Tag: Food & Drink

Colonial locavores

If you think our country’s founding foodies are the only ones with their own shows on the Food Network, think again. Tuesday, August 28, from 6-8:30pm, head to Monticello’s West Lawn for a conversation with Dave DeWitt, author of The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Cuisine. For the $60 ticket price, you’ll get Virginia wine, hors d’oeuvres, a tour of Monticello and its gardens, and a chance to hear this New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum chairman talk food trends and sustainability. Visit monticello.org/site/visit/events/evening-conversation-dave-dewitt-author-founding-foodies for information and to purchase tickets.

A perfect pearing

Asia’s not the only place to grow Asian pears. The round delights, which taste like a cross between an Anjou pear and a jicama, happily grow at Saunders Brothers Orchard on Route 56W, about 35 miles south on 29. Visit on Saturday, September 1 between 9am and 5pm to sample (and stock up) on the pears and enjoy the music of Dave Miller & Friends while you’re at it.

Nice to eat you

Get to know your food and the people who grow, raise, and harvest it at the fourth annual Meet Yer Eats Farm Tour on Labor Day. From 10am to 4pm, tour as many of the 21 participating farms—from Appalachia Star to Wolf Creek—that time and travel allow. Visit meetyereats.wordpress.com/ for information on each farm and to buy the car pass that gets everyone in it all-area access to the grounds of what ends up on your table and in your body. Purchase passes before September 1 for $15, or spend $25 after that.

No story on the C&O would be complete without mention of its wine cellar. We’ve crowned the calligraphied list Best of C-VILLE seven-plus years running and it’s won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence every year since 1996. But regulars will notice a gaping hole in the list next time they visit—the person who (literally) wrote it for the past 30 years.

Wine buyer and sommelière Elaine Futhey was as much the face of C&O as Dave Simpson is, and these past two months since she retired have been revealing to him. Futhey preceded Simpson and, though she left for a few years, by the mid-’80s she was driving a top-rate wine program at the restaurant that launched Charlottesville’s dining scene. But limiting Futhey’s job to that would be a gross understatement. “We’ve hired two to three people to do her job. It’s a big pair of shoes that we haven’t all together filled,” said Simpson.

With an otherworldly grace and a distinctive serenity, the 70-year-old Futhey officially oversaw the restaurant’s six seating areas three nights a week. Of course, she was there much more often than that. It was what she did at 1pm on Tuesdays that built the C&O’s cellar into the 6,000-bottle treasure trove that it is. Rather than entertaining visits from wine distributors one by one, she would gather them all at once to taste their wares. “It was amazing to witness. They’d all be extraordinarily civilized for that hour,” said Simpson.

Although Simpson gave Futhey an unlimited budget, she bought wines that moved her rather than going by scores or reputations. Richard Hewitt, Keswick’s sommelier, along with F&B denizen Michael Lannutti and area oenophile Justin Stone, helped Simpson sift through the collection, which contained more breadth than depth (10 cases was the most they found of any one wine). Nothing was so old and fragile that it was in need of re-corking, but without Futhey’s categorical memory on hand, the cellar had to undergo some inventory management.

Anything in a questionable age bracket and possibly past its prime, the team sampled out to connoisseurs for assessment: 1) keep on the list, 2) cooking wine, and 3) Christmas gifts. Lannutti, who’s taken on a front-of-the-house position, is developing his own Excel spreadsheets and will cycle through much of the inventory by pouring it by the glass, giving diners an opportunity to try some older, more unusual wines.

And it’s precisely these offbeat wines—the ones that Elaine dedicated a “wines to charm and intrigue you” page to in her list —that Lannutti will buy when he begins his shopping. “We want the wine list to continue being unique and idiosyncratic,” said Lannutti, who aims to strike that balance between educating the diner who wants to learn and topping up the glass of the diner who just wants to drink. Simpson envisions the first few pages as “easy going” with the rest of the list for those who “like to put on a bow tie.”

Simpson describes his foray into the wine side of C&O as “unchartered and uncertain territory” and keeps credit where it’s due, but he has had some fun on the winemaking side recently. During last year’s demoralizing harvest, Simpson would come to Michael Shaps’ and Philip Stafford’s custom crush operation (Virginia Wineworks) bearing a hot meal for the crew. His payment? Getting to muck in. “I did anything they told me to,” said Simpson, whose efforts, other than providing mere enjoyment (“I loved moving fruit around and smashing it down”), resulted in a custom crush house white and red for the C&O. The 25 cases of Viognier hit the by-the-glass list in mid-July, and within a month, only five cases remained. I drank it with a recent meal there and it was as effortlessly delightful as a night spent at the C&O. The same amount of Cab Franc will arrive just in time for the chill in the air that makes sipping a red wine alongside honest food in a place where the walls speak, ever so appealing.

