Tag: Best of C-VILLE

C-VILLE Weekly’s Best of C-VILLE content is Charlottesville’s premier reader-generated rating for the best the community has to offer. It is published annually in September.

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Food & Drink

Best steak 2013: Downtown Grille

Photo: Justin Ide

Downtown Grille

201 W. Main St.
817-7080
downtowngrille.com

Runner-up:
Aberdeen Barn
2018 Holiday Dr.
296-4630
aberdeenbarn.com

Necessity is the mother of invention. For Henry Ford, inventor of the gas-powered vehicle, that necessity was finding a way to turn a profit on the wood scraps used in the production of his Model A. With some help from Thomas Edison, he came upon the idea of using them as briquettes for outdoor cooking. Now, the steaks at Downtown Grille (and Aberdeen, for that matter) are not cooked outside—but it’s just as well. Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right. Each one that comes out of the kitchen is cooked to perfection and accompanied by first-rate sides like baked potatoes or, at Aberdeen, clams, if you so choose.

See more:

Ladies’ night out at the Downtown Grille

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Food & Drink

Best family-friendly restaurant 2013: Tip Top

Photo: Aaron Cohen

Tip Top

1420 Richmond Rd.
244-3424
tiptoprestaurant.com

Runner-up:
Eppie’s
412 E. Main St.
963-9900
eatateppies.com

Real talk. There are some places kids just really shouldn’t be: airplanes, museums, and, depending on how good of a job you’re doing as a parent, some restaurants. Luckily, Tip Top and Eppie’s provide solid options where little ones can get a wee bit out of hand—and that’s O.K.

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Food & Drink

Best bartender 2013: Nick Crutchfield

Photo: Sarah Jane Winter

Nick Crutchfield at Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar

Runner-up:
Amanda Wood at Zocalo

Tom Arnold, Sandra Bullock, Bill Cosby, Chevy Chase, and Bruce Willis were all bartenders before they got famous. We can’t be sure of Nick or Amanda’s acting prowess, but one thing’s certain: When it comes to pouring a tall one in this town, they’re already stars.

 

 

What’s Nick passionate about in Charlottesville?

1. The energy of the Downtown Mall on a nice summer day. The buzz of the people and families walking around, the street performers, artists, and vendors, kids laughing, dogs wagging their tails, there is just something really special about those days.
2. The Corned Beef Hash at Bluegrass Grill and Bakery. Holy Christ! It’s the best hash I’ve ever had and completely worth waiting for a table to get some. My favorite breakfast spot, hands down.
3. My places for reflection—hiking on any trail. Surfing used to be my way of clearing my mind and re-centering my soul. Obviously, I’m not on the coast anymore, so I head to Crabtree or Old Rag when I need that crucial reflection time.
4. The proximity to amazing vineyards, wineries, breweries, and soon, I feel, distilleries. Such an amazing amount of agritourism located so close to us.
5. Restaurants and bars. Of course, I saved my favorite for last. My go-tos are Tavola, Commonwealth, Mas, Clifton Inn, Mono Loco, Ace Biscuit and BBQ, and I have a feeling I’m going to be spending quite some time in Livery Stable—it’s small, nicely appointed, and friendly.
Categories
Best of C-VILLE Services

Best preschool or daycare 2013: Bright Beginnings

Bright Beginnings

1221 Stoney Ridge Rd.
979-8585
3401 Worth Crossing
973-8414
brightbeginningsva.com

Runner-up:
ACAC Preschool
200 Four Seasons Dr.
978-7529
acac.com/youth/after-school

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” That’s a quote from Frederick Douglass who, as an escaped slave and revered orator, knew a little something about strong men. Bright Beginnings has been dedicated to the cause since 1984, teaching youngsters through field trips, parent participation, and outdoor gardens and classrooms. In second place, ACAC offers academic support with a special emphasis on physical education.

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Entertainment

Best art gallery 2013: McGuffey Art Center

McGuffey Art Center

201 Second St. NW
295-7973
mcguffeyartcenter.com

Runner-up:
Second Street Gallery
115 Second St. SE
977-7284
secondstreetgallery.com

Three galleries comprise the McGuffey Art Center, the largest display space in the city. It’s there, in the 1916 school building, that visual artists, sculptors, photographers, and more converge for a veritable zoo of artistic talent. And at Second Street Gallery, the 40-year-old contemporary art space stays relevant with thoughtful exhibitions and lots of extracurricular events, like its über-popular “Brews with a View” on the rooftop of the City Center for Contemporary Arts, complete with kegs from local breweries and often a live band.

