Author: restaurantarama

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. 

The guy’s nothing if not ambitious. As we reported several weeks ago, Alejandro Montiel, already piloting a successful ship in Crozet (La Cocina del Sol, that is), took over the former Rococo’s space on Commonwealth Avenue last year. And is he turning it into a restaurant? No, he’s turning it into two restaurants. Restaurantarama recently dropped by for a tour of the two-level effect.

Alejandro Montiel, already at the helm of one hot business in Crozet, is getting pretty close to the sun with his imminent two-pronged expansion onto the Charlottesville scene.

We went bottom up. On the lower level, Montiel will open a second, slightly-tweaked-for-Charlottesville branch of La Cocina. His renovations have been clean and stylish; the space has a nice flow to it, thanks to the curving walls and bar. And we liked the furniture: red- and blue-upholstered chairs, slender teardrop lamps over booths, plus red molded bar seats that look like they’d hold you in even after cinco margaritas. (“Passion fruit margaritas,” recommends Montiel.)

Another feel-good trick: “We’re going to be the first restaurant to have a kids’ bar,” he says. Said kids’ bar caused Restaurantarama to utter an uncharacteristic “Awwww!” when we first spotted it in a corner. Those cute little stools! Instead of shelves of liquor, the bar has cubbies with wooden toy bins, plus a TV for screening Disney movies. Tykes are sequestered; parents still have a clear view. “You don’t have to pay for the babysitter anymore,” explains Montiel.

The menu down here will be just like the Southwestern-flavored one Crozetians know and love, including some recent additions like traditional pozole (a hominy and pork stew) and a veggie version of tacos. Montiel told us he’d open Charlottesville’s La Cocina March 7.

Then it was upstairs, via a generous red wooden staircase. Montiel describes it as a brasseria (and may even call it Brasseria Montiel). What’s that mean to you, hungry reader? Several things: a coffeeshop with pastries and—get this—a chocolate fountain into which you can dip dried fruit, eclairs, fresh strawberries and other goodies. (Between this and the kids’ bar, this whole building hints at some kind of Wonkaesque fantasyland.)

More significantly, it means that, as Montiel puts it, “It’s going to be full service, but if you want to walk in and take a couple roasted legs of lamb you’re welcome to do it.” So there’s a prix-fixe menu and tables to accommodate a sit-down meal, but there’s also a big deli case full of prepared stuff to go. On the menu: roasted duck, rotisserie chicken and pork, and a range of salads from cucumber-and-mango to tomato mozzarella.

The look is equally open and modern upstairs. Montiel says the brasseria will open about two weeks after La Cocina below it.

The interconnectedness of these two distinct restaurants is symbolized by a not-yet-constructed outdoor deck that will have levels both upstairs and downstairs—and by Montiel himself, who buzzes around wearing a toolbelt and says that after a career spent executing the visions of big companies like Ritz-Carlton, “It’s been a good change for me to make all the decisions.”

Correction

Last week, in reporting on the new Royal Indian Restaurant in Forest Lakes, we made two errors. First of all, we misspelled the name of the proprietor, Ravinder Dahiya. More importantly, we were wrong when we said that Dahiya also owned Milan. Milan is in fact owned by partners Jaswinder Singh and Charanjeet Ghotra, who used to employ Dahiya in the kitchen. Dahiya also formerly owned some shares in Milan. Milan and Royal Indian Restaurant are two separate businesses, not connected in any way. We are as red-faced over this as if we’d just eaten some dish labeled “Indian hot” off the menu.

Quick bite

A sign at the former Hong Kong building on Emmet Street promises something called Savour is coming soon.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

Social climbing is generally considered an unsavory affair, but what Karen Laetare is up to is more like mountain-hopping—somehow more palatable. For eight years, she’s been running Brix Marketplace in a funky old building that sits on a curve of Route 53, between Monticello and Jefferson Vineyards. That’s an elevated spot, but a fickle one from a business standpoint. (Durn tourists.) So Laetare is making a leap over to the next big bump in the landscape, Pantops Mountain, where the traffic runs more to full-time residents and wage slaves—a relatively dependable crowd. She’ll open BRIX Terrace Café in a new building there (well, O.K., near the bottom, in Pantops Shopping Center) in March.

Karen Laetare is busy nailing together a second location for her 8-year-old business. The other Brix in the wall will soon open at Pantops.