The C&O’s wine, neatly stacked in old Monticello Dairy milk crates, seems quite at home in the cellar that’s just a stone’s throw from the restaurant’s bustle, even if Simpson feels out of place: “This was Elaine’s domain. I can’t give her enough recognition or gratitude. She’s an extraordinary woman—one of a kind.”

And with a foundation like the one Futhey built, the wine list’s always bound to be too.

Inside the C&O’s big wooden door, it was cool and dark and reminiscent of lovely evenings spent there—some for occasions, others for a final drink on a night I wasn’t ready to end. Volumes could be filled with patrons’ stories, but it was those of proprietor Dave Simpson (who’s eminently quotable, but especially on the heels of tapping Keswick’s Dean Maupin as his successor) that nearly filled my journal.

Simpson appeared wearing his uniform of dark jeans, a black shirt, and a belt fastened with a silver C&O belt buckle. He’s been wearing his hair (more salt than pepper now) longer over the years and it, along with the grin of a cheshire cat, belies his 58 years. But it’s likely the 32 C&O years under that belt buckle that’ve kept him young enough that he’s only now slowing down.

Growing up on Chesapeake Street, Simpson and his brother used to watch the C&O railroad workers. On his 13th birthday at Shoney’s, Simpson got a busboy job. “That was my first exposure to being around adults other than my parents and I was spellbound by the people that inhabited the industry,” said Simpson. He cooked in the Bay Area, but returned to Charlottesville in 1980, heading straight for the C&O, which Philip Stafford and Sandy McAdams had opened four years prior. After two years as a prep cook, Simpson bought what he described as a white elephant: “Very little hard value, great emotional value.”

Three decades have passed, and while 80-120 covers a night plus a large catering arm have turned a pretty profit, it’s still the ineffable that outvalues the numbers. That C&O magic stayed with Maupin, whose year spent cooking there (1995-1996) stood out to Simpson. “I thought, this is clearly what Dean’s going to do for a living, but I knew his interests were far too grand to stay put for too long at C&O. It was fun to follow him in his successes at the Greenbrier, The Clifton Inn, and Keswick.”

The two reconnected while sitting on the advisory board of PVCC’s new culinary school. Maupin, eager to return to an independent restaurant and Simpson, looking for an heir apparent. Minus 20 years, they could be twins—mirror images of boyish hair, rectangular glasses, earnestness, and graciousness. Moons aligned and by June, Maupin came “home” to the C&O.

“I had a great love affair with the energy and what I learned here. Now, I have a chance to do my own thing all while holding the respect of the place. It will be a really happy marriage,” said Maupin.

Few marriages inspire as much rhapsody as this one, between a restaurant with Midas’ touch and a chef who turns everything he touches into something that, as one devotee put it, you dream about for years. Maupin spent June in the office with paperwork—a job that many chefs lament, but one that he relishes. It was mid-July when his first typed menu (the calligraphy was courtesy of the recently retired Elaine Futhey, see The Working Pour) graced the tables, and changes were slight. “You’d be a fool to mess around with a few dishes, but 70 percent of the menu will be ever-changing.” The artichoke paté, steak chinoise, and Cuban steak are among the relics that Maupin kept, knowing that their removal would mean mutiny. “I want to reach our 50-year anniversary and tout that we’re still doing the same stuff,” he said.

Even the new dishes aren’t entirely new. Admirers will recognize incarnations from his days at Clifton and Keswick. His ingredients are choice without being extravagant, and his style’s refined without being pretentious. Most of all, Maupin makes food you want eat, not analyze. Gnocchi made with humble russet potatoes turn holy when they join glistening chanterelles, a spry scatter of chives, and a tangle of pea tendrils atop fontina fondue. Potato-crusted rag mountain trout tastes earthy over a verdant basil and dill salsa verde with smoky bell pepper coulis.

While the plates’ complexities challenge you to name that ingredient, their rusticity demands that you do nothing more than devour them. It’s a juxtaposition shared by Maupin himself, who’s extraordinarily talented, yet chats with guests in the bistro before excusing himself to “go cook for y’all now.”

