The Charlottesville 29

It’s not quite John Paul Jones Arena, but I’ll take what I can get. Beer Run’s new drinks menu, I was surprised to see, includes The Davidson, a delicious blend of IPA and pale ale. To my knowledge, this is the second food-or-drink item in Charlottesville to bear my name.

The first, I think, was Simon’s Sunday Morning Spice. Last year, a good friend of mine went through a serious Bloody Mary phase. When he came over one day to watch some hoops, I tried to create his best Bloody Mary yet. I bought Bloody Brilliant mix (of course), by Back Pocket Provisions, some lemons, and Tito’s Vodka. Then I wondered what I could do to rim the glass, and thought of Everything bagel spice. Brunch, bloodies, bagels, and Everything spice. It all seemed to make sense. So, I went to see The Spice Diva, and asked if she had an Everything bagel spice blend. She did not, but said she would be happy to assemble one. It was, well, brilliant.

Fast forward more than a year, and Simon’s Sunday Morning Spice, as it came to be known, just won a Golden Fork Award, as one of the top cravings of the year at Edacious. Yes, it’s great for rimming Bloody Mary glasses, but, it turns out, lots of other uses, too. The Spice Diva recommends it as a crust for seared tuna, Edacious suggests it on pasta, and I love it sprinkled on a halved avocado. Then, on Christmas Day, I discovered that it is also an outstanding addition to melted butter served with a steamed artichoke.

Happy New Year.