Laetare has a nice formulation for this: The Route 53 stop will stay open and continue to do its “picnic” trade, whereas Pantops will be her “bread and butter.” She says her landlords at the shopping center solicited her as a local restaurateur who could run a sort-of-but-not-too-upscale eatery there. (A wise move on their part; it’s the local joints that will keep Pantops from succumbing entirely to the anywhere-in-America, Ponderosa-and-Subway vibe.)

Speaking of palatable, what can you get at the new spot? “It’s a combination of California cuisine heavily influenced by Mediterranean foods,” says Laetare, who hopes you will not take that to mean spaghetti ’n’ marinara sauce. Instead, look for antipasti, bruschetta, salad specials and paninis—the kind of savory, sophisticated stuff Brix has always served, only more of it. In the morning it’ll be coffee and pastries, and you can buy bottles of wine too. Which reminds us—before Michael Shaps sold Downtown’s Vavino to Coran Capshaw last year, Laetare catered its lunches; she also used to provide some baked goodies to Greenberry’s. She says some of her biggest hits from those ventures will appear at the new place: a bruschetta platter, orzo salad and cinnamon rolls.

Though lunch will be her focus, Laetare will stay open until 6pm, long enough to catch some after-work to-go customers. “On the way home have a little glass of Prosecco and a bruschetta,” she says. (“If you insist,” we say.) She promises an interior like a Tuscan villa, patio seating, “beautiful real dishes, real napkins, and real silverware.”

One last thing: “I would love it if people would unplug from their cellphones just for lunch,” says Laetare. Maybe that laid-back Mediterranean vibe will convince them to try it.

Swift changes

As we reported last week, the Forest Lakes branch of Pizza Bella recently closed. Maybe the pain of losing a familiar pie will be eased by a familiar vindaloo. Quicker than you could say “mango chutney,” the space became an Indian restaurant, which may even be open by the time you read this. Ravinber Bahiya, owner of popular Milan Indian Cuisine, is the man behind the new Royal Indian Restaurant. 

Look for a menu similar to that at Milan: masalas, kormas, tandoori specialties and a full complement of na’ans and other Indian breads. And look for a brisk business—Bahiya says he’s had plenty of curious passersby poking their noses in already. If Milan’s extremely efficient service is any indication, Bahiya and his team should handle the crowds just fine.

Smoke this

This just in: The Virginia legislature has passed a secondhand smoke bill passed by the Virginia legislature. Basically, the law would allow restaurants to forego a nonsmoking section as long as they post a “smoking allowed” sign on the front door. Tim Kaine has until March 26 to sign, veto or amend the bill. Philip Morris likes it; if you don’t, let the guv know.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

Guess what we saw last Tuesday when we were strolling down the Mall? Why, the newly reopened doors of The Nook. Being devoted correspondents—as well as hungry for lunch—we marched right in and asked for a table.

Well, what do you know—the place was full! On its second official day of business! We were happy to wait a few minutes, since it gave us a chance to scope out the changes new owner, Stu Rifkin, and his partners have wrought since last summer when they took over the Downtown landmark (which has been in existence for more than 50 years). Floors: old vinyl gone, replaced by classic small black-and-white tiles. There’s a schmancy wooden bar matching the half-wall that divides booths from entryway. And the menu looks like it was designed by, well, a designer.

The Nook is all new, and actually serves alcohol at its spiffy bar.

Once we had our booth and opened that menu up, we realized that The Nook is still itself, but—just like its brick walls that used to be covered in plaster, and are now gloriously revealed—it has a bit more style now, a bit more self-consciousness. (Historical photos of Charlottesville bedeck those bricks: Can you say nostalgia?)

Well, it’s nothing new for diners to turn into trendier, less crusty versions of themselves—a very similar case is the Blue Moon Diner, which recently reopened on W. Main Street. The Nook still means plates of sandwiches and chips, chicken salad on lettuce (Romaine now, not iceberg), and bottomless cups of coffee. Rifkin says the bar menu also seems to be catching on, with pioneering patrons already having done lunchtime shots of tequila.

We enjoyed the bustle peculiar to a brand-new restaurant that’s pulling about as much traffic as it can handle, and we especially loved the tiny carrot-cake cupcakes that topped off our meal. For the full experience, we’ll have to try out dinner, another big change from its previous incarnation under Terry Shotwell. (Nook at night, anyone?)