As the fish tank gurgles on at the C&O, expect the menu to get “funkier,” breaking out of the course confines with small plates and sides for the table. New ideas bounce between Maupin and Simpson—brunch, pop-ups, a food truck—but they’re quick to remember the formidable fact that in the restaurant business, you’re never done.

Aside from supporting his scion, Simpson’s focus for the next few years will be catering. And after that? “I’m not sure. I wouldn’t be a very good golfer. I like to be useful somehow.”

Crafty brewers
Every month’s a good month to celebrate Virginia’s ever-growing craft beer movement, but this month it’s official. And what better way to commemorate Virginia Craft Beer month than with the First Annual Virginia Craft Brewers Fest on Saturday, August 25 (Sunday if it rains) from 2 to 8pm at Devils Backbone Brewing Company. A cup (the trophy kind) will be awarded to the best overall brewery as well as the top picks in five categories: Pale Ale, Belgian-style, Lager, Dark Beer, and Specialty Beer. Expect beer tastings from 20 area breweries, live music, and tasty, local eats from The Rock Barn. Purchase tickets in advance at virginiacraftbrewersfest.com and pay only $10—the price is doubled at the door. Kids under 12 are free, and VIP packages, which include camping and RV passes, are available, so you can whoop it up the whole weekend long.

Little Sichuan
Charlottesville’s got another authentic Sichuan restaurant to call its own. Early this month, Gingko opened on the Corner’s 14th Street in the old Ni Hao Café space, and diners are already clamoring for owner Sophie Yang’s specialities, perfected by growing up in Chengdu (Sichuan’s capital) and her previous job in the bustling kitchen at Peter Chang’s China Grill. The 50-seat space serves lunch and dinner (including an $8 takeout special) cooked by an all-Sichuan staff. Try the steamed chicken with chili sauce or the Sichuan pork platter—thin pieces of pork wrapped around cool cucumber all heated up with a spicy garlic sauce. A beer and wine license is in the works, so pumpkin cake will suffice for now. And what about the restaurant’s name? Yang’s son, Paul Chen, who is a UVA alum, explained that not only is the gingko tree one of Chengdu’s most common trees, but it also has Charlottesville ties: Jefferson brought the tree to America and the largest one on Grounds has stood there since 1860. History, botany, and food unite.

When a hot afternoon turns sleepy, iced coffee’s the perfect pick-me-up to get you through the rest of the day. Aficionados seem to be split over which method makes better iced coffee. Some say coffee needs to be cold-brewed to temper its bitterness. Others insist that hot coffee-turned-cold is the only way to maintain its strength and body.

We asked our own coffee guru, Shenandoah Joe’s Dave Fafara, what side of the iced coffee camp he’s on, and he was all abuzz over the new cup-at-a-time option. “This is the best iced coffee you’ll ever have,” said Fafara, who recently started offering the choice in addition to their original iced coffee that’s simply hot-brewed at 1.5 times the strength before being cooled down and refrigerated.

Here’s how the cup-at-a-time works. First, you select your coffee from the blackboard listing the single origins or blends available that day. Next, your barista grinds the beans and puts 1.85 ounces into a cone filter that sits atop an ice-filled cylinder which rests inside a graduated flask. He pours water that’s 30 seconds off the boil gradually over the grounds allowing them to “bloom.” In a minute or two, the hot coffee trickles over the ice, cooling it instantly, and becoming 20 ounces of glorious iced coffee.

Shenandoah Joe’s regular iced coffee is still far from your average joe (they go through 16 gallons of it every Saturday at the City Market), but this cup-at-a-time is smooth, strong, and, well, the best iced coffee we’ve ever had.

When coffee’s not your bag
If tea’s more your cuppa, here are three ways to perk up your parched palate.

On City Market Saturdays, $2 will buy you a colorful iced tea (and straw) at Gilbert Station Farm & Edibles, where several flavors—like peach ginger black tea, raspberry rose green tea, and honeysuckle white tea—grace a row of dispensers each week.

Sweet and fragrant Moroccan mint tea gets chilled during the summer months at Aromas Café, making it the perfect accompaniment to a chicken shawarma wrap or a Barracks Road shopping spree.

Choices abound up the stairs at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, but you can always count on their homemade iced chai to be on the menu and to be the tastiest around.

Sweet and simple
If you take your coffee or tea with sugar, you’ll need to switch up your sweetener when you’re drinking it on ice. Make a simple syrup by dissolving equal parts of sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator for a month. It works in cocktails too, so make double.

