Category: Food & Drink

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Food & Drink Living

Moveable feast: Chasing the food trucks

Little Manila. Photo by Eze Amos.

Food trucks offer some of the most creative and culturally diverse cuisine in town—but they can be elusive. Stumbling upon one is often a happy accident—a bonus while attending a festival or visiting a vineyard. We wanted to see if we could turn that on its head and provide a guide to finding your favorite food trucks—to make discovering them more intentional. We invited about 30 to send us their fall schedules. Fewer than half responded, and many told us they’re mostly booked for private events. It’s good to know that food trucks are flourishing here, even if it means we’re not always on the guest list (sniff). In any case, here’s our well-intentioned but noncomprehensive guide to grabbing food on the go through the end of November.

106 Food Trucks

In 2016, owner/chef Will Cooper rolled out his flagship truck, 106 Street Food, with a mission to shake up the sandwich world with creative variations on traditional favorites (falafel with provolone, pork schnitzel with lemon aioli, and Angus burger with smoked gouda, bacon, and fried egg, to name a few). Since then, Cooper has expanded his fleet to three trucks, each with a different style. 106-street-food.business.site

106 Street Food

American cuisine with international influences—falafel pitas, pork schnitzels, and big burgers.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm Bold Rock Hard Cider

Sunday, October 20, 1-7pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Wednesday, October 23, noon-6pm, King Family Vineyards

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

106 Grilled

Pressed sandwiches and paninis, like Cuban and caprese.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Saturday, October. 26, 11am-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

106 Eastview

Traditional and fusion Japanese fare like okonomiyaki and moco loco.

Saturday, October 19, noon-5pm, DuCard Vineyards

Tuesday, October 23, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Friday, October 25, 4-11pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Sunday, October 27, noon-6pm, Chisholm Vineyards

 

Angelic’s Mobile Kitchen

Angelic Jenkins has been satisfying customers’ cravings for Southern cooking for five years. Her specialty is fried fish, but her soul food repertoire is complete. You can often find her on weekdays on Pantops Mountain, at 1538 E. High St. Call ahead to see if she’s there. angelicskitchen.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Tuesday, October 29, 11am-1pm, Dairy Market apartments groundbreaking

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Cornucopia Festival

 

The Bavarian Chef

The Bavarian Chef has been serving traditional German schnitzel—both veal and pork—in Madison since 1974. Between the home base and the food truck, the restaurant dishes up about 500 schnitzels a week. The food truck menu also includes snacks such as a pretzel with beer cheese and mustard dips, pommes frites, potato pancakes with sour cream, and homemade applesauce—and sausages, lots of sausages! thebavarianchef.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, Montpelier Races

Wednesday, November 13, 6-8:30pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

 

Carpe Donut

“Tender and steamy on the inside, slightly crisped on the outside.” That’s how Carpe Donut describes its apple cider donuts, and it’s on the money. For the better part of 12 years, the family-run business owned by Matt Rohdie and Jen Downie has churned out that singularly delectable donut, offered plain or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. But about a year ago, they expanded their offerings to include flavors like toasted coconut and double blueberry. (Carpe Donuts’ brick-and-mortar shop, in the McIntire Shopping Plaza, is open 8am-1pm weekdays.) carpedonut.org

Saturdays, 8am-1pm, at City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Friday, November 8, 6-10pm, Wilco, Sprint Pavilion

 

Catch the Chef

Chef Tyler Berry is famous for his cheeseburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, Boom Boom Shrimp, and fries with five distinctive toppings (the Baconator, for example). You can often catch Berry’s trucks—he also has a mobile “deli” that features wraps and sandwiches—in the Lowe’s parking lot in Ruckersville. Facebook @catchthechef

Saturday, October 19, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, October 26, noon-8pm, Wilderness Run Vineyards

Sunday, October 27, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

 

Farmacy

Wholesome, organic, Mexican-inspired fare by owner Jessica Hogan and her partner/chef Gabino Lino, whose local food experience includes working at Feast! and Beer Run. Our favorite is the Super-Naan Taco (pork al pastor with shredded lettuce and kale, onion, cilantro, feta, and guac, served on garlic naan topped with sour cream and a side of salsa). farmacy.guru

Saturday, October 19, 10am-5pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Pollak Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle Cider Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Friday, November 22, 5-8pm, Glass House Winery

