The Charlottesville 29

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Dan Frosaker, the brand new Head Chef and Kitchen Manager of Feast!. From Oregon, Frosaker once managed the kitchen of Andy Ricker’s award-winning restaurant, Pok Pok, which GQ named one of the country’s ten best new restaurants, and also was Executive Chef of the classic Italian restaurant Mama Mia Trattoria. This is always a great time of year at Feast!, which offers an awesome assortment of gift baskets, allowing one stop shopping for your food-loving friends. In addition to the picks below, Frosaker recommends anything from Las Cavanas, the gem hidden in a Crozet gas station. Froasker’s picks:

1) Pimento Cheese Fritters at Maya. “After moving from the Northwest and never having pimento cheese or pepper jelly, this dish was a revelation. The crispy, salty fried cheese fritters topped with sweet pepper jelly and served with chive sour cream is a perfect blend of flavors and textures. Another offering at Maya that rivals the pepper jelly is the country ham gravy which goes well on anything.”

2) Mosaic Pale Ale at Random Row Brewing. “Coming from the intense beer culture of Portland, OR, I am happy to see the growth of the local beer community here in Central Virginia. Random Row is a great addition to the current offerings. Their tasting room is inviting and their Mosaic Pale Ale is very refreshing.”

3) Porchetta Panouzzo at Lampo.  “I’m not the first person to be impressed with Lampo and their excellently made pizzas and sandwiches. I have gone back for the porchetta sandwich many times. I love the bitter char on the bread and the tender pork, cheese and broccoli rabe. Recently, I had a special shaved beef sandwich that blew me away.”

4) Rotisserie Chicken at Al Carbon. “Another dish that needs no introduction is the chicken at Al Carbon. The perfectly cooked chicken is great on its own, but when you pair it with the Aji Sauce and the Jalapeno and Cilantro Sauce it is truly exceptional. A side of green rice and fried Yucca rounds out a great meal.”

5) Deli Egg on an Everything at Bodo’s Bagels. “There is nothing better than a freshly baked bagel with cream cheese in the morning, but the Deli Egg is pretty close. The chopped up end cuts from the deli meats mixed with an egg and piled on an everything bagel is a great sloppy start to the day.”