Tag: Monsoon Siam

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

Monsoon Siam’s Fresh Rolls are made with spring mix, avocado, and carrots, and wrapped in rice paper and served with a tamarind peanut sauce. Image: John Robinson

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.

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Living

Five Finds on Friday with Alicia Walsh-Noel

Alicia Walsh-Noel, Manager of Brasserie Saison. Photo courtesy subject

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Alicia Walsh-Noel, manager of Brasserie Saison, which celebrates Sunday each week with  an “Eggs Benefit” brunch from 11am-3pm with live jazz and specials from the bar. A portion of proceeds goes to a different charity each month, and this month it is The Charlottesville Free Clinic. Walsh-Noel’s picks:

1) Kao Soi at Monsoon Siam. “This dish is an ultra comforting curry noodle soup. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of flavor and texture: the sweet curry to the funky pickled cabbage and onions and then the slurpy egg noodles to the crunchy noodle garnish. There’s a reason it’s not available from their to-go-go location—you have to eat it in the restaurant for the full experience. I crave this whenever it’s cold outside or I have a cold or when Antarctica is cold.”

2) Peanut Butter Pie at The Pie Chest and an Almond Latte from Lone Light Coffee. “If you didn’t already know about this place, when you’re walking up Fourth Street, the aromas will lure you into their door. When you enter, it’s as if you’ve been transported into a quaint New England town—there aren’t many places in Charlottesville that can do that. Tucked within The Pie Chest is Lone Light Coffee, which makes incredible coffee drinks and their own almond milk in-house. The stuff is delicious! I seriously have a hard time getting coffee anywhere else. Rachel Pennington, the owner/baker of The Pie Chest, is incredibly talented. You can’t go wrong with any of her sweet or savory pies but I really dig the peanut butter because it’s a little of both. The real deal-sealer is that the crust is PERFECT every time.”

3) Commander Chicory Blue Cheese from Twenty Paces. “So apparently studies are saying that cheese addictions are a real thing. I always blamed it on my French heritage but now even my doctor is telling me to stop! Le sigh. I first had this cheese at Lampo. Then again at Lampo. Then again. And then…well, my husband runs the kitchen at Champion Taproom and he put it on…get this: CHICKEN WING TACOS. OMG. I die now. Anyway, it’s stinky and smoky and I would most likely have it as my last meal.”

4) Whatever Lumpia is on special at Champion Tap Room. “Speaking of my husband, Jon Bray has this move where he puts things into Filipino egg roll wrappers and then fries them. Need I say more? Okay, I’ll say more. His original has ground pork and dates that he serves with garlicky vinegar sauce. But lately he’s been getting a little wild, making cheeseburger lumpia for a kids event and a buffalo chicken version another time. This week, it sounds like he’s going with a more traditional pork and shrimp version that should be tasty. Maybe it’s cheating to put your own spouse on this list, but if this is about a memorable and emotional connection to food, Jon’s super-creative twists on Filipino classics are both seared into my memory and make me so happy!”

5) Oyster Mushrooms and Grits at Oakhart Social. “I couldn’t possibly write a Five Finds without mentioning Oakhart. This place is like home to me, and I’m stoked at the love they have received so quickly from the Charlottesville community. It’s rare to find a chef that can execute vegetable dishes with the skill that Tristan does and these mushrooms are one of my faves! They make a delicious star of the show with pickles, buttery grits and crispy, fried chickpeas. Follow that up with all the Fernets and hugs for a foolproof Oakhart evening.”

This article originally appeared on C-VILLE’s At the Table columnist C. Simon Davidson’s website, The Charlottesville 29, Read more Five Finds on Fridays here.

Categories
Living

Cardamom dishes up contemporary vegetarian Asian food

Lu-Mei Chang opened Cardamom, an all-vegetarian spot in York Place that serves contemporary Asian cuisine, to show Charlottesville diners that meat-free meals can still be tasty. Photo by Tom McGovern

Lu-Mei Chang can’t stay away from the kitchen, and we’re all better off for it.

Chang, who grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, started cooking when she came to Charlottesville 28 years ago. She worked at Eastern Standard, one of Charlottesville’s first Asian restaurants (located where The Whiskey Jar is now) for years before she opened Monsoon in 1992.

She sold Monsoon (now Monsoon Siam) in 2011 with the intention of taking a few years off from cooking to rest and repair her body. During that time, Chang taught the occasional cooking class at The Happy Cook and at Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center and kept a steady blog, Cooking with Lu-Mei: Asian Cooking Adventures in Charlottesville, full of recipes for healthy Asian dishes, and tips on where to find the best ingredients for those dishes.

While she found teaching to be very rewarding, she missed cooking, and she just opened Cardamom, which dishes up contemporary vegetarian Asian food in the spot most recently occupied by Mican in York Place on the Downtown Mall.

In addition to Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar and The Spot, which both serve vegetarian and vegan cuisine, Cardamom is one of just a few vegetarian-only restaurants in the city.

For now, the menu is small, offering noodle salads and dumplings, and dishes like eggplant tofu with holy basil, deep-fried crispy eggplant and tofu with ginger-garlic sauce and holy basil served with brown rice; tofu balls with coconut-lime sauce, a deep-fried mixture of tofu, potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and holy basil, served with brown rice; and creamy leek soup with yogurt dressed with crispy mochi rice crackers and walnut oil. Dishes cost about $10, though most are less, and diners can order Vietnamese coffee and pots of tea as well.

Chang wants to show Charlottesville diners that with fresh ingredients, well-crafted sauces and the right seasonings, vegetarian food can be both delicious and exciting.

New beginnings

“I’ve always had an appreciation for things that operate on the plane that borders the absurd and the meaningful, like watching one of the original ‘Star Trek’ episodes where it’s totally camp but there’s also substance if you’re looking for it,” says restaurateur Hamooda Shami.

Shami, who owns 11 Months, the space for extended restaurant/bar pop-ups in the former Yearbook Taco location on the Downtown Mall, will walk that fine line between absurdity and meaning with the first 11 Months concept: Sorry It’s Over.

Yes, Charlottesville, for 11 months, we’ll have a restaurant/bar with a breakup theme.

“It’s a sad subject, but we’re going to have some fun with it,” Shami says.

Shami worked with Richmond branding and interior design company Campfire & Co. on the branding and remodeling of the space (and on the restaurant’s Richmond location as well). He says we can expect “tacky neon” and actual breakup letters on the walls, plus some posters of sensitive-sad icons such as Al Green and The Smiths. Chef de cuisine Johnny Jackson and John Meiklejohn of The Whiskey Jar have developed a small, contemporary new American cuisine menu that Shami says will emphasize “quality over quantity.”

Bar manager David Faina will create the cocktail menu, and Shami says they’re in talks with Three Notch’d Brewing Company’s Collab House to craft a special beer that would play off the restaurant’s theme.

11 Months Presents…Sorry It’s Over will open in early February, so keep an eye out for the pale pink sign with a cartoon heart crying three fat tears.

Good eats

Three local craft food producers and the farmers who provide them with ingredients were honored last month at the 2017 annual Good Food Awards, which are organized by California sustainable food nonprofit Seedling Projects and “celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and reasonably produced.” Both JM Stock Provisions and Timbercreek Market took home awards in the charcuterie category, for beef tongue pastrami and duck rillette, respectively. Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, based in Floyd, was honored for its Washed Hambela coffee. The 193 winners in 14 categories were chosen from 2,059 entries submitted by top-notch food producers from all over the U.S.