Tag: restaurants

Categories
Culture Food & Drink

Boozy Olympics, biscuits rise again, and dill-ightful cider 

Brookville Biscuit & Brunch returned in early June with a bountiful lineup of biscuit sandwiches. Supplied photo.

By Sarah Golibart Gorman

It’s the last call for the inaugural Virginia Cocktail Games, hosted by the Virginia Spirits Board. In this boozy, stateside version of the summer Olympics, 25 bartenders from five regions across the commonwealth compete to create the best cocktail. The two-round competition begins July 26 with a round of online voting running through August 11, culminating in a live mixology battle at Virginia Distilled on September 14. Mix your own and follow along at virginiaspirits.org.

Biscuits are back

Following a vandalism incident that forced a months-long closure, Ace Biscuit and Barbecue has returned to serving its beloved biscuits and barbecue. On July 11, the restaurant posted pics of the recently renovated loo, proudly announcing, “Our bathrooms are back in action and ready to handle all your … business.” Swing by 600 Concord Ave. to ‘cue up.

Also making a comeback is Brookville Biscuit & Brunch, which returned in early June after three years of online-only ordering through Multiverse Kitchens. Located at 1747 Allied St., Brookville is upgrading its patio and restaurant to offer a dining experience reminiscent of its original Downtown Mall roots. The biscuits are anything but basic, featuring delights like the fried pork chop with cream cheese and pepper jelly, chicken-fried oyster mushroom, and The Mother Clucker—fried chicken thigh topped with pickle, lettuce, and a proprietary Fowl Mouthed herb sauce.

Fair play

So you think you can bake? If your pie plate is the first dish cleared at the potluck, it’s time to up your game and let the experts decide. Gardeners, brewers, bakers, beekeepers, viticulturists, and artists are invited to enter the 2024 Albemarle County Fair’s annual home arts competition. Applications are accepted through July 30 and the fair begins on  August 1 at James Monroe’s Highland. Begin your blue ribbon quest at albemarlecountyfair.com.

Rosé, you say?

Raise a glass of bubbly to toast Rosemont Vineyards’ sparkling success! The winery’s Extra Brut Sparkling Rosé has clinched the crown as Rosé Wine of the Year at the Sommeliers Choice Awards. Flavors of strawberries, grapefruit, and cranberries make for great summer sipping. This rosé is Brut Nature, or “Zero Dosage,” keeping it pure with no added sugar during fermentation. 

Big dill

BYO dill to savor the final weeks of National Pickle Month this July at Bold Rock in Nellysford. The cidery’s concocted a limited release Dill Pickle Cider, pouring exclusively on draught in its Virginia and North Carolina taprooms. Drinkers are weighing in with mixed reviews, describing it as sweet and vinegary with just a hint of dill, while others are craving more dill to really zing their taste buds. Find out for yourself if this cider is your dill-ightful match! 

New bites

Rumi’s Famous Kebab: Dive into Afghani flavors at Rumi’s, open on Emmet Street since late June. Enjoy kebab platters, saffron rice, naan, spiced chickpeas, and more in a vibrant setting. @rumiscville

Tangerines Kitchen: Tangerines Kitchen, from the owner of Monsoon Siam and four other local Thai spots, made a zesty entrance with a soft opening on July 3, offering omelets, benedicts, pancakes, and a decadent French toast drizzled with pandan coconut sauce. Don’t miss the authentic Thai favorites for dinner. Located at 32 Mill Creek Dr. #102. @tangerineskitchen

Althea Bread: Althea Bread has risen to the occasion with a brick and mortar opening in Charlottesville this May. Grab a cup at neighboring Mudhouse Coffee Roasters and enjoy it alongside Althea’s sourdough bread and pastries, lovingly crafted with stone-ground local heirloom and ancient grains. Find it at 120 10th St. NW. altheabread.com

Categories
News

Now hiring

Restaurateur Will Richey says he’s offered a $500 signing bonus to attract new employees. Photo: Sanjay Suchak

For nearly a year, a “now hiring” sign hung at the entrance to Baggby’s on the Downtown Mall. With the arrival of the coronavirus vaccine, owners Jon and Erin LaPanta hoped that applicants would start rolling in—but none came.

“Now that business is coming back, we’ve had to turn business away,” says Jon LaPanta, who has operated the sandwich shop with his wife entirely on their own throughout the pandemic. “We’ve had 15- to 20-minute waits…and I’ve had to turn down catering, because I just don’t have the staff.”

Across the country, many businesses, particularly in the service industry, are also struggling to find workers. Though around 10 million Americans are currently unemployed, massive numbers of jobs at restaurants and retail stores remain unfilled, sparking debate over the impact of expanded unemployment benefits.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, qualifying workers can receive $300 per week on top of state unemployment insurance through September 6, adding up to $600 per week—or nearly $16 an hour. In Virginia, the minimum wage for restaurant workers is $2.13 an hour before tips.

At his array of local eateries, restaurateur Will Richey says it’s been “astonishingly hard” to bring in new employees as the economy has opened back up.

“Just nobody was looking for work [and] replying to the ads at all,” says Richey, who manages The Bebedero, Brasserie Saison, Revolutionary Soup, and other Charlottesville restaurants. “I’ve heard rumors that it’s just people sitting and still collecting unemployment, but I don’t know what it is. It almost seems like there aren’t people to take the jobs.”

Some business owners blame this staffing crisis on the extra unemployment benefits.

“We have employees who refuse to go back to work because they are getting more money collecting unemployment, but I don’t think they realize some of those jobs are going to disappear,” says Rebecca Haydock, director of the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center. “We have seen businesses that have had to close their doors because employees won’t come back to work.”

But according to University of Virginia economist Leora Friedberg, “there are many factors” contributing to the current situation. Friedberg points to the range of health risks service workers must consider before taking on a job. “Some of it is related to government payments, but that part of it is largely going to be temporary,” she says.

Friedberg also says childcare is a big factor keeping people from returning to work. Though schools in Charlottesville and Albemarle County currently offer in-person learning, students still learn from home at least once a week. And next month, schools will be closing again for summer break.

To bring back employees, businesses must guarantee safe working conditions and offer incentives that make it worth working there, including a living wage, flexible schedule, and competitive benefits, explains Friedberg.

“Wages are going to go up, and that means prices will have to go up also. The restaurants and stores…can’t just take the money out of pocket,” she says. “Ultimately consumers, who to some extent do have extra cash right now, are going to end up paying for all of that.”

In a Monday press conference, President Biden pushed back on the narrative that unemployment benefits were keeping people from working. “My expectation is that as the economy comes back, these companies will provide fair wages and safe work environments, and if they do, they’ll find plenty of workers,” said Biden. “We’re not going to turn our backs on our fellow Americans.”

Some area businesses have tried attracting employees with increased wages. Bodo’s co-owner Scott Smith says the restaurant had trouble finding workers this year. The bagel chain raised its starting salary to $13 an hour, and by keeping its dining room closed, Bodo’s has aimed to keep staff safe from infectious customers, says Smith. (Since the pandemic started, two Bodo’s employees have tested positive for COVID, but Smith says they did not catch the virus while at work.)

“The applicant pool is getting a little bit better now…especially as vaccines are kind of penetrating,” he says. “But boy in January and February, it was just really hard to find people.”

To attract applicants for his latest venture, the steakhouse South and Central, Richey realized he would have to sweeten the deal. Last month, he offered a signing bonus—those who kept the job for three months would receive an extra $500. But that only brought in a few more applications.

Through social media, Richey was able to find a demographic willing to take the job: high schoolers. This week, South and Central will open at Dairy Market with a “very large team of teenagers,” he says.

Across his restaurants, Richey says he has also upped the pay to encourage people to apply and stay on the team. A lot more positions are making at least $15 per hour, plus tips.

“We’re not [at $15] across the board, and still rely very heavily on the tip situation,” Richey says. “A 16-year-old coming on to take a job with us, we may start them at $10 or $12 an hour…but they’re getting closer to $14 or $15 an hour with tips.”

“The best thing that businesses can do is to create support and safety for people,” says Smith.

Categories
Culture Food & Drink Living

Take us out

C&O’s Retreat Farm lamb, Mochiko’s Spam musubi, and Passiflora’s tacos are all delicious reasons to order out. Staff photo

In an effort to support local dining establishments during the pandemic, our writers have been enjoying a variety of takeout meals from
some of their favorite restaurants. Contribute to this ongoing series
by sending your own delicious experiences to living@c-ville.com.

C&O

From rounds of Greyhounds to late-night grilled cheeses at the bar, C&O has been a staple in my Charlottesville dining repertoire for years. So when I walked up to the restaurant’s Dutch door labeled “takeout” to pick up my order, I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort. Through the open window, I could see the downstairs bar where, despite my longing, I wouldn’t be taking a seat—instead I’d be taking my cocktail home with me.

To accompany my Retreat Farm lamb entrée and side of Brussels sprouts, I opted for the Half Smoke—reposado tequila, mezcal, agave, and bitters. When unpacking my meal at home, I was pleasantly surprised to find a handwritten note, instructing me to “sip, enjoy, repeat,” after pouring the Half Smoke over ice and squeezing the twist, which was included in its own small container. The chef had also thrown in an additional serving of Brussels because they had extra, and they truly abide by the adage that the dish is best served hot. The Brussels were delicately prepared, while the lamb entrée came with three different cuts of meat, accented by a rosemary jus. But it was the personal touches that made this a special takeout experience, like visiting an old friend.—Desiré Moses

Mochiko Cville

I’d heard great things from many friends about Mochiko, the Hawaiian BBQ and deli located in The Yard at 5th Street Station, and was eager to try it. The ordering process was easy to navigate online directly from the Mochiko website. Pickup was quick and simple, at the exact time specified when ordering, with ample parking outside the restaurant.

I opted for the Mochiko Chicken over white rice with a side of ahi (tuna) poke. The signature chicken dish reminded me of what you might get at an Asian-style restaurant at a mall food court, but well-balanced flavors (chicken marinated in garlic, ginger, and soy then lightly breaded in rice flour and fried) and the fact that it was freshly prepared elevated the overall meal.

The highlight was the ahi poke. Small pieces of raw tuna marinated in sesame oil, soy sauce, and green onions evoked memories of a vacation in Hawaii. In the end, I was sorry that I had only ordered a small side portion. Next time I will order poke as my main dish and perhaps add another Hawaiian classic, the Spam musubi. While I won’t be sitting on a beach in Hawaii anytime soon, the classic flavors of Mochiko allow me to close my eyes and imagine that I am there.—Paul Ting

Passiflora

Passiflora, downtown’s newest dining spot, is set to be a C’ville favorite, thanks to its fresh flavors and hospitable service. I was delighted by its takeout options, and, aside from a lack of utensils in the to-go bag, I had a speedy and pleasant experience. The restaurant’s Baja-Mediterranean style is something we haven’t seen much of in Charlottesville, so deciding on just a few dishes from Passiflora’s menu is almost an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, I managed to assemble a delicious spread of fajitas, tacos, grilled pineapple, and fruity cider.

Everything delivered a refreshing brightness, along with an authentic mix of Latin spices. The piquant chimichurri particularly stood out, deftly bridging the gap between the sweet char of the grilled pineapple and the spice of the pickled cherry tomatoes.

Of course, the best way to enjoy great food is with great company, and my friend loved the chicken fajita, though it was slightly messy as a finger food. The pico de gallo, sour cream, and queso perfectly exemplified the Tex-Mex half of Passiflora’s diverse menu.

