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Take us out: Local restaurant favorites will make you happy at home

Restaurant dining has changed dramatically due to coronavirus, but we still want our favorites— and a night off from the kitchen. We asked our writers and staffers to give us their best takes. Keep watching for more, and send in your own to living@c-ville.com. Oh, and save the griping for Yelp. We want to support the hard work our restaurants are doing and see them through this COVID winter. See our Take Out Guide for your next order.

Selvedge Brewing has been open since midsummer, but only started offering takeout recently. The menu is brewery food, but with Chef Tucker Yoder at the helm in the kitchen, it’s elevated above average pub fare. Online ordering was simple and pickup was quick. The food did not disappoint. Bibb lettuce salad with garlic dressing was nicely accented by slices of smoked pork jowl and house-pickled red onions that were just the right balance between sweet and sour. Croutons made from pretzel buns brought a bit of crunch. The chicken sandwich is the best I’ve had in town, a pickle-brined thigh fried with light batter that reminds me of Japanese tempura, topped with a generous amount of pickles and some white barbecue sauce. Their small-batch, craft beer is available for takeout only in 32-ounce “crowlers” (single-use cans filled on demand). I opted for the Poplin, an Italian-style pilsner that was light, full of mildly sweet biscuit flavors, with just a hint of bitterness on the finish.—Paul Ting

Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie offers alternative pizza, but it has so much more. Everything on the diverse menu is made from scratch. To partake of the deliciousness involves a short drive (pickup only; no delivery) to North Garden, and the process is easy. On what appeared to be a pretty busy night, my order only took 20 minutes to prepare, and it was ready for me when I arrived.

A Dr. Ho’s meal is not complete without the Fat and Sassy. This pull-apart garlic cheese bread is a shareable appetizer that looks like a pizza. Mozzarella and cheddar cheese are melted on hand-tossed pizza crust made from homemade dough loaded with cloves of roasted garlic. The Fat and Sassy is traditionally served with marinara sauce and homemade ranch, but the ranch is so good I skipped the marina and opted for two ranch dressings. (The ranch dressing is so popular, Dr. Ho’s sells it by the pint and quart.)

On this night, I wasn’t feeling pizza, so I decided to go for another staple—the burger. The cheeseburger is made with local grass-fed beef, sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The burger was cooked perfectly to the temperature I specified, and the toppings tasted fresh. It comes with a large helping of hand-cut French fries—so many that I couldn’t finish them all. It was super satisfying comfort food.—Laura Drummond

C-VILLE Weekly staff takes:

Al Carbon remains a gem. The chicken itself is delectable and tender with just the right amount of rich smokiness. The South American spices are different from almost anything else in town. And the caramelized plantains are heavenly.—Ben H.

Citizen Bowl and Monsoon Siam: Ready on time, always fresh, always correct, and COVID protocols followed.—Nanci M.

I recently ordered delivery from Lemongrass via DoorDash. I had the mango curry with tofu, and it was the perfect blend of sweet and savory. However, beware if you’re getting delivery in the evening and have a taste for sushi—for the second time in a row, I ordered sushi to go with my entrée, but the restaurant was out of it.—Brielle E.

We have loved our experiences at Oakhart Social and Now & Zen. Delicious options and safe, easy pickup at both locations! We love Oakhart’s pizzas and shaved salad. I am so happy to be able to get my Green Giant roll to go from Now & Zen. The Bodo’s drive-through experience is fantastic too. The lines move fast and the process is easy.—Anna H.

I have ordered Maru from DoorDash recently. I was happy with the items I picked and they traveled well. The food and service was excellent, and I will definitely be ordering from them again.—Gaby K.

During the heart of COVID stay-at-home restrictions, the fact that Chimm would deliver to Lake Monticello every Saturday was a godsend. A bowl of hot pho on a cold April day made me feel a little normal again.—Tracy F.

Up 29 North is the Timberwood Grill, which has kept us supplied with Honey Fire Tenderloin Tips; Stoplight Enchiladas; Wild Mushroom Ravioli; and BEER (build-your-own sampler = four different brews for $7.95) since the pandemic started.—Susan S.

TEN sushi to go was the perfect choice to celebrate a birthday with a small group during these careful times. The chef’s omakase nigiri was a glistening, jewel-like array of fresh, perfect slices over rice, the rainbow roll of sashimi wrapped around the kani avocado roll was a decadent, fun conversation starter, and the spicy toro roll stood out with chu toro, avocado, pickled jalapeño, crunch, spicy sauce, and tobiko sending an exhilarating rush of heat and umami across the palate. The easy curbside pickup and careful packaging made for an impressive home dining experience.—Tami K.

Categories
Culture

Small Bites: April 6

Stepping up to serve free meals

In these trying times for the restaurant industry, chef Harrison Keevil of Keevil & Keevil Grocery and Kitchen is using his talents to serve others. What originally started as a free lunch (about 20 meals each weekday), has expanded to include breakfast and dinner, and by April 13, Keevil is planning to offer 500 meals a day out of his kitchen. He’s currently funding it himself and taking donations at @keevil-kitchen. He’s also keeping it local by using as many area sources as possible—think Caromont cheese, Albemarle Baking Company pastry, and locally grown vegetables. If you know of someone in need, email keevilkitchen@gmail.com for delivery coordination.

