The Charlottesville 29

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Mark Benusa, co-founder of Fine Creek Brewing Company, which is joining an elite group of artisans next month for Field Day at Blenheim Vineyards. April 8 from 12 – 5pm, there will be tacos by Tyler’s Meats N’ Such, wine by Blenheim, beer by Fine Creek and music by Erik “Red” Knierim. Advance tickets are just $15 and get you two tacos and a glass of wine or beer. Get yours here. Or, if you can’t make that, check out Fine Creek’s Wild + Weird Festival April 22. Benusa’s picks:

1) 80 Shilling Scottish Ale at Decipher Brewing. “The last couple of times I’ve gotten together for beers with my ‘dad’ friends, we’ve met at Decipher Brewing. The guys at Decipher are hands down brewing some of the best beers in town. The 80 Shilling Scottish Ale is incredible. The perfect combination of malty and drinkable. Decipher has plenty of great options on tap, so it’s saying something that I went back for pint #2 of this delicious brew. Especially for someone who is constantly trying new beers.”

2) Cinnamon Roll from T’s Sweetz at IX Art Park. “With such a mild winter, my family and I have been lucky to make it out to the IX Market on several Saturday mornings this season. A few weeks ago, we bought our 5-year-old twin boys a cinnamon roll from T’s Sweetz. This thing was not only colossal but delicious. The kids loved it. The best part was, it was so large, their scavenger dad got to polish off the bit they couldn’t finish.”

3) Chiles Toreados y Cebollitas at Al Carbón. “Al Carbón is one of our go-to family take out spots. It’s one of those rare finds that easily pleases the whole family. One of our favorite sides they have are the Chiles Toreados y Cebollitas. The dish consists of whole chiles and green onions grilled to be crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Salty and sweet, this dish is a palate-pleasing addition to what is always a tasty meal. Now that we’ve found out they deliver, we plan on ordering a lot more often.”

4) Burger and Beer at Mount Ida Reserve. “With a new baby at home, date nights with my wife are unfortunately few and far between. However, we’ve discovered the next best thing which has proven to be easier to achieve: the lunch date! On Valentine’s Day last month, we wanted to do something different and get out of town. We decided to head south down to Mount Ida Reserve Tasting Room & Taphouse. We each got a different burger and beer to try: classic smash for my wife and feisty bull for me, paired with a Festbier and Marzen. Both burgers and beers were phenomenal. And the views were just as good. Taking in the long view of the mountains with a satisfying burger and beer, we felt like we really got to escape, even though we still had a two-month old on our laps.”

5) Crispy Fish with Green Onion at Taste of China. “Chinese, and Szechuan specifically, is one of our favorite take out options on those occasions when we’re looking for some heat. While we do frequent Peter Chang’s, we were turned on to another great option farther north: Taste of China. Don’t let the basic name fool you, these folks have some complex and unique dishes. One we love is their Crispy Fish with Green Onion. Salty filets of crispy fried fish are tossed with chili powder and cumin and topped with cilantro.  Once you’ve tasted these perfectly fried bites, I guarantee you’ll crave them like we do.”