 

Firefly on the Fly

The mobile wing of the restaurant takes its chefs, servers, and menu offerings on the road. And, if the truck’s Facebook feed is any indication, the crew seems to have a lot of fun on these field trips. Daily specials and menu items reflect Firefly’s emphasis on providing vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options as well as bestsellers like the grass-fed Virginia beef burger. fireflycville.com

Friday, October 18, 5-8pm, The Fralin Museum of Art

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Blenheim Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Saturday, October 26, 5-8pm, Knight’s Gambit Vineyard

Sunday, October 27, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Wednesday, October 30, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Sunday, November 3, time TBD, Blenheim Vineyards

 

Good Waffles & Co.

Serves just what the name suggests, plus a few things you might not expect. Chicken-N-Waffles? Yes, of course. But also loaded waffle fries, waffle pudding, seasonal soups, and daily specials, and the signature bubble waffles with toppings savory or sweet. Fall desserts include bourbon apple pie—a waffle topped with housemade brown butter bourbon truffle ice cream, sliced apples, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. goodwafflesco.com

Wednesday, October 23, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Wednesday, November 20, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

 

Little Manila

A lot of folks are hungry for the Filipino food Jessica and Fernando Dizon cook up in their truck. Nearly every weekday, you can find them at a lunchtime spot with people lined up for platters of pork or chicken barbecue served with rice, pancit noodles, or lumpia (fried spring roll). Facebook and Instagram @littlemanilacville

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

Saturday, November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 8am-1pm, City Market

 

The SpiceSea Gourmet

Chef Whitney Matthews’ award-winning food truck is rolling out a cold-weather menu that includes she-crab soup (a secret family recipe), New England clam chowder, soft shell crab po’ boys, and fried lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. spiceseagourmet.com

Friday, October 18, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Valley Road Vineyards

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

Saturday, October 26, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Friday, November 1, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

 

Wonderment Bakeshop & Creamery

Founder Stephanie Taylor calls herself a “dessert enthusiast,” and credits her parents with encouraging both her sweet tooth and her love of baking from a young age. The goodies she dispenses from her adorable teal blue truck—artisan ice cream sandwiches and homemade pop-tarts—might make you think she’s never grown up. Not that we’re judging. In fact, we’re happy to indulge our inner child—especially with ice cream. Our seasonal favorite is her pumpkin pie in pop-tart form, with flaky crust, perfectly spiced filling, and that familiar brown sugar frosting. Taylor makes everything from scratch: ice cream, cookies, pastry crusts, and fillings. cvillewonderment.com

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, November 2 and 9, 8am-1pm, City Market

 

Events & Festivals

Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-6pm, Keswick. eden-ministries.com

Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-9pm, Nellysford. boldrock.com

Tomtoberfest

Friday, November 1, IX Art Park. tomtomfest.com

ARTCHO

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, IX Art Park. artcho.org

Montpelier Races

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, James Madison’s Montpelier, Montpelier Station. montpelier.org

Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle CiderWorks, North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Forest. poplarforest.org

Cornucopia Festival

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Louisa. Search for “cornucopia” on eventbrite.com

Categories
Food & Drink Living

Taco love: A food truck date night

Photo: Eze Amos

Living in Gordonsville while working in Charlottesville, as my girlfriend and I did for many months, had a certain romance to it. With the windows down and fresh air swirling inside the car, we enjoyed the winding morning commute through fields of grazing cattle and sheep. After nightfall, when we returned
to the old dairy farm where we rented a cottage, the darkness became so inky that we couldn’t see a
hand inches from our face, and the night sky was a shimmery blanket of stars.

But after a while, other things seemed as distant as constellations, and not romantic in the least. With no washer or dryer in our cute little rental, we resorted to the grungy laundromat nine miles away. The local restaurants were sparse and stopped serving early, so we often concocted our evening meal from whatever we found in the fridge. And driving the 50 miles round-trip every day turned from delightful to tedious.

A few months of this pushed us to the edge. We’re city folks at heart, so we were accustomed to easier access to laundry and food. Imagine our surprise (and joy!) when we found both in one place.