Cold as ice
Making iced coffee at home seems simple enough until you realize that pouring a hot cup of coffee over ice turns it acrid and that your tepid morning dregs poured over ice end up tasting muddy at best. A drinkable cool brew requires some planning—12 hours to be exact —but you’ll be smoothly rewarded for mornings to come if you follow this simple recipe.

Cold-brewed coffee 
Makes 3 cups of coffee concentrate
Place one cup of coarsely ground coffee in a quart-sized jar. Using a funnel, fill the jar to the brim with cold, filtered water. Cover and let steep in the refrigerator overnight or for 12 hours. Strain through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve, or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Or, pour the contents into a French press and slowly depress the plunger. In a glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, varying the ratio to taste, adding milk and/or sweetener as desired. Store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

When a burger craving strikes, little can be accomplished until you’ve got your hands around a bun with meat juices dripping down your chin. Here’re 10 big-league, non-chain burgers that satisfy (and inspire) the meanest of cravings.

Boylan Heights’ Room 121 tops an organic beef patty with American cheese, bibb lettuce, beefsteak tomato, bacon, diced onions, and its sweet and spicy signature sauce.

Brookville’s burger’s not on the menu, but in-the-knowers know that a towering burger that involves 11 ounces of local beef, a fried local egg, McClure gouda, and bacon marmalade, is well worth seeking out.

Citizen Burger Bar’s namesake burger puts local grass-fed beef, gruyère cheese, blackened onions, rosemary aioli, iceberg, and tomato on a brioche bun that’s anointed with a fried pickle spear.

Penny-pinching, burger-lovers will dig Henry’s Heavy Burger which gives you two American cheese-covered six ounce beef patties with classic toppings for under $10.

The Local’s burger melts Virginia’s Mountain View swiss over local organic beef, then sweetens the deal with applewood-smoked bacon and caramelized onions.

Positively 4th’s 4th Street burger’s local organic beef topped with cheddar, onion straws, housemade pickles, bacon-onion marmalade, and roasted garlic mayo.

Rapture’s half pound of local grass-fed beef gets covered with your choice of cheese (from blue to pepper jack) and applewood-smoked bacon and portobello mushrooms if you so choose.

Riverside Lunch’s bacon cheeseburger has a rockstar following that swears by the sum of its humble parts—especially when they include double patties and double bacon.

Timberwood Grill’s Al Capone gussies up its patty with grilled onions, applewood-smoked bacon, smoked cheddar cheese, white truffle horseradish mayo, and a pretzel bun.

You can’t go to the White Spot without ordering its legendary Gus Burger, a classic American cheeseburger topped with a fried egg.

A better burger
With several cattle farmers in our area, making burgers at home’s as easy as firing up the grill. We asked Steadfast Farm’s Brian Walden what makes grass-fed beef better and how to make it into a badass burger: Grass-fed beef contains 10 percent fat, with a greater ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. It’s free of hormones and antibiotics and is higher in beta-carotene, vitamins E and B, minerals, calcium, magnesium, and potassium than conventional beef.

Mix ingredients [1 pound Steadfast Farm grass-fed beef (find it at the City Market), 1 egg, well beaten, ¼ cup panko bread crumbs, 3 cloves of garlic, crushed, Salt and pepper to taste] thoroughly and form into four patties. Make slight indentations in the center of each burger to avoid “burger bulge.” For enhanced flavor, grill over hardwood charcoal.

Where’s the beef?
The new style of veggie burger—one that tastes like veggies rather than imitation meat —is as crave-worthy as its beefy brother. Charlottesville’s got some dynamite locally-made options that’ll happily feed veg-heads and carnivores alike.

Boylan Heights combines quinoa, zucchini, spinach, sundried tomatoes, corn, black beans, white bean purée, ritz crackers, spices, and hot sauce into a veggie patty that’s coated in almond flour before it’s sautéed.

Citizen Burger Bar’s vegan burger looks like rare beef from its mixture of raw beets, quinoa, and millet.

NoBull Burgers (find them at the City Market and retailers and restaurants around town) pack lentils, barley, carrots, spinach, onions, spelt, egg, and wheat free tamari sauce into a dense, superfood patty.

Dressed up for dinner
Burgers have gone glam and toppings like cheese, lettuce, and tomato just don’t cut the, er, mustard anymore. Facebook fans have spoken and they’re a fancy schmancy bunch. Here are their gourmet requests: wild mushrooms, ghost peppers, feta, tsatziki sauce, and fresh tomatoes (on a lamb-garlic burger).

