Tag: Tin Whistle Irish Pub

Categories
Culture

Small Bites: June 3

Blenheim Vineyards recently released a limited edition wine with proceeds  going to Frontline Foods Charlottesville and World Central Kitchen, organizations that are providing meals to people in need.

Business not as usual

In recent weeks, many local restaurants that decided to take a pandemic pause have started to phase back into action, including well-loved spots like Al Carbon, Bizou, Brazos Tacos, Little Star, Luce, Tavola, and Tilman’s. These restaurants are reaching customers through online ordering with delivery, curbside pickup, or no-contact handoff of food and drinks. Some, like Citizen Burger Bar and Red Pump Kitchen, are also making use of available outdoor space to bring guests back on site, at a distance. The returns are a glimmer of hope for many after months of closure announcements—both temporary and permanent—due to coronavirus. Check out C-VILLE’s online restaurant guide or establishments’ websites for more info.

Hello, Tonic

Speaking of Tilman’s, reopening the wine and gourmet food spot on the Downtown Mall isn’t the only thing that owners Derek Mansfield and Courtenay Tyler have been working on. The pair is opening a new restaurant, Tonic, in the space formerly occupied by Tin Whistle Irish Pub (which closed at the end of last year after a landlord dispute). Tonic promises build-your-own snack boards and small plates with items like pickled shrimp and marinated mushrooms, and a focus on healthy local fare. Keep an eye out for a summer opening.

Drink with a purpose: Dubbel 151

Spirit Lab Distilling and Champion Brewing partnered on a collaboration to support Charlottesville-area restaurant workers who were laid off due to the pandemic, and the results are good enough to drink. Released in May and produced from over 8,000 cans of beer, Dubbel 151 is made of Champion Brewing’s Brasserie Saison Dubbel and Saison beers distilled to 75.5 percent alcohol or 151 proof. Bottles can be purchased on the Spirit Lab Distilling website with curbside pickup and shipping throughout Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Coffee care

Snowing in Space Coffee Co. released a new whole-bean coffee blend, Frontline Fuel, aimed at caffeinating Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital health care workers. For every bag of Frontline Fuel purchased at snowinginspace.com, the company will donate a bag to the hospital. The medium-roast blend is made of certified Fair Trade organic beans and is available for one-time and subscription purchases, as well as wholesale for retailers and offices.

  

Wine relief

Blenheim Vineyards recently released a limited-edition red wine blend called On The Line, with proceeds  going to Frontline Foods Charlottesville and World Central Kitchen, organizations that are providing meals to people in need. The label, which can also be seen on other merchandise including stickers and posters, is designed by vineyard owner Dave Matthews. And there’s more to come—a white blend is set to release later this summer.

Categories
Living

Dinner is served: Chef brings women together to help the homeless

“I met a man who had worked in restaurants his whole life but had had a stroke and lost all ability to use his hands. This struck me to the core—this could be me," says Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner, who recently launched a program to provide PACEM clients with home-cooked dinners every Tuesday night. Photo by Jackson Smith

Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner has spearheaded a drive to provide chef-driven, home-cooked suppers for PACEM—an organization that provides cold-weather shelter for the homeless—each Tuesday throughout the winter months. She was inspired to take action after helping to serve at a PACEM dinner late last winter.

“I met a man who had worked in restaurants his whole life but had had a stroke and lost all ability to use his hands,” she says. “This struck me to the core—this could be me. I vowed in that moment that this is something I wanted to get involved in.”

Fonner credits her “secret weapon”—a group of some 80 women in an exercise boot camp she runs in Crozet—with helping launch the program, enabling her to run two shelter dinners (one for men, one for women) in two locations (church members feed PACEM guests on the other nights of the week). Members of Charlottesville Women in Food are also helping with cooking and donations, and Fonner has received food from Autumn Olive Farms, Gryffon’s Aerie, and Sam Rust, as well as financial contributions from The Pie Chest, Tin Whistle Irish Pub, Nona’s Italian Cucina, and Vivace.

With recent donations, the group has also assembled baskets of self-care items and a grab bag of holiday cookies for those staying at PACEM, which moves among various places of worship each week.

Fonner is thrilled to see her dreams so readily turned into reality. “I’m blessed to be surrounded by so many strong and caring women,” she says.

To donate or volunteer, contact Fonner at lfonner23@gmail.com.

Tailgating for change

Trish Clinton—who trained at Tennessee’s famed Blackberry Farm luxury hotel and resort and is now executive chef for Zeta Psi fraternity at UVA—has cooked up a Dave Matthews Band tailgate to benefit Charlottesville’s Sexual Assault Resource Agency. The tailgate will be held at Zeta Psi from 2-4pm on Friday, December 14, before the band’s concert at the John Paul Jones Arena.

Clinton, a self-proclaimed “die-hard” DMB fan, conjured up the plan after becoming frustrated watching the Kavanaugh hearings last fall.

“I found myself angry—you could hear in [Dr. Ford’s] voice what anyone that has experienced sexual assault has felt,” she says. “I needed to do something to make those people feel more supported and put my anger to action. I thought ‘why not combine my loves—food and DMB—to give back?’”

