build the anticipation. It was a little over a year ago when Restaurantarama first mentioned Raif Antar’s new gourmet pizza joint coming to West Main. Good news! It opened last week.

Fans of Antar’s other restaurant, Best Mediterranean winner Basil Mediterranean Bistro (see page 39), will remember the pizza that at one time was on the menu there. But, says Semolina General Manager Rebecca Deeds, the ’za was too refined to be “just another item” in a list of so many yummy options. And so, Semolina was born as a special home for it.

Deeds says there are a few reasons it took so long to deliver. First, the space needed a lot of work. She and Antar completely overhauled the former Pacino’s Deli kitchen, server’s station and take-out counter, bringing in custom carpentry pieces and new equipment. Second, business at Basil was booming. Antar was preoccupied with his 14th Street restaurant, which Deeds says does just as much in-house business as it does delivery. 

But that’s all in the past. Now that Semolina’s open, let’s talk pizza, which Deeds and Antar tell us they hope will dominate its category on next year’s Best of C-VILLE ballot. Restaurantarama had dinner there last week and, we have to say, it certainly gives local contenders—including reigning Best Pizza winner Christian’s—a run for their money, with its fresh, doughy crust with San Marzano tomato sauce and creamy, fresh mozzarella. 

Semolina has a delivery option, too, so you can test the taste at home. And, as if that weren’t enough, Deeds says she and Antar are planning a third restaurant in a “surprise location.” She wouldn’t give any more details, but our stomachs are growling already.

Best news in town

In other Best Of restaurant news, Best French Restaurant Fleurie is adding pre-theater fare to its repertoire. The prix fixe menu is three courses (appetizer, main course and dessert) of delicious nosh. Our choice? Lobster bisque with tarragon; pan roasted beef tenderloin with mushroom risotto, sautéed shallots and red wine sauce and orange crepes with seasonal fruit and créme Chantilly. Owner Brian Helleberg says his other French eatery Petit Pois (runner-up for Best French) will soon be adding on, too—in this case with a website.

Down the street at Best Karaoke runner-up Fellini’s #9, the restaurant is adding outdoor seating, which will be open soon. We wonder, will the whole Mall be able to hear our rendition of “Dancing Queen”?

 Here’s a very early traffic alert, diners: Come September 11, a street fair between Fourth and Seventh streets will shut down that entire portion of West Main from 9am to 7pm. The event, dubbed the Midtown Street Fair, will run from noon until 5pm and will involve most of the restaurants in that stretch, including West Main and Zinc. And while traffic won’t be allowed down West Main itself, the intersections of Fourth and Seventh will be clear in one direction away from the fair. 

The fete, which is hosted by the Midtown Association, will feature vendors, a BBQ cookoff, a waitstaff Olympics and some fresh tunes. Event spokesperson Sarah Heid says there’s been a lot of interest from local musicians, but a final lineup is yet to be determined. 

Blue Moon Diner’s Laura Galgano, who is co-organizer with Zinc’s Vy Nguyen, told C-VILLE last week that she’d just finalized details with the city, so the Midtown Street Fair is officially underway. Restaurantarama will have more info—including comments from Galgano and fellow organizers Heid and Jackie Bright—as September 11 draws closer. 

That date is also noteable for the Tops of the Hops Beer Festival, held at the Charlottesville Pavilion and co-presented by Starr Hill Brewery and Beer Run. For those ready to overindulge, this is the date for it.

New tastes of China

Good news, buffet lovers. A big ol’ sign outside of the former Golden Corral spot on 29N announces its replacement: Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet. The Japanese, Chinese and American eatery will offer more than 150 different items, plus a hibachi station, where you can watch your meal being cooked on the spot, for no additional charge.

In other Asian food news, a Pantops eatery has slipped in under the radar. King Chef, next to Giant in the Rivanna Ridge shopping center, has been open for about two months. Restaurantarama popped in last week for Buddha’s Delight. The verdict? A typical Chinese meal (this isn’t Peter Chang’s latest venture, put it that way), but with huge portions. We’ll have leftovers for lunch all week. 

Yummy in our tummy

Restaurantarama stopped in for lunch at Brookeville Restaurant last week. We’ll say this: Though the portions at the former Upstairs spot are modest, the prices are right and the flavor is spot on. Restaurantarama tried the creamy scrambled eggs with shittake mushrooms and could have gone for another helping. Afterward, we stopped in next door to sample Sweet Frog’s cake batter froyo with strawberries, Oreo crumbles, walnuts and neon pink sprinkles. For only $2.30 (the price is calculated by weight), we wish we’d have added some fresh kiwi. Luckily, there’s always next time.