North, south and central

Back in fall 2004, it seemed like the Pizza Bella family of restaurants was riding high. There were two Pizza Bellas—one up at Forest Lakes and the other off Avon Street—and Willie Manning, son of Bella owner Christine Manning, had just taken over the 20-year-old Rococo’s Bistro off Hydraulic Road. Chef Hernan Franco had joined him in the venture and brought plenty of experience with him, since he’d worked at Rococo’s previously before Stu Rifkin bought it during the ‘90s.

Times have changed. Rococo’s shut its doors last month (more on its fate in a moment), and now so has Pizza Bella North. Both seem to be more widely mourned than most defunct restaurants. We should have more for you soon as to what exactly happened, but for now we will say that Pizza Bella South is still around.

Neither of the two spaces is without a shepherd. We have it on good authority that Pizza Bella North will become an Indian restaurant. And Rococo’s will be guided by the able hand of Alejandro Montiel, who’s enjoyed some success with his Latin-flavored eatery in Crozet, La Cocina del Sol. Montiel was once a chef at Boar’s Head Inn and helped develop the menu at Belmont café La Taza—both fine credentials, in our opinion. We’ll bring you more details as soon as we can.

Wishful theorizing

Hong Kong, the Mongolian grill, and the take ’n’ bake pizzeria Superstars Pizza—both on Emmet Street—have closed. Meanwhile, the new Hinton Avenue barbecue joint we wrote about a few weeks ago, Belmont Bar-B-Que, is open for business. Do these events confirm the theory that people are rejecting car-centric suburbia and returning to a more pedestrian, urban lifestyle? That would be nice.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

The last year has been a turbulent one on the W. Main Street corridor, and we blame the stormy weather there for the fact that our metaphors are all mixed up. One longtime fixture bit the dust (Blue Bird Café) while another rose from the ashes (Blue Moon Diner). In the Main Street Market a torch was passed from Ciboulette to Orzo. And, as we’ll explain shortly, a nearby pair of butterflies is about to emerge from their cocoons. (Stop us, please!)

The first of these winged beauties is in the former Southern Culture spot. Culture was lost to the diabolical influence of videogames and…strike that, it closed and passed into the hands of Christian Kelly (formerly of Clifton Inn) and Peter Castiglione (formerly of Zocalo) last May. At that time, says Kelly, the partners foresaw a quick transformation and an autumn reopening, but, well, those are famous last words in the restaurant biz. Here we are in February and they’re still doing construction; April’s now the target for opening. The napkins might not exactly be pressed and folded yet, but the spot does have its new name: Maya.

A chef by training, Christian Kelly (right) says that when it comes to construction, "I do what I’m told."

It’s a family name, and it ended a torturous discussion. “Peter brought it up to me that he likes my daughter’s name,” explains Kelly. “We had been roasting over names, getting so existential it was disgusting.” Maya it was. Though one might reasonably think of another hemisphere upon hearing this moniker, one should stop it and remember that the American South, not South America is the true inspiration for the menu here.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research on Southern food and kitchens,” says Kelly. “‘Meat and threes’ is a term that they use where you choose the protein, then two or three sides.” Sides will be small, complete dishes in themselves, which you’ll mix and match with the protein entrée of your choice.

As for the remodeling, it ended up including everything from plumbing and electrical to redoing the floor plan and putting in a new cherry-wood bar. Patrons will enter through a different door than in the past; most of the seating will be upstairs.
Says Kelly, “We really opened up the proverbial can of worms.”

Multicultural

Down the street, an Asian bloom has withered and, um, a European metal will take its place. Vietnamese nightspot White Orchid is no more. There’s paper on the windows and an ABC notice on the door, along with a sign announcing the new name: Zinc.

“A zinc bar is traditional for a bistro in France,” explains co-owner Thomas Leroy, who grew up in that foodie’s paradise and is joining forces with Vu Nguyen to bring us the new spot. It’ll be a combination bistro (and Leroy has particular ideas about what that word means, being that he’s, you know, French) and British gastropub. What’s that? It’s a new take on the old Brit-pub formula, Leroy explained—essentially, same atmosphere but with better food. Confused about this gistro or bastro or whatever it is? The French part means croque monsieur and moules frites, the English part means fish ’n’ chips and shepherd’s pie. And on St. Patrick’s Day Zinc will serve corned beef and cabbage.