Hydraulic Wash, near The Shops at Stonefield, is all you can ask for in a laundromat: clean, well-lit, never
a wait for machines, and great people-watching. The major bonus is El Tako Nako, the food truck tucked
into a corner of the parking lot. It’s open from 5pm until midnight every day except Wednesday (when it’s closed), and it spawned a happy, cheap-and-cheerful tradition for us: date night at the laundromat.

Of course, we weren’t the only ones taking part in the suds-and-grub ritual. Many people lined up at
the window to place orders and, minutes later, pick up a plate of double-tortilla tacos and maybe a tall bottle of Mexican Coke, which tastes better than the domestic stuff because it’s sweetened with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. The smell of ingredients sizzling on the grill and the sound of Mexican pop music poured out of the truck. Customers—white, Latinx, African American—shared the metal picnic tables. Day workers with sturdy boots and dirty clothes stopped by to pick up bags of tacos to go.
As my girlfriend and I scarfed our chicken tacos—
always chicken, even though the menu also includes beef and lengua and chorizo—I imagined families seated at the kitchen table or in front of the television doing the same thing.

There is something reassuring about tacos. Because they’re cheap ($3 apiece at El Tako Nako), you feel virtuously frugal. The ones we ordered—served simply with caramelized onions, freshly chopped onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime—were consistently good, a welcome break from grazing out of our refrigerator at home. The setting at the laundromat, with people of all ages and various ethnicities eating
in the glow of fluorescent light at the edge of the asphalt parking lot, felt just right.

In Gordonsville, we experienced the romance of life in the country. In the city, we found a more grounded and social kind of romanticism. Ultimately, we gravitated to the latter, leaving our rural nest and moving into a house near West Main Street. We have our own washer/dryer now, so those date nights at
the laundromat are a thing of the past. But every now and then, we’ll remember our ritual and inevitably say, “Wasn’t that great?”

El Tako Nako, 2405 Hydraulic Rd., 305-8918, bit.ly/2ooRykj

Categories
Food & Drink Living

New to you: A flurry of restaurant openings spices up the local dining scene

The food at Comal is inspired by the owner's youth in Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. Photo by Amy and Jackson Smith.

Comal

After 16 years as a manager at Mas Tapas, Benos Bustamante launched Comal, an authentic Mexican restaurant, in the former Belmont Barbecue space. Just a couple of weeks after opening, Bustamante and his team are already hitting their stride. The menu marries fine dining with traditional flavors from Mexico, specifically Oaxaca, where he was born and raised. A recent meal included slow-cooked pork tenderloin tamales with a garlic sauce and green salsa, pan-seared salmon tacos with pico de gallo and guacamole mousse, seared shrimp with a purée of roasted black beans and avocado leaves (they taste a bit like basil), and silky braised pork ribs with guajillo mole and queso fresco from Caromont Farms. The core of the menu consists of food from Bustamante’s youth, with some dishes prepared from his grandmother’s recipes. One C-VILLE Weekly editor who knows her way around a kitchen says the mole negro con pollo is the best dish she’s eaten in recent memory. The presentation is meticulous and artful, the dining room small and colorful—and Bustamante’s pride in his staff so great that it literally brings him to tears.—Joe Bargmann

816 Hinton Ave., 328-2519, comalcville.com

 

BLU Point Seafood Co.

The latest addition to Staunton’s restaurant scene is a tribute to coastal foodways in the mid-Atlantic and New England. The concept came as the founders of New Southern staple, Zynodoa, contemplated gaps in area offerings.

“We spend a lot of time vacationing on the coast,” says owner Jeff Goode. “We missed those tastes—but you couldn’t get quality, sustainably caught seafood in town. And we wanted to fill that niche.” The couple purchased and spent eight months renovating a vacant downtown building, and BLU Point opened in early October.

On the menu: New England lobster rolls, boutique Chesapeake Bay oysters, and teriyaki-style tuna steaks paired with Shenandoah Valley produce. The ambiance? Think upscale family dining on the Outer Banks.—Eric Wallace

123 W. Beverly St., Staunton, (540) 712-0291, blupointseafoodco.com

The food at Kama is inspired by chef Peter Robertson’s love of Japanese cuisine. Photo by Tom McGovern.

Kama

Diners may be momentarily perplexed by Kama’s tagline, “improvised Japanese cuisine.” But once they’re seated at the restaurant, on the ground floor of the Violet Crown cinema, the title will seem less important than what ends up on the plate: inventive cooking by chef Peter Robertson, whose yen for Asian food—in particular, Japanese—was nurtured by years of eating Eastern fare in Manhattan.