The portions were generous as well; one appetizer and the single Baja fish taco were a perfect light dinner for less than $20. And the beer-battered cod, topped with red cabbage, creamy queso asadero, rich aioli, and wrapped in a flour tortilla, was just dense enough to be satisfying without the heavy decadence that usually accompanies fried foods. Paired with El Chavo, a flavorsome mango-habanero cider, our dinner from Passiflora provided an impressive array of flavors that will definitely prompt a return.—Will Ham

Categories
Culture

Order up! A guide to restaurant, food truck, and winery takeout

Here is our list of local establishments that are open and waiting to take your call-in order. (Keep in mind that some information is subject to change, and descriptions may not apply, due to current circumstances.) Email living@c-ville.com to add your restaurant to the list.

Asian Cuisine

Afghan Kabob Palace Authentic Afghan cuisine. 400 Emmet St. N. 245-0095. $$. ORDER
Asian Express Chinese and Japanese with healthy options. 909 W. Main St. 979-1888. $. ORDER
Bamboo House Korean and Chinese options. 4831 Seminole Trail. 973-9211. $$.
Chimm Thai Thai street food. 5th Street Station. 288-1122. $$. ORDER
Doma Korean Kitchen Korean-style barbecue, kimchi, and more. 701 W. Main St. 202-1956. $. ORDER
Kanak Indian Kitchen Offering traditional homemade Indian food, plus cocktails to-go. 385 Merchant Walk Sq. Ste. 400. 328-2775. $. ORDER
Lemongrass Vietnam meets Thailand. Veggie options and delivery, too. 104 14th St. NW. 244-THAI. $$. ORDER
Lime Leaf Thai A tad more upscale than the average Thai place, open for takeout. Rio Hill Shopping Center. 245-8884. $/$$. ORDER
Maru A modern take on traditional Korean food with takeout and patio service. 412 E Main St. 956-4110. $/$$. ORDER

Milan Indian Cuisine Authentic Indian cuisine with all the standards, beer and wine available to go. 1817 Emmet St. 984-2828. $$. ORDER
Mochiko Good Hawaiian eats (and suggested Hawaiian beer pairings, too). The Yard at 5th Street Station. $. ORDER
Monsoon Siam Delicious, unpretentious favorites like pad Thai, tom yum noodle soup, and vegetarian dishes. $$. ORDER
Now & Zen Gourmet Japanese and sushi spot. 202 Second St. NW. 971-1177. $$. ORDER
Pad Thai Homestyle Thai cooking from an experienced chef. They’ll also fill your growler and give you a free hot tea. 156 Carlton Rd. 293-4032. $$. ORDER
Peter Chang China Grill Authentic Sichuan cuisine by a renowned chef. Barracks Road Shopping Center North Wing. 244-9818. $$. ORDER
Red Lantern Chinese cuisine by the pint or the quart. 221 Carlton Rd. 979-9968. $. ORDER
Silk Thai Fresh, authentic Thai, plus specials like marinated wings. 2210 Fontaine Ave. 977-8424. $$. ORDER
Tara Thai Serves up affordable Thai faves, with multiple meat, fish, and veggie options. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-9998. $$. ORDER

Taste of China Chinese favorites on 29N. Albemarle Square Shopping Center. 975-6688. $$. ORDER

Taste of India Delicious Indian fare and a lunch buffet under $9. 310 E. Main St, Downtown Mall. 984-9944. $$. ORDER

Ten Upscale second-floor spot serving modern Japanese and offering its popular cocktails like the Geisha and the Lychee Martini for carry-out. 120B E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 295-6691. $$$. ORDER
Thai ’99 II Thai noodle and rice dishes, curries and stir-frys in an inspired interior. Gardens Shopping Center. 964-1212. $. ORDER
Thai Cuisine & Noodle House Traditional Thai food, noodle dishes, and vegetarian specials. 2005 Commonwealth Dr. 974-1326. $$. ORDER

VuNoodles Fresh, vegetarian Vietnamese noodles, pho, bahn mi, and more. 111 E. Water St. 465-1267.  ORDER

Bakeries

Albemarle Baking Company Get your ABCs of baked goods brought right to your car. 418 W. Main St., in the Main Street Market. 293-6456. $. ORDER
Bowerbird Bakeshop Pastries, breads, and cookies using locally sourced ingredients, delivered right to your doorstep. 120 10th St. NW, bowerbirdbakeshop.com. $ ORDER

Gearharts Fine Chocolates an artisan chocolate shop that specializes in handmade confections, which also includes baked pastries, cakes, cookies, brownies coffee and hot chocolate at the cafe. 243 Ridge McIntire Rd. 972-9100. $$-$$$. ORDER

Great Harvest Bread Company Sandwiches, sweets, and bread baked from scratch every day. McIntire Plaza. 202-7813. $. ORDER
MarieBette Café & Bakery French pastries for breakfast, more pastries for lunch. 700 Rose Hill Dr. 529-6118. $. ORDER
Petite MarieBette MarieBette’s little sister. 105 E. Water St. 284-8903. $. ORDER

Paradox Pastry Fix your daily sugar craving with these baked goods and delectable treats. 313 2nd St SE #103. 245-2453. $$. ORDER
The Pie Chest Homemade breakfast and hand pies, plus by-the-slice options (for those who can’t decide). 119 Fourth St. NE., 977-0443; 1518 E. High St., 984-0555. $. ORDER
Quality Pie In the former Spudnuts spot, ex-Mas tapas chef Tomas Rahal serves inventive dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 309 Avon St. 284-5120. $$. ORDER

Sliced. Cake Bar Mobile cake bar offering whole cakes, cake flights, cake pops, and buttercream shots, for delivery or curbside pickup (they’ll give you the address). ORDER

Bars and Grills

Alamo Drafthouse See a movie and get cold drinks, delicious meals and tasty local beers, brought to your seat by a server. Menu features burgers, pizzas, salads, snacks, and desserts prepared fresh from locally sourced ingredients. 375 Merchant Walk Square. 326-5056. $.

Beer Run Massive tap and packaged beer offerings, killer nachos, three meals daily. 156 Carlton Rd., 984-2337. $$. Use the orange button to ORDER
Fardowners Restaurant Local ingredients liven up pub fare like sliders and sandwiches. 5773 The Square, Crozet. 823-1300. $/$$. ORDER

Firefly Craft beer, burgers, salads, vegetarian- friendly menu. 1304 E. Market St. 202-1050. $. ORDER

Peloton Station a casual spot that marries an open bike repair shop with a restaurant/bar that specializes in killer pub fare, craft beer, and ride culture. Dine in or order online. 114 10th St. NW. 284-7786. $$. ORDER

Matchbox Restaurant Wood-fired pizzas, salads, salmon & steak dinners, gourmet burgers and a happy hour M-F from 3-6. 2055 Bond St., 284-8874. $$. ORDER

Sedona Taphouse Lots of craft beers (and sangria to-go) and an all-American menu. 1035 Millmont St. 296-2337. $$. ORDER

Selvedge Brewing  Opened in July, The Wool Factory includes Selvedge Brewing, a brewery with delicious, elevated bar fare from Chef Tucker Yoder. 1837 Broadway St. 270-0555. $$. ORDER

TCO to-go Specialty sandwiches like pulled pork and fried fish from The Catering Outfit in a drive-thru.

Texas Roadhouse Steaks, ribs, and from-scratch sides. Albemarle Square. 973-4700. $$.
Timberwood Grill All-American eatery and after-work watering hole. 3311 Worth Crossing, 975-3311. $$.

Three Notch’d Craft Kitchen & Brewery  Locally-sourced, beer-infused dishes including Southern classics and a kids menu.  Curbside & Patio Pickup at 520 2nd St. SE. 956.3141. $$. ORDER

The Whiskey Jar Saloon-style Southern spot with, naturally, more than 90 varieties of whiskey (get some in a cocktail to-go). Right now, musicians eat for free. Order from sister restaurants Revolutionary Soup and The Bebedero and pick up food from all three, at once. 227 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. 202-1549. $$. ORDER
Whistlestop Grill Southern comfort foods in Crozet. 1200 Crozet Ave. 823-9000. $. Call to order

Breakfast Joints

Farm Bell Kitchen New-Southern cuisine with local farm-to-table ingredients. 1209 W. Main St. 205-1538. $$. ORDER
First Watch Breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain with locally grown ingredients. 1114B Emmet St. N. 202-5383. $$. ORDER

Villa Diner. Mainstay with housemade pancakes, biscuits, roast turkey, soups, sides, and salad dressings. 1250 Emmet St. N. 296-9977. $. ORDER.

Murphy’s Coffee & Bagel House Ruckersville breakfast house serves delicious coffee and freshly-baked New York bagels. 26 Buck Dr. 939-6033. $$. ORDER.

Burgers, BBQ, Dogs and Diners

Ace Biscuit & Barbecue Breakfast and lunch spot with BBQ and soul food by the biscuit. 600 Concord Ave. 202-1403. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Blue Moon Diner 600 W. Main St. Beloved local diner serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner options like pancakes, breakfast burritos, burgers, and BLTs. $/$$ ORDER
Burger Bach New Zealand-inspired gastropub. The Shops at Stonefield. 328-2812. $$. ORDER

Cavalier Diner Breakfast all day, traditional diner fare, and Greek food. 1403 N. Emmet St. 977-1619.
Doodle’s Diner Country cookin’ from breakfast to burgers. 1305 Long St. 295-7550. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Five Guys Two locations for local carnivores. Barracks Road Shopping Center, 975-GUYS; Hollymead Town Center, 963-GUYS. $. ORDER
Fox’s Café Daily specials, burgers, dogs, and dinners. 403 Avon St. 293-2844. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Lazy Parrot Backyard BBQ The Lazy Parrot Grill’s sister restaurant. Pantops Shopping Center. 244-0723. $/$$. ORDER
Luv’n Oven Gizzards, livers, fries, and shakes. 162 Village Sq., Scottsville. 286-3828. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Martin’s Grill Delicious hamburgers, veggie burgers, and fries. Forest Lakes Shopping Center. 974-9955. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Mel’s Café Southern soul-soothing food. A longtime favorite on West Main. 719 W. Main St. 971-8819. $. ORDER
Mission BBQ Pulled turkey, pork, and chicken, plus racks by the bone. The Shops at Stonefield. 260-7740. $. ORDER
Moe’s Original BBQ Alabama-style pulled pork smoked in-house. 2119 Ivy Rd., 244-7427; 200 W. Water St., 202-2288. $. ORDER
Moose’s by the Creek American favorites, plus mounted moose antlers for photo ops. 1710 Monticello Rd. 977-4150. $. ORDER
Riverside Lunch Popular joint known for smashburgers. 1429 Hazel St. 971-3546. $. Takeout only. ORDER

Royalty Eats Soul food goodness including Chicken & Waffles, ribs, and specialties like teriyaki salmon. 820 Cherry Ave. $ ORDER

Wayside Takeout & Catering Famous Ole Virginia fried chicken and barbecue sandwiches. 2203 Jefferson Park Ave. 977-5000. $. ORDER
Wild Wing Café Classic wings and beer. 820 W. Main St. 979-WING. $/$$. ORDER

Coffee Places with Kitchens

Baine’s Books & Coffee Wide selection of coffee, tea, pastries, and paninis. 485 Valley St., Scottsville. 286-3577. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Belle Coffee & Wine Breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Free kids meals with adult meals. 996-4919. $$. ORDER
C’ville Coffee & Wine Full menu of coffee, sandwiches, and wines. 1301 Harris St. 817-2633. $. Takeout only. ORDER
Greenberry’s Java and specialty drinks, fresh baked goods. Order using the online advanced order app. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0200. $.
Milli Coffee Roasters Espresso drinks, chai, hot chocolate, light fare, wine. 400 Preston Ave, Suite 150. 270-9706. $. Whole bean delivery available. ORDER

The Workshop A coffee and wine shop featuring Grit Coffee and pastries from Cou Cou Rachou, located in the Wool Factory. 1837 Broadway St. 270-0555. $. ORDER

Family-Friendly

Ann’s Family Restaurant Good old country cooking. 1170 Thomas Nelson Hwy. (Rte. 29, south of Lovingston). 263-8110. $. Takeout only. ORDER
The Light Well Coffee-kitchen-tavern serves healthy ingredients in original recipes. 110 E. Main St., Orange. (540) 661-0004. $. ORDER
Michie Tavern Traditional Southern lunch from an 18th-century tavern. 683 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. 977-1234. $$. Takeout only. ORDER

Frozen Treats

Chaps More than 20 years of gourmet homemade ice cream. Diner fare including breakfast and burgers. 223 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 977-4139. $. ORDER
Corner Juice UVA alum-owned juice spot with fresh, cold-pressed options. 1509 University Ave. $. ORDER

Kirt’s Homemade Ice Cream Ice cream made fresh in the store. Albemarle Square Shopping Center. 202-0306. $. Call for pickup

La Flor Michoacana Homemade paletas (popsicles), ice cream, and ice cream cakes, plus other sweet treats. 601A Cherry Ave. 984-1603 $. Call for pickup
Smoothie King Chain features smoothies, supplements, and healthy snacks. Barracks Road Shopping Center, 295-8502; Rivanna Ridge Shopping Center, 975-5464. $.

