Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner recently won $20,000 on the Food Network’s“Guy’s Grocery Games.” Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith
The next time you find yourself at Duner’s, raise a glass to executive chef Laura Fonner, who took home a big prize on a recent charitable rendition of the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games.” Fonner will use her $20,000 winnings to help pay for her ownership of the Ivy restaurant and to support PACEM, a local organization that provides shelter—and meals, sometimes cooked by Fonner herself—for homeless people in the winter months.
New kids on the block
One new restaurant has opened—and another is on the cusp—for your dining and imbibing pleasure at The Shops at Stonefield. The taps are flowing at Champion Grill, a sports bar from Champion Brewing Company, in the former Rocksalt space, and the first franchised location of Matchbox, a D.C. venture known for its wood-fired pizza, has announced a December 17 debut.
Last call
Speaking of neighborhood bars, Tin Whistle Irish Pub will be vacating the space at 609 E. Market St. by January. 1, 2020, over lease woes. You’ve still got a minute to stop by and enjoy pub fare, a brew, and maybe some live music—and offer a fond farewell to a Charlottesville stalwart. .
Under the stars
Bundle up and bring a blanket, because Keswick’s Castle Hill Cider is playing host to a free evening of stargazing to celebrate the winter solstice. Local astronomers will guide attendees through a presentation, and professional telescopes will be available for prime solar-system viewing. 6-9pm, December 20. 6065 Turkey Sag Rd., Keswick. 296-0047, castlehillcider.com
Lone Star State, meet Waterbird?
Waterbird Spirits is dropping hints on its social media channels that distribution in Texas might soon be a reality for the new-to-the-market canned cocktails produced by Wilson Craig and his team at the Water Street facility. Local makers doing big things—we can get behind that.
Jingle juice
Feeling festive? Head to Bold Rock Hard Cider for the release of its latest cider cocktail (no hard liquor here!), made with a blend of Bold Rock White Cranberry cider, lime, and mint. Bonus: A holiday-themed glass can be yours with the purchase of any beverage while supplies last. 11am-9pm, 1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Nellysford. 361-1030, boldrock.com
Bottomless tapas
Local restaurants offer many ways to ring in 2020, but we’ve got our eye on Belmont’s Mas Tapas, where New Year’s Eve brings an endless bounty of carne asada, papas bravas, and other small plates. $75 per person, plus tax, tip, and bar tab. Seatings at 5:30 and 8pm. Reservations required: call 979-0990 or email info@mastapas.com. 904 Monticello Rd. mastapas.com
Mochiko Hawaiian Food and Deli at 5th Street Station is a staff favorite—and a unique spot in Charlottesville. Photo: Paul Whicheloe
The only thing better than working in the C-VILLE Weekly newsroom is leaving it to get a drink and a bite to eat. The paper’s writers and editors are just like you: Our pockets aren’t very deep but we love the city’s vibrant and diverse food scene. Here are a few of our favorite places and things.
Laura Longhine, editor
Recent find: El Salvadoran and Mexican food at the Marathon gas station on Rio Road (by Greenbrier Drive). Cheap, authentic, and delicious. Try the sopes al pastor or pupusas.
Cheap eats: Bodo’s!
Go-to spot: Bizou for lunch, Oakhart Social for dinner and drinks. For an ex-New Yorker, Oakhart’s dining room feels like home. The sausage pizza is reliably great, plus they usually have a lovely salad and a funky natural wine or two on the menu.
Splurge: C&O. Even after all this time, there’s nothing more satisfying than a slow-paced dinner here by the wood stove, with delicious cocktails and classics like the trout amandine and steak chinoise. Plus, I love a restaurant that still gives you a bread basket.
Go-to brew: Mosaic Pale Ale at Random Row is my absolute favorite beer in town.
As the name suggests, the la familia chicken dinner is a family favorite at Al Carbon. Photo: Tom McGovern
Family meal: La familia chicken dinner to go from Al Carbon—a whole bird plus three sides and two salsas for $21.50. We also love to get a table at Milan—friendly service, a kids menu, and naan to keep everyone happy.
Food with friends: Beer Run—get the nachos!
Guilty pleasure: The old-fashioned layer cake at MarieBette; almost too pretty to eat.