Robertson is best known for Côte Rôtie, the food truck that he and his wife, Merrill, launched after moving here from Water Mill, New York, where their 12-seat restaurant won critical acclaim.

Earlier this year, Will Richey of Ten Course Hospitality approached Robertson, asking whether he’d like to change up the menu at the Violet Crown—but the chef demurred. He had established the Japanese-inflected menu at North American Sake Brewery and Restaurant and wanted to continue on that path.

In time, the chef’s passion won over Richey and Violet Crown owner Bill Banowsky, who gave Robertson the tools to follow his instincts—and hired an A-team to back him in the kitchen and manage the restaurant and bar.

Kama’s early reviews have been good to glowing. Diners have applauded familiar Japanese fare such as udon noodles with pork and vegetables in broth, lightly battered fried chicken, and seared sushi-grade fish. There’s also duck breast and rib-eye cooked on the wood-fired grill, and adventurous dishes like the one made with fish heads. The restaurant is an education in Japanese flavors, and an ambitious choice for a Charlottesville restaurant. Here’s to Robertson, for expanding our culinary vocabulary.—J.B.

200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3015, kamacville.com

 

Jack’s Shop Kitchen

We were disappointed when this airy Ruckersville space was vacated earlier this year by chef Eric Bein’s Jack’s Shop Kitchen. Now, we’re happy to report that Bein is back, joining forces with Allan and Naomi Green, new partners who had dined at Jack’s in 2018, met the chef, and returned to settle down nearby and raise their family.

It’s a homecoming for Allan, who grew up in Fredericksburg and graduated from James Madison University before moving to Long Island, New York, to put his degree in hospitality and tourism to work. There, he met Naomi, who also works in the business. “They came to us with great interest and experience,” Bein says of the Greens. “We’re looking forward to moving ahead and growing together.” That growth includes ramping up production at Bein’s farm in Madison to provide hyperlocal ingredients.

Breakfast and lunch are now served seven days a week, but Jack’s will soon also offer dinner Thursday through Sunday. The evening menu will carry over the daily light fare—housemade soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers—but add Southern entrées such as waffles and fried chicken and shrimp and grits.—J.B.

14843 Spotswood Tr., Ruckersville. 939-9239, jacksshopkitchen.com

 

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Food & Drink Living

New whiskies in town

Signs that fall is just around the corner: cool evenings, colorful leaves, and last but certainly not least, whiskey! But this is not Kentucky, so we’re not talking bourbon. Two new releases of locally distilled single-malt whiskey are available now. Spirit Lab Distilling, a little warehouse shop on Sixth Street SE, presents the fifth annual batch of its prized liquor. We tried it, and we liked it very much. Made entirely in Charlottesville by husband-and-wife team Ivar Aass and Sarah Barrett, the pot-stilled whiskey takes on notes of dried fruit, toffee, cocoa, and baking spices (think pumpkin pie) in a maturation process that includes American oak as well as port and sherry-wine finishing barrels. It’s costly, at $88.99 and $46.99 for a full or half bottle, respectively, but with a limited release of just over 150 units combined, the run is bound to sell out (as it has in years past). Pick yours up at Spirit Lab—look for the red door at 1503 6th St. SE.

Meanwhile, Lovingston’s Virginia Distillery Company announced the September 1 release of its own single-malt whisky (the company’s preferred spelling). Called “Prelude: Courage & Conviction,” the sweater-weather libation—aged in bourbon, sherry, and cuvée wine casks, costs $69.99 a bottle and is available at the distillery or online. www.vadistillery.com

Food for good

An all-star lineup of about 20 local food and drink purveyors are gearing up for a major annual event benefiting Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle. Taste This! takes place September 24 at the fancy-pants Club at Glenmore, offering a feast presented by Chimm Thai and Southeast Asian, The Ivy Inn, Junction, Little Star, MarieBette, Market Street Wine, Oakhart Social, Prime 109, and Tavola, with cash-bar offerings by Early Mountain and Veritas vineyards, Random Row Brewing Co., and The Alley Light. It’s great to see a lineup like that—including many Best of C-VILLE 2019 winners and runners-up—coming together for a good cause. Tickets are $75, and they sell like hotcakes. Visit cvilletastethis.com.