See more:

Tapestries by Klaus Anselm and Joan Griffin at McGuffey Art Center

Fast forward: Second Street Gallery celebrates 40 years of contemporary art for the people

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Food & Drink

Best vegetarian menu 2013: Revolutionary Soup

Photo: Aaron Cohen

Revolutionary Soup

105 14th St. NW
979-9988
108 Second St. SW
296-7687
revolutionarysoup.com

Runner-up:
Eppie’s
412 E. Main St.
963-9900
eatateppies.com

A 2006 TV ad for Nutri-Grain bars features a very enthusiastic office worker who eats one of the snacks and then decides he feels so “grrrrrreeeaaaat!” that he quits his job, proposes to his coworker, and agrees to having 500 babies with her (“Babies everywhere!” she says). Vegetarian food—arguably a lot healthier than a Nutri-Grain bar—is a lot like that, in that it makes you feel, well, grrrrrreeeaaaat. There’s no better place in town for veggie fare than Rev Soup, where tiny Vs dot the menu to denote meat- (and often dairy-) free options like Tomato Basil Bisque, Roquefort Salad, and the Lisa Quesadilla. At Eppie’s, find a melty brie and apple sandwich or salads like The Daily to quench your veggie craving.

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Best noodle soup 2013: Revolutionary Soup

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Recreation & Fitness

Best kids’ summer camp 2013: ACAC Summer Camp

ACAC Summer Camp

200 Four Seasons Dr.
978-7523
acac.com

Runner-up:
Triple C Camp
920 Camp Rd.
293-2529
tripleccamp.com

In Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, young Sam sets off on a trek of his own while the rest of his fellow campers stay behind. It’s a grand adventure to be sure, but if the camp had been worth attending, he wouldn’t have felt the need to leave in the first place. ACAC Summer Camp holds kids’ attention with an emphasis on fitness: Find playgrounds, tennis courts, and a waterpark among its offerings. At Triple C, kids get a more traditional camp experience with outdoorsy, nature-focused activities and optional overnight stays.

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Entertainment

Best local radio personality 2013: Brad Savage

Photo: Sarah Jane Winter

Brad Savage

Runner-up:
Pam Garrison

In music, a “sweet spot” is a term used to describe the point between two speakers where a musician is able to hear the audio mix just as the mixer hears it. For The Corner, the sweet spot is that segment of Charlottesville listeners who want music that’s newer than classic rock, but older than poppy top 40, and the man responsible for such programming, Brad Savage, takes the top slot by finding that niche every morning from 6-11am. Madison County native Pam Garrison, this year’s runner-up, takes to the country airwaves every morning on 99.7 WCYK.

 

What’s Brad passionate about in Charlottesville?

1. Bang! Tapas and in particular, their Spicy Thai Beef—you just can’t beat it, and this is one of my (many!) favorite restaurants in town!
2. Scouring the “New Arrivals” for used Vinyl and CD’s at Sidetracks Music and Plan 9… and also worthy of mention is the new all-vinyl store downtown, “Melody Supreme”.
3. Cheerwine Soda is sold here, and you can often find it in the glass bottles with real cane sugar! Nothing like it—it’s a North Carolina/Southern thing! Yayfor Cheerwine!
4. The ACAC Waterpark. In the summertime. Walkable distance from home. In a humid Virginia summer this is a necessity!
5. Dan Schutte’s newscasts on CBS-19. I am a big fan of this guy. He is great. And not just because he (like me) is a Native Minnesotan. It’s because he is the news, he’s like our own version of Ron Burgundy.

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Retail

Best place for stationery 2013: Rock Paper Scissors

Photo: Aaron Cohen

Rock Paper Scissors

225 E. Main St.
979-6366
thinkrockpaperscissors.com

Runner-up:
Caspari
100 W. Main St.
817-7880
casparionline.com

When you think of stationery, you think of friendship—people writing to each other across land and sea, sharing hellos and thank-yous and catching up. Take, for instance, Nellie Beaven and Daphne Morgenson, pen pals in England who wrote to each other for 80 years beginning in 1933. RPS owners Dani Antol and Heather Haynie haven’t been friends for quite that long, but their bond manifests itself in the great work they do at their Downtown shop. At Caspari, find invitations, thank you cards, and stationery in artful designs.

See more:

DOWNLOAD: A custom map from Rock Paper Scissors for your welcome bag!

Categories
Best of C-VILLE Retail

Best local hardware store 2013: Martin Hardware

Photo: Aaron Cohen

Martin Hardware

941 Preston Ave.
293-8171
martinhardwareinc.com

Runner-up:
Crozet Hardware
5783 The Square (Crozet)
823-4381
facebook.com/crozethardware

If it’s true that the average wood frame house uses between 20,000 and 30,000 nails of varying types and sizes, then Martin Hardware, readers say, is the place to go for supplies. For folks outside of the city, Crozet Hardware has what they need.