Local place I’m dying to try: Comal, the new Mexican place in Belmont.
Out-of-town restaurant: Una Pizza Napoletana, in NYC. Take the Amtrak. It’s worth it.
Max March, editorial designer
Recent find: Lately, I’ve been enjoying cocktails with bitter aperitifs like Campari and Aperol. I like the interplay of sweet and bitter of the 23 Skidoo at Brasserie Saison. My go-to these days is a boulevardier—a bourbon drink with Campari—at the cicchetti bar at Tavola.
Best meal ever: Restaurant Week 2014, at C&O. This wonderful dish stands out in my memory: braised beef and potato gnocchi and some kind of wine sauce (with mushrooms, I think). Along with the soft lighting and good friends around a long table, eating a stick-to-your-ribs meal like that really made a regular weekend meal feel like a holiday.
Cheap eats: Something needs to be said about Maya’s $12 menu on Tuesday. Maya serves that classic nouveau-Southern cuisine that is so satisfying, and a good portion of the menu is pretty affordable that night.
Splurge: Our special-occasion spot is Tavola. The food is always amazing. I often end up ordering too much because there are so many must-haves. Gotta have the mussels. Burrata is non-negotiable. More wine? Yes, please. Carbonara. Bolognese. They serve their steak with agrodolce and gorgonzola that provides this sweet/tangy/funky combo you won’t find anywhere else. Beet risotto equals best risotto. Oh yeah, they have an amazing cocktail bar in the back! Just…maybe bring friends and share to help out your wallet.
Go-to bar: Champion Brewery. Location is perfect for me. People are great. Love the beer (some of my favorites in town). They have really solid bar food (J.M. Stock hot dogs, burgers, pretzels with beer cheese), and I’d put their nachos up against Beer Run’s any day (fight me). I also love that on any given day you might stop by to find some off-the-wall event happening. Ballet on the patio. An astronomy lesson from a UVA prof. Game nights. My fave is Tuesday night, when “Jeopardy!” is on, they turn off the music and turn up Trebek and the whole bar shouts out answers (questions) together. There aren’t a lot of bars in town that create an atmosphere of easy community like this one does.
Food with friends: This is where Mas really shines for me. My tip is to order a large sangria and quickly realize you’re all a little tipsier than you thought you’d be. Go-to dishes are the roasted tomatoes, and carne asada. Obviously you’ve got to order tapas staples like papas bravas and bacon-wrapped dates. Try the boquerones if you’re nasty (I am).
Brunch: Most underrated brunch in town is Miller’s. Chicken & waffles, a great biscuit and gravy, eggs benny, with all the boozy breakfast cocktails you could want. And it doesn’t break the bank.
Joe Bargmann, living/special publications editor
Recent find: Early Mountain Vineyards has a new chef and a carefully curated menu with a focus on local ingredients—delicious stuff, especially the pork
belly with shredded red cabbage. Also, the vineyard setting in the rolling hills of Madison is beautiful.
Go-to bar: Jack Brown’s Beer & Burgers. My girlfriend objects because of the gratuitous and sexist chandelier of bras (and I don’t disagree with her), but I like the smashburgers, dive-bar vibe, and friendly staff.
Late night: Miller’s on the Downtown Mall. Dark-wood saloon atmosphere, dim lighting, and amazing mac ‘n’ cheese (finished in a skillet and served folded-over, like an omelet, with a crisp shell).
Guilty pleasure: A good cut of beef from J.M. Stock. Pricey, for sure, but always worth it.
Happy hour: Tilman’s. Good deals and a sweet little tasting menu. I love the bruschetta with melted brie, prosciutto, and fig preserves.
Local place I’m dying to try: Prime 109, if my GoFundMe reaches its goal.
Out-of-town restaurant: En Su Boca, in Richmond. Killer margaritas and modern Tex-Mex food in a funky space where everyone has at least one tattoo.
Susan Sorensen, copy editor
Cheap eats: The Villa Diner. Breakfast is served until 4pm, portions are generous (and tasty), and nobody makes a better toasted pecan waffle (for $6.95, people!).
Go-to spot: Citizen Burger Bar for sweet potato fries and the “red” vegan burger. I know, I know: Who in the hell eats vegetarian at CBB?! I do—and it’s delicious.
