The Charlottesville 29

On Fridays, we feature five food finds from local chefs and personalities. This week’s picks come from certified cicerone Charlie Toder, Beer Curator at Kardinal Hall.  Next month, Toder will preside over Kardinal Hall’s first beer dinner, where chef Thomas Leroy will prepare a multi-course feast showcasing Autumn Olive Farms pork and cheese by Nabdjeeb Chouaf of Flora Artisanal Cheese.  Restaurant clients of Autumn Olive Farms typically buy a whole pig at a time, and many restaurant menus, like Kardinal Hall’s, feature mainstream, crowd-pleasing cuts of pork.  For the beer dinner, though, Leroy will utilize the leftover “other bits” (the best parts!).  For more details and ticket info, check back here on Monday, December 21 at 4 pm.  Tickets will go fast.  Toder’s picks:

1) Saturday Morning Randall at Beer Run.  “Randall maestro Noel Scott and I have been friends for years, and it’s always fun to see what crazy concoction he’s whipped up. A glass of Randalled beer and a couple of Beer Run breakfast tacos will cure whatever ails you on Saturday morning (especially a hangover).”

2) Slow Roasted Pork from Pearl Island at the Charlottesville City Market.  “When I’m shopping at the Charlottesville City Market I almost always grab a plate of this delicious Caribbean pork. It’s juicy, tender, well seasoned, and comes with yummy greens and plantains.”

3)  Early Sunday Dinner at The Alley Light.  “Like everyone else in Charlottesville, I’m hooked on the fantastic food and drink at The Alley Light. To avoid the crowds and wrangle experimental cocktails out of the bar staff, I go on Sundays around 5 o’clock. The bar is either empty or filled with other bartenders, which brings the wackiness out of the best drink makers in town.”

4)  Kale Slaw at Timbercreek Market. “I’m incredibly lucky to work next door to such a stupendous market and lunch spot. Every time I go for lunch I have to pick up a container of this slaw to take home.”

5)  Funghi Pizza at Lampo Neapolitan Pizzeria. “The pizza at Lampo is the best I’ve had outside of Italy. The funghi pizza is simple, with the cheese and mushrooms complementing the crust perfectly. The crust is the star of the show at Lampo, which is what defines truly world-class pizza.”