Gourmet Groceries and Gas Stations

Batesville Market Sandwiches to order, salads, and baked goods plus cheeses, produce, and packaged goods. 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. 823-2001. $. ORDER
Bellair Market Gourmet sandwich spot on Ivy Road. 2401 Ivy Rd. 971-6608. $. ORDER
Blue Ridge Bottle Shop Craft beer store with both bottles and growlers available—plus sample before you buy! 2025 Library Ave, Crozet. 602-2337. $. ORDER
Brownsville Market Breakfast starting at 5am, plus burgers, sides, and famous fried chicken. 5995 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. 823-5251. $. Call for pickup
Feast! Nationally noted cheese, wine, and specialty food shop. 416 W. Main St., in the Main Street Market. 244-7800. $$. ORDER
Foods of All Nations Sandwiches, deli, and salads at this gourmet grocery. 2121 Ivy Rd. 296-6131. $.  ORDER
Greenwood Gourmet Grocery Made-to-order sandwiches, fresh soup and a deli with mac-n-cheese, bread pudding, and other rotating dishes. 6701 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet. (540) 456-6431. $. ORDER
Hunt Country Market A rotating menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus wine offerings. 2048 Garth Rd. 296-1648. $. Call to order
Integral Yoga Natural Foods All-natural food, organic produce, supplements, plus a deli and juice/ smoothie bar. 923 Preston Ave. 293-4111. $. Call to order
J.M. Stock Provisions Whole-animal butcher shop with sandwiches to go, great craft beer selection, and nicely curated wine selection. 709 W. Main St. 244-2480. $$. ORDER
Keevil & Keevil Grocery and Kitchen Belmont grocery with breakfast and lunch sammies, plus takeaway dinners. 703 Hinton Ave. 989-7648. $. ORDER
Market Street Café Gourmet breakfast, rotisserie chicken, and deli meats. 1111 E. Rio Rd. 964-1185. $.
Market Street Market Deli in the downtown grocery serves sandwiches and prepared foods. 400 E. Market St. 293-3478. $. ORDER
Market Street Wine An expertly curated selection. 305 Rivanna Plaza Dr., Suite 102, 964-9463; 311 E. Market St., 979-9463. $$. ORDER
Mill Creek Market The Southern sister of Bellair Market. Avon Street, across from the Southside Shopping Center. 817-1570. $. ORDER
Trader Joe’s This grocery chain boasts top quality at low cost, including “Two Buck Chuck” wine (which is actually $3.50). The Shops at Stonefield. 974-1466. $$.
Whole Foods Market Fresh, all-natural sandwiches ranging from classic favorites to vegan delights. 1797 Hydraulic Rd. 973-4900. $$.
Wyant’s Store Country-store fare like coffee and donuts, with daily specials and a great (cheap!) cheeseburger. 4696 Garth Rd., Crozet. 823-7299. $.

Italian and Pizza

Anna’s Pizza No. 5 In the family for 35 years. 115 Maury Ave. 295-7500. $. ORDER
Belmont Pizza and Pub Fresh, stone-baked pizza on hand-tossed pies. Beer, too! 211 Carlton Rd., Suite 10. 977-1970. $. ORDER
College Inn Late-night goodness. Pizza, gyros, subs, and its delivery can’t be beat. Breakfast items, too. 1511 University Ave. 977-2710. $. ORDER
Crozet Pizza Unpretentious, family-owned pizza parlor with nationally recognized pies. 5794 Three Notch’d Rd., Crozet, 823-2132; 20 Elliewood Ave., 202-1046. $. ORDER
Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie Pizza joint in the Crossroads mini-mall. 4916 Plank Rd., on 29S at North Garden. 245-0000. $/$$. ORDER
Fabio’s New York Pizza Pizza, subs, salads, and calzones made by natives of Naples. Get your pie the Sicilian way. 1551 E. High St. 872-0070. $. ORDER
Fellini’s #9 A local landmark featuring Italian favorites plus some inventive new takes. 200 W. Market St. 979-4279. $$. ORDER
Lampo Authentic Neapolitan pizzeria in Belmont. 205 Monticello Rd. 282-0607. $. ORDER

Luce Literal hole in the wall serving fresh, handmade pasta to go. 110 2nd St. NW. $$. ORDER
Mellow Mushroom Trippy-themed franchise, with great pizza and even better beer selection. 1321 W. Main St. 972-9366. $. ORDER

Red Pump Kitchen Tuscan-inspired restaurant . 401 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 202-6040. $$. ORDER

Tavola Rustic Italian with housemade pastas, craft cocktails, and a Wine Spectator award-winning list. 826 Hinton Ave. 972-9463. $$. ORDER

Vita Nova Creative ingredients on hearty pizza by the slice. 310 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 977-0162. $. ORDER

Vinny’s Italian Grill & Pizzeria This regional chain has pies plus a slew of caloric subs, pastas, and stromboli. Hollymead Town Center. 973-4055. $$. ORDER
Vivace Every kind of pasta imaginable, plus seafood. 2244 Ivy Rd. 979-0994. $$. ORDER
Vocelli Pizza Pizza, pasta, panini, salads, and stromboli for carryout and delivery, plus antipasti. Woodbrook Shopping Center. 977-4992. $. ORDER

Latin American

Al Carbon Chicken prepared in an Indigenous Mexican coal-fire flame-roasted rotisserie manner, plus sides like fried yucca and fried plantains . 1875 Seminole Trail, 964-1052. $. ORDER

Brazos Tacos Austin, Texas-style breakfast, lunch, early dinner, and brunch tacos. 925 Second St. SE, 984-1163. $. ORDER

The Bebedero Upscale authentic Mexican, plus cocktails and made-to-order guac. Order from sister restaurants Revolutionary Soup and The Whiskey Jar and pick up food from all three, at once. 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. 234-3763. $$. ORDER
Chipotle Simple menu of made to order burritos and tacos. Barracks Road Shopping Center, 872-0212; 2040 Abbey Rd. Suite 101, 984-1512. $. ORDER

Continental Divide Charlottesville’s favorite hole-in-the-wall spot has delicious tacos and enchiladas. 811 W Main St, 984-0143. $$. ORDER.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Fresh, handmade, Baja-style Mexican food. 435 Merchant Walk Sq., Suite 600. 214-0500. $. ORDER
Guadalajara Family-run Mexican food celebrating 30 years. 805 E. Market St., 977-2676; 395 Greenbrier Dr., 978-4313; 2206 Fontaine Ave., 979-2424; 108 Town Country Ln., 293-3538; 3450 Seminole Trail, 977-2677. $. ORDER

Guajiros Miami Eatery Food inspired by the everyday meals of Miami, with strong Cuban influence as well as Central and Southern American dishes. 1871 Seminole Trail, 465-2108. $ ORDER
Junction Innovative Southwestern cuisine with locally sourced ingredients in Belmont. 421 Monticello Rd. 465-6131. $$. ORDER
La Michoacana Mexican deli serves budget- friendly burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. 1138 E. High St., 409-9941; 2291 Seminole Ln., 956-4299. $. ORDER
Little Star Spanish-and Mexican-inspired food expertly prepared in a wood-fired oven. Great craft cocktails, too. 420 W. Main St. 252-2502 $$. ORDER
Mas Authentic Spanish tapas and wines in the heart of Belmont. 904 Monticello Rd. 979-0990. $$. ORDER

Morsel Compass Popular food truck’s brick and mortar spot. 2025 Library Ave., Crozet. 989-1569. $$. ORDER
Qdoba Mexican Grill Spicy burritos, quesadillas, and Mexican salads made before your eyes. 3918 Lenox Ave., 244-5641. $. ORDER

Mediterranean

Basil Mediterranean Bistro Mediterranean fare from grape leaves to tapas, plus wine. 109 14th St., 977-5700; 5th Street Station, 202-7594. $. ORDER
Cava Fast-casual Mediterranean with lots of vegetarian options. 1200 Emmet St. N #110. 227-4800. $. ORDER
Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar Dishes from Spain to Greece and wines of the world, now for curbside pickup. 416 W. Main St., in the Main Street Market. 975-6796. $$. ORDER

Sticks Kebob Shop Fast, fresh, and flavorful food that also comes on a stick. Go to either location for a quick business lunch, a take home dinner, or catered meal while on a budget. 917 Preston Avenue and 1820 Abbey Road. 295-5262 or 295-5212. $. ORDER

Sultan Kebab Authentic Turkish cuisine with plenty of meat and vegetarian options, and notable appetizers, too. 333 2nd St. SE, 981-0090. $ Call for takeout.

Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, The Goatherder platter with pita, hummus, cheese, dried fruits, nuts, dolmas, veggies, and olives has earned the Tea House many loyal followers.  414 E Main St, Downtown Mall. 293-9947. $.  ORDER

Miscellaneous Nationalities

Aromas Café Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare. Sandwiches, salads, and famous falafel, open for takeout and delivery. 900 Natural Resources Dr. 244-2486. $.  ORDER

Bang! Tapas Asian fusion cuisine served tapas-style, offering frozen cocktails to-go. 213 2nd St. SW. 984-2264 $$. ORDER
Bizou Playful French-American bistro (yes, you can get the meatloaf to go). 119 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. 977-1818. $$. ORDER
Mas Authentic Spanish tapas and wines, now available for takeout. 904 Monticello Rd. 979-0990. $$. ORDER
Mahana Fresh Tropical themed, fun flavored ingredients in bowls and sweets. 2142 Barracks Rd. 284-5846 $. ORDER

Pearl Island Caribbean-inspired spot in the Jefferson School City Center, open for curbside pickup. 233 Fourth St. NW. 466-0092. $. ORDER
The Shebeen Pub and Braai Conjures the South African veldt. Vinegar Hill Shopping Center. 296-3185. $$. ORDER
Sticks A fast food alternative: kebobs (veggie options available), sides, salads, desserts. Preston Plaza, 295-5262; Rivanna Ridge Shopping Center, 295-5212. $. ORDER

Soups, Salads, Sandwiches

Baggby’s Gourmet Sandwiches Satisfying sandwiches, salads, soups, and super-friendly service. 512 E Main St. Downtown Mall. 984-1862 $.
Bodo’s Bagels Still the king of bagels in our town. Drive-thru available at 1418 N. Emmet St., 977-9598; 505 Preston Ave., 293-5224; and outside service at 1609 University Ave., 293-6021. $. For more info
Chopt Creative salad chain with ingredients from local purveyors. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 328-8092. $. ORDER
Citizen Bowl Shop Specialty salads with gluten- free, vegetarian, and paleo-friendly options. Also now selling groceries like yeast, flour, and brownie mix, plus gloves and toilet paper. 223 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. 234-3662. $. ORDER
Durty Nelly’s Down-home pub and deli now offering 5 subs (except the Dagwood) for $35. 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. 295-1278. $. ORDER
HotCakes Fancy sandwiches, housemade entrées, and desserts. Delivery available. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 295-6037. $. ORDER
Iron Paffles & Coffee Pastry dough + waffle iron + savory or sweet insides. 214 W. Water St. 806-3800. $. ORDER

Ivy Provisions Local deli and retail food shop offering fresh, housemade breakfast and lunch all day, plus a wide variety of wine and craft beer by the bottle and on draft. 2206 Ivy Rd. 202-1308. $. ORDER

Jack’s Shop Kitchen Farm-to-table brunch, lunch, and supper spot with elevated classics. 14843 Spotswood Trail, Ruckersville. 939-9239. $$.
Jersey Mike’s Subs Subs from Jersey. 2040 Abbey Rd. #104, 529-6278; 5th Street Station, 328-8694. $. ORDER
Jimmy John’s Low-cost sandwiches on 29N. “Freaky fast” delivery. 1650 E. Rio Rd., 975-2100. $. ORDER

Panera Bread Co. Ubiquitous chain with casual fare. Barracks Road Shopping Center, 245-6192; Hollymead Town Center, 973-5264; Fifth Street Station, 973-5264. $. ORDER
Revolutionary Soup Choose from a slew of enticing soups made daily; order from sister restaurants The Whiskey Jar and The Bebedero and pick up food from all three at once. 108 Second St. SW, 296-SOUP; 104 14th St. NW, 979-9988. $. ORDER
Roots Natural Kitchen Fast-casual salad and grain bowls. 1329 W. Main St. 529-6229. $. ORDER
Which Wich Superior Sandwiches Create your own sandwiches by marking up the pre- printed brown bags. Hollymead Town Center. 977-9424. $. ORDER

Steaks and Seafood

Bonefish Grill Sister to mega-popular Outback Steakhouse featuring seafood, grilled non-fish specialties. Take-out and delivery. Hollymead Town Center. 975-3474. $$. ORDER
Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ onions and giant steaks. Takeout or delivery. 1101 Seminole Trail. 975-4329. $$. ORDER
Public Fish & Oyster Simply prepared, responsibly sourced seafood. Take-out and limited delivery, 4-8pm. 513 W. Main St., 995-5542. $/$$. ORDER

Upscale Casual

C&O Serving a 3-course menu for curbside pick-up, two entree selections each night, Weds-Sun. Order by 5pm, pickup between 5 and 7pm. All profits go to employee relief fund. 515 E. Water St. 971-7044. $$$. ORDER

Fig Bistro & Bar Mediterranean and New Orleans-inspired dishes with housemade ingredients. 1331 W. Main St. 995-5047. $. ORDER 

Hamiltons’ at First & Main Offering in-person dining inside and outside, as well as takeout options. Hours vary, closed on Mondays. 101 West Main St. 295-6649. $$. ORDER

Ivy Inn Offering curbside pick-up, Weds-Sat. Order by noon. Menus change weekly. 2244 Old Ivy Rd. 977-1222. $$$. ORDER
The Local Belmont neighborhood spot is partnering with Junction to offer a “Ten for Ten” menu of comfort food meals for $10. All proceeds to staff. 4-9pm daily. 824 Hinton Ave. 984-9749. $$. ORDER
Ivy Road House Opened in December, this timeless nod to classic restaurant fare has an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients that celebrates the best of what central Virginia has to offer. Wed-Sun 4:30–9pm. 4300 Three Notched Road. 205-4009. $$.
Maya Upscale Southern cuisine. Curbside and patio pick-up of family-style and regular menus. 12-8 pm. 633 W. Main St. 979-6292. $$. ORDER
The Melting Pot Delivery and carryout of full menu 11:30-8pm, Tues-Sun. 501 E. Water St. 244-3463. $$$. ORDER
The Mill Room Multiple menu options for carryout at The Boar’s Head, 200 Ednam Dr. 972-2230. $$$. ORDER

Oakhart Social Seasonal, creative modern American food for sharing. 511 W. Main St. 995-5449. $$. ORDER
Oakhurst Inn Coffee & Café Southern style breakfast and lunch. Open for takeout Fri-Sun mornings until 1pm. 1616 Jefferson Park Ave. 872-0100. $. ORDER
Restoration At Old Trail Golf Course, now offering takeout at the snack bar window. 5494 Golf Dr., Crozet. 823-1841. $$. ORDER
Southern Crescent Cajun and Creole fare in Belmont. Takeout and curbside pick-up Wed-Sun, 12pm – 8pm. 814 Hinton Ave. 284-5101. $$. ORDER
Wayland’s Crossing Tavern Pub food, vegetarian plates, and kid-friendly fare.  Open for takeout from 4– 8pm, Wed – Sun.  1015 Heathercroft Cir., Crozet. 205-4669. $$. ORDER
Zocalo Flavorful, high-end, Latin-inspired cuisine. Order online anytime for pickup between 4pm-8pm. 201 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 977-4944. $$. ORDER

Winery reopenings

Food trucks

Spice Sea Gourmet (seafood)

spiceseagourmet.com

@spiceseagourmet (Instagram)

TheSpiceSeaGourmet (Facebook)

 

Farmacy Food Truck (Mexican fusion)

@farmacy.cville (Instagram)

farmacy.guru (Facebook)

 

Pye Dog (pizza)

@pyedogpizza (Instagram)

pyedogpizza (Facebook)

 

Sussex Farm (Korean kimchi and prepared foods)

@themamabirdfarm (Instagram)

sussexfarmkimchi (Facebook)

 

Tacos Gomez  (tacos)

@tacogomez  (Instagram)

Or call 953-5408

 

Little Manila (Filipino food) 

@littlemanilacville (Instagram)

LittleManilaCville (Facebook)

 

Ignacio & Maria’s Mexican Tacos (tacos)

@mexicantacoscville (Instagram)

Mexicantacoscville (Facebook) 

 

Angelic’s Kitchen (soul food)

@angelicskitchen, (Instagram)

Angelics-Kitchen-CateringLLC (Facebook)

 

Devil’s Backbone Mobile Carryout (pub fare)

website

 

106 Street Food (gourmet sandwiches)

website

@106streetfoods (Instagram)

106streetfood (Facebook)

 

106 Grilled (pressed sandwiches/panini)

@106grilled (Instagram)

 

106 Eastview (traditional and fusion Japanese fare)

@106eastview (Instagram)

 

Catch the Chef  (burgers, cheesesteaks, chicken, fish, breakfast)

@cvillecatchthechef (Instagram)

cvillecatchthechef (Facebook) 

 

El Tako Nako (tacos)

2405 Hydraulic Rd., 305-8918

 

The Pie Guy (Australian-style savory pies)

website

@thepieguycville (Instagram)

 

Blue Ridge Pizza (wood-fired pizza)

website

@BlueRidgePizza (Instagram)

 

Getting central Virginia wine to your table

Categories
Knife & Fork

Hog wild: Local pig farmers let their stock roam free to feast on chestnuts, acorns, and hickory nuts, producing pork that butchers and chefs swear by

Caption page 1: Waynesboro’s Autumn Olive Farms crossed two heritage breeds—Patterson Registered Berkshires and Ossabaw Island hogs—to create the signature AOF Berkabaw, a six-year project that the owners call “the perfect pig.” Photo: Zack Wajsgras

The rain lets up all at once and the sun burns through the clouds, turning the dreary October day startlingly warm and pleasant. Clay Trainum, 58, walks swiftly along a dirt farm road behind his Waynesboro home, cutting across a 14-acre field toward a row of about 10 wooden lean-tos. The triangular structures stand at the edge of a forest and are overhung by tree limbs—nut-bearing walnuts, oaks, and hickories, Trainum is quick to point out. Spaced at comfortable intervals and surrounded by scattered piles of hay, the huts give the impression of a small village.

“Pig houses,” says Trainum. He owns this, Autumn Olive Farms, with his wife, Linda. “You ready for a show?”

As if called, the pigs appear: About 10 big sows waddle into the light. They have bristly black hair, long white snouts, sagging teats and strong, squatty legs. A cross between heritage breed Berkshire and Ossabaw Island hogs, the 300- to 500-pound moms look more like wild boars than livestock. The safari-esque impression, however, is curtailed by chubby-cheeked mouths that seem to smile and dozens of curly-tailed piglets that scamper about their mamas’ hooves, playful as puppies.

Clay Trainum started his sustainable pig farm with his wife, Linda, in 2005. Their raise their animals well, with sheltering tents and plenty of good stuff to eat. Photo: Zack Wajsgras

The early autumn has been hectic at Autumn Olive Farm, but in a good way. Trainum and his wife manage about 500 acres and more than 1,500 swine with the help of their two adult sons. When the full heat of summer relents, birthing season begins, and the sows have delivered about 200 piglets in the past five weeks. Ranging freely through parcels like this one, they nest where they please. Most choose lean-to villages or piles of hay tucked under nearby trees and brush. Some opt for wilder spots in the woods—a burrow under a fallen tree, or a leaf-filled nook beneath a rocky outcropping. The Trainums monitor them closely to avoid losing animals to delivery complications.

On top of butchering about 30 pigs a week and delivering meat to Michelin-starred chefs in a territory that includes Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Washington, D.C., and southern Maryland, the job is grueling.

“It’s a tremendous amount of work to raise pigs this way,” says Trainum. “And to me, this isn’t just the right way, it’s the only way.”

By contrast, he describes the cramped, concrete-floored, indoor confinement pins found at factory farms—a “perverse nightmare,” he says, where animals may never see the light of day, much less forage for nuts and berries. “Creating a superior product, being environmentally sustainable, treating animals humanely? If it isn’t required by regulation, if it doesn’t maximize profits, it doesn’t matter.”

Presently, the Berkabaw sows are marching toward a patch of sunlight in a staggered single-file line, trailed by a goofy procession of piglets. Crossing the threshold, the big pigs plop down and commence rolling on their sides like sunning dogs. Some of the piglets take the opportunity to nurse. Others mimic their moms. Most bustle about and play.

“Would you look at that?” says Trainum, like a besotted grandparent. He explains how the pigs prefer to take shelter from the rain and gloom, then “throw a party when the sun comes back out.”

“It always lifts my spirits to see it,” he says. “It’s one of the joys of being a farmer, getting to know these animals and their habits so intimately.”

For Charlottesville-area diners, that intimacy—and the husbandry practices it informs—has led to the creation of what chefs say is a world-class terroir pork product.

“I serve pork from Autumn Olive Farms exclusively,” says Matthew Bousquet, executive chef of 1799 at The Clifton and previous owner and chef of northern California’s Mirepoix, where he won a Michelin star. In terms of flavor and uniqueness, “I’d put this meat up against anything in the world. It’s that good.”

High on the hog

The success of heritage-breed operations in Virginia like Trainum’s and the now-famous  Polyface Farm, in Swoope, has inspired other farmers to follow suit. In turn, increasing awareness and demand among customers has fueled the rise of artisanal abattoirs and butcher shops.

