Great chefs, and wineries, and steak—oh my!
Category: Best of C-VILLE
See it, feel it, hear it: a potent potluck of the arts.
It takes a village—and a damn good cake—to make a great wedding.
What we’ve learned: Charlottesville loves to buy local.
By Eileen Abbott
Charlottesville has a robust running community, but it’s not always possible to run with a buddy or a group. And if you’re out solo on the road or a trail, you should know how to run safely. “I certainly do not think running in Charlottesville poses any unique safety challenges,” says Jaime Kurtz, vice-president of the Charlottesville Track Club. “But I suspect that we can all get a little complacent when it comes to assessing risk and protecting ourselves.”
That’s why the track club decided to offer its members a personal safety workshop. “Few people, especially women, can navigate life without encountering some form of harassment—or a violent attack, at worst,” says Julie Morrill, an avid runner, expert in Krav Maga fighting, and founder of Train Your Roar, which offers self-defense training.
On a recent Monday evening, Morrill taught hands-on safety techniques to a roomful of female track club members. “I run by myself a lot, and I don’t always feel comfortable,” says Marie Dorroh. “I run with mace, but I’d rather have other options.”
Morrill offered these six essentials to personal safety:
1. Stay alert
This is Morrill’s top piece of advice. “Be aware of your surroundings,” she says. “Being aware helps you recognize potentially dangerous situations early, so that you can avoid them or prepare for them. Being aware also changes your posture to make you look less like a victim and appear more confident.”
Many runners often only look straight ahead to guide them along their chosen route, but awareness calls for more than this. Morrill recommends using all of your senses to assess what is around you. Scan the scene in front of you as if it were a panorama. Look and listen for unusual movement and sounds.
None of this should prevent you from enjoying your run, says Morrill, who urges runners not to be “paranoid that a bad guy is lurking around every corner.”
2. Project confidence
A runner who exudes vulnerability is more likely to be victimized. On the flip side, Morrill says, “No one wants to mess with someone who is alert, cool, and collected.”
Avoid giving off non-verbal cues, including running with your head down and a halting gait, or appearing to be lost.
Morrill says that if you encounter a “shady-looking character” while running, be proactive. “Rather than lowering your eyes and avoiding his gaze, belt out a confident, ‘Hello!’ and keep running strong,” she says.
This response robs a potential attacker of the element of surprise, and gives notice that a runner is “a force to be reckoned with,” Morrill says. “He should move on—you are not a victim!”
3. Trust your instincts
“You know that little feeling in the back of your mind that tells you something is just not right?” Morrill says. “Trust these feelings and learn to act on them.”
Take some time to think about threatening situations you might face, and consider how you’d respond. “If your intuition tells you something is wrong,” she says, “How would you act? What would you do?”
4. Run like hell
“Fight or flight is instinctual,” Morrill says. “The safest response is usually flight, as we do not know our attacker’s intentions, level of fight training, or if he is carrying a weapon.”
If you feel like an attack might occur, take off. “Never stop if someone yells, ‘Stop!’” Morrill says. “Keep running until you are in a safe place.”
She recommends preparing for an escape by practicing sprints or up-tempo distance running.
5. Be aggressive
“We still live in a society that teaches us, especially women and girls, to be nice, friendly, accommodating, and polite,” Morrill says.
A potential attacker depends on this, so runners should mentally contradict the stereotype, preparing to be assertive and even aggressive. “When someone makes you feel uncomfortable, it is not the time for being polite,” she says. “Do not be afraid of hurting someone or being considered ‘mean.’ If you feel unsafe, leave. If someone is harassing you, shout, ‘Leave me alone!’ and run away.”
6. Learn to fight
“The military has an expression: You fight how you train, so train how you want to fight,” says Morrill, who is trained in the Krav Maga methods used by the Israeli military. “In other words, by training soldiers in a way that simulates a real battlefield, they are better prepared to fight in real battle.” The same is true for a runner’s self-defense. Getting instruction in boxing or a martial art, even just a class or two, “will increase your chances of getting away safely.”
Categories
Soul kitchen
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.
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
Ask Mark and Cynthia Lorenzoni about the secret to their success as owners of Ragged Mountain Running Shop, and they’ll tell you it’s all about balance. The pair, who’ve been outfitting Charlottesville athletes since 1982, welcomes 20,000 customers a year to their Elliewood Avenue shop, a place that feels like a combination clubhouse, support group, town square or simply, as Mark’s brother, Peter, told us a few years ago, “a place to gather.”
“We sell shoes,” Mark says. “We work hard at it, and we’ve been blessed to make a good living doing what we enjoy.” But according to Bill Guerrant, who’s been shopping at Ragged Mountain since it opened almost four decades ago, Mark and Cynthia do much more than sell shoes: “They’re knowledgeable because they’re runners. And they take what they know, their own unique, personalized experience, and use it to help their customers. They value friendships and their customers, and they feel obliged to put you in the right shoe. They take it personally and feel responsible if you’re not happy, if you’re uncomfortable or dissatisfied.”
Over the years, Mark has served on 18 boards and he puts together weekly free running clinics. Both he and Cynthia organize races for a wide variety of local charities, and Cynthia is the longtime volunteer race director for the Women’s Four Miler, which has raised millions of dollars for the University of Virginia’s Breast Care Program.
“I get a great deal of satisfaction in that this town is small enough that you can make change and be involved in things that help people’s lives,” Mark says. “We’ve been honored and fortunate where the business has thrived, and we invest back into the community.”
Best of the Best
At a certain point, it’s just redundant to keep recognizing some folks—everyone knows they can’t be beat. Which is why, in 2016, Best of C-VILLE began honoring the Best of the Best: businesses we felt set the standard for all of the winners you just read about in the preceding pages. In 2018, we asked readers to do the job. Find all of the VIPs below, then turn to page 186 to see this year’s top honoree.
2016
Daedalus Bookshop
2017
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.
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.
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
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?