Whew! That’s a lot of national cuisines to keep track of, but we’re game. These guys have the chops—Leroy’s worked at Bizou, Bang and now-defunct Metropolitain, and Nguyen honed his skills at Bizou and Cassis. You can line up at Zinc’s zinc bar in early March.

Storm chasing

Recently, we reported that we suspected Monsoon had blown out of town. Not so: They were merely taking a break. We’re glad to hear it.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

So, given much thought to Ruckersville lately? Yeah, neither have we. The place feels like a distant and, well, trafficky universe north of the airport on Route 29N. But, despite our perhaps unfair lack of attention, Ruckersville does in fact have a restaurant scene, which appears to be expanding. We caught wind of two late additions to the land of four lanes.
First up: In the same brand-new building that houses ye olde Antiquer’s Mall (which used to be further south, in the same shopping center as Rhett’s River Grill and Raw Bar), there’s a cafe just shy of its two-month birthday: Shenandoah Coffee. Doesn’t Sheetz serve the cup of choice for many passersby (i.e., that crowd of people speeding toward D.C. with an open package of Oreos on the passenger seat)? “We’re trying to change that,” Shenandoah owner Ryan Miller says. He’s armed with “a full line of espresso drinks,” pastries, free wifi and plenty of seating.

Ruckersville’s Shenandoah Coffee is keeping an eye on the traffic.

Kind of like Starbucks, in other words. And indeed Miller was involved in opening one of Charlottesville’s Starbucks, the one on Seminole Trail across from Fashion Square Mall. But this, his first self-owned cafe, distinguishes itself by offering only locally-roasted coffees—from Shenandoah Joe and Escalera in Charlottesville, and from Mountain View in Ruckersville. Local artwork hangs on the walls and Miller promises breakfast sandwiches and live music soon (not necessarily to be enjoyed simultaneously). To our way of thinking, Miller’s best asset will be the natural connection between browsing for antiques and lingering over a cup o’caffeine. 

Next up: A marriage is like an intersection. Which is why it’s kind of nice that a husband-and-wife team, Eddie and Donna Patrick, owns a barbecue joint, Smokin’ Eddie’s BBQ and More, at the spot where Routes 29N and 33 come together. The place opened last August in a former flower shop. The Patricks are serving, says Donna, Southern-style pork barbecue they smoke themselves with their own homemade sauce. Get it in a sandwich, in a dinner or by the pound.

All the usual accompaniments—potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, cole slaw—are here, as are baby-back ribs on Sundays. (That must be the “and more.”) We’re told by Donna that feedback’s been positive: “Some judges from Illinois stopped by and tried everything we had and told us that we are one of the best barbecues in the state of Virginia,” she says. “That was nice to hear.”

We bet it was. And it’s nice to hear that drive to D.C. is tasting a little better these days, too.

South African sound

A nifty event is coming up on February 10 at The Shebeen on Vinegar Hill. Jeremy Taylor, a British singer and songwriter who’s had a stormy relationship with South Africa since the ’60s, will be in the house to share his song and banter. During the apartheid era, Taylor got his music banned in South Africa for criticizing that eminently criticizable system. This didn’t stop him from enjoying a lively career in Britain, and eventually the ban—and apartheid—were ended.

Check Taylor out and sup on a $60 three-course prix-fixe menu while you’re at it. The party starts at 7pm.

Quick bites

We noticed the sweet sound of Van Halen pouring out of Blue Light Grill recently, along with some burly guys carrying full sheets of plywood, so we called up Michael Keaveny to find out what was going on. Essentially nothing, he said: routine maintenance back in the kitchen. More substantial changes are in the works for Vavino, which Keaveny’s boss Coran Capshaw acquired last year: a new name and a new concept, both still under development. Look here for specifics as they come to light.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

Quick: Hoos or Hokies?

If you’re the type who has a deeply considered and passionate response to this question, Restaurantarama has A) nothing in common with you, and B) just the restaurant for you. Seriously—we are not a sports person. Blame it on one too many withering glances from not-at-all-well-meaning jocks in our high school PE class, as volleyballs hit the floor right next to our feet, or our whiffleball bat, well, whiffed. But that’s our problem, not yours. We can well imagine that for many of our hungry readers, the sight of sweaty uber-people doing strenuous things within given spatiotemporal limits is extremely appetizing. And that alliance to a particular team can lend great drama to a meal.