“What we’re seeing is essentially a niche [culinary] renaissance centered around heritage-breed pork products,” says Mark Estienne, a Virginia Tech professor who oversees swine-related research at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

A butcher at J.M. Stock breaks down an AOF pig. “If someone takes home a Berkshire tenderloin from Autumn Olive, they’re gonna come back for more,” says Stock manager Alex Import. Photo: John Robinson

Though there are no official statistics (the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services neither keeps track of breeds nor categorizes swine farms by size), Estienne says that, of the state’s give-or-take 1,000 hog farms, the vast majority are small-scale producers raising heritage breeds. Most sell their products at local farmer’s markets or by contract with regional restaurants and shops.

But before the current boom there was a bust. By the close of the 1980s, the shift toward “vertically integrated” farming models had reduced the number of Virginia swine farms from about 4,000 to well below 500. In short, says Estienne, one or two corporate farms “bought out the competition, contracted with most of the remaining farmers and dominated the market.”

Though once the norm, the number of heritage animals in Virginia had been in sharp decline since at least the early 1960s.

The animals are finicky, need plenty of space, and perform poorly in intensive farming models, says Estienne. Through time, heritage breeds were replaced by hybrids bred for placidity, and speedy maturation for increased yields. As a result, traditional favorites like Ossabaw Island Hog, Mulefoot, Large Black, Guinea Hog, Choctaw, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Red Wattle nearly vanished.

But that started changing in the mid 2000s, says Estienne. The heritage breed renaissance began at farmer’s markets feeding the locavore and farm-to-table revolutions. Discerning customers looked for environmentally sustainable, humanely raised meats, spurring the demand for free-range pork.

“Ten, 15 years ago, everybody was rediscovering heirloom tomatoes,” says Alex Import, who manages JM Stock Provisions. “Now, the same holds true for heritage-breed meats.”

First and foremost is the taste.

“Farmers like Clay Trainum go insanely over the top to produce meat that tastes fabulous,” says Bousquet. Of course, there’s the freshness factor: Meat from an Autumn Olive Farms hog slaughtered on Monday arrives at 1799 within 48 hours. But that’s just the beginning.   

The pigs are left to forage, feasting on nuts that have fallen from the reforested hickory, oak, and chestnut trees. Farmers supplement their diets with organic grain. Photo: Zack Wajsgras

Roaming hills and hollows for forage builds healthy muscles. Forests and grounds are curated to maximize edibles like wild roots and tubers, nuts, berries, and fruits. Fields are planted with a mix of rotating seasonal crops like pearl millet, winter barley, sunflowers, buckwheat, cowpeas, beans, sun hemp, squash, pumpkins, peanuts, and more. Supplemental feed is made from organic, sustainably-raised local ingredients. Hormones and antibiotics are anathema.

Combined with a climate Estienne says is ideal for raising pigs, the practices minimize stress, which produces better meat, according to studies by food scientists and agronomists, including Estienne.

“On one hand, you have a natural dietary diversity that’s unparalleled throughout the world,” says Import, who has traveled to porcine hot spots in Europe to study under artisan butchers and charcuterie makers. “On the other [hand], you have farmers that truly care about, and are hyperattentive to, their animals’ well being. And I’ve yet to have a customer that doesn’t taste the difference. If somebody takes home a Berkshire tenderloin from Autumn Olive, they’re gonna come back for more.” Though Import declines to provide specific numbers, he says JM Stock sells out of pork products made with Autumn Olive meat each week, and the shop’s clientele is steadily growing.

Fat is flavor

Added value for heritage breeds comes from the fact that, like heirloom tomatoes, different types bring different culinary qualities. Whether evolved or developed through centuries of selective breeding, musculature and fat-storing characteristics can vary drastically from breed to breed, says Estienne. From a culinary perspective, the result is a wide range of flavors, textures, and taste sensations.

Ossabaw Island hogs, for instance, are descended from Iberian swine released by Spanish explorers on an isolated island on the Georgia coast in the 1600s. The animals subsequently developed exquisite foraging instincts and a feast-or-famine gene that supercharged their capacity to store fat. In an ecosystem like the one at Autumn Olive Farms, Ossabaws produce what Import describes as a “crazy, funky, ultra-woodsy, deliciously nutty, hard fat.” Its unique texture and low melting point combine to create a sumptuous and velvety mouthfeel, making the fat ideal for charcuterie blends.

Berkshires, meanwhile, hail from England—the shire of Berks—and are believed to have entered the historical record sometime in the mid-17th century. Their popularity led to the founding of the American Berkshire Association in 1875, the world’s first breeders’ group and swine registry.

“From a butcher’s standpoint, Berkshires produce an ideal carcass,” says Import. “The meat-to-fat ratio is essentially perfect. You get these amazing dark red cuts with hard, white fat and exquisite marbling.”

Bousquet serves dishes incorporating both breeds at 1799. He uses lard from Ossabaws to make breads, as well as for frying and seasoning. A favorite fall dish pairs Berkshire pork belly with foraged chokeberries, pureed butternut squash, kale, and slivers of caramelized heirloom apples.

“I’ve worked with a lot of pork in my career and this is the best I’ve ever eaten,” says Bousquet. (Other chefs with Michelin stars who serve Autumn Olive Farms pork include Patrick O’Connell from The Inn at Little Washington and John Sybert from Tail Up Goat, in Washington, D.C.) Bousquet adds that heritage breed producers in Virginia’s mountain region (and greater Appalachia) have the potential to become for the U.S. what Black Iberian farmers are for Spain. “This meat is a true and authentic expression of the terroir. It’s as close as anything I’ve ever seen, anywhere, that absolutely goes with the region.”

The good earth

Trainum says he’s thrilled eaters have rediscovered heritage pork—and are thereby helping rescue rare breeds and related flavors from the brink of extinction. But he’s equally happy the sustainability practices he uses at Autumn Olive Farms are being adapted elsewhere.

At 1799 at The Clifton, chef Matthew Bousquet serves Autumn Olive Farms pork shoulder with escargot, garlic butter, pinot noir sauce, fried parsley, and a sunny-side-up egg. Photo: Tom McGovern

“In my experience, folks that raise heritage breed pigs strive to be good land stewards,” says Estienne. “They believe in going the extra mile to minimize negative environmental impacts.”

Trainum takes the ethos a step further. “Our goal is to have a net-positive effect,” he says. “And everything we do keeps that goal in mind.”

Fodder crops like legumes work double duty, feeding pigs and adding nitrogen to soils depleted by decades of monocultural farming techniques. Allowing crops to decompose naturally builds topsoil and increases water retention. Rotational grazing techniques distribute manure evenly and obviate the need for artificial fertilizer. Forested stream buffers are a minimum of 100 feet wide (about three times the recommended distance, according to Trainum). Pigs cool off in sequestered man-made lagoons and drink from watering tanks. Estienne says such measures help control runoff and keep pollutants out of waterways.

Meanwhile, acres of fallow corn fields have been reforested with hardwood trees; over 1,000 have been planted on the farm to date, and more are added each year. Trainum envisions a future where farm and delivery trucks run on electricity or biodiesel produced onsite.

“To me, this is a win-win-win-win situation,” says Import. He works with a topshelf product and serves as a go-between for customers and farmers that, together, want to improve the way the world eats. “I think of it like, we’re all holding hands, dancing together toward a future where this is the model.”

Categories
Food & Drink Living

Staff picks: What we’re eating (and drinking) now

Mochiko Hawaiian Food and Deli at 5th Street Station is a staff favorite—and a unique spot in Charlottesville. Photo: Paul Whicheloe

The only thing better than working in the C-VILLE Weekly newsroom is leaving it to get a drink and a bite to eat. The paper’s writers and editors are just like you: Our pockets aren’t very deep but we love the city’s vibrant and diverse food scene. Here are a few of our favorite places and things.

Laura Longhine, editor

Recent find: El Salvadoran and Mexican food at the Marathon gas station on Rio Road (by Greenbrier Drive). Cheap, authentic, and delicious. Try the sopes al pastor or pupusas.

Cheap eats: Bodo’s!

Go-to spot: Bizou for lunch, Oakhart Social for dinner and drinks. For an ex-New Yorker, Oakhart’s dining room feels like home. The sausage pizza is reliably great, plus they usually have a lovely salad and a funky natural wine or two on the menu.

Splurge: C&O. Even after all this time, there’s nothing more satisfying than a slow-paced dinner here by the wood stove, with delicious cocktails and classics like the trout amandine and steak chinoise. Plus, I love a restaurant that still gives you a bread basket.

Go-to brew: Mosaic Pale Ale at Random Row is my absolute favorite beer in town.

As the name suggests, the la familia chicken dinner is a family favorite at Al Carbon. Photo: Tom McGovern

Family meal: La familia chicken dinner to go from Al Carbon—a whole bird plus three sides and two salsas for $21.50. We also love to get a table at Milan—friendly service, a kids menu, and naan to keep everyone happy.

Food with friends: Beer Run—get the nachos!

Guilty pleasure: The old-fashioned layer cake at MarieBette; almost too pretty to eat.

Local place I’m dying to try: Comal, the new Mexican place in Belmont.

Out-of-town restaurant: Una Pizza Napoletana, in NYC. Take the Amtrak. It’s worth it.

Max March, editorial designer

Recent find: Lately, I’ve been enjoying cocktails with bitter aperitifs like Campari and Aperol. I like the interplay of sweet and bitter of the 23 Skidoo at Brasserie Saison. My go-to these days is a boulevardier—a bourbon drink with Campari—at the cicchetti bar at Tavola.

Best meal ever: Restaurant Week 2014, at C&O. This wonderful dish stands out in my memory: braised beef and potato gnocchi and some kind of wine sauce (with mushrooms, I think). Along with the soft lighting and good friends around a long table, eating a stick-to-your-ribs meal like that really made a regular weekend meal feel like a holiday.

Cheap eats: Something needs to be said about Maya’s $12 menu on Tuesday. Maya serves that classic nouveau-Southern cuisine that is so satisfying, and a good portion of the menu is pretty affordable that night.

Splurge: Our special-occasion spot is Tavola. The food is always amazing. I often end up ordering too much because there are so many must-haves. Gotta have the mussels. Burrata is non-negotiable. More wine? Yes, please. Carbonara. Bolognese. They serve their steak with agrodolce and gorgonzola that provides this sweet/tangy/funky combo you won’t find anywhere else. Beet risotto equals best risotto. Oh yeah, they have an amazing cocktail bar in the back! Just…maybe bring friends and share to help out your wallet.

Go-to bar: Champion Brewery. Location is perfect for me. People are great.  Love the beer (some of my favorites in town). They have really solid bar food (J.M. Stock hot dogs, burgers, pretzels with beer cheese), and I’d put their nachos up against Beer Run’s any day (fight me). I also love that on any given day you might stop by to find some off-the-wall event happening. Ballet on the patio. An astronomy lesson from a UVA prof. Game nights. My fave is Tuesday night, when “Jeopardy!” is on, they turn off the music and turn up Trebek and the whole bar shouts out answers (questions) together. There aren’t a lot of bars in town that create an atmosphere of easy community like this one does.

Food with friends: This is where Mas really shines for me. My tip is to order a large sangria and quickly realize you’re all a little tipsier than you thought you’d be. Go-to dishes are the roasted tomatoes, and carne asada. Obviously you’ve got to order tapas staples like papas bravas and bacon-wrapped dates. Try the boquerones if you’re nasty (I am).

Brunch: Most underrated brunch in town is Miller’s. Chicken & waffles, a great biscuit and gravy, eggs benny, with all the boozy breakfast cocktails you could want. And it doesn’t break the bank.

