The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?
06/21/2019

Milan Auction

Milan

Here is your chance to experience Milan like you never have before, while helping to feed the area’s hungry: The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions. Along with all of the other restaurants in The Charlottesville 29, Milan has created a once-in-a-lifetime experience for whoever pledges the highest donation to The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of Milan and Market Street Wine, the entire winning bid goes directly to the food bank. And, thanks to the efficiency of the food bank, each dollar donated creates four meals for the area’s hungry.

The Milan signature experience for The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions:

Traditional Indian Feast for 50 

A traditional way to enjoy Indian cuisine is in a massive feast with friends and family. The winner of the the Milan auction will enjoy a feast for up to fifty guests in their own home, with an array of four different appetizers, four entrees, rice, breads, dessert, and mango lassis. The winner may select their own dishes, or leave it to Milan to create the feast, including some favorite, traditional off-menu dishes chosen by owner Charanjeet Ghotra and his family.

To accompany the feast, Charlottesville’s beloved wine shop Market Street Wine will provide a generous selection of wine. Market Street Wine will receive a copy of the menu in advance of the feast, and will select wines that pair best with the food. Pairing wine with Indian food can make for exciting and intriguing combinations, and the team at Market Street Wine is more than up to the task.

It’s the ultimate Milan dining experience: a traditional Indian feast for 50.

Note: The winning bidder will schedule their experience at a time that is mutually convenient for Milan, prior to March 31, 2020.

Bidding

Bidding for Milan’s experience has ended. It was won by Blenheim Vineyards for  $2700.

06/21/2019

Five Finds on Friday: Millie Winstead

millie

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Millie Winstead, Director of Development for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, the beneficiary of The 2019 Charlottesville Restaurant Auctions. In the auctions, now underway, the restaurants of The Charlottesville 29 have each created a once-in-a-lifetime experience for whoever pledges the largest donation to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. And, the food bank in turn takes each dollar and creates four meals for the area’s hungry. Winstead’s picks:

1) Atun a La Parilla at MAS. “I would go to MAS any and every day. The menu changes all the time and everything they make is so good. But, one thing that I always include in my tapas choices is the tuna. It is perfectly cooked (rare) and is seasoned with just the right amount of grey sea salt.”

2) Fruit Focaccia at Albemarle Baking Company. “Another place I would visit every day, in my perfect world, is ABC. Our family’s Saturday morning would not be complete without a stop at Gerry’s. After a stroll through our city’s wonderful farmer’s market, we always visit ABC to get my fruit focaccia, a variety of pastries for the rest of the family, and a baguette for a future weekend meal.”

3) Watermelon Salad with Crab at Little Star. “This is a new find and I can’t wait to go back and have more. The flavors were unexpected – who would think to put those two things together? I’m so glad they did because the sweet and savory combination was perfect.”

4) Dealer’s Choice at Lost Saint. “This place feels special, kind of like you have to be from here to know it even exists. Tucked away within Tavern & Grocery, it is a perfect get-away with a friend or date. And, the bartenders know their business. Let them guide you and teach you, and sit back and enjoy.”

5) Weekly Soup from l’etoile Catering. “I miss having Mark at a physical location I can go whenever I want, but this is the next best thing (unless you want to invite me to a party you have him cater!). Working for the food bank, I travel throughout central and western Virginia. When I find myself passing through Crozet, I stop to see what Mark has put in his cooler on his porch, a.k.a. what will be my family’s dinner that night. I know it will be delicious.”

soup