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Food & Drink Living

Soul kitchen

Shaun Jenkins' new spot will offer just-like-home soul food on Market Street. Staff photo.

How does a new restaurant get away with having just six items on the menu? By making all of them very, very well. What you’ll get at the Soul Food Joint is crispy-battered fried chicken, fall-off-the-bone ribs, tender-as-a-lullaby pulled pork, simmered-to-perfection collards, boy-oh-boy baked mac & cheese, and deviled eggs better than the ones your grandmother made.

In this case, owner Shaun Jenkins’ late grandmother, from Butler, Alabama, created the recipes. “Then she passed that special touch down to my mother, Helen Alexander, who showed me everything I know about comforting the soul through delicious foods,” Jenkins says.

He describes his little spot as “somewhere between a restaurant and a food truck,” and indeed, patrons may either sit inside or pick up their food at a window that opens onto the sidewalk. Sharing space with The Salad Maker at 300 Market St., The Soul Food Joint is open 11am to 3pm Wednesdays in June, after which the hours and the Friday and Saturday night menu (served until 3am!) will expand.

Booze news

In March, we reported that a distillery with the provisional name Vodka House would open in the former Clock Shop building at 201 W. Water St. We were right! Charlottesville’s Wilson Craig, a 2016 UVA grad, and his father, Hunter E. Craig—local bank executive, real estate mogul, and member of the UVA Board of Visitors—are looking at a July opening of Waterbird, a maker of “premium distilled spirits,” according to a sign outside the corner shop. Hunter Smith, of Champion Brewing Company, has signed on as a consultant. Wilson Craig says the distillery’s completion has been fast-tracked for July 1, with production beginning shortly thereafter. A source familiar with the project says Waterbird will produce canned beverages. “It’s going to be different than anything else in Charlottesville,” Craig says. “We’re excited.”

Now you’re cookin’!

After a gnocchi-making tutorial on June 9, Red Pump Kitchen’s summer Sunday cooking classes move on to pizza and cavatelli on July 12 and August 11, respectively. Newbies and serious foodies alike can sharpen their knife skills, knead to their hearts’ content, and learn how to make Tuscan-inspired sauces. See redpumpkitchen.com for details.

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Food & Drink Living

BYOW: How, when, and where to bring your own wine out to dinner

Brian Helleberg of Fleurie.

It’s been nearly a decade since Virginia made it legal for folks to bring their own vino to restaurants. The Corkage Bill of 2011 effectively gives diners more wines to choose from, and in some cases, a less expensive option to ordering from a restaurant’s list. “We have to provide value, whatever the customer wants,” says Brian Helleberg, owner of Fleurie and Petit Pois.

Most local restaurants offer corkage for $10 to $35. For the fee, diners’ bottles are treated with the same care as in-house wines —decanted, poured, and served in proper stemware. Most restaurants also prefer to be notified by diners before they show up with their own bottles. In fact, it’s proper etiquette (just like tipping as if you’d bought the wine in-house is), so call ahead, and you’ll receive a warm welcome.

“It’s great when someone has a special wine,” Helleberg says. “It’s flattering to the restaurant.”

Where to bring your own

C&O Restaurant

Want to BYO without having to CYA? C&O charges a flat fee and “passes no judgment,” catering manager Cristelle Koerper says. That means everything’s fair game, from non-vintage plonk to ’98 Petrus.

Cost: $25, no restrictions or discounts

515 E. Water St. 971-7044,
candorestaurant.com

Ivy Inn

About four or five Ivy Inn customers bring their own bottles of wine per week, a spokesperson says. And it’s usually a special wine for a special occasion—exactly what the Ivy Inn is known for.

Cost: $25, no restrictions or discounts

2244 Old Ivy Rd., 977-1222,
ivyinn restaurant.com

Fleurie

What’s the best wine to bring out to dinner? That tasty little number you bought while touring local vineyards. “If it’s a local winery, it’s nice to have that relationship,” Helleberg says.”We get people in who’ve been sent from a wine tasting to Fleurie.”

Cost: $25 for Virginia wines; $35 for others

108 Third St. NE, 971-7800,

fleurierestaurant.com

Mangione’s on Main

Regulars at Mangione’s predecessor Bella’s were long known to carry in wine for the restaurant’s low corkage fee of $15. The owners who took over the space in January have stuck with the policy.