Joe Bargmann, living/special publications editor

Recent find: Early Mountain Vineyards has a new chef and a carefully curated menu with a focus on local ingredients—delicious stuff, especially the pork
belly with shredded red cabbage. Also, the vineyard setting in the rolling hills of Madison is beautiful.

Go-to bar: Jack Brown’s Beer & Burgers. My girlfriend objects because of the gratuitous and sexist chandelier of bras (and I don’t disagree with her), but I like the smashburgers, dive-bar vibe, and friendly staff.

Late night: Miller’s on the Downtown Mall. Dark-wood saloon atmosphere, dim lighting, and amazing mac ‘n’ cheese (finished in a skillet and served folded-over, like an omelet, with a crisp shell).

Guilty pleasure: A good cut of beef from J.M. Stock. Pricey, for sure, but always worth it.

Happy hour: Tilman’s. Good deals and a sweet little tasting menu. I love the bruschetta with melted brie, prosciutto, and fig preserves.

Local place I’m dying to try: Prime 109, if my GoFundMe reaches its goal.

Out-of-town restaurant: En Su Boca, in Richmond. Killer margaritas and modern Tex-Mex food in a funky space where everyone has at least one tattoo.

Susan Sorensen, copy editor

Cheap eats: The Villa Diner. Breakfast is served until 4pm, portions are generous (and tasty), and nobody makes a better toasted pecan waffle (for $6.95, people!).

Go-to spot: Citizen Burger Bar for sweet potato fries and the “red” vegan burger. I know, I know: Who in the hell eats vegetarian at CBB?! I do—and it’s delicious.

Splurge: The Farmhouse at Veritas. The four-course menu (with wine pairings) changes every week, and costs $85 (plus tax and tip) per person.

Go-to bar: The Timberwood Grill. It’s pretty much in our Earlysville backyard, the beer menu is immense and well-curated, and it’s a swell place to watch UVA sports surrounded by lots of other Hoos fans. 

Brunch: Boylan Heights on the Corner. Our daughter’s a UVA second-year, and if we promise to pay for brunch (after noon, of course!) for her and her three adorable roommates, we get proof of life every couple months or so.

Late night: The Whiskey Jar. A mess of sides—mac ‘n’ cheese, corn bread, pimento cheese, ham biscuits, French fries—is perfect for soaking up a long night’s worth of alcohol. Last call is at 2 a.m. on weekends.

Guilty pleasure: Four scoops (dulce de leche, hazelnut, gianduia, and milk and cherry) from Splendora’s.

Happy hour: Rapture. Cheap cabernet, right across from our office on the Downtown Mall. ’Nuff said.

Out-of-town restaurant: Founding Farmers in Washington, D.C. The food’s terrific (try the chicken and waffles or the chicken pot pie),
and most of it comes from a bunch of family farms in North Dakota.

Erin O’Hare, arts reporter

Cheap eats: Vita Nova Pizza’s bell pepper and onion slice is hands-down the best bang for my four bucks.

Go-to spot: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar—specifically, for the Goatherder plate, and for the amazing and delicious variety of teas hot and cold. Also, the milkshakes.

Brunch: Bluegrass Grill, where my favorite is the Hungry Norman, the perfect savory-sweet breakfast plate. When I have visitors in town on a weekday, I always take them here, because it’s the only time there’s no wait for a table.

Late night: C&O, because ’round midnight is the best time to nom a gooey grilled cheese soaked in tomato soup, a belly filler for $10.

Out-of-town restaurant: Kuba Kuba in Richmond! The paella options and the tres leches cake are so delicious, I don’t even know what to say about them except that you should go get them, but if you’re in my way, I’ll probably try to cut you in line.

Matt Weyrich, news reporter

Recent find (food): The Nook. The All The Way breakfast with a couple pieces of toast has quickly become my go-to.

Recent find (drink): South Street Brewery. The mystery beer that doesn’t yet have a name is fantastic and was easily the highlight of the flight I tasted.

Cheap eats: Brazos Tacos. If I had to have one meal item every day for the rest of my life, it just might be Brazos La Tia taco (picadillo beef, mashed potatoes, corn pico, white onion, queso fresco, and cilantro).

Go-to spot: Asado Wing and Taco Company. I love the wings and always seem to have good interactions with other people sitting at the bar.

Go-to bar: Draft Taproom. Sixty taps and more than a dozen TVs make for an awesome combination if you’re looking to watch sports with a beer in your hand all night.

Go-to brew: Three Notch’d. I pass by it on my way home from work every day, and sometimes I just can’t help myself.

Food with friends: The Whiskey Jar. I’m a big burger guy and my favorite in Charlottesville so far is definitely the Crunch Burger.

Brunch: Bodo’s. I’ve been to Bodo’s 19 times since I started at C-VILLE Weekly in June, and I have absolutely no shame in admitting it.

Late night: Jack Brown’s Beer & Burgers. I went to college at JMU and the vibe is exactly like the location in Harrisonburg, so it feels like home to me.

Happy hour: Random Row. You can’t beat the $2 happy hour on Thursdays.

Out-of-town restaurant: O’Neill’s Grill in Harrisonburg. I’m not much
of a dessert guy, but I cannot go there without having the cookie skillet.

Brielle Entzminger, news reporter

Recent find (food): Mochiko Hawaiian Food and Deli. It just opened at 5th Street Station.

Recent find (drink): The amazing sweet wines at Barboursville Vineyards.

Cheap eats: Any bowl at Poke Sushi Bowl with the coconut cream sauce.

Splurge: Sakura Japanese Steakhouse, about $60-70 with tip for two people.

Go-to bar: Skybar because of its nice view of the city.

Brunch: The Shebeen. Amazing mimosas and moderately priced South African food.

Happy hour: Guadalajara’s $7 jumbo margaritas on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Out-of-town restaurant: Bottoms Up Pizza, in Richmond. Pizzas are huge, thick, delicious, and come in all kinds of unique combinations.

Categories
Living

Name that space, win a Benjamin!

Tavern & Grocery owner Ashley Sieg has rebooted the West Main Street restaurant with three new events spaces. Photo: Kristi Ellis

Tavern & Grocery is offering $100 toward a meal by chef Joe Wolfson and his team to the C-VILLE Weekly reader who suggests the best name for a newly refurbished room in the 1820 Federal-style brick building on West Main Street. Accessible through the restaurant as well as its own entrance marked by a lantern and a glass door, the room seats up to 40 people and is one of three renovated dining and event spaces at T&G. “We have been working tirelessly on them over the past six months,” owner Ashley Sieg says. “We’ve stripped them back to the original brick and horsehair plaster, redone the floors, and more.”

Another event space, The Marseilles Room, is named for the French city. It connects with the downstairs bar, Lost Saint, and seats up to 70 people. Upstairs, the Booker Room—so called because Booker T. Washington stayed in the historic building at the invitation of the owner, Charles Inge, a local teacher, grocer, and freed slave—accommodates 35 diners. It has a wood-burning fireplace, antique tables and chairs, and finishes including reclaimed barn siding.

Sieg wants the name of the third room to reflect the building’s rich past. Among the older structures in Charlottesville, it has served as a tavern, foundry, and grocery store specializing in fish, beef, and locally grown produce. “The grocery was opened by Mr. Inge in 1891 and was actually one of the first African American-owned businesses in town,” Sieg says. “Inge’s family continued to operate it as a grocery until 1979.” It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

For a chance at that $100 prize, email a proposed name to info@tavernandgrocery.com with “win100” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen on Oct. 15, and announced via Instagram @tavernandgrocery and @eatdrinkcville.

Maximum foodie

The mother of all food festivals is upon us. The 13th annual Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello brings together national and local culinary luminaries for a day of food education, demonstrations, garden tours, and more grub than you could shake a kebab stick at. A marquee event features Will Richey of Charlottesville’s Ten Course Hospitality and Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters, the doyen of contemporary farm-to-table cuisine. We’ve also got our eyes on a session about food justice, at which Richard Morris of the local Urban Agriculture Collective will lead a discussion with Karen Washington, recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, and Jovan Sage, director of Slow Food USA and chair of the nonprofit Seed Savers Exchange. You will not find a better informed convention of food experts anywhere else in the world. $15.95 adults, $10 kids 5-10; 10am-5pm, 931 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy., heritageharvestfestival.com

Nibbles

With an impressively equipped new test kitchen, The Happy Cook in the Barracks Road Shopping Center is rolling out an expanded series of cooking classes. Hone your knife skills, master cast-iron cookery, learn to make South Indian food, and more. Sessions run $25 to $55 and are limited to 10 to 20 participants. thehappycook.com • Corner Juice—the health-conscious smoothie and sandwich shop—has added a second location at 200 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall, directly opposite its nutritional antithesis, Citizen Burger Bar. (Chew on that one for a minute.) cornerjuice.com • Grit Coffee is about to give Pantops a caffeine jolt, moving toward completion of a sleek new space in the Riverside Village development on Stony Point Road. gritcoffee.com • Ivy-based Square One Organic Spirits, founded by UVA grad and Crozet resident Allison Evanow, has launched a line of vegan and gluten-free, low-sugar cocktail and mocktail mixers with tantalizing flavors like Lively Lemon, Luscious Lime, and Pink Daisy.  They’re available for $10-$12 per 750ml bottle at shops including The Spice Diva, Market St. Market, and Foods of All Nations, and served at bars in Brasserie Saison, Orzo, Monsoon Siam, and The Fitzroy. Hell, the mixers are even in UVA sports hospitality suites at football, basketball, and baseball games. squareoneorganicmixers.com • Mark your calendar, bivalve gluttons! The Early Mountain Oyster Festival is set for 12-6pm, October 20, at Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison. Fifteen bucks will get you in to enjoy executive chef Tim Moore’s menu of crab cakes, fried oysters, clam chowder, and—mais oui!—Eastern Shore oysters on the half shell. The Currys will provide a rootsy soundtrack. Busy that day? Aw, shucks—more for us. earlymountain.com • King Family Vineyards has landed an accolade almost as prestigious as Best Winery in the 2019 Best of C-VILLE awards. USA Today has named the Crozet eonophile’s dream to its top 10 Best Winery Tours list, joining California establishments including Cline, Jordan, and Benziger. This is the big time, people! kingfamily vineyards.com • Firefly is celebrating its fifth year in business this weekend, September 21-22, with a $5 food-and-drink menu and much more. Saturday is the big blowout, with a plant sale outside by Edgewood Gardens, as well as music by Mojo Pie (2pm), Jay Seals and the Shara Tones (9pm), and DJ Rum Cove (10pm).

Categories
Knife & Fork Living

5 super summer salads: Easy-peasy recipes from local chefs

Ira Wallace of the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange gives the classic Cobb salad a Southern twist with black-eyed peas and toasted pecans. Photo: Staff

Summer is the time to eat your colors. Yellow corn is at its sweetest, red tomatoes their juiciest, and the greens are just as green as could be. We’ve rounded up salad recipes from five local chefs that showcase the season’s leading stars along with some unexpected guest appearances: a piquant pinch of mint or sweet burst of watermelon. As with any great summer salad, these are best served outside, on a generous plate, and with your favorite cold beverage. Mangia!

1) Southern-style Cobb salad with black-eyed peas

From Ira Wallace, education and variety selection coordinator, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

A slight twist on the traditional Cobb salad, with toasted pecans and a Greek-yogurt blue-cheese dressing that you might want to slather on everything all summer.

Serves three to four

Ingredients

6 cups chopped romaine or mixed green lettuces

2 cups fresh black-eyed peas lightly simmered with 1/2 small onion, chopped, or 1 clove garlic, chopped

(Alternative: 1 15 oz. can seasoned black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed well)

3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed (optional)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (substitute sharp, dry cheddar,
if desired)

1/2 cup fresh steamed sweet corn, kernels cut from cob, or thawed frozen sweet corn

1 sweet red pepper, cored, deseeded, and julienned

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

Blue-cheese Greek-yogurt dressing

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1 tbsp. white vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add all dressing ingredients to large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Place in container, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.

