C-VILLE Weekly’s food and drink writing includes the weekly columns All You Can Eat and the Working Pour, in addition to the most comprehensive food and wine writing in Charlottesville.
Chickadee brings day drinking to the Charlottesville food scene. Photo: Eze Amos.
Charlottesville loves to eat. With a restaurant scene that prides itself on punching above its weight class, there is no shortage of options when an out-of-towner asks me the obligatory “where should we eat?” question. That list of options has evolved over the years, taking stock of the ever-changing landscape. The following is a highlight of some new arrivals.
Siren This spot for Mediterranean-inspired fare with an emphasis on seafood is the brainchild of Laura Fonner, a local chef who gained national attention when she took home the title on the Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.” sirencville.com
Popitos Pizza Popitos is the newest addition to the Rio Hill Shopping center. The Zayas family serves up wood-fired pizzas, with a menu offering appetizers, salads, and signature pies with gourmet toppings like garlic confit and sea salt flakes. popitospizza.com
Kyoto Fifth Taste Kyoto, a fixture for Japanese cuisine in Charlottesville since 2005, has introduced a new concept: Fifth Taste. Under the direction of Chef Michelle Chang, the new menu allows diners to experience the healthy and delicious versatility of fermented foods. kyotofifthtaste.com
Mockingbird Melissa Close-Hart’s new concept, Mockingbird, nests in the footprint of her former restaurant, Junction. Drawing from her southern Alabama roots, Close-Hart pulls in many favorites from southern cooking and adds new interpretations of classic flavors. mockingbird-cville.com
Smyrna New restaurateurs Orhun Dikmen and Tarik Sengul bring us Smyrna, a Mediterranean spot that highlights the eclectic flavors of the Aegean in the former Mangione’s on Main location. smyrnacville.com
Chickadee When Bluegrass Grill vacated the Glass Building, many residents kept their eye on the space to see what would fill the shoes of the beloved cozy breakfast joint. Chickadee answered with breakfast offered all day, a full bar, and diverse lunch offerings. chickadeecville.com
Brightside Surfs up at Brightside in the Bebedero’s former location above the Whisky Jar (Bebedero has moved a few doors down the mall). Brightside is a beach-inspired pub that offers patrons classic bar bites alongside an extensive tropical drink menu. cvillebrightside.dine.online
Umma’s Jen Naylor, affectionately known as Mamabird, has been a staple at the farmers markets for years with her Sussex Farm stand. The lines of loyal foodies never seem to dwindle and her duck egg crème brûlée remains one of my favorite desserts of all time. Pair that with Kelsey Naylor (Jen’s daughter) and her partner Anna Gardner who had been delighting crowds of their own with their food truck Basan, and you get Umma’s. ummasfood.com
Birdhouse As cute as its name implies, this cozy brick restaurant at 711 Henry Ave. is bringing the bird. Offering whole, half, and quarter rotisserie chicken, the simple menu keeps the emphasis on the chicken plus a number of seasonal side dishes and a rotating dessert menu. birdhouse-charlottesville.com
Organic Krush A new location for the Organic Krush chain has a range of options for those looking to keep it healthy. With bowls, smoothies, and juices, there is something to meet numerous dietary choices and restrictions. organickrush.com
Ralph Sampson’s American Taproom Local basketball legend Ralph Sampson has teamed up with Thompson Hospitality to open an upscale sports bar concept with an extensive beer list and a menu offering all the staples that pair perfectly with taking in the game on the big screens. americantaproom.com—Carrie Meslar
The spotted lanternfly, first detected in Virginia at the beginning of 2018, had made its way to Albemarle County by summer 2021. File photo.
There’s a new pest in town—and it’s after our grapes, apples, and hops. Oh, and it could also wreak havoc on loggers, certified organic and certified naturally grown producers, and our yards. You may have heard of it: the spotted lanternfly.
The spotted lanternfly is a planthopper native to areas of Asia, particularly China, that has spread invasively through accidental introduction of its eggs to other regions including South Korea, Japan, and the United States. It was first detected domestically in September 2014 in Pennsylvania, and has since spread to most of the northeastern United States. Although it feeds widely on many different plants, the SLF displays a fondness for grapevines, fruit trees, and forest trees. Once established, it can cause the widespread loss of agricultural crops—in the state of Pennsylvania it’s estimated the SLF has caused the agricultural and forestry industries to lose several hundred million dollars annually, as well as a possible loss of thousands of jobs.
The lanternfly was detected in Virginia in January 2018, and first seen in Albemarle County in July of 2021. Its local arrival is of significant concern, a threat to our wine grapes and other crops such as apples, peaches, and hops. While area farmers have not yet seen much evidence of the pest, most agree it’s just a matter of time, and the understanding of invasive species such as SLF suggests it is probably already too late to eradicate it.
