The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Month: April, 2014

04/25/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Rachel Willis

Rachel

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Rachel Willis, a New England Culinary Institute alum whose resume reads like a greatest hits of Charlottesville restaurants over the last few decades: Metropolitain, Continental Divide, L’Avventura, and Executive Chef of Clifton Inn.  Willis now runs Black Twig Farm with her husband, and also the much-acclaimed Cakes by Rachel.  Willis’ picks:

1)  Drunken Noodles with Beef at Pad Thai.  “The first time I went to Pad Thai was shortly after they opened.  I was eight months pregnant and with three other very pregnant friends. We devoured half the menu and were in ecstasy.  Within an hour of my son being born, I was begging my mother to go get me this dish.  Nothing ever tasted better.”

2)  Lobster Roll from Foods of All Nations.  “When in town doing the mad errand dash, I more often than not find myself stopping for this quick lunch. Theirs is the best to-go sushi in town. And the lobster roll is my favorite!”

3)  Orange Martini at Fardowners.  “Order only one . . . trust me.”

4)  Bratwurst and Fall Sown Spinach from Double H Farm.  “Richard was a close friend and I will miss him dearly.  What a blessing Ara and Gayane are here to carry on what he started.  The brats are perfect and if you are lucky enough to get some of the spinach they have right now, saute lightly and they are perfect together. Their soil grows great greens.”

5)  Princess Cake from Albemarle Baking Company.  “I haven’t had a slice in a long time, but I still hear it call to me all the way out here in Crozet.  There are some combinations that are just perfect.”

04/21/2014

Pad Thai

Pad Thai
156 Carlton Rd. #202 . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 293-4302
http://padthaicville.com/index.html


Why Pad Thai?

While many “Thai” restaurants alter recipes to suit American tastes, Pad Thai offers real Thai home cooking — literally. Utaiwan Ouypron and her husband Santi make the same food they once served at an eatery they ran out of their home in Thailand, before coming to the United States in 2005. You can taste the difference. It’s no wonder so many top chefs are regulars. Among many excellent Thai restaurants in the area, Pad Thai remains a fixture in The Charlottesville 29.

What to Order

While the menu is stellar, we always like to ask the Ouyprons which of the daily specials they recommend. Below is a list of our recommendations, along with the Ouyprons’ favorites, as well as Pad Thai’s appearances in Five Finds on Friday, where area chefs and personalities have named a Pad Thai dish as one of their favorite in town.

Our Picks

  • Grandpa’s Favorite
  • Drunken Noodles
  • Beef Tongue Pad Kapao (special)
  • Swai Pad Numprikpao (special)
  • Thai Beef Consomme Noodle Bowl
  • Stir Fried Cabbage

Chefs’ Picks

  • Bar Snacks
  • Red Curry
  • Clear Broth Noodle Bowl
  • Chinese Broccoli with Pork Belly

Five Finds on Friday Picks

  • Thai Beef Consomme Noodle Bowl — Andrew Silver (formerly, Zocalo), Josh Lowry (formerly, Zocalo), John Shanesy (formerly, Parallel 38)
  • Clear Broth Noodle Bowl (fka Wonton Noodle Soup) — Vu Nguyen (formerly, Brazos)
  • Tom Yum Noodle Bowl with Beef Tongue — Brian Ashworth (formerly, Ace Biscuit & Barbecue)
  • Spicy Noodle Bowl — Phillip Gerringer (formerly, South Fork)
  • Roast pork with shrimp wonton and wonton noodles — Ivan Rekosh (formerly, Zocalo)
  • Drunken Noodles with Chicken, Spicy — Melissa Close-Hart (formerly, Palladio)
  • Drunken Noodles, “Thai hot” — Ian Redshaw (formerly, Lampo)
  • Drunken Noodles with Beef — Rachel Willis (Cakes by Rachel)
  • Drunken Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables — Rebecca Edwards (formerly, Tavola Cicchetti Bar)
  • Drunken Noodles — Lee O’Neill (Radical Roots Farm)
  • Grandpa’s Favorite — Ben Jordan (formerly, Michael Shaps Wineworks)
  • Grandma’s Favorite — Frank Paris (formerly, Miso Sweet)
  • Tom Kha Soup — Jin Bang (Mochiko)
  • Tongue, Tendon, and Trip Pho — John Meiklejohn (formerly, Yearbook Taco)
  • Stir Fried Cabbage — Nina Promisel (Greenwood Gourmet Grocery)
  • Som Tum — Brooke Ray (International Rescue Committee)

padthaibowl

 

 

04/18/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Nadjeeb Chouaf

Nadjeeb

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Nadjeeb Chouaf of Flora Artisanal Cheese, which appeared in Eater’s recent Charlottesville Heat Map.  Look for Nadjeeb at Champion Brewing Company for a cheese tasting every Saturday night from 6 pm to 9 pm (but he’s taking April 19th off).  Nadjeeb’s picks:

1)  Maiale Milanese at Tavola.  “I can’t say enough about how much I love Tavola. Andrew runs a fantastic wine list and always has something new and funky for me to try, and Loren and his crew are flawless in the kitchen. This dish is my go to. Rock Barn pork served over veggies with great acidity.”

2)  Chicken Kebob at Grand Market.  “This Afghani market across from the Greyhound station is run by Abdul Rahim and his four sons. Hands down the best kebobs in town. Make sure to ask for extra sauce, you’ll want to dip everything in it.”

3)  Peri Peri Chicken at Shebeen.  “I love spicy food and the peri peri chili from South Africa is at the perfect point of spiciness without overwhelming everything else.”

4)  Tart Berliner Weisse at Champion Brewing Company.  “Champion’s take on a cloudy sour wheat beer from Germany, the Tart is low alcohol, refreshing and the perfect warm weather beer. With rumors that they might start canning it, I see a lot being consumed this summer.”

5)  Pinot Noir at 22Brix. “The remote tasting room for Ankida Ridge winery that opened next to Bang! last fall has exposed a lot of people to wine from what is probably one of the top three wineries in the state. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay remind me of classic Burgundy wines.”