Get yer deep fried crab balls and yer favorite team fix at Rivals, the latest occupant of the building that used to house Wolfie’s.

Which is why Rivals exists. What once was Wolfie’s, the bar and smokehouse on Rio Road, is now a monument to fandom. It’s very simple, really, as co-owner Gregg Powell explains: “I’m a Virginia fan, and my partner is a Tech fan.” Hence the restaurant’s divided decor: half orange’n’blue, half orange’n’maroon. Sit on whichever side makes you feel more powerful.

Powell and his partner Randy Snead took the place over from Powell’s brother Allen last October. (Allen Powell had run the place as Wolfie’s since late 2002; before that, it was a Cajun joint called Boudreau’s). They’ve gutted the space, rebuilt the bar, and added a slew of screens: 16 plasmas TVs with totally muscular 42" and 50" measurements. While you gaze at giants of sport on these giants of electronica, you can dine on a new menu that offers stuff from the smoker (smoked ribs, BBQ platter, “smoked bird”) and a bunch of sandwiches and burgers. And, of course, you can drink.

“Tech fans didn’t really have a place,” allows Powell, generously (remember, he’s our Hoo in this story). Rivals had its grand opening on January 19. In reference to the dance club attached to the restaurant, which used to be Club Rio and is now Club Rivals, Powell says he and Snead have “cleaned it up tremendously” and plan to offer live music on Saturday nights in the space.

Sports phobias aside, we commend for Rivals for having its finger on the national pulse, what with bipartisanship the ostensible watchword in D.C. at the moment. As for which display of cooperation will  last longer, well, that’s an easy call.

New room in the inn

Speaking of sports bars on Route 29N: Damon’s (“The Place for Ribs”) Grill, which has for nine years been the resident eatery in the Emmet Street Holiday Inn, is now called First Place Grille. A plastic sign announced the change a couple of weeks ago, and we called up hotel manager Charles Friend to get the lowdown.

It seems the owners of the Inn, who have managed Damon’s as a franchise for five years, decided to de-franchise and renovate at the end of 2006. “Of course we still like the same format of the sports grill,” said Friend. “It’ll be a more upscale sports grill when we’re finished.”

Somewhat confusingly, the restaurant, menu and all, is already open in the old Damon’s space, but will shut down for renovations April 1 and re-open in a different part of the hotel about five months later. That should go a long way toward making it “upscale,” as the Damon’s spot has, frankly, seen better days. 

Winds of change

Looks like the hip little Asian joint Monsoon, located in a so-close-yet-so-far spot just off the Downtown Mall, may have floated away on the breeze: A sign on the door and its outgoing phone message both say, “Closed for the holidays,” but, um, the holidays are over. We’ll keep checking on it.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

Slowly but surely, the separate universe that is Belmont is earning its stripes as a dining destination. It’s worth a trip across the bridge to the town-within-a-town for brunch at Mas or lunch at La Taza, and soon you’ll have another reason to make the journey (or, if you live in Belmont, to cheer): a fancy barbecue joint, run by a guy who honed his skill with a smoker on the competitive barbecue circuit.

Wes Wright has given this little building on Hinton Avenue a makeover. Though he’ll serve barbecue, it’s no shack.

We speak of Wes Wright, who boldly predicts that his soon-to-open Belmont Bar-B-Q will become a “Charlottesville institution.” It’s in a cute little building right across Hinton Avenue from La Taza, which not coincidentally is run by Wright’s sister, Melissa Easter. Wright’s been busy remodeling the building and putting in classy touches: nice ceramic tiles on the floor, corrugated metal on the front of the counter, pendant lights. Oh yeah—and a smoker capable of handling 700 pounds of meat at a time. (Any pigs reading this should leave town immediately.)

“Ribs are what it’s all about,” says Wright, waxing nostalgic about his years of reconnaissance in barbecue joints in Memphis, Oklahoma, Kansas City and Texas. Ribs, yes—and brisket, pulled pork, chicken and turkey: a regular carnivore’s nirvana. “I can only live so long without eating barbecue,” he declares.