Splurge: The Farmhouse at Veritas. The four-course menu (with wine pairings) changes every week, and costs $85 (plus tax and tip) per person.
Go-to bar: The Timberwood Grill. It’s pretty much in our Earlysville backyard, the beer menu is immense and well-curated, and it’s a swell place to watch UVA sports surrounded by lots of other Hoos fans.
Brunch: Boylan Heights on the Corner. Our daughter’s a UVA second-year, and if we promise to pay for brunch (after noon, of course!) for her and her three adorable roommates, we get proof of life every couple months or so.
Late night: The Whiskey Jar. A mess of sides—mac ‘n’ cheese, corn bread, pimento cheese, ham biscuits, French fries—is perfect for soaking up a long night’s worth of alcohol. Last call is at 2 a.m. on weekends.
Guilty pleasure: Four scoops (dulce de leche, hazelnut, gianduia, and milk and cherry) from Splendora’s.
Happy hour: Rapture. Cheap cabernet, right across from our office on the Downtown Mall. ’Nuff said.
Out-of-town restaurant: Founding Farmers in Washington, D.C. The food’s terrific (try the chicken and waffles or the chicken pot pie),
and most of it comes from a bunch of family farms in North Dakota.
Erin O’Hare, arts reporter
Cheap eats: Vita Nova Pizza’s bell pepper and onion slice is hands-down the best bang for my four bucks.
Go-to spot: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar—specifically, for the Goatherder plate, and for the amazing and delicious variety of teas hot and cold. Also, the milkshakes.
Brunch: Bluegrass Grill, where my favorite is the Hungry Norman, the perfect savory-sweet breakfast plate. When I have visitors in town on a weekday, I always take them here, because it’s the only time there’s no wait for a table.
Late night: C&O, because ’round midnight is the best time to nom a gooey grilled cheese soaked in tomato soup, a belly filler for $10.
Out-of-town restaurant: Kuba Kuba in Richmond! The paella options and the tres leches cake are so delicious, I don’t even know what to say about them except that you should go get them, but if you’re in my way, I’ll probably try to cut you in line.
Matt Weyrich, news reporter
Recent find (food): The Nook. The All The Way breakfast with a couple pieces of toast has quickly become my go-to.
Recent find (drink): South Street Brewery. The mystery beer that doesn’t yet have a name is fantastic and was easily the highlight of the flight I tasted.
Cheap eats: Brazos Tacos. If I had to have one meal item every day for the rest of my life, it just might be Brazos La Tia taco (picadillo beef, mashed potatoes, corn pico, white onion, queso fresco, and cilantro).
Go-to spot: Asado Wing and Taco Company. I love the wings and always seem to have good interactions with other people sitting at the bar.
Go-to bar: Draft Taproom. Sixty taps and more than a dozen TVs make for an awesome combination if you’re looking to watch sports with a beer in your hand all night.
Go-to brew: Three Notch’d. I pass by it on my way home from work every day, and sometimes I just can’t help myself.
Food with friends: The Whiskey Jar. I’m a big burger guy and my favorite in Charlottesville so far is definitely the Crunch Burger.
Brunch: Bodo’s. I’ve been to Bodo’s 19 times since I started at C-VILLE Weekly in June, and I have absolutely no shame in admitting it.
Late night: Jack Brown’s Beer & Burgers. I went to college at JMU and the vibe is exactly like the location in Harrisonburg, so it feels like home to me.
Happy hour: Random Row. You can’t beat the $2 happy hour on Thursdays.
Out-of-town restaurant: O’Neill’s Grill in Harrisonburg. I’m not much
of a dessert guy, but I cannot go there without having the cookie skillet.
Brielle Entzminger, news reporter
Recent find (food): Mochiko Hawaiian Food and Deli. It just opened at 5th Street Station.
Recent find (drink): The amazing sweet wines at Barboursville Vineyards.
Cheap eats: Any bowl at Poke Sushi Bowl with the coconut cream sauce.
Splurge: Sakura Japanese Steakhouse, about $60-70 with tip for two people.
Go-to bar: Skybar because of its nice view of the city.
Brunch: The Shebeen. Amazing mimosas and moderately priced South African food.