Clinton is partnering with Tailgate Caravan, which has held other philanthropic tailgates at DMB shows, and has tapped into the band’s broad fan base to enlist attendees, with over 100 signed up already (she’s capping it at 200). The suggested minimum donation of $35 per person will cover a full buffet spread, open bar with DMB-themed cocktails and draft beer, and raffle prizes. While fellow members of Charlottesville Women in Food have donated beer and services, Clinton is seeking additional help and donations—large or small—of cash and raffle prizes. For more information, email trishtye@hotmail.com.

Categories
Living

Two chefs battle it out in the kitchen

Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar executive chef Reggie Calhoun and Miso Sweet Ramen + Donut Shop executive chef Frank Paris III will each cook four courses—the common ingredient being bacon—for Tin Whistle Irish Pub diners, who will vote for their favorite chef. Photo by CVille Photo & Video

Fans of bacon and friendly competition should head to the Tin Whistle Irish Pub at 609 E. Market St. on Monday night for a chef showdown. Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar executive chef Reggie Calhoun and Miso Sweet Ramen + Donut Shop executive chef Frank Paris III will each cook four courses—the common ingredient being bacon—for diners, who will chow down before voting for their favorite chef. Calhoun, who toppled Tastings chef Michael Berry in the most recent showdown, is back to defend his title. The chef showdown was started by Berry, Tin Whistle owner Jacie Dunkle and Fellini’s chef Chris Humphrey. “We all three thought this was a cool concept for this town,” says Dunkle. 

Calhoun and Paris will cook for two seatings—at 5:30 and 7:30pm—and it’s $55 for eight courses; or $65 for eight courses plus wine pairings. Diners can call the Tin Whistle at 202-8387 to reserve their spot.

Rally for Allie

On March 27, from 6-8 pm, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards is hosting the Rally for Allie—a food and wine fundraiser for Allie Redshaw, a chef who recently lost her hand in a work accident. Guests will enjoy samples from top area chefs and producers, as well as Pippin Hill wines. There will also be a silent auction featuring unique experiences and donations from local vendors. Online bidding for the auction is already underway for items such as a James Beard dinner—a nine-course meal for 10 people prepared by all three Charlottesville-area chefs who have been named James Beard semi-finalists for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic: Ian Boden, Melissa Close-Hart and Angelo Vangelopoulos. All proceeds from the fundraiser and auction go directly to Redshaw’s recovery fund. Tickets are $50, available at eventbrite.com/e/rally-for-allie-tickets-32847544891. To view the auction items and place your bids, visit charlottesville29.com.—C. Simon Davidson

Open for business

Uncle Maddio’s Pizza opened March 17 at The Shops at Stonefield. Diners can create their own pizza from three crusts, 48 toppings and seven sauces, and the pies are ready to eat in under eight minutes. Maddio’s signature pizzas, such as the Steak & Blue, are available as well.

Shane Mitchell. Publicity photo
Shane Mitchell. Publicity photo

Six questions for Shane Mitchell

Shane Mitchell, author of Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World, is a contributing editor for Saveur. Her writing has appeared in Serious Eats and Bon Appétit, and she was a 2016 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award finalist. But she doesn’t characterize herself as a food writer. “My work focuses on culture. But food is often the gateway in,” says Mitchell. “Almost everyone lights up and opens the door when I ask, ‘What’s for dinner?’” Mitchell is one of the featured food writers who will be reading from and talking about their work at this year’s Virginia Festival of the Book.

C-VILLE Weekly: What is your favorite food?

SM: Probably rice. Goes with almost everything. It appears on the table in all the regions where I travel most.

Least favorite food?

Oatmeal and okra. It’s a texture thing.

What was the first thing you wrote about food?

An ode to wild dandelion greens for Saveur magazine.

What’s the most recent thing you wrote about food?

Apart from Far Afield? Sandwiches called pani ca’ meusa [literally “bread with spleen”], a famous street snack in Palermo, Sicily. And an essay for The Sugarfiles, a Saveur project, about a caste of [silver]smiths who hammer tissue-thin edible silver and gold “vark” to cover traditional sweets in Jaipur.

If you could have any meal, anywhere, where would you go, and what would you eat there?

A modest izakaya [a Japanese gastropub] under the train tracks in Tokyo where the owner grills yakitori chicken wings over charcoal. He’s been doing it for 30 years and will never be rich or famous but has a loyal fan base.

What’s the story you can’t get out of your head/heart?

Sharing cups of tea with Sudanese refugees in a camp called The Jungle on the European migrant route.

Catch Mitchell this week at three panels, all of which are free and open to the public:

Adventures in Eating: Navigating the World for the Perfect Meal

With Jeffrey Greene, author of In Pursuit of Wild Edibles; Thursday, March 23, 10am; Barnes & Noble, Barracks Road Shopping Center

Cooking demos

With Sheri Castle, author of Rhubarb; and Ronni Lundy, author of Victuals

Thursday, March 23, noon; The Charlottesville Cooking School, 2041 Barracks Rd.

Food Traditions and Women Chefs

With Ashley Christensen, author of Poole’s, and Ronni Lundy

Thursday, March 23, 4pm; Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 Fourth St. NW

Categories
Living

The Salad Maker opens on Market Street

Jacie Dunkel opened The Salad Maker last week to provide fresh and quick salad options for customers seeking a sit-down spot for lunch or dinner. Photo by Tom McGovern

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.