Though he claims inspiration from those down-and-dirty barbecue pits of the Lower Midwest, Wright promises a sparkly-clean establishment meant mostly for takeout. He also says you’ll be able to order online, then skip the lines and pick up your dinner at a walk-up window. (No immediate plans for an ABC license, says Wright, who intends to open around the end of January. Maybe you’ll carry your takeout across the street and buy a beer from his sister.)
His sister, in turn, might be found at still another establishment on this block—Saxx Jazz and Blues Club—where, starting in February, she’ll be providing food cooked up in her kitchen next door at La Taza. The nosh? “A sophisticated jazz menu,” says Easter: jambalaya, cheese trays, soul food on Sundays, and prime rib smoked at—you guessed it—Wright’s place. If interconnectedness is a recipe for success, this block of Hinton is well on its way to greatness.

Northern disclosure

Times seem tougher on W. Main Street, where Northern Exposure has become the second standby, after the Blue Bird Café, to exit the stage in recent weeks. Though 13-year-old Northern stopped serving regular meals January 15, manager Jeff Hale is careful to paint the change as an “evolution:” He’s joined forces with Applause Catering and will keep Northern alive as an event venue. 

“Over the past year [we’ve had] more and more people looking for places to have private parties, meetings, and lunches,” he says. “It makes sense to move that way.” He hopes to host everything from Christmas parties to sorority dinners.

It was only a year ago that Northern rolled out a new menu in a bid for more traffic, with Hale quoted in this space saying he hoped Northern would be “a major force in the Charlottesville restaurant scene.” (That Coran Capshaw had bought the place seemed like a point in its favor; none of Capshaw’s other seven restaurants have gone this direction.) Now, he says a number of factors—not the least of which is the free trolley that spirits once-reliable student business away to the Downtown Mall—has caused Northern to go slowly south. “Of course it’s really sad” to see the change, says Hale. “I’ve been here 12 years.”

So, if you long for Exposure, throw a party. Or wait for a holiday—they’ll open for special occasions like Valentine’s Day, says Hale.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send your tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.

Most of the time, we at Restaurantarama are privy to would-be restaurateurs’ solemn oaths that they will be opening their new eateries “in late spring”—which means August—or that they’re “just waiting on the health inspector”—which means that the kitchen equipment will be delivered sometime next month. (Unless it won’t.) In other words, opening a restaurant is a long road full of potholes. That’s why we were so amazed to hear Dan Herlong’s account of opening Thai Mex in Nellysford last July.

Dan and Ubon Herlong opened Thai Mex in Nellysford faster than you can say "curry and cumin."

Herlong and his wife, Ubon Herlong, were traveling through Nellysford from Falls Church, where they’d been living, to Florida, where they planned to move. “My wife got info from a friend of hers that this restaurant was available,” says Herlong, referring to the former Thai Dutch Exchange spot on Route 151. It was a Thursday when the pair decided to change their plans and take over the space. Then, says Herlong calmly, “We worked steadily until we opened up on Sunday.” He adds, “We had a fair attendance.”

Wow! That’s what we call grabbing life by the chiles.

Part of the reason the process was so quick, Herlong explains, is that they’d already had their menu developed, serving it at various festivals over the last 13 years. It’s strange that the same spot that once housed an odd combination of ethnic cuisines, one of which was Thai (the Thai Dutch Exchange) now hosts another odd combination of ethnic cuisines, one of which is Thai. In the Herlongs’ place, crispy duck battles it out with chalupas, and everybody wins. There are stir-fries with ginger and Thai basil…and then there are tamales, tacos and burritos. There’s a full bar too: Have a margarita with your green curry.

So far, says Herlong, things are “ticking right along” at the hybrid eatery, despite a slow Wintergreen season. Given the greater familiarity most people have with Mexican food as compared to Dutch, we predict this place has a better chance of survival than Eddie Keomahathai’s Thai-Dutch venture, which took off from his successful Thai ‘99 empire but lasted less than a year. (The Herlongs’ apparent chutzpah shouldn’t hurt, either.) Drop in for a bit of half-Thai, half-Mexican, all-American melting pot fun.