Happy hour: Guadalajara’s $7 jumbo margaritas on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Out-of-town restaurant: Bottoms Up Pizza, in Richmond. Pizzas are huge, thick, delicious, and come in all kinds of unique combinations.
Potter’s Craft Cider’s Tim Edmond and Dan Potter collaborated with Richmond’s Veil Brewing Co. on Dirt Napple. Photo: Kyle Petrozza
Cider is a traditionally straightforward beverage—whether it’s the soft stuff or the hard stuff, cider is made with apples and not much else.
Tell that to today’s local hard cider makers.
From spices to berries to citrus to hops, all sorts of adjuncts are showing up in cider these days. And much as craft beer drinkers can’t get enough of brews with wacky ingredients (Oreos and fried chicken f’real?), cider sippers are getting into the unusual too.
Locally, Andy Hannas, Tim Edmond, and Dan Potter are leading the charge at Potter’s Craft Cider.
“Tim, Dan and I all used to brew beer at home before we started making cider, and they were looking at starting a brewery before they wound up in the cider world,” Hannas says. “That was definitely a big source of inspiration early on. Hopped cider was the third product we made. They had a lot of beer ideas they were kicking around, and I had things in mind from my homebrewing days, so we started experimenting.”
With Virginia Cider Week set to flow November 9-18, start priming your palate with these three unique hard cider offerings.
Dirt Napple
The latest fruit of Potter’s experiments is a collaboration with cult favorite The Veil Brewing Co. Working with The Veil’s Dirt Nap Double IPA as a baseline, the team hit Dirt Napple with Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops before finishing it with lactose sugar, which doesn’t turn to alcohol in the presence of yeast. The result is a cider with some residual sugar (nearly all of Potter’s ciders are dry) and a New England IPA-like mouthfeel.
“It is obviously much different from the beer it was modeled after, but it was interesting to try one of our ciders and add some sugar,” Hannas says. “It is by no means a sweet cider like a lot of others out there, but to have something that finished not quite so dry was interesting. And it changed the way the hops expressed.”
The 6.9 percent ABV cider is still available in four packs at the Potter’s tasting room, though supply is dwindling. If you can’t grab one, be on the lookout for kegs around town as Virginia Cider Week approaches.
Big Pippin
Castle Hill Cider keeps it super traditional—except when it comes to Big Pippin. This sister line of ciders features four varieties: ginger and oaked spirits, hopped ginger, elderberry and cherry, and prickly pear and orange blossom. The beverages range from 6.9 to 11 percent alcohol and will be hitting shelves in 12-ounce cans by December, according to cider maker and orchard manager Stuart Madany.
“Adjunct ciders are generally at a lower price point and higher volume,” he says. “They’re made of what I’d call the better apples that are not cider specific—jonathans, yorks, pink ladies, and golden delicious.”
Blood Orange Cider
Bold Rock Hard Cider doesn’t hide its ambitions—namely, to make relatively sweet, drinkable cider for the masses. But that also means the cidery is willing to put just about anything into a hard beverage if it’ll attract a new fan or two.
Take Bold Rock’s Blood Orange cider, which blends blood orange juice and locally harvested Blue Ridge apples. The naturally hazy beverage, sitting at an easy drinking 4.7 percent ABV, combines the crisp tartness of cider with a zip of the trendiest citrus on the market. Blood Orange Cider is available in 12-ounce bottles at a variety of stores around Charlottesville, so cider lovers can get to sippin’ ASAP.
The Charlottesville Dogwood Festival celebration continues through April 23 with a carnival in McIntire Park, as well as fireworks the night of April 7. Photo by Jack Looney
Nonprofit
C’ville Walk-a-Mile Saturday, April 8
In support of the Sexual Assault Resource Agency, community members are invited to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Free for kidsunder 10, $25 for adults; noon. Start in front of Main Street Arena, 230 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. sara cville.org
Family
Charlottesville Dogwood Festival carnival Thursday, April 6-Sunday, April 23
The Charlottesville Dogwood Festival celebration continues with a carnival in McIntire Park, as well as fireworks the night of April 7. Free, various times. McIntire Park, U.S. Route 250 Bypass. 961-9824.