Jake Busching, winemaker at Hark Vineyards and Jake Busching Wines, has decades of experience growing grapes in Virginia. He cites previous examples of invasive pests such as the spotted wing drosophila and marmorated stink bug when he says that SLF is almost certainly here to stay. He also expresses faith in the efforts of scientists to mitigate the effects once it reaches local vineyards, noting Penn State University is out front in terms of research. “There will be seasons of difficulty and some damage, but growers in other states are leading the way with reacting,” says Busching. “So, when it gets to our region, we will have a process to deal with them.”
Winemaker Jake Busching says that while the spotted lanternfly is here to stay, he has faith in scientists’ efforts to mitigate its effects on local vineyards. File photo.
Henry Chiles (the 10th), whose family runs local favorites Carter Mountain Orchard, Chiles Peach Orchard, Spring Valley Orchard, and Chiswell Farm and Winery, admits he’s anxious to see what the impact will be on his crops. Like Busching, Chiles is resigned to the fact that eradication is likely impossible, and spread is inevitable. In addition to spotted wing drosophila and stink bugs, he also cites the Japanese beetle and emerald ash borer as examples of invasive species that “got away from us” in terms of quarantine and eradication efforts.
While there is currently limited awareness of SLF, Chiles says, “I think the general public will become very aware once it is better established. SLF can and will feed on landscape trees and shrubs in high numbers. The real problem for homeowners will be the honeydew [slang for the secretions of SLF], which is a sugary rich solution that quickly grows sooty mold and makes everything black, including your backyard patio set.”
Douglas Pfeiffer, fruit entomologist at Virginia Tech, hypothesizes that the risk to orchard crops, hops, and vegetables may be less than to grapevines, but that the issue needs further research. He does, however, express concern about possible effects on the logging industry. “Eggs are laid on trees and are present for about eight months of the year,” says Pfeiffer. “Since the eastern United States population is the first occurrence outside of Asia, the potential for egg movement may complicate international shipment of logs.”
“By far, the most vulnerable crop is grape, where proper management is required to avoid vine death,” Pfeiffer says, noting that current control of the issue is centered on insecticide. “While SLF is not hard to kill, during the adult stage there is a problem with continued immigration into vineyards. There are some indirect costs here that need to be considered. The sprays needed in vineyards may disrupt natural controls for other pests, so vigilance will be needed to avoid problems associated with mealybugs and leafroll virus. The added sprays themselves will pose a cost for growers.”
Ruth Saunders, whose family has been farming Silver Creek Orchards for seven generations, is ready with such a plan. She compares the current situation to developing a spray program for stink bugs in the apple orchards over a decade ago. “I feel like we are ahead of the curve with the spotted lanternfly,” says Saunders. “We know it is here, and we just need to address it when it arrives on our farm. I feel like operations that have a solid spray program and are detail-oriented in the care of their fruit will be able to deal with this pest. Vineyards that are not committed to a solid spray program may struggle.”
For Karl Hambsch, owner of Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery, the only certified-organic vineyard in Virginia, the use of synthetic insecticides is not an option, and finding alternative treatments for SLF is of utmost importance. “We only have one organic spray that might kind of work against SLF,” says Hambsch. “So, once it gets here, we will have our hands full … invasive pests are definitely a wild card that might upset the good thing we have going here.”
As scientists work on possible solutions other than insecticides, efforts are growing to slow the spread by establishing quarantine areas and eliminating SLF when found. In addition, there is ongoing education about how to recognize all the life stages of the pest, how to prevent transporting it from one area to another, and to encourage people to report seeing the lanternfly. These efforts also involve active reduction of the population of a tree known as Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), which grows widely in Virginia. Ironically, this tree is also an invasive species and is a key host for SLF. The hope is that these efforts will slow the spread of SLF and allow more time to find potential long-term solutions.
Hambsch insists that there should be more awareness about this issue in our community. “I’d encourage folks to search for spotted lanternfly on YouTube if they want to see why SLF is so concerning,” he says. “Vineyards might be high-profile, but every property owner in our area will be affected. So, it’s an everyone problem, not just a vineyard problem. … If the community could become super-involved in monitoring, identifying, and killing the insects as soon they are found, we can buy the scientists a couple more years to work on the problem.”
It’s not just Hambsch putting out this message. According to Grace Monger, Virginia Tech’s associate agriculture and natural resources extension agent for Nelson County, “The public can help by participating in citizen science projects to track the spread and by checking their vehicles and other materials before moving them. SLF depends on human assisted transportation, so if we can educate the public … we can have a major impact. In a world with an increasingly global economy, increased transportation of goods, and increased consumer disconnect with food production, our best tool is public education.”
While Monger admits “the natural progression of most invasive species is that they’ll continue to spread despite prevention efforts,” she is careful to emphasize that it is not a futile effort. “If we never resist, all we would have would be dense monocultures of invasive species and no agriculture industry or natural world to enjoy. Chipping away at current populations and limiting spread are the two most significant management strategies.”
Monger is even more specific when talking about the area around Charlottesville. “Albemarle County produces 21 percent of the wine grapes in the state of Virginia,” she says. “If there is anyone that should be concerned about this issue, it’s Albemarle County residents. The tax dollars those vineyards bring in is substantial.”