Good eggs

In the first week of ‘07, we noticed the Bluegrass Grill & Bakery on Second Street was closed for a minor facelift. The breakfast standby, owned by Jim and Lalah Simcoe, is one of those places that has earned a following (and mile-long lines on Saturday mornings) by doing things in its own serene, delicious way (for example, being closed on Sunday when the Simcoes could undoubtedly see those same mile-long lines, if they wanted). So we were glad to hear the changes were small: new carpet, some new kitchen gear and a more proper hanging for the place’s trademark quilt. “The dining hall’s quieter,” reports Jim. This means we’ll be able to more clearly hear ourselves groaning with delight as we down those biscuits.

Quick bites

Java Java has opened its new store on the Downtown Mall. The place has the look of Olde Virginia, like something you’d find on the UVA Lawn, and was quite empty when we visited on its second day of business. However, the established Java Java name (the original’s on Ivy Road) should help this place break into a crowded joe market on the Mall.

We also hear that a new sports bar called Rivals will open in the former Wolfie’s Smokehouse spot on Rio Road, and from Andreas Gaynor that he is now serving lunch at Kiki’s. The rumor mill, finally, tells us that Belmont will soon have a new barbecue joint across from La Taza. More details soon!

Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48

An odd sight popped up on the Downtown Mall during the last week of December. Right next door to Chaps, where a long-established coffee cart known as Java Hut sits outside the ice-cream parlor, Sal’s Caffe Italia opened its own coffee cart. There they were, looking like Tweedledee and Tweedledecaf.

Whispered rumors of a feud between the respective owners of Sal’s and Chaps aside, we find this competition more comical than anything. Check out the twin carts next time you’re on the Mall, and order a cup while you’re at it—from whichever cart you prefer.

Dueling coffee carts give Downtowners twice the buzz. Can you spot the newcomer?

So long! Farewell!

Ever get the urge to work yourself up into a pleasant state of melancholy? You know, by thinking about old boyfriends or reflecting on how long it’s been since you’ve been inside your high school? It was in this spirit that Restaurantarama got in line for lunch on the Hardware Store’s next-to-last day of business, December 29.

We weren’t alone in our quest. In fact, the place was packed. True to family-friendly form, the Store was at that moment hosting legions of people under 16, most of whom seemed to be shopping for candy in our personal space. Like all the smaller shops around its skirts, the Hardware Store’s candy shop was running deep discounts and looking slightly picked-over. In a poignant bit of spin, this was being billed as a “Christmas Sale,” but the crowd knew what was up: We heard plenty of patrons mention the 30-year-old restaurant’s imminent closing.

Finally, the perennial host—a tall, thin man in shirtsleeves and tie—led us to our table in one of the place’s small back rooms. As we followed him, we passed high shelves lined with retro Corning Ware boxes and cookie tins, wooden booths where patrons washed sandwiches down with bottled beer, a bustling pastry counter and a giant freight elevator (part of owners Stan and Marilyn Epsteins’ effort to preserve the building’s past as a landmark hardware store). It all seemed exactly as it always has been, with no particular sign of Last Days.

That included the novel-sized menu, where the eatery’s more-is-more philosophy was most evident: more sandwiches, more sundaes, more employees in blue denim shirts. We ordered what we thought was a modest lunch and were presented with two heaping platters of food. Downing the plump dolmades that came with our “small” Greek salad, we started to feel a little blue. Looking around at the comfy upholstered chairs and the old-Charlottesville photos on the walls, we got bluer still. By the time a lady at the next table ordered the Reuben and proclaimed it a farewell gesture, we were practically sniffling.

Sure, there remain 300-plus restaurants around town. But we’ll still miss this one.

Lunch plans

When Café Cubano recently expanded its footprint in Downtown’s York Place, a small space behind homegrown noodle shop Marco & Luca opened up. We suspected Dragana Katalina-Sun and Sun Da, noodle shop proprietors, might have plans to take it over. Sure enough, says Katalina-Sun, they’re getting ready to remove the wall between the two spaces (where Marco’s stove is now) and add seating—probably in spring—to accommodate more dumpling enthusiasts.

They’ll expand their menu too, though specifics are still in the works. Look for more Asian dishes, probably in the noodle and dumpling family, in which the pair have proven themselves to excel.

Also this spring, Katalina-Sun plans to open an organic juice bar and sandwich-and-salad joint in the tiny window on Second Street where Marco & Luca got its start five years ago. She’ll call it Nicolas’ Veggies, after the couple’s youngest of three sons.

One more

An addition to our list of restaurant closings in 2006: Rococo’s Bistro has gone to that big saucepot in the sky.

Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.