Place lettuce on platter. In separate rows, arrange chicken, black-eyed peas, red pepper, tomatoes, pecans, avocado, cheese, corn, and eggs on top of lettuce. Pass around dressing.

Pair with: A nice glass of sweet tea

 

Peloton Station’s Curtis Shaver likes his beer—and knows how to turn a salad into a meal. Photo: Tom McGovern

2) Steak and onion rings salad

From Curtis Shaver, general manager and chef, Peloton Station

This savory mélange would satisfy even the hungriest salad-as-a-main-course skeptic.

Serves two to four

Salad ingredients

2 7 oz. Seven Hills Food Co. flat iron steaks (also called shoulder top blade steak)

6 oz. local arugula

2 ears fresh corn

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted,
and sliced

6 radishes, sliced thin

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 English cucumber, sliced thin

3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 red onion, sliced into rings

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour, seasoned to taste (salt, pepper, paprika, and others as desired)

3 cups canola or other preferred oil for frying onion rings

Greek vinaigrette dressing ingredients

3 cups extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

2 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 1/2 tbsp. dried basil

2 tbsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

Instructions

Prepare grill. Oil, salt, and pepper steaks, and grill to medium rare. Set aside. Grill corn until charred and slice off kernels. Set aside. Heat frying oil to 375 degrees in deep skillet. Soak onion rings in buttermilk, remove from liquid, and toss in seasoned flour. Fry onions until golden brown, remove from oil, and drain.

Place all dressing ingredients except oil in blender and mix well. Slowly add oil to emulsify. Refrigerate until ready to serve salad.

In a large mixing bowl combine arugula, corn, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and dressing. Divide mixture evenly among serving plates. Place avocado slices on salad. Slice steak on a bias and place on top of avocados. Finish by topping with onion rings.

Pair with: Champion Brewing Company True Love American Lager

Peppery arugula meets sweet roasted tomatoes in Forage chef Megan Kiernan’s creation. Photo: Tom McGovern

3) Roasted Sungold tomato and arugula orzo salad with pistachio pesto and blue cheese

From Megan Kiernan, product development chef and founder, Forage

Chef Kiernan calls this “the regular pasta salad’s more elegant cousin.” We agree that the recipe would impress guests at any picnic or dinner party.

Serves four

Ingredients

2 pints Sungold cherry tomatoes

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. orzo

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 1/2 cups chopped arugula or
baby arugula

Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled or roasted chicken (optional), boned, and cut up any way you prefer

Pistachio pesto dressing

1/2 cup packed basil leaves

1 handful mint leaves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

2 small cloves (or one large clove) garlic

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil (or a bit more, to taste)

Salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on sheet tray and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 degrees and continue roasting for two hours, tossing occasionally.

Combine basil, mint, pistachios, garlic, lemon juice, and a big pinch of salt in a food processor. Blend well, periodically streaming in olive oil. Stop to taste. Add more salt and lemon juice as desired. If pesto is too thick, thin with additional olive oil.

Cook orzo following packaging instructions. Run under cool water while straining. Combine with pesto, adding heaping teaspoons to taste. Toss in arugula and red onions. Gently fold in tomatoes and blue cheese. Add more salt, pepper, or pesto as desired.

Pair with: Potter’s Craft Passion Fruit Mosaic cider

 

Unexpected bursts of flavor—fresh dill, fried sardines, hickory syrup—enliven this beauty from Oakhart Social’s Tristan Wraight. Photo: Tom McGovern

4) Sweet and salty summer salad

From Tristan Wraight, executive chef, Oakhart Social

“For me, I need a salad to have a sweet element, a salty element, and crunchy element,” says chef Tristan Wraight. Here, he rounds out the essentials with some soft herbs and an acidic dressing.

Serves four

Ingredients

2 cups watermelon, cubed (Wraight sources his from Pleasant Pasture Farms, in Virginia Beach.)

8 radishes, quartered (also from Pleasant Pasture)

1 cup Lunix (red oak-leaf) lettuce

1/4 cup shaved fennel

2 tbsp. sunflower seeds, sautéed until golden brown

1 tbsp. fried charales (or fried sardines) tossed in Old Bay Seasoning

Fresh Thai basil and dill to taste, chopped

Pinch of Maldon sea salt

Hickory-syrup vinaigrette

2 tbsp. shallots, minced

2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice

2 tbsp. hickory syrup (can also use Grade-A maple syrup)

1 cup grape seed oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Soak minced shallots in lemon
and lime juice for 10 minutes. Add syrup and salt, and whisk in oil. Toss with salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Pair with: A dry white wine with mineral palate, like Albariño. Best local choice: Horton Vineyards 2017 Rkatsiteli

 

Pearl Island Catering chef Javier Figueroa-Ray balances the sweetness of watermelon and pineapple with the earthy flavors of kale and walnuts. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

5) Pearl Island summer salad

From Javier Figueroa-Ray, executive chef, Pearl Island Catering

Don’t forget the fruit! Pearl Island’s summer salad sweetens things up with tropical pineapple and the emblematic food of the season: fresh watermelon.

Serves four

Ingredients

8 oz. organic kale

8 oz. organic baby spinach

1 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed

1 cup carrots, grated (reserve some for garnish)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Shallot vinaigrette dressing

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 tbsp. fresh shallots, minced

1 cup brown sugar (or less, to taste)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Place walnuts on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 350 degrees for five to ten minutes, or until fragrant.

In a large bowl combine kale, spinach, watermelon, pineapple, and carrots, and toss together.

Place dressing ingredients in blender and mix well, about one minute at high speed.

Transfer salad ingredients to platter, drizzle with dressing, and top with walnuts and carrots.

Pair with: Stinson Vineyard’s sauvignon blanc

Categories
Living

Thirst ’n howl: Wild Wolf opens second location downtown

Nelson County's Wild Wolf Brewing Company will hold the grand opening of its downtown Charlottesville location on June 2. Photo: courtesy Wild Wolf Brewing Company.

The door, kitchen, and taps are open at Wild Wolf Brewing Company’s downtown location, hard by the railroad tracks on Second Street. The brewery and restaurant’s soft opening in the former Augustiner Hall and Garden space precedes an “official” debut on June 2.

But there’s a hitch: Due to federal regulatory snags, the Wolf can’t yet serve its own beer, a lingering mess caused by the government shutdown (remember that?). One manager said he’d been informed that the ban would be lifted on Independence Day. Oh, the irony. In the meantime, while shiny nano-brewing vats stand idle in the dining room, patrons will have to settle for frothy beverages by Deschutes, Champion, and Three Notch’d, among others.

Chef Chris Jack, formerly of Staunton’s Zynodoa Restaurant, says the Wolf’s Charlottesville menu—as opposed to the one at its flagship, in Nellysford—has been “upscaled” to fit in the mix of culinary offerings nearby on the Downtown Mall. “Out in Nellysford, we do a lot of wood-smoking, but we wanted to try something different here,” he says.

So, while you can still get a corn dog ($6) for your kid, you may also tuck into a Candy Bar Steak ($28), with creamy risotto, carrot and roasted beet purée, heirloom carrots, and orange crème fraiche. A good ol’ cheddar burger will set you back $13.50.

Patrons may sit at outdoor tables shaded by bright red umbrellas (the patio shakes a bit when trains roll by), or duck inside, where the interior is dark, sleek, and industrial, with corrugated steel walls, exposed ductwork and ceiling trusses, and lots of wood surfaces. Four big-screen TVs hang above the U-shaped bar, so this will be a haven for sports fans—and eventually, fans of Wild Wolf’s own beer.

Take two

The smallest restaurant in Charlottesville, The Flat Creperie, has re-opened. Soon after it was offered for sale in a March 22 tweet, Elise Stewart became the third owner since the popular spot first opened in 2005. The menu is suitably short at the charming ivy-covered brick box on Water Street, with four sweet and four savory offerings. We tried the Summer Veggies crepe, a thin doughy wrap stuffed with chopped red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, olives, tomato, feta, and caramelized onions—a tasty, two-handed meal for $8.

Nibbles

Just in time for the heat wave, Greenberry’s Coffee Co. is offering a line of canned cold-brew coffees. Root 29 is open for business at the DoubleTree by Hilton Charlottesville, with small and large plates served in a glass-walled room with a long bar and a trippy fake fireplace. Early Mountain Vineyards will soon announce the arrival of a new chef to fill the role once held by Ryan Collins, now of Charlottesville’s Little Star. Patisserie Torres, the sublime pastry shop of Serge Torres, formerly of Fleurie, is shuttering after less than a year in business. The boutique Oakhurst Inn (owned by C-VILLE Weekly co-founder Bill Chapman) has revealed the imminent arrival of Oakhurst Hall, an annex with eight guest rooms and—most importantly—the Chateau Lobby Bar, where craft cocktails, light fare, and live music will be on the menu.

Categories
Knife & Fork

10 hot* new restaurants: A diverse collection of upstarts drives a local dining boom

“Happier cows make better meat” is just one of the motto-ish lines you’ll find on the website for Albemarle’s Sherwood Farms, where Prime 109 sources its dry-aged cuts. Here, a Kansas City strip steak gets a boost from roasted Meyer lemons and garlic. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

The restaurant business, like any industry, goes in cycles. Grow, contract, repeat. Here in Charlottesville, our last boom came in 2014, a year that brought Lampo, The Alley Light, Oakhart Social, Parallel 38, Public Fish & Oyster, MarieBette, Rock Salt, Red Pump Kitchen, and Al Carbon, among others.

Now, after a slight lull, the area’s restaurant scene is resurgent, with a burst of openings in the past 18 months. The 10 we feature here are all good, and a few are exceptional. But what stands out as much as their quality is their variety. A bicycle bar. A lavish steakhouse. Tibetan food. A sake brewery. A pie shop with tapas. Greek fast-casual. Mexican- and Spanish-inspired cuisine. Thai. Korean. Nearly every new entry has given Charlottesville something it lacked. While our area’s restaurant scene has long punched above its weight, the latest additions remind us that even in the best food communities, there’s always room to grow.

 

* What makes a new restaurant “hot?” In a word, popularity. Whether it cooks with gas or a wood-fired oven, a restaurant that draws a crowd soon after opening—particularly in a city with so many options for dining out—is hot. Please write to joe@c-ville.com with comments. We welcome, nay, encourage debate!

(Ed. note: Restaurants are presented in alphabetical order.)

Cava’s greens and grains bowl is a riot of colors, fresh flavors, and savory sauces. Photo: Max March

Cava

Before the chain Cava was born, its three founding owners ran just a single full-service Greek restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, Cava Mezze, which they launched in 2006. From there, the owners—all first-generation Greek-Americans—took the red-hot concept of fast casual and applied it to the food of their birthplace. The result is a rapidly growing chain that now has more than 70 locations. Guests line up at the counter, survey an array of greens, grains, Greek spreads, meats, and other toppings, and then point away to build their own bowl, salad, or pita wrap. At the Charlottesville outpost, there is little evidence that expansion has diluted quality. The owners’ passion for good eating and well-sourced ingredients is unmistakable.

Cuisine Greek fast casual

Owner’s pick Greens and grains bowl with rice, chicken, braised lamb shoulder, harissa, tzatziki, vegetables, and seasonal dressing ($9.87).