To learn more about the SLF, go to albemarle.org and search for “spotted lanternfly.”
Wood-be winners can head to Devils Backbone Brewing Company this weekend to take a cut of the prizes at the Backbone Lumberjack Classic. Supplied photo.
A noodle moove
A new dining spot with a familiar face is moo-ving into the lineup at Dairy Market. Basta Pasta, an original concept kitchen from Dino Hoxha (the chef behind Dairy Market’s Dino’s Wood-fired Pizza & Grill) offers homemade, artisanal pastas with many combinations of shapes, sauces, and flavors, and fully vegan options.
Basta Pasta is taking over the stall formerly occupied by GRN BRGR, but fear not—the popular plant-based fast-casual option has merged locations with the meatier Citizen Burger Stand.
Wood cookies and all
They’re back, with an ax! Devils Backbone Brewing Company pairs pints with the burley, nature-loving, flannel grace of lumberjack sports at the second annual Backbone Lumberjack Classic. Taking place on October 21 and 22 at its Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows, the weekend-long event features professional woodcutting categories such as the men’s hotsaw, the women’s underhand chop, and more. Early arrivals will be treated to meet-and-greets with the athletes on Saturday, and the first 50 guests receive a free autographed cookie (wood slice) from the previous day’s events.
The competition, created in partnership with Virginia native and lumbersports champion Scooter Cogar, will also feature food specials and beers like the Backbone Premium Lager, which is said to pair nicely with the smell of freshly cut lumber.
Pink about it
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dairy Market is partnering with the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation to raise money, love, and support for breast cancer treatment programs. Join the fight by enjoying special pink drinks and menu items at vendor stalls, including The Milkman’s Bar, which is donating half of all proceeds from October’s sales of its Rose Quartz cocktail. The market is also hosting Yoga 4 Life on October 24 and an October 26 cooking class that focuses on cancer-fighting foods. Details at dairymarketcville.com.
Prepare to be stuffed
Is it too early to think about Thanksgiving? No, it’s not. Get ahead of the cooking stress by pre-ordering your turkey and all the fixin’s—so you avoid your entire family crammed into one kitchen trying to mash, slice, and toss.
Many area restaurants, farms, and provisioners like Bizou, Feast!, and Farm Bell Kitchen are already ready to take your Thanksgiving pre-orders. From the bird itself to Feast!’s “Everything But The Bird” side-dish package, there’s no shortage of easy pickup options to fit your appetite this Thanksgiving.
Local bartenders offer a behind-the-scenes look at the goings-on at your friendly, neighborhood watering holes. File photo.
By Carrie Meslar
Bartenders have long been relied on as secret keepers and unofficial therapists. There in times of joy and times of sorrow, observing real life at one of the last true gathering places in our increasingly tech-driven world. In the current era of sitting down at the bar, more and more conversations are happening around the aging concept that the customer is always right. This isn’t to say that bartenders are any less excited to serve you, it is in fact the very basis of what they do, but perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at the goings-on behind the bar, and bring a bit more awareness to the next round.
Where one person sees a margarita, another sees an entire litany of things—the tequila that serves as the backbone, the lime juice that hopefully was squeezed just hours before, the delicate addition of sweetener, a necessary component that should provide balance without being cloying.
These thoughts happen simultaneously along with observations of half a dozen other things taking place around them. If you’ve ever had a drink with someone who is, or has been, a bartender you have likely witnessed this silent analysis. In that spirit, and in celebration of the simple joy of a well-made cocktail, here are some insights from area bartenders—things they wish more of their customers knew about life behind bars.
Dex at Brightside Beach Pub
Years bartending: 18
What he wants you to know: “When you ask us ‘What’s good here?’ we’d like to think it’s all good. We wrote the menu after all. Knowing what you like, and perhaps more importantly what you don’t like, helps put us on the right track to recommend something you will enjoy. Everything isn’t made for every drinker, so throw us some additional qualifiers on what you are looking for. It makes our jobs easier and it is more likely that you will really enjoy the drink in front of you, which is what we are all about.”
Shaugna at Crozet Pizza at Buddhist Biker Bar
Years bartending: 9
What she wants you to know: “Regulars are important, but if we are doing it right, we have a lot of them. Sometimes between making the drinks, running food, answering the phone, and making sure everyone is having a good time, we might forget your name or your regular drink order. It’s nothing personal, so don’t hesitate to remind us by saying your name or ordering that favorite drink we make for you without having us guess. We are working hard back here to make sure you want to come back!”
Joel at Bobboo at the Quirk Charlottesville
Years bartending: 20 (give or take a few)
What he wants you to know: “Spirits are more versatile than you might realize. There are significant variations that exist within each category, and taking the time to experience those differences is not to be overlooked. With the resurrection of classic cocktails, more people are getting accustomed to seeing these spirits in elevated uses, but tasting them in neat form allows you to enjoy the craftsmanship that goes into a well-made bottle of spirit.”