Buttermilk or brine? Floured or battered? Peanut oil or lard? Pan-fried or deep-fried? These are just a few of the secrets behind fried chicken so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside that it’ll make you weep. Each method has its devotees, and nary a one of our 11 contestants spilled the beans (baked or otherwise) as to what makes their chicken so finger-licking good, but that didn’t stop us from filling a bucket with a piece from each. We might be a little bit country and a little bit city, but we’ve got a coop full of places frying up chicken that’d make a real southerner proud.

We chose non-chain places known for bone-in chicken fried fresh (read: not frozen!). All selections were gathered the day of the contest and judged blind by Harrison Keevil, chef/owner of Brookville Restaurant; Jenée Libby, The Diner of Cville blogger; and Joel Slezak, co-owner of Free Union Grass Farm.

Keevil went for breasts (“They’re the hardest to do well, since they dry out the fastest”), Libby went for legs, and Slezak went for thighs. They judged each piece’s crispiness/texture, tenderness of meat, seasoning, and overall taste. Appetites were waning around the halfway point, but our professionals soldiered on and crowned the winning bird…then went back for more.

Drumstick—er, drumroll, please!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Michie Tavern

683 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy.

977-1234

Daily 11:15am-3:30pm

It’s hard to make the last mile of the Saunders-Monticello Trail after smelling southern fried chicken wafting up from this historic tavern where the staff members still dress in colonial attire. It’s juicy (“It would still taste amazing in the morning”), perfectly seasoned (“It has flavor throughout the meat too”), and fried ’til dark (“It’s gotta be the grease they use”), and none of us could get enough (Slezak ate three more pieces following the judging). Take a free tour of the museum and then belly up to the buffet every day in the summer and fill your plate with chicken (baked or fried) and 18th century sides liked stewed tomatoes and black-eyed peas for $16.95.

First clucker-up

Wayside Takeout & Catering

2203 Jefferson Park Ave.

977-5000

Open Monday-Thursday 7am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 7am-9:30pm

The only thing keeping chicken lovers from crossing the road is the massive construction site that’s set up outside this 40+-year-old institution. Wayside is still open for business and its chicken scored big for the peppery coating that reminded Virginia-raised Libby of the Golden Skillet’s. The skin stayed crispy long after the judging was complete. Breakfast biscuits and wraps are ready by 7am and “ole Virginia” chicken is fried (or baked) until 9pm/9:30pm every day but Sunday. There are plenty of other things to eat, but the chicken dinner’s the winner. A 12-piece family deal comes with two large sides and six rolls for $21.28.

Second clucker-up

Preston Avenue Shell Station

601 Preston Ave.

296-2004

Monday-Sunday 6am-9pm

Only in Virginia do we know how good the food at gas stations can be, and this Shell Station next to Bodo’s is no exception. It even took our judges by surprise, but for 12 years now, the food counter in the back’s been frying up top-notch chicken (“very tender!”) and dishing up southern sides fresh every day. Its legion of fans swears by its spicy seasoning and the Monday night special, which gets you two pieces of chicken with one side, a biscuit and a 16 ounce drink for $3.99.

Other contenders

Brown’s

1210 Avon St.

295-4911

Monday-Friday 7am-9pm

Formerly Stoney’s Grocery, this pitstop in Belmont is handy for replenishing that toilet paper you ran out of last night. But it’s also garnered quite a following for its fried chicken, which owner Mike Brown became known for when he served it at his mini-market in Esmont years ago. A Sunday special gets you 12 pieces and a two-liter Pepsi product for $19.99.

Brownsville Market

5995 Rockfish Gap Turnpike, Crozet

823-5251

Daily 5am-10pm

This Shell station shop’s been keeping the area’s construction workers and locals in gas, cold drinks, and freshly grilled and fried food for more than 30 years. Its classic fried chicken and traditional sides make the ideal picnic contribution or dinner for the family when you don’t feel like cooking.

Chicken Coop

40 Front St., Lovingston

263-7818

Monday-Thur. 10:30am-7pm, Friday 10:30am-8pm, Saturday 10:30am-7:30pm Sunday 11am-5pm

Chances that there’s chicken at a place with such a name are good. But only Nelson County locals and those who happen upon it while fueling up the car at the Exxon station that houses it would know. Our judges were drawn to an herb in the batter that they couldn’t identify. A 12-piece meal comes with potato wedges, coleslaw, and six rolls for $17.99. And there’re plenty of six-packs or 40s to choose from too.

