The Charlottesville 29

1)  Slice of Pepperoni Pizza at Fabio’s.  Now that low-cal January is finally behind us, we are happily enjoying many of the things we had to forgo during those thirty days of torture.  One of our strongest cravings is usually for pizza.  And, we don’t mean the fancy stuff with exotic toppings like avocado, Thai Chicken, or even pasta.  Rather, we mean a good-old-fashioned New York style slice of ‘za.  In Charlottesville, there’s not much in the way of that kind of pizza, and Fabio’s may be the closest thing.  As is the case with slices at classic New York City pizza parlors, none of the components of a Fabio’s slice seems particularly noteworthy — not the cheese, not the tomato sauce, and not the crust.  Instead, the pizza has that sum-is-greater-than-its-parts greatness that, in short, hits the spot when you need a slice.

2)  Bacon Baklava at Blue Moon Diner.  When most people think of baklava, they don’t say: “You know what this needs more of? Calories!”  But, then again, the venerable Blue Moon Diner has always marched to the beat of its own drum.  As part of the diner’s annual Bacon Dinner on Valentine’s Day, BMD takes baklava and adds bacon, and chocolate too.  The result is not just disgusting but also delicious.  Leftovers are often available during the week after Valentine’s Day, but after that, you might just have to beg.