Gil at The Bebedero
Years bartending: 7
What he wants you to know: “There is a lot going on. We are constantly searching for that balance between production and service. It’s not personal when we step away to grab something or drop another guest’s check—we are still listening. There are a lot of moving parts behind a busy bar, but they all require our attention to keep things running smoothly. So when things get hectic, we are still there to make your favorite drink and swap stories, but we are also working to make sure that the people on the other side of the room are getting the same treatment.”
Clay at Epineux Culinary Firm (pop-up series)
Years bartending: 8
What he wants you to know: “Trust us. Set aside your notion of what experience you are going to have, and trust us to put our knowledge and experience to work. There might be a specific version of a Manhattan that you love to make at home, but when we have created a version that has been tasted and tweaked to just the right place, be willing to go with it! It’s rare that any bartender you encounter is there with zero experience, so allow yourself to put your night into our hands. You might end up with a favorite new experience that you didn’t even know was an option.”
When COVID-19 forced the service industry to grind to a halt, many of the people who worked in it suddenly found themselves not only without work, but without the interactions that make one choose a career in hospitality. Getting back to the grind hasn’t been without hurdles, but it also brings a renewed sense of pride in the craft. There is a magic that occurs when everything is running well in a restaurant. It’s a hum of passion and hard work coming together for the guests, so while your bartenders are doing their best to adapt the swan method of looking graceful and composed on the surface, know that there is a strong possibility that, beneath the calm, they are paddling like hell.
Starr Hill Brewery won a Golden Crushie for the label on its Northern Lights IPA. Staff photo.
Regional beers crush it at the CBMA
The Craft Beer Marketing Awards, a global event that lets brewers compete for titles like Best Tap Handle and Best Beer Related Podcast, recently announced its 2022 winners, and multiple Virginia brands were on the list.
For amateur beer consumers who are overwhelmed by the array of craft beers on store shelves, there’s a lot to be said for having a can that stands out—and the CBMA appreciates that. The Crushie awards, judged by a panel of beer, marketing, and design experts, determine the most aesthetically appealing ales on the shelf, and our very own Starr Hill Brewery was awarded a Golden Crushie in the Best Packaging for Bottles category for the eye-catching wrap on its Northern Lights IPA. In Best Logo Typography, The Second Sun Design Company received a Platinum Crushie for its work with Chesapeake, Virginia’s Studly Brewing. Finally, another Golden Crushie went to Ashburn’s House 6 Brewing Co. for Best Beer Flight Presentation. The brewery’s Double Ladder Party Flight is served in a wooden model of a fire engine, staying true to its mission of supporting and honoring Virginia’s first responders.
New nosh
The offerings at Dairy Market grew a little with the recent opening of Maizal South American Street Food. This is the D.C.-based chain’s first location outside the metro area, and Charlottesvillians can expect the same empanadas, burritos, tacos, arepa cheese balls, and more.
Chickadee is a new café from Tricia Zawhorodny and David Stone, who developed their passion for bread baking and sandwich crafting during the pandemic lockdown. Now C’ville can enjoy the fruits of their experimentation in The Glass Building spot formerly occupied by Bluegrass Grill & Bakery. Chickadee’s creative menu offers breakfast salads, as well as morning sandwiches such as the Crab Dang Boom with crab cake, yolky egg, herb boursin, capers, fried shallots, chives, pepper jelly, and arugula. Lunch items include a veggie smash burger and the AJ Soprano sandwich with fried bologna, ham, pepperoni, sharp provolone, fried shallots, lettuce, onion, herb vinaigrette, chow chow, and garlic aioli on a housemade hoagie roll.
Looking forward
We were sad to see Junction shutter at the end of 2021, and while those Southwestern plates appear to be gone for good, there’s also good news. Junction chef Melissa Close-Hart recently announced that the Belmont space won’t be empty for long, thanks to her soon-to-open Mockingbird Southern Cuisine. The new restaurant will welcome diners at the end of the summer. Along with the name change and a new menu, expect a slightly updated look. We’re licking our chops!
Renee Byrd’s recipes—including the one for these honey-sweetened thumbprint strawberry jam cookies—are as delicious as they are as healthy as they are delicious. Photo: Renee Byrd
After years of struggling with disordered eating and food sensitivities, Renee Byrd rediscovered her love of food and cooking. Now she shares recipes—and a bit of life-changing magic—on Will Frolic for Food, the blog she started in 2013.
In a way, Byrd, 29, is the Marie Kondo of food. While she advocates a better, simpler way to eat—plant-based, mostly sugar-free, low on dairy, almost vegan—she doesn’t suggest that her way is the right way. It’s just what works for her, and she invites her blog visitors and 47,600 Instagram followers to find their own joy in food.