Local bartenders get creative

With no bar to tend to at the moment, Tavola’s cicchetti bar team recently launched a Cocktail Quarantine video series. Episode one featured “quarantinis:” Husband and wife duo Rebecca Edwards and Steve Yang, both recently recognized as top 100 bartenders in the U.S., shook up their favorite variations on the martini. The best part? They’re taking requests. Go to @cocktailcoupleva on Instagram or tavola cicchetti bar on Facebook, and send a direct message or leave a comment with your cocktail of choice. Don’t forget to leave a virtual tip!

In the same spirit, The Local’s beverage director Alec Spidalieri developed a cocktail recipe book, which is available on a pay-what-you-can basis as a downloadable PDF. Visit his website for payment information and to download the content.

It’s five o’clock…on Zoom?

What would we do without Zoom and Facebook Live? In the time of social distancing, these platforms are allowing friends to connect and businesses to creatively reach their customers. The Wine Guild of Charlottesville and King Family Vineyards are hosting happy hours and virtual tastings, which allow people to come together while keeping their distance. Want to join the fun? Follow the Wine Guild and King Family on social media for upcoming virtual events.

Survival by takeout

Quarantine is for pizza lovers, or at least that’s the way it seems. Both Crozet Pizza and North Garden’s Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie have added additional phone lines to keep up with ordering demand. And a recent Instagram post from Lampo showed to-go pizza boxes piled high, and asked followers to guess the number of boxes shown. Those feeling fancy have takeout options too, with restaurants including The Farmhouse at Veritas and C&O now offering multi-course meals for pickup. Bet you never thought you’d enjoy steak chinoise in your pajamas, did you?

 

Categories
Living

Local cheesemonger takes the podium at international competition

By Alexa Nash & Erin O’Hare

Last week, local cheesemonger Nadjeeb Chouaf, owner of Flora Artisanal Cheese and a consultant for Timbercreek Market’s cheese counter, brought his work to the world stage and won big, taking third place in the third edition of the international Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager competition, held June 11 through 13 in Tours Cedex, France.

In doing so, Chouaf became the first American to reach the podium in the competition. “It was a huge step in placing the American cheese industry on the national stage,” he told us in an email.

The competition is held every two years and contenders must be accepted by a committee in order to enter. This year’s 10 cheesemongers were from the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Belgium and France. The American and Japanese competitors must win their respective national championship to enter, and Chouaf won the American Cheesemonger Invitational last summer.

The Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager includes four rounds of skill and knowledge presentations followed by artisanal challenges, such as creating various sculptures from cheese provided by the competition, composing a “perfect bite” with Fourme d’Ambert, preparing a Brie Fermier restaurant-style cold cheese dish and arranging a large display on “the alchemy of a cheesemonger” on a 1-meter by 1-meter (approximately 3 feet by 3 feet) board.

Chouaf says he felt most prepared for the cheese presentation and prepared dishes, but he scored lower than he expected. However, he rallied with his large display.

“The large display and sculpture, which I felt completely unprepared for, seemed to be the most impressive to the judges,” says Chouaf, who will continue working on bringing Virginia cheese to the international stage.

Ho lotta food options

Starting this spring, Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie, North Garden’s funky little pizza place, will have a food truck parked at local breweries, cideries and events. Dr. Ho’s chef and owner, Michael McCarthy, and sous chef, Carlos Cruz, will run the truck, says manager Naomi Annable. They’ll turn out snacks like house-cut French fries and gyoza dumplings, and larger dishes like a yellowfin tuna bahn mi (sesame-crusted tuna, Sriracha mayo, pickled veggies, toasted brioche, house fries) and General Ho’s chicken (flash-fried chicken, sticky sweet sauce, broccoli florets, pickled carrots, steamed jasmine). Looking for something sweet? Fresh watermelon and house-churned ice cream are on the menu, too.

Eater’s digest

The Mountain Grill at Carter Mountain Orchard has expanded its hours, serving lunch seven days a week and dinner during the Thursday Evening Sunset Series. Orange County native Stefan Boutchyard, former SeaWorld head chef who worked most recently at Keswick Hall, is the restaurant’s executive chef. Boutchyard uses orchard ingredients throughout the menu, in dishes such as the cider-brined chicken and Brie sandwich and hickory- and apple-smoked pork barbecue.

Sisters Katie and Erica Painter have renovated a 1980s two-horse trailer into a teeny tiny traveling bar aptly named The Bitty Bar. Whatever your reason to celebrate—wedding, birthday, graduation, dinner with friends—the Painter sisters will bring the bar, stocked with whatever you need for your wet or dry gathering, with a particular focus on Virginia beer, wine and spirits and house-made syrups, fresh-squeezed juices and locally grown garnishes.

Bar talk got you thirsty? Our next issue of Knife & Fork, a summer cocktail guide on stands June 28, will wet your whistle.