Crowd favorites Black lentils, harissa spread, spicy lamb meatballs. Toppings: roasted vegetables, pickled banana peppers, tomato-and-onion salad, cabbage slaw. Dressing, lemon herb tahini vinaigrette.

Vitals 1200 Emmet St. N., 227-4800, cava.com

 

Most people would call Chimm a Thai restaurant, but other southeast Asian foods—Vietnamese and Indonesian, for instance—fill out the expansive menu. Photo: Tom McGovern

Chimm

The owners of the popular Thai Cuisine & Noodle House noticed a lack of Thai food south of town, and filled the void with their new restaurant in The Yard at 5th Street Station. In addition to the standard menu items of many Thai restaurants—pad thai, pad kee mao (also called drunken noodles), massaman curry—Chimm makes a point of featuring less common dishes, like Isan Style Som Tum (papaya salad made with fermented fish sauce) and Bah Mee Haeng (dry egg-noodle bowl). As diners become accustomed to the unusual dishes, Chimm plans to introduce more and more of them. Keep an eye out for occasional lunch banh mi specials, which require reservations and always sell out in advance.

Cuisine Thai

Chef’s pick Boat Noodle Soup ($12.50): rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, and bean sprouts in a dark, meaty housemade broth, with scallions, cilantro, fried garlic, and spicy chili sauce. In true Bangkok floating-market style, the broth made from marrow and saignant meat juice is slightly gelatinous.

Crowd favorite Khao Soi ($13.50): egg noodles with chicken in homemade curry paste, topped with wonton crisps and cilantro, served with pickled mustard greens, red onion, chili oil, and lime.

Vitals 5th Street Station, 365 Merchant Walk Square, 288-1120, chimmtaste.com

 

Chef Lobsang Gyaltsen presents a Tibetan favorite, jasha kam trak: crispy chicken with vegetables and spicy sauce. Photo: Levi Cheff

Druknya House

If you’ve never had Tibetan food before, Druknya House is a great place to start. Hearty starches like barley, noodles, and potatoes dominate the food of a region known for mountains and wintry weather. Though Tibet has a cuisine all its own, its closest cousins are the foods of Himalayan neighbors, such as Nepal and Northeast India, with flavors like ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Yet, because the spicing of Tibetan food is often restrained, it’s approachable for most diners. In the kitchen at Druknya House is Lobsang Gyaltsen, a monk who studied Buddhist philosophy for two decades before turning to cooking to pursue an interest in healthy eating. While his menu does include unusual foods like chilay khatsu (spicy braised cow’s tongue), much of what Gyaltsen makes is comforting and restorative, like soups, noodle bowls, and Tibet’s beloved momos (dumplings filled with beef, chicken, or vegetables).

Cuisine Tibetan

Chef’s pick Ten Thuk Soup ($11), traditional Eastern Tibetan style hand-pulled noodles simmered in beef broth over greens.

Crowd favorites Jasha Kam Trak ($13): crispy chicken with mixed peppers, celery, scallions, and chef’s spice blend; Tsampa ($4): grilled brown mushrooms in melted butter, dusted with roasted barley flour.

Vitals 2208 Fontaine Ave., 995-5539, druknyahouse.com

 

Little Star is all about artful presentation and ambiance. You’d smell smoke from the wood-fired oven if this photo were scratch-and-sniff. Photo: John Robinson

Little Star

In partnership with Oakhart Social, chef Ryan Collins has brightened the former service station on West Main where other attempted restaurants have gone dark. From high-top tables, guests can now whet their appetites by gazing into the hearth where much of the food is cooked. The menu borrows from Spain and Mexico, two countries whose cuisines Collins came to love during eight years working for celebrity chef José Andrés, including three as head chef of the Washington, D.C., Mexican restaurant Oyamel. With small plates and large family-style platters, Collins intends all of his food for sharing. New York City transplant Joel Cuellar, a veteran of the spirits and cocktail industry, ensures that the bar does justice to the quality of the kitchen.

Cuisine Hearth-cooked American, inspired by Mexico and Spain

Chef’s pick Sunny Side Eggs ($10): fried eggs with salsa negra, green onion, sesame seeds, grilled bread, and hickory syrup. “It’s fatty, sweet, smoky, spicy, herbal, and salty,” says Collins. “And, every menu needs eggs.”

Crowd favorite Pan tomate ($8): grilled Albemarle Baking Company pan Estrella bread with grated tomato, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt.

Vitals 420 W. Main St., 252-2502, littlestarrestaurant.com

 

At Mangione’s on Main, specials like tender braised lamb shank with polenta and a splash of greens join a menu of Italian-American favorites, served family style. Photo: Levi Cheff

Mangione’s on Main

Tread lightly when remaking a former restaurant beloved by regulars. That’s what first-time restaurant owners Bert Crinks and Elaina Mangione have been doing since moving from northern Virginia to Charlottesville and buying the Italian-American restaurant Bella’s. Aside from a new name, changes have come gradually. The wood floors have been refinished and the walls freshly painted, but most of Bella’s menu of family-style Italian-American dishes remains the same, now joined by weekly specials from chef Mick Markley (formerly of Mas and Lynchburg’s Emerald Stone Grille).

Cuisine Italian-American

Chef’s pick Rosa di parma ($24): butterflied pork loin, stuffed with prosciutto, sage, and mozzarella, then slow roasted with potatoes and vegetables with pan sauce.

Crowd favorite Rigatoni al Forno ($23): Italian sausage and rigatoni tossed in ragu bolognese made with ground veal, beef, and pork, then topped with mozzarella cheese and baked.

Vitals 707 W. Main St., 327-4833, mangionesonmain.com

 

Maru deepens the culinary diversity on the Downtown Mall, with Korean delicacies like crispy fried squid. Photo: Tom McGovern

Maru

This is not your old-school mom-and-pop place. In the former home of Eppie’s restaurant on the Downtown Mall, industry veterans Steven Kim and his wife, Kay, have created an airy, contemporary Korean restaurant with an open kitchen and exposed brick walls. The menu also is modern, combining traditional Korean dishes like bibimbap and kimchi jeon with modern flourishes, like the use of melted cheese, a fairly recent phenomenon in Korea. There’s even a (delicious) bulgogi steak and cheese.

Cuisine Korean

Chef’s pick Bulgogi Plate ($17): thinly sliced beef in a sweet soy marinade, grilled with onion and served with rice, lettuce wrap, homemade ssam sauce, and daily banchan.

Crowd favorite Dolsot Bibimbap ($12): rice served with a medley of vegetables, topped with a sunny-side-up egg, spicy gochujang sauce, and choice of beef, pork, chicken, or tofu.

Vitals 412 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 956-4110

 

 

North American Sake Brewery’s Tekka Poke Don features diced yellowfin tuna and salmon marinated in sweet soy sauce, plus a mélange of ginger, scallion, sesame seed, radish, cucumber, and flying-fish roe, served over sticky rice. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

North American Sake Brewery

Food was not the first thing on the minds of owners Jeremy Goldstein and Andrew Centofante when they prepared to open Virginia’s first sake brewery last year. But when Culinary Institute of America alum Peter Robertson, of famed local food truck Côte-Rôtie, came on board as chef, he proposed creating a menu of Japanese-style small plates designed to pair with sake. The food does much more than complement the wine—it uses sake as an ingredient, too, along with brewing byproducts like koji, a mold prized by chefs for its ability to transform flavor. Though Robertson has moved on, he leaves behind a menu he helped to create and a kitchen run by his former cook Don Van Remoortere, a certified BBQ judge who marries American smoking techniques with Japanese flavors.

Cuisine Japanese-American

Chef’s pick Diamond Joe Brisket Platter ($16): Slow smoked prime beef brisket rubbed with ground espresso beans, Szechuan pepper, and sea salt, served with a side of soy “jus.” “The power move,” says Remoortere, “is to order it with two steamed bao buns with a side of housemade spicy sambal and a heap of kimchi to make a pair of towering brisket sammies.”

Crowd favorite That Chick Teri rice bowl ($14). Roasted teriyaki chicken with bell pepper, onions, carrots, garlic, sesame seeds, aioli, and crispy fried onions.

Vitals 522 Second St. SE, 767-8105, pourmeone.com

 

The Rivanna Trail sandwich: a baguette piled high with green-pea kofta, cucumber-radish salad, pickled carrots, and green harissa and feta-yogurt sauces. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

Peloton Station

Who knew that Curtis Shaver’s three passions would go together so well? The Hamiltons’ chef emerged from the kitchen last year to help turn a classic-car sales and service shop into a tavern celebrating a few of his favorite things: beer, bicycles, and sandwiches. Part pub, part sports bar, part bicycle shop, Peloton Station showcases the type of over-the-top sandwiches that earned Shaver a following at Hamiltons’ “sandwich lab.” Draught beers and wines are well chosen, and there are plenty of TVs to entertain you while you eat, drink, and wait for your bicycle to complete its tune-up.

Cuisine Sandwiches, pub grub, unconventional brunch fare

Owner’s picks Big Mike ($12): grilled mortadella, salami, capicolla, provolone, mozzarella, and cherry pepper olive salad on a pressed baguette; The Peg ($11): smoked house pastrami, gruyere cheese, pickled cabbage, and comeback sauce, on toasted multigrain rye.

Crowd favorite O-Hill Burger ($13): burger with muenster cheese, fried mushrooms, black pepper bacon, onion marmalade.

Vitals 114 10th St. NW, 284-7785, peletonstation.com

 

Prime 109 brings yet another fine-dining experience to the Downtown Mall. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

Prime 109

No recent opening made a bigger splash than the Lampo team’s steakhouse in the former Bank of America building on the Downtown Mall. In a stunning room with soaring ceilings, the featured product is one rarely seen: local, heritage beef, dry-aged 60 days or more. Beyond the steaks à la carte, there’s a separate menu of cheffy salads, pastas, and entrées from a talented kitchen staff led by Ian Redshaw, a James Beard Award semifinalist in the 2019 Rising Star Chef of the Year category. While Prime 109’s steak prices range from roughly $25 to $85, pastas and other entrées—also excellently prepared—are less expensive, and an ever-changing bar menu offers inspired sandwiches and snacks Monday through Wednesday. Along with well-chosen wines, there’s a serious bar program for cocktail enthusiasts.

Cuisine Steakhouse-plus

Chef’s pick Prime 109 Burger ($14): 70/30 blend of dry-aged to fresh beef (ribeye and tenderloin), American cheese, pickles, onion, primal sauce, on a sesame seed bun.

Crowd favorite Steak Frites ($24): butcher’s selection cut, peppercorn cognac double-cream sauce, and thrice-cooked fries.

Vitals 300 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 422-5094, prime109steakhouse.com

 

Former Mas tapas chef Tomas Rahal stirs things up with his new venture, Quality Pie. Photo: John Robinson

Quality Pie

When the local institution Spudnuts closed in 2016, its prime location at the gateway between Belmont and downtown instantly became one of the more coveted restaurant spots in town. The prize went to former Mas tapas chef Tomas Rahal, who converted the timeworn space into a bright, colorful pie shop. While the pies are stellar, the restaurant offers a whole lot more, with a menu that changes throughout the day. For breakfast, there are egg sandwiches, tarts, and papas bravas; at lunch, soups, salads, and creative sandwiches like a grilled octopus banh mi on charcoal bread; and, in late afternoon and early evening, wine, sherry, and tapas, like boquerones and bacon-wrapped dates. Plus, regardless of the hour, you can drop in for Rahal’s excellent breads, pastries, and other baked goods.

Cuisine Baked goods, sandwiches, and tapas

Chef’s pick Wild blueberry sourdough waffle ($8).

Crowd favorite Avocado toast with egg ($10).

Vitals 309 Avon St., 284-5120, qualitypieva.com