The Salad Maker – C-VILLE Weekly

Littlejohn’s opens a Pro Re Nata outpost

Fans of Littlejohn’s New York Delicatessen can now enjoy a Chris Long sub, Bum Steer and Five Easy Pieces at Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery on Rockfish Gap Turnpike in Crozet. The restaurant operates out of a Pro Re Nata-owned food truck on the brewery property, providing food to patrons and offering both pick-up and delivery services to the Crozet community. Littlejohn’s Restaurants Inc. president Colleen Morrissey says customers can choose from a menu that includes the most popular sandwiches and subs from Littlejohn’s location on the UVA Corner, plus smaller snacks, burgers and fries.

Littlejohn’s at ProReNata also offers weekend specials such as sandwiches made with, or made to pair with, one of the brewery’s beers. “Our team is having fun being creative and reacting to the customers’ requests,” Morrissey says. “We’re changing the menu periodically to reflect the requests we receive.”

Chopt, chopt

First, the Corner got Roots Natural Kitchen. Then The Salad Maker opened downtown. Now, Chopt is set to move into the former Ruby Tuesday space at Barracks Road Shopping Center in the second half of 2017.

The chain, which has multiple locations in New York, North Carolina and in the Washington, D.C., area, says on its website that its fresh salads “push the boundaries of what a salad can be, looking ahead to a future where vegetable eating—and better fast food—is the norm.”

According to a Chopt representative, the restaurant will be company owned and operated.

“At Chopt, we believe that we are part of a movement to change the way America eats, and have always looked to forward-thinking students and communities as our partners,” the representative says, citing Charlottesville’s reputation as an “open-minded, health-oriented” community of foodies as a reason for the chain opening a spot here.

Cheese, please

We’ve got plenty of burger joints here in town, but Phil’s Steaks, currently building out the former Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins spot at 1509 University Ave. on the Corner, is hoping to steer Charlottesville toward a different beef-consumption method: the Philly cheesesteak.

Phil’s head chef and co-owner Kevin McConnell and two of his friends started Phil’s, a New York City-based food truck, five years ago. Though the truck has a modest menu, offering only authentic cheesesteaks, made with tender sirloin steak, mushrooms and onions, served on bread from Philadelphia’s Amoroso’s Baking Company and smothered in either Cheez Whiz, white American or provolone cheese, and twice-fried fries, it made a name for itself.

McConnell says this first brick-and-mortar Phil’s Steaks location, set to open in mid-March, will be a lunch and late-night spot that caters to the college crowd, serving the truck’s staples plus a few new options like chicken steaks, veggie steaks and onion rings.

Cold spell

Splendora’s is again offering all-you-can-eat gelato Wednesdays during January and February. Fork over $10 and you’ll get scoop after scoop, so long as you follow these rules:

1. No cup sharing.

2. You must stay in Splendora’s—no leaving and coming back.

3. You will get a new cup for every scoop, but keep your spoon.

4. Please don’t have food delivered to Splendora’s

5. Don’t eat so much you die or vomit.

The Salad Maker opens on Market Street

In The Big Salad episode of “Seinfeld,” Elaine asks George to get her a big salad from the coffee shop. “What’s in the big salad?” George asks. “Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” Jerry deadpans.

You won’t get enormous salads with gargantuan vegetables at The Salad Maker at 300 E. Market St., but you will find dozens of fresh salad options. Owner Jacie Dunkel, who also owns Tin Whistle Irish Pub and Fellini’s #9, says that while the Blue Ridge Country Store on the Downtown Mall has a great lunchtime make-your-own salad bar, there aren’t many places downtown to get a quick salad for lunch or dinner, and she wanted to give customers another option, especially one with seating.

Tin Whistle chef Karen Fiedler started developing the salad recipes before handing things over to Allison Campbell, previously of Zazu’s and Revolutionary Soup.

Salads are ordered via paper menus available at the door—once you’ve snagged one, write your name on the line and circle your special or classic salad of choice, or select your own components from a hefty list of greens, proteins, cheeses, housemade dressings and more. Then, take your paper to the Create counter, and pick it up and pay—$8.95 for a special or classic, $6.95 and up for a custom—at the Produce counter when your name is called.

There’s the North Garden, with spring mix, spiced almonds, goat cheese, dried apricots, roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette, as well as The Crozet steak salad with romaine and iceberg lettuces, blue cheese, marinated mushrooms, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. There’s also a cobb, Greek, Caesar and spinach salad, and, if you’re feeling adventurous, opt for a Palmyra salad: in-season ingredients sourced from many local farmers and City Market vendors—it’ll never be the same twice. All salads come with a housemade rye cracker. And The Salad Maker also offers a daily soup, made at the Tin Whistle, and homemade brownies and cookies.

Strike while the waffle iron is hot

How do you like your waffles? With a pat of butter and a drizzle of syrup? Smothered in fruit compote and whipped cream? Scalding hot and crispy brown after a moment too long in mom’s toaster (I’m looking at you, Eggos!)?

Come winter, your preferred waffle consumption method may change with the opening of Iron Paffles and Coffee at 214 W. Water St. At Iron, a paffle—housemade puff pastry baked to flaky perfection on a waffle iron—is a bit richer and more flexible than a waffle, making it the perfect vehicle not just for syrup, caramelized cinnamon apples and whipped cream, but for sandwiches, too.

In February, owner Kathryn Matthews plans to start serving eat-in and take-out paffles such as the Made of Iron, with sausage, bacon, egg and cheese; the Rise ’N’ Iron with blueberry compote, local hickory syrup and whipped cream; the Iron Master, with Southern fried chicken and mac ’n’ cheese; and various vegetarian options. Paffles will cost around $6 each.

Tasty tidbit

Monolith Studio’s chef knives were recently named a runner-up in the Home category in Garden & Gun magazine’s seventh annual Made in the South Awards, which celebrate and encourage Southern craftspeople.