“Eating something that reminds you of what your mother made when you were growing up can be incredibly healing,” says Byrd, pictured here in a Richmond coffee shop. Photo by Tiffany Jung
Byrd is more than just an avid foodie. She’s a member of the ethereal folk band Larkspur, a poet, and yoga instructor. But where Byrd really shines is with her food photography and styling. Byrd’s atmospheric images and recipes have been featured in Self and Seventeen magazines, and on the Williams-Sonoma website.
Byrd revels in the Charlottesville food scene. She’s an enthusiastic consumer of produce from City Market, where she can also be found at Frolic, the small-batch chocolate and coffee-roasting business that her husband, Logan Byrd, runs out of their backyard commercial kitchen.
We caught up with Byrd recently to find out more about her and her work. Prepare to be inspired.
Why did you decide to write about food?
I started the blog as a way to practice writing and photography, but at the same time I was also developing recipes, so my husband encouraged me to share them. We were eating interesting, creative, delicious things, but I would just make something once and not write down the recipe. I was just like, it’s what inspired me at the time. He was just trying to get me to share with other people. And I got really into it.
You write about “falling in love with food again” after learning you had food sensitivities. Is sharing this also a mission for the blog?
Yeah, that is part of it. I had some disordered eating problems when I was young, and I had to heal my relationship with food. Getting into cooking and learning how to cook nourishing, plant-based food was part of my healing. But I wanted to make food that tastes really good, instead of trying to nourish my body based on some set of rules I observed in our culture, like, “you should eat salad.”
Sounds like intuitive eating. But you don’t seem like a person who’s into food fads.
I don’t really use diet labels. When I was 21 I did go vegan for a while. I had already stopped eating dairy because I was allergic to it, and after I went vegan I felt so much better. But I eventually developed some food intolerances, which I attribute to eating a lot of processed vegan food. So I started incorporating a little bit of fish, some goat dairy, and eggs into my diet, and I started to feel better again. Food is definitely part of my self-nurturing and -nourishing process. And it’s closely related to my mental-health journey—gaining a sense of fulfillment and of making conscious choices.
What does “frolicking for food” mean, and how can it help others?
It’s about finding joy in food and continuing to make it really delicious even if you do have sensitivities. It reminds me of the phrase “rare diseases are not rare.” Likewise, food sensitivities are not rare. A lot of people are not even conscious of dietary parameters that could rid them of suffering or being deeply fatigued. So, for me, frolicking is about reclaiming the joy in food.
There’s something about your food photography that seems to have a similar message.
I try to create a sense of aliveness and vibrancy in something that’s still and immobile. I try to cultivate in the images a sense of quiet and space, which are things I appreciate in life and in food. When I’m photographing I have to gain a sense of slowness and stillness, because it’s just me and a plate of something that can’t talk to me. It helps me appreciate the beauty in something as simple and ephemeral as food. It’s here and then it’s gone. But it also can provide a lot of beauty. A bowl of curry is beautiful because it’s delicious, but it reaches another level when it has edible flowers and a swirl of cream on top.
What ingredients are you excited to get your hands on this spring?
Strawberries! I’m like itching for them right now. And, gosh, some of my favorite edible flowers come out in spring—cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, violets. And we have an asparagus patch—it’s like magic every spring. We get a lot!
Looking at your blog and reading about all of your endeavors, it seems your creativity goes beyond food.
Well, you should see my list of recipes I have yet to post—it’s like hundreds. I’m also a musician and a poet, and I do portrait photography and even weddings. I’m also a yoga teacher. It’s great! I love it!
What drives your creativity?
One of my core missions is to serve people well—to give them things that are practical and provide a sense of simple joy and connection to somebody similar to them. I think that can reduce suffering for people. That is my ultimate goal: to reduce suffering in the world, no big deal [laughs]. Maybe it’s through food, or conversation, or a beautiful photo. A lot of people who follow my work feel connected to me. They are sensitive souls, and I’m somebody who gets them.
Do you feel that food itself can be healing?
Yes, I do. On two levels: emotional and physical. Eating something that reminds you of what your mother made when you were growing up, or of a beautiful experience in your life, can be incredibly healing. Once in a blue moon I’ll go to Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond. They have these incredible pastries, not something I typically eat. There’s refined sugar and wheat and dairy. But it feeds my soul. If I feel a bit bloated the next day, who cares? Food can heal people physically, too. I used to have IBS [irritable bowel syndrome], and I’ve completely healed my gut through healthy eating.
On the blog you mention your interest in herbalism. Does that play into your recipes?
It does. It’s sort of a hobby, studying herbalism and including different herbs and roots and mushrooms that are beneficial in my diet. I post a lot of recipes that incorporate herbalism—hopefully, in a very low key, non-intimidating way.
Is that important to you—to communicate in an accessible way?
I try to write the blog the way that I talk to people. When it comes to food, I’m sort of irreverent. I’m totally into all of this hippie woo-woo stuff. But I also take it with a grain of salt. I’m very wary of the cult mindset that can develop around things like herbalism and healthy food. So, the way that I speak on the blog is meant to be very inviting and friendly and relaxed. I want people to feel that they’re just hanging out with me.
