The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?

Category: The 29

04/08/2024

Taste of China

612 Albemarle Square . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 975-6688

Before leaving Charlottesville, nomadic Szechuan chef Peter Chang left his mark on not one but two restaurants. One bears his name, and the other brought him to Charlottesville in the first place: Taste of China. Long after his departure from Taste of China in 2010, the restaurant continues to execute faithful renditions of traditional Szechuan dishes, sustaining its place as an industry favorite.

What to Order

If it’s Chinese-American fare you seek, you may be better off elsewhere. Taste of China’s main attractions are the traditional Szechuan dishes that make it so popular among area chefs. The best way to enjoy it is with a large group, and let the restaurant decide. With advance notice, the restaurant will prepare a Szechuan-style feast. For specific dishes, below are our picks, as well as appearances in Five Finds on Friday, where a local chef or personality has named a Taste of China dish as one of the best in town.

Our Picks

  • Fish with Cilantro Rolls
  • Dried Fried Eggplant Szechuan Style
  • Scallion and Chili in Hot Pot
  • Ma Po Bean Curd
  • Crispy Fish with Green Onion
  • Braised Fish Filled with Spicy Pepper
  • Hand Torn Cabbage
  • Specials

Five Finds on Friday Picks

 

 

04/08/2024

Mockingbird

421 Monticello Road . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 465-6131
https://www.mockingbird-cville.com/

The career of chef Melissa Close-Har has pulled her in many directions: from New American cuisine, to French, to Southwestern, to Italian. And, it has been full of accolades, too. The former chef of Palladio at Barboursville Vineyards is on the Mount Rushmore of Charlottesville Chefs, and earned four James Beard semifinalist nods for Best Chef Midatlantic. But, in 2022, after decades in the industry, she finally opened a restaurant that serves the food she was put on earth to cook.

An Alabama native, Close-Hart’s lifetime passion is Southern cuisine. At Mockingbird, she applies her classical culinary training to the food she loves most.  The results are every bit as delicious as you might expect. And, the Belmont setting could hardly suit them any better: a historic brick building, brightened and beautified by Close-Hart and her team. A fixture for refined Southern food, Mockingbird carves a spot in The Charlottesville 29.

What to Order

The menu changes seasonally, so don’t fall too in love with any of the options. One mainstay, however, is a basket of Close-Hart’s fluffy buttermilk biscuits. No visit to Mockingbird is complete without them. Below are our picks and recommendations from Chef Close-Hart.

Our Picks

  • Biscuit Basket
  • Fried Green Tomatoes
  • Open Face Crawfish Po’Boy
  • Fried Okra
  • Alabama White BBQ Chicken

Chef’s Picks

  • Biscuit Basket
  