Cost: $15, no restrictions or discounts

707 W. Main St., 327-4833,
mangionesonmain.com

The Whiskey Jar

As with most things, The Whiskey Jar keeps it unpretentious when it comes to corkage. It offers the least expensive fee in town (matched only by Bebedero). There’s occasionally some confusion about the corkage fee at the Jar, but tell ’em owner Will Richey himself confirmed it’s $10.

Cost: $10, free for Wine Guild of Charlottesville members

227 W. Main St., 202-1549,

thewhiskeyjarcville.com

Categories
Food & Drink Living

Get your sandwich on: Guest chef series relaunches at Keevil & Keevil

The first "guest chef" sandwich to debut at Keevil & Keevil this year comes from Mason Hereford, of New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf. Photo courtesy Keevil Kitchen

Harrison Keevil’s departure from Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar is already paying dividends at Keevil & Keevil.  With his full attention back on the shop he runs with his wife Jennifer, Keevil has big plans for 2019. Kicking off the year is the re-launch of his guest chef sandwich series, where each month a different chef collaborates with Keevil on a special sandwich. Past iterations have been stellar.

First up, in January, is one of the nation’s most acclaimed sandwich makers: Mason Hereford, of New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf and Molly’s Rise and Shine. In 2017, Bon Appetit named Turkey and The Wolf America’s Best New Restaurant.

Read more on Charlottesville 29.

Categories
Food & Drink Living

About last year: Looking back at 2018 — Food

Sugar Shack Photo: Morgan Saylor

Best new creations

When it comes to Charlottesville food and drink, there is no such thing as a bad year.

In 2018, MarieBette Café & Bakery unleashed its prezzant, a sorcerous pretzel and croissant hybrid, where buttery, delicate pastry gets an addictive umami boost from a dip in lye. Not to be outdone, Albemarle Baking Company launched Roman pizza, rectangular slices of room temperature ’zza made from a 48-hour naturally fermented dough, using organic wheat and whole wheat flour. Meanwhile, Reason Beer’s hop-forward Collaboration 29, a delicious IPA created in tribute to Charlottesville, won not just sentimentality points but also a major beer competition, where it earned top prize over some of the nation’s most acclaimed IPAs. At Prime 109, the Lampo team broke ground with steak cut from locally sourced heritage beef, dry-aged 60 days or more. And, after the ham biscuit was declared Charlottesville’s signature dish, an impeccable new version became a menu fixture at Ivy Inn.

MarieBette’s prezzant

Last but not least was my 2018 Dish of the Year: Fleurie’s Autumn Olive Farms’ Heritage Pork, Prepared Nose to Tail. Many elite chefs have worked wonders with the extraordinary products from Autumn Olive Farms, but never have I encountered a dish that better honors the farms’ hogs than this one. Read more about it at charlottesville29.com.—Simon Davidson

2018 saw a lot of happenings on the Charlottesville food and drink scene. Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest changes around town. —Jenny Gardiner

Welcome to town

Armando’s on the Corner for late-night Mexican eats

Augustiner Hall and Garden rolls out the barrels

Beijing Station from Marco & Luca Dumpling owners

Box’d Kitchen serves up meat or
veggies, over rice

Brewing Tree Beer Company, courtesy of Starr Hill founder

Druknya House brings a touch of Tibet to town

Farm Bell Kitchen cooks up Southern cuisine in the Dinsmore Boutique Inn

JBD Soul Food whips up catfish on Hinton Avenue

J-Petal scoops Thai rolled ice cream and more

Maru for Korean on the Downtown Mall

North American Sake Brewery, with vaunted Côte-Rôtie chef on board

Patisserie Torres delivers sweet and savory treats from Fleurie’s pastry chef

Peleton Station for bikes, beer, and noshes

Pho 3 Pho gives us uptown Pho on 29 North

Prime 109 launches to rave reviews and pricey beef

Rocket Coffee brings coffee and bagels to Crozet

Quality Pie converts the former Spudnuts space into a new café

Renewal, for West Main dining in the new Draftsman Hotel

Sicily Rose makes cannolis just like your nonna’s

Sugar Shack Baby Ruth donuts, anyone?