Eating Around
Although food sensitivities make eating at home more practical for Byrd, she’s found plenty of local places that accommodate special dietary needs in delicious ways. “We have an insane amount of good food in this town,” she says. Here’s where she gets it. —JMM
Roots Natural Kitchen: “I go there a couple of times a week for The Southern Bowl.”
Juice Laundry: “I love their raw juices and green juices, cold brew latte, and Coco Verde with a ton of ginger!”
Moon Maiden’s Delights: “Their Best Day Bar is amazing, with a gluten-free oat base and seasonal flavors like mango or strawberry-cardamom.”
Citizen Burger Bar: “My husband likes their grass-fed beef. I get the beet burger and sweet potato fries.”
Bluegrass Creamery: “I love their vegan coconut ice cream, and their housemade gluten-free waffle cones are the best I’ve ever had. You can find their food truck at the IX Art Park in the warmer months.”
The Pie Chest: “Good coffee and dairy-free lattes. Their chai and matcha is the best in town!”
Recipe
Honey-sweetened strawberry jam thumbprint cookies
Photo: Renee Byrd
By Renee Byrd (adapted from The Kitchen McCabe)
Soft, honey-sweetened “sugar” cookies meet tangy-sweet strawberry jam. These cookies come together in just about 15 minutes, plus they’re pretty dang healthy to boot! Free of gluten, grain, refined sugar, and dairy, but absolutely delicious—like, “Wow, this is healthy?” delicious.
Prep: 5 minutes. Bake: 8-10 minutes per sheet. Makes: 18 cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
¼ tsp. salt, plus more for topping
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. cashew butter
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 egg
Strawberry jam for filling
Method
1. In a large bowl combine almond flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate small bowl, combine vanilla, honey, cashew butter, coconut oil, and egg. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir to combine.
2. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll them into balls. On a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place balls about an inch apart.
3. Using your thumb, create an indentation in the top of each, and fill with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply golden and the tops are lightly golden.
4. Cool 5-10 minutes before eating. Add more jam as desired.
Wine in a can may seem déclassé, but it’s “practical on the golf course!" says winemaker Matthieu Finot. Photo: Max March
Sommeliers may take offense, but canned wine is a booming business. In January, Crozet’s King Family Vineyards popped the top on this trend by rolling out its first cases of canned Crosé, its popular rosé wine.
As winemaker Matthieu Finot explains, King’s been making a dry, fruit-forward rosé since 2003, and now harvests Merlot grapes specifically for the Crosé. After the crush, the juice rests briefly on the red grapes’ skins, resulting in a pale-pink wine with “less alcohol and more freshness,” Finot says. The King Family website describes “notes of grapefruit, lime, watermelon, and a light grassiness on the nose…and flavors of bitter cherry, peach, and rose petal” on the palate.
“We went from producing 100 cases [of bottles] in the first year to over 4,000 cases in 2018,” Finot says. “The demand for [Crosé] keeps increasing, along with the rosé consumption in the United States.” So it made sense to King and Finot to capitalize on the rising popularity of canned wine, especially among younger drinkers.
After all, wine and portability generally don’t mix. If you want to savor a glass of grape on the go, you’ll need to lug around a heavy glass bottle, a corkscrew, and glasses (unless you want to swig straight from the bottle). And once you’ve opened a bottle, you’ll need to finish it promptly to keep the wine from losing its freshness—a strategy more advisable at home than while you’re out and about. Each can of Crosé, in contrast, is roughly the size of a generous glass of wine, and a four-pack has the same volume as a bottle at the same price.
“Also, canning is better for the environment,” says Finot—lighter, more recyclable, and with less waste. King canned its first 500 cases of 2018 Crosé the same week it bottled the rest of the vintage, with help from a mobile canning company that came to the vineyard.
Cans are sold exclusively at the vineyard, and Finot says they’re planning on more cases of cans for the 2019 vintage to meet the rising demand. “Most of the customers like the convenience of it,” Finot says.
And what would Finot say to wine snobs who can’t bear the thought of aluminum-clad vino? “They can still buy Crosé in bottles,” he says, “but it is less practical on the golf course!”
King Family Vineyards, 6550 Roseland Farm, Crozet; 823-7800; kingfamilyvineyards.com
The comfy booths, long banquette, and open wood-fired hearth transform
a former auto-service garage into a warm, inviting dining room. Photo: John Robinson
A rosy glow shone through windows high on the façade of the former service station. As my dining companion and I approached the building, the oaky smoke aroma grew stronger. We turned the corner onto West Main Street and the source of both the light and the smoke revealed itself through tall walls of glass—big sliding doors that once enclosed car-service bays.
Little Star—the Charlottesville restaurant that people were buzzing about even before it opened nine weeks ago—creates atmosphere even from a distance. And after the frosted-glass front door swung open, a sense of warmth and comfort greeted us like a hug from an old friend.