Food & Drink
Spring Fling party Saturday, April 8
Enjoy the spring weather while sipping seasonally inspired cocktails on Virginia Distillery Co.’s back patio or deck, while listening to music from Beatles tribute band Das Homage from 2-5pm. Free, 11am-6pm. Virginia Distillery Co., 299 Eades Ln., Lovingston. 285-2900.
Health & Wellness
BE BOLD 4 Miler Saturday, April 8
After taking in panoramic mountain views in this four-mile race along Route 151, enjoy a post-race party with cider samples from Bold Rock, along with live music and an awardsceremony. $45, 9am. Bold Rock Nellysford Cider Barn, 1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Nellysford. 361-1030.
“Getting to know your customers beyond their transaction is the part of Greenberry’s that [we] hope to embody most,” Brandon Bishop says about opening a Greenberry’s Coffee Co. in Japan. Photo by Brandon Bishop
Roughly translated, the Japanese word “kodawari” means a relentless devotion to practicing an art or a craft, where one is sensitive to even the smallest details. It’s the thing that has most surprised Brandon Bishop, Greenberry’s Coffee Co.’s director of franchise operations, about the employees at the local coffee roaster’s new location in Japan.
Greenberry’s café in Takarazuka City in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, is set to open October 13 just down the street from the Takarazuka Revue, a popular Japanese all-female musical theater troupe—“think Broadway,” Bishop says. Greenberry’s Japan will carry the shop’s core menu (coffees and espresso drinks) but “with certain flavor adjustments made for Japanese customers’ palates.”
Bishop points out that vending machine coffee has reigned supreme in Japan for many years, but the country is moving towards “kodawari” for the art of brewing a delicious cup of joe. American specialty coffee franchises like Blue Bottle Coffee and Verve Coffee Roasters are popping up all over Tokyo, says Bishop. Greenberry’s Japanese franchise partners “are hoping to bring the new wave of coffee shop experience to Japan, creating an environment of customer education in specialty coffee and the home-away-from-home feeling that Greenberry’s has honed over its 25 years.”
Virginia Distillery Co.’s Commonwealth Collection
Looking for a whiskey to sip by the fire through the colder months? The Virginia Distillery Co.’s got you covered with its new Commonwealth Collection. According to the company’s website, each Commonwealth Collection release will feature a different finish by a local Virginia winery, cidery or brewery. The first release, a cider barrel-matured Virginia Highland Malt Whisky, will be available later this month. It features Virginia Highland Malt Whisky cask-finished in Potter’s Craft Cider barrels, promising notes of vanilla, apple and pear. Enthusiasts can get an early dram at a the distillery on October 21 (tickets are required); beginning October 22, the whisky will be for sale at the visitor’s center in Lovingston, and at “very select stores throughout Virginia and D.C.” by late October.
Bold addition
Bold Rock Hard Cider’s fall/winter seasonal flavor is on its way to a refrigerator case near you. On November 1, the cidery will release Bold Rock Blood Orange, its first unfiltered cider, says brand development manager Traci Mierzwa. It’s made from a blend of blood orange juice and locally harvested Blue Ridge apples “featuring the light and refreshing apple cider finish that Bold Rock devotees have come to expect, coupled with the crisp tartness and tangy citrus brightness of blood orange,” according to a press release.
They got our hopes up…
Last week, an article surfaced on breakfast and brunch website Extra Crispy with the headline “The Best Bagels in the World Are in Charlottesville, Virginia.” We agree. But the article got people talking once again about that onetime April Fool’s joke claiming that Bodo’s plans to turn one of its locations into a 24-hour operation. Bodo’s co-owner John Kokola confirms that Bodo’s is not—we repeat, Bodo’s is NOT—planning a 24-hour operation at any of its locations. (We’re bummed about it, too.)
The last last call
After two and a half years brewing and serving beer on West Main Street, C’Ville-ian brewery has closed. This past Saturday, October 8, bartenders hollered the final last call at the nanobrewery that owner Stephen Gibbs had hoped would be, among other things, a gathering place for local military veterans. While operating the brewery has been a “wonderful experience, it’s time for me to move on to other opportunities,” Gibbs says. “I want to say thank you to everyone for their support; it’s been a pleasure serving you.”