Foods of All Nations

2121 Ivy Rd.

293-7998

Monday-Saturday 7:30am-8pm, Sunday 8:30am-6pm

It might sell foods from all nations, but the fried chicken is from right here in the U.S. of A.—and this upscale grocery store that’s been around for more than 50 years does it well. Head straight for the deli to stock up on it, plus classic sides like Shirley’s potato salad. Then swing past the bakery for a sweet treat or two.

Lumpkin’s

1075 Valley St., Scottsville

286-3690

Monday-Tuesday, Saturday 7am-3pm, Thursday-Friday 7am-8pm

The giant rooster out front’s a surefire sign that fried chicken’s one of this 50-year-old restaurant and hotel’s specialties. But life shuts down early in the country, so come for breakfast or lunch any day but Wednesday or Sunday, or an early bird dinner on Thursdays and Fridays. The pies are made fresh every day before even the roosters are up.

Mac’s Country Store

7023 Patrick Henry Hwy., Roseland

277-5305

Monday-Sunday 6am-6pm

This convenience store on Route 151 sells your choice of moist white or dark meat chicken, sides, and dinner rolls on your way to or from the area’s growing number of breweries, cideries, and vineyards. A few tables and chairs in the back serve a purpose for those who can’t wait to tuck into the spread. Get a 32-piecer for $36.19.

Mel’s Café

719 W. Main St.

971-8819

Monday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm

Soul food’s on the menu at this West Main throwback that’s been in operation and family-owned for “a long, long time.” The fried chicken, which was Keevil’s choice for third place, comes out hot and impossibly crispy (“Are these cornflakes in the coating?” crowed one judge) with two southern comfort sides. Or get a fried chicken leg sandwich and a sweet tea and save room for a slice of their famous sweet potato pie. Whatever you order, they’ll treat you real nice.

The Whiskey Jar

227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall

202-1549

Monday-Thursday 11am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am

This Downtown Mall newcomer from Rev Soup owner Will Richey satisfies cravings with its local chicken that’s raised on a Mennonite farm and drenched in flavor from the outside in (“It tastes like it’s been injected with Texas Pete!” a judge observed) then served over local collards studded with Kite’s Country Bacon for $12. A drink made with one of the 46 bottles of whiskey on the wall sweetens the deal.

Garrison Keillor once said, “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.” To which we add—especially when it’s slathered in lots of butter. Corn tastes like nature’s candy, but it loses 50 percent of its sugar in the first 24 hours after it’s picked, so start gorging yourself now on these dishes that handle the cherished kernels with care.

Dean Maupin hails the Silver Queen at C&O Restaurant with his white corn soup that gets a pile of sweet and spicy lump crab added to it.

Feast!’s summer salad proclaims the season with a plate of greens, sautéed corn, crispy bacon, Maytag blue cheese, and local tomatoes all drizzled with a pesto vinaigrette.

If you looking to get down and dirty with good old corn-on-the-cob, head to The Whiskey Jar, where it’s roasted with the husk left on as a handle. A roll in butter and a sprinkle of salt and it’s the perfect side to a blackened catfish sammy.

At Rapture, Louisiana-style poached and pickled shrimp sit atop a stack of fried green tomatoes that rest on a bed of corn remoulade that’s made with roasted corn scraped from the cob, mustard, mayonnaise, cayenne, garlic, and lemon juice.

Orzo’s melt-in-your-mouth chicken confit gets spiced up Moroccan-style then combined with chorizo, fresh corn, tomato, zucchini, and cilantro before it’s finished with sherry jus.

Enjoy corn for dessert at Palladio Restaurant where Chef Melissa Close-Hart pairs a peach and basil crisp with sweet corn gelato.

Ears to you

Styrofoam trays of shrink-wrapped, already-husked corn’s a sin, but so is peeling back every single husk, so how are you supposed to tell the good ones from the wormy ones?

• Dig towards the bottom of the pile where it’s the coolest.
• Check that the stalk ends of the ears aren’t dry and shriveled.
• Pick ears with tight, fresh, green husks and shiny, golden silk.
• If you do find worms, simply cut out the invaded area before cooking.

Name that cob-eatin’ style

Around the world: Around the ear in even columns

Typewriter: Horizontally across the cob, dinging at the end of each row

Kamikaze: Anywhere and everywhere