The Yard at 5th Street Station includes Basil Mediterranean, Extreme Pizza, and Chimm Thai

Peleton Station Photo: Stephen Barling

Leaving the scene

Back 40, Escafé, Greenie’s, Kebabish, La Taza, The Local Smokehouse (catering still available), Mono Loco

Pearl’s Bake Shoppe, Shark Mountain Coffee (at UVA’s iLab), Water Street, Zzaam! Fresh Korean Grill

A new lease on life

Aromas Café moves to Fontaine Research Park

The Clifton receives an overhaul, and adds a Michelin-starred executive chef

JM Stock gets a new owner, but keeps its amazing ham biscuits

Littlejohn’s New York Delicatessen also gets a new owner—and lowers its prices

Market Street Wine employees take over from longtime owner Robert Harlee

The Nook reopens after kitchen renovations

Pie Chest and Lone Light Coffee add a second location on High Street

Silk Thai Restaurant keeps it authentic in former Thai 99 space

Tavern & Grocery welcomes a new owner and a new “top” chef

Villa Diner moves to Emmet Street North corridor

Meals on wheels

Angelic’s Kitchen on Wheels

Bluegrass Creamery

FARMacy food truck

Firefly on the Fly

Good Waffles & Co.

OrderUp! 

New Year’s wish

For Bang! to return rice balls and pork spring rolls to their rightful place on the menu. Sure, the tuna poke is delish, but isn’t there room for some old-school lovin’ too?

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Food & Drink Living

Where the hearth is: Little Star will offer Spanish and Mexican-influenced fare in an inviting spot on West Main

Executive chef Ryan Collins (right) teamed up with Oakhart Social’s Tristan Wraight and Ben Clore to open Little Star, coming to West Main December 30. Photo: Amy Jackson Smith

Little Star, the sophomore dining venture by Oakhart Social’s Ben Clore and Tristan Wraight, is slated to open its doors December 30, when its warm hearth and welcoming vibe should be a respite from the chill.

Joined by third partner and executive chef Ryan Collins, the team has put together a restaurant they hope will make patrons feel right at home, complete with bright, Spanish-style tiled walls, large but cozy booths, and warm lighting throughout.

“The theme we liked was more based upon being a kid, harkening back to a time when we didn’t have fears and worries,” Collins says. “It’s like what our hospitality is: Come in, we got you, we’ll take care of you…there’s good food, a little smoke, and a big hearth.”

Collins, who spent eight years working for renowned Spanish-American tapas chef and Nobel Peace Prize nominee José Andrés, says his menu will reflect his affinity for both Spanish- and Mexican-influenced fare, as well as some unexpected takes on barbecue.

Much of this food will come from the hearth, the centerpiece of the open-plan kitchen, where they’ll be burning through a good cord of oak hardwood each week.

“In the smoking oven, a lot of prep will get done in there—even desserts, like a smoked milk custard with charred orange,” he says. “We’ll have roasted vegetables for escalivada—which are roasted and charred, then steamed with their own heat, peeled, cleaned, and all the juices from being steamed go to make the dressing.”

Little Star will offer a shaved pork loin with a mole manchamanteles—a fruit mole with pasilla chilis, plantains, raisins, pineapples, onions, and nuts, topped with crispy sweet potatoes. Also featured: pork short ribs, marinated and slow-cooked in spices and herbs then pulled off the bone (reminiscent of barbecue but without the sweet sauce); hand-cut ham; patatas bravas in a ranchero sauce; and a sweet, tangy salad of barbecued sunchokes with caramelized onions, mojo picón, and shaved apples.

Collins says Andrés and his primarily Spanish team strongly influenced his cooking style, as did working with famous chefs whom his boss brought in as guests, including Diana Kennedy, a renowned authority on Mexican cooking.

More recently, Collins was the chef at Early Mountain Vineyards, and collaborated with Wraight and Clore on some side events, including a hugely popular taco pop-up at Oakhart in the summer of 2017. They’d discussed opening a restaurant, and happened into the former Threepenny Café site, just across the street from Oakhart, before the general public knew it was for rent, nabbing it before anyone else could get it.

They retrofitted the spot to showcase the oven, with greater visibility from outside to give it a high impact from the street. While the space at Oakhart is tighter and more intimate, they wanted Little Star to be more spacious and comfortable, Clore adds.

