The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?
02/28/2020

Five Finds on Friday: Maureen Scott

Maureen

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Maureen Scott, Chocolatier and Lead Baker at Gearharts Fine Chocolates, which has a new creation called Hot Honeycomb — puffed candy of local honey with a subtle bee “sting” of chili pepper, dipped in dark chocolate. Scott’s picks, two of which, she notes, share the “sweet heat” of Hot Honeycomb:

1) Stollen at Albemarle Baking Company. “When I read Gerry Newman’s beautiful story about the way he perfected his stollen over the years, I knew I had to run up to Albemarle Baking Company the next morning. I became addicted. I wait patiently every year to hear it’s arrival in the bakery.”

2) Cville Ham Biscuit at JM Stock Provisions. “The most buttery biscuit I’ve ever had. Tasso ham. Hot sauce. Honey. So simple. So perfect.”

3) Chicken and Waffles at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue. “When my sister and brother-in-law were visiting from up north, I wanted to show them a true southern breakfast. Buttermilk fried chicken, fluffy waffles, maple syrup and hot sauce. Add a rib biscuit, grits and sweet tea. Best way to start the day.”

4) Duck confit, celery root purée, apple gastrique at Holmes Dinner Club. “I talked about this dish for weeks to anyone who would listen. So tender and delicious. Just incredible.”

5) Truffle Chèvre at Caromont Farm. “I love this with beef tenderloin and asparagus, and also with just a spoon like a bowl of ice cream. It’s that good.” 

02/28/2020

Comal is now Conmole: There’s an Exciting Reason for Comal’s New Name

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Don’t worry, assure owners Benos Bustamante and Francois Abadie. Aside from the name, nothing is changing about the restaurant they opened in September.

Then why is Comal now Conmole?

The answer lies in a project set to launch later this year: retail sales of the restaurant’s mole sauces. Based on old family recipes from Oaxaca, those moles have already developed a following in the few months the restaurant has been open. Even chefs swoon. When asked to name the best thing they ate in all of 2019, two chefs – Loren Mendosa (Lampo, Prime 109) and Jose de Brito (Fleurie, Petit Pois) – named a mole from Conmole.

Given the reception the moles have received, the restaurant is now working on plans to package and sell them, which it hopes to do by the end of the year. Not takeout restaurant orders, but retail sales of the sauces themselves. In anticipation, the owners have renamed the restaurant. For Bustamante, the sentimentality of the word “Comal” made the change difficult. A comal is a tortilla griddle, and the image of his grandmother’s is a treasured childhood memory. But, the change was necessary, Bustamante says. With retail sales on the horizon, the new moniker will avoid potential trademark issues with other businesses named Comal, while also providing an appealing brand name to sell moles.

Meanwhile, the restaurant remains same as it ever was. See for yourself on Facebook and Instagram.

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