Belmont’s Junction is delving into the weekend world of bracing bloodies and merciful mimosas with the launch of a brunch service. Executive chef Melissa Close-Hart says the demand was there for it, and the timing right.
“We thought about doing brunch from the beginning,” she says. “We tried it out on holidays, like Easter and Mother’s Day, and we had big success, so decided that it was time to try it on a regular basis.”
She says they wanted to keep the menu simple by blending brunch classics with the Southwest flair the restaurant specializes in.
Entrées will include chicken and waffles with a habanero-maple syrup; huevos Benedictos (eggs Benedict with an ancho hollandaise sauce); smoked chicken chilaquiles; a grilled shrimp and corn enchilada; and cinnamon-and-orange brioche French toast.
Also on offer: a simpler kids breakfast for $6. Brunch will be served 10:30am-2:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
RX for good eats
The FARMacy food truck is open for business and ready to make house calls to cure what ails your rumbling stomach. Owner Jessica Hogan, who began the business as a superfood smoothie delivery service, was looking to expand after training at the Community Investment Collaborative. Last year, she bought a food truck that she and her boyfriend/chef/business partner Lino Gonzalez remodeled.
Hogan, whose motto is “urban living with farm roots,” has found the perfect partner in Gonzalez, a native of Mexico. Their Mexican fusion food menu focuses on local and organic ingredients and added “superfoods.”
“He was raised in a small town where they ate from the land, so organic is natural to him,” she says. “I went to a holistic nutrition school and was raised pretty much vegetarian and homeopathic, so I know the value of eating clean food, organic. Together we help bring healthy and delicious food to Charlottesville to satisfy peoples’ cravings and nourish their bodies at the same time.”
Menu offerings include a super naan taco with beef and al pastor pork; the tres hongos (three mushroom) quesadilla; a vegan black bean burrito; and a salad bowl of lettuce, kale, tomato, onion, black beans, avocado, roasted peppers, corn, and tortilla chips. Look for the couple’s bright green FARMacy truck around town.
The s’more the merrier
No more fruitless searches on Netflix for Bill Murray’s iconic classic Meatballs to evoke fond summer camp memories. Instead you can just divert to the Graduate Charlottesville for a campy experience.
The hotel has overhauled its rooftop bar and restaurant, previously a farm-to-table joint called Heirloom, with a camping theme, renaming the venue Camp Ten Four (a nod to the size of the city, 10.4 square miles). The design is intended to evoke the fun of summers past in a venue overlooking Charlottesville, with beautiful views and sunsets, says Graduate general manager Dee Richardson.
“Much like sitting around a campfire with friends or new acquaintances, we hope Camp Ten Four’s warm service and neighborhood atmosphere inspires camaraderie, story-telling, and memory-making as visitors gather year-round for delicious food and drinks.”
From barbecue favorites such as cheeseburgers and hot dogs on chef Robert Allen’s menu, to campily named adult drinks like Bug Juice and Wahoo Water, the Graduate hopes to inspire the same sense of relaxation you might have enjoyed at summer camp.