“We wanted an open kitchen—we want it to be a show,” he says. “When you’re walking down the street, we want you to say, ‘oh—there’s a fire in there! What’s going on?’”

Manning the bar will be bar director Joel (pronounced Ho-el) Cuellar, who’s spent the past 14 years as beverage director at Brandy Library in Tribeca. He’ll be taking over the bar at Oakhart as well, as long-time bar manager Albee Pedone departs for a dream job in Maui. While Pedone’s departure leaves big shoes to fill, Cuellar has the bona fides to do so.

“He’s the real deal,” Clore says. “It’s like Scotty Pippin came to play for a local high school team. He’s going to be an amazing addition to the local bar scene.”

Collins said Cuellar will be managing and developing the cocktail program as well as educating the staff about cocktails, while he and Clore curate the wine list. Bar patrons will be treated to a gratis tapa—a small bite of something special cooked up by the chef. “We want to provide exceptional hospitality,” Clore says.

The team hopes the new space will appeal to diners of all stripes. “We want to have options for people to get in and out of here for a reasonable price,” he says. “But if you choose to, you can celebrate, get the high-end fancy bottle of bubbles, and enjoy the caviar service, the large dishes, the special mezcals, and sherries. We will give you all the tools you need to celebrate, big time.”

Hours: 5-10pm, Sunday-Thursday; 5-11pm Fridays and Saturdays.

Reservations accepted.

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Food & Drink Living

Spicing up the menu: A new chef brings new flavors to Zocalo

Zocalo has undergone a number of major changes recently, with owner Ivan Rekosh buying out his longtime partner and then bringing in a new executive chef, Zynodoa’s Josh Hutter, who’s been shaking up the menu with a variety of surprising new offerings.

“I’ve been cooking the same food for 15 years, and it’s great to have another mind and set of skilled hands in there to collaborate with,” Rekosh says, adding that he plans to step away from regular kitchen duties except during peak times of the year. “For the most part, Josh can handle it–he’s a professional and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Rekosh says he was long reluctant to revamp the menu, but the time was finally right for some modifications.

“The biggest complaint I get is that the menu never changes and is stagnant,” he says. “The problem was everything is somebody’s favorite.” So Zocalo is maintaining its core menu, but Hutter is adding an extensive specials list every week that will change frequently. “He really understands the flavor profile of Zocalo and has modernized it,” says Rekosh.

Hutter, an Albemarle High School graduate, spent 10 years at a succession of notable D.C. restaurants like Taco Bamba Taqueria, Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar, and The Riggsby, Michael Schlow’s restaurant in the Carlyle Hotel. But with a growing family, Hutter yearned to escape the crazy commutes and crowds and return to a place where he’d prefer to raise his children. He and his family settled in Staunton after he landed the job at Zynodoa. Now, he’s enjoying working back in Charlottesville, where he cooked at Downtown Grille, Blue Light, Bang, and Metropolitan earlier in his career.

“I really love the central Virginia area, especially Charlottesville, and the lifestyle,” he says. He’s pleased about the collaboration with Rekosh, and the chance to brainstorm new menu offerings that blend with Zocalo’s South American/Mexican style.

“We’ve kept the core entrées on the menu and now offer a different side menu with two to three appetizers and entrées, depending on seasonal availability,” he says. “I’ll come up with a dish and bounce it off Ivan, and if it’s really nice, we might keep it on for a few more days, but we’ll try to keep things moving and keep them fresh.”

Some recent specials included a grilled filet mignon with chipotle-roasted portobello mushrooms and roasted fingering potatoes with a black garlic crema, as well as a pan-seared rockfish with piquillo pepper and saffron risotto and roasted broccolini with chorizo vinaigrette. Last weekend, he offered a lobster empanada with aji amarillo crema and arugula salad.

“There’s been a lot of change with Ivan buying out his partner, then taking over the place for himself and realizing he wants to step back from the kitchen and take an owner role and see the bigger picture,” Hutter says. But he and Rekosh have hit upon a recipe of collaboration that works well, they say.

“Customer response has been awesome,” Rekosh says. “We’re selling a lot of specials.”

caption: Zocalo’s new executive chef, Josh Hutter, worked at a number of D.C. restaurants before returning to central Virginia.

Photo: Amy Jackson Smith