So it began, my first dining experience in Charlottesville meant to produce a review. Although I relocated to the area less than two years ago, I’m familiar with the city’s restaurant scene, having visited for more than 20 years to spend time with my sister, a UVA professor. I’m also experienced at writing about food, which has been a passion of mine since I was a kid, planting and tending the family vegetable garden in suburban New Jersey. As a teenager and throughout my college years, I worked in restaurants and catering.
When I became a writer, I covered food for daily and weekly newspapers, including the late, great Boston Phoenix, and magazines, including Food & Wine and the industry publication Plate. Now, I edit the Living section here at C-VILLE Weekly, along with magazines like Knife & Fork, and reviews feel like a natural fit. I believe a restaurant critic can and should be an important part of the local food culture. His or her role is to explore, explain, and ultimately elevate the art and craft of cooking and serving food.
That’s exactly what Little Star is doing for Charlottesville. Executive chef Ryan Collins arrived at the restaurant by way of Madison’s Early Mountain Vineyards, where he landed in 2016 and created a menu of small plates and sandwiches made with local ingredients. For Collins, Early Mountain was a waypoint between Charlottesville and Washington, D.C., where for eight years he was protégé of José Andrés, a Spanish-American and one of the more influential and acclaimed chefs in the world. Collins spent three of those eight years in the kitchen at Oyamel, where he learned to love Mexican cuisine. In Charlottesville, Collins teamed up with Oakhart Social’s Ben Clore and Tristan Wraight, whom Collins had met while at Early Mountain, to open Little Star. It is here that Collins expresses chef Andrés’ influences, blending Spanish and Mexican flavors.
After my dining companion and I objected to being seated at a table near the foyer and bar, the host graciously led us through the dining room to the long row of tall tables and a banquette along the east wall. The high perch provided a view, to the right, of the chefs preparing food in front of the blazing wood-fired oven, and to the left, of West Main Street through the big glass doors. On a Tuesday night, the room was packed and humming with conversation; old-school hip-hop provided a faint backdrop.
We started with cocktails. I thought I had heard incorrectly when the bar manager said the margarita ($16) would be served with the glass’ rim dusted with salt, red pepper, and smoked, ground gusano, a grub found in the roots of agave. It sounded gross, but tasted rich and earthy, playing off the brightness of the lime juice and the smokiness of the mescal. A second cocktail, the Star on Main ($14), was a twist on an old fashioned, with bourbon, Calvados, orange bitters, and a sweet touch of Lillet Blanc. Both drinks introduced complex, unexpected flavors, which apparently is Little Star’s mission.
The wait staff circulated throughout the room, stopping to attend to diners when necessary and then moving on. They knew when to be present and when to disappear, creating a relaxing rhythm to the evening. While our server said that most of the menu consisted of small plates, the portions turned out to be right-sized for the prices, from $8-24. (The outliers are a pork short rib and ribeye steak, at $70 and $100, respectively.) The price of a meal can escalate quickly, but two plates per person ended up being plenty of food.
Little Star encourages not only a leisurely pace (we spent two hours over dinner), but also the sharing of dishes. The bitterness of the charred endive ($10) was mellowed by a buttermilk-based dressing, and the dish gained complexity with a topping of poppy seeds, slivered scallions, chili, and bottarga, a salted, air-dried fish roe. Mojo sunchokes ($12) were served as a salad, with shaved apple, caramelized onion, and frisée. This was the only off note of the evening. The sunchokes—a sunflower tuber—were cooked to the point of mushiness, and traces of sand or soil in the dish brought an unwelcome grittiness.
Looking over the wine list, I was disappointed not to see more bottles in the $30-50 range. Out of 40 offerings, 31 were priced between $52 and $520.We ordered by the glass and, on the general manager’s recommendation, went with a Spanish white, Gramona Gessami ($12 glass)—a blend of sauvignon blanc, muscat, and gewürztraminer that had the body and ample fruit to stand up to our next two dishes, beef tartare ($14) and pork loin ($18).
Little Star pushes the tartare definition, with grilled cactus, tartar sauce, radish, whole-grain mustard, and a heap of freshly grated parmesan on top. Is it a salad or a meat dish? It’s sort of both, and it’s outstanding and inventive. Sourced from Autumn Olive Farms, near Waynesboro, the pork loin was a generous cut, more than an inch thick, presented with crispy sweet potato and mole manchamanteles, a reduction of pork and chicken stock infused with a paste of dried and fresh fruits (raisins, plantains, charred pineapple), toasted nuts, herbs, and chilis. It was a resounding note to finish the meal.
But wait—dessert! A traditional end to a very untraditional meal (at least for Charlottesville) seemed like a good idea, so we went for the apple pie ($8). It was actually more of a strudel or galette, served with little apple spheres poached with cinnamon, apple caramel sauce, and ice cream richly flavored with vanilla bean.
All in all, Little Star is a significant addition to the local restaurant scene and, hopefully, will provide a strong culinary anchor on West Main as it becomes a dense commercial and residential corridor.
Vitals
Monday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday, 5-11pm. 420 W. Main St. 434-252-2502. littlestarrestaurant.com
Research by J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, a Randolph College professor and beer historian, inspired a new brew based on one made more than 200 years ago. Photo: Good Beer Hunting
Thomas Jefferson was not an IPA guy.
We know this thanks to the scholarly efforts of J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, a Randolph College professor, whose research provides a fascinating account of the work of Jefferson’s enslaved brewer, Peter Hemings, a son of Elizabeth Hemings. Jackson-Beckham’s recently published article, “Missing Ingredients—The (Incomplete) Story of Thomas Jefferson’s Unsung Brewer,” inspired a new offering from Champion Brewing Company, created in collaboration with the professor and media company Good Beer Hunting. Called Intelligence and Diligence—qualities that Jefferson himself attributed to Hemings—the beer will be on tap at an upcoming event at Champion.
Jackson-Beckham’s article evolved from a tale she had often heard repeated during her decade studying the beer industry: America’s founding fathers all brewed their own beer. Given the hard labor of brewing—especially in the colonial era—Jackson-Beckham was skeptical. “The narrative always struck me as implausible,” she says.
In search of the truth, the Lynchburg resident started at Monticello, where, she learned, much of the beer was made by Peter Hemings, whose mother was a sister of Jefferson’s mistress Sally Hemings. As Jackson-Beckham’s article recounts, Hemings learned to brew while he was the principal cook at Jefferson’s estate. In 1821, Governor James Barbour—the namesake of Barboursville—enjoyed the beer so much during a stay at Monticello that he later wrote to Jefferson, asking for the recipe. Jefferson replied that he doubted someone could replicate Hemings’ magic from a recipe alone. The president credited the beer’s quality, in part, to his “servant of great intelligence and diligence, both of which are necessary.”
While Jackson-Beckham failed to discover an actual recipe, her findings were sufficient to create one closely approximating Hemings’ formula—with a modern twist. Jefferson wrote glowingly of Hemings’ brew, except once, when he noted that it had been “spoiled” by “over-hopping.” Given today’s popularity of aggressively hopped beers, Jackson-Beckham wonders whether Hemings may have been 200 years ahead of his time.
And so, Intelligence and Diligence is an homage to the Hemings beer Jefferson said was spoiled. As Hemings likely would have done, Champion and its brewing collaborators started with wheat and corn (along with a little barley for contemporary tastes). To that, they added a healthy dose of Magnum hops. The result is a hoppy wheat ale, 5.6 percent ABV and 56 IBU. Champion’s lead brewer Josh Skinner describes it as clean, bitter, and effervescent with dominant wheat flavors and subtle corn sweetness.
Champion founder Hunter Smith says he’s honored to be part of a project that celebrates the legacy of one of our area’s earliest brewers. The beer, Smith says, “represents another way Monticello and Charlottesville are making efforts to better understand the past and reconcile that with present realities.”
Want a taste?
The Intelligence and Diligence release party takes place at 5pm, February 22, at Champion, 324 Sixth St. SE. The first 50 guests will receive a commemorative glass; copies of Jackson-Beckham’s article, and the author herself will be on hand.
Correction February 14: The original version misidentified Jackson-Beckham as a Randolph-Macon professor instead of Randolph College in Lynchburg where she’s on the faculty.
Petite MarieBette debuts downtown with a new co-owner, Will Darsie, and lovely baked goods.
Photo: Corbett Smithson
MarieBette Café & Bakery spin-off Petite MarieBette is now open at 105 E. Water St., offering coffee and baked goods (of course!), as well as breakfast sandwiches and grab-and-go lunch. Longtime MarieBette employee Will Darsie co-owns the new spot, and will manage it. The son of a chef (mom) and a farmer (dad), Darsie moved from his native California to Charlottesville in 2015. He found work at MarieBette, starting as a busboy and rising to general manager. “I never had any intention of working in this industry, but now I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Darsie says.
Music to your mouth
Prime 109 has a new menu available Wednesday nights to accompany weekly live jazz. Guests can enjoy a more casual midweek bite, while the cooks get to create “experimental dishes that don’t necessarily fit the structure of the dining room,” Executive Chef Ian Redshaw says. In keeping with the improvisational theme, the menu changes weekly. Past offerings have included housemade pastrami banh mi and an “octo dog”—octopus poached in olive oil and served on a Parker House-style hot dog bun with shishito peppers, shallots, harissa, and cilantro. Music, from 6-9pm, is courtesy of jazz trio Adam Larrabee, Brian Caputo, and Randall Pharr.
Winning spirit
For the third year in a row, Lovingston’s Virginia Distillery Co. has taken home a top prize at the U.K.-based World Whiskies Awards. The distillery’s Port Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky earned a medal for Best American Blended Malt, the same award it won in 2018. Aged in Virginia port-style wine barrels, the spirit blends American single-malt whiskey distilled on-site with single-malt whiskey from Scotland. In 2017, the distillery’s flagship Virginia-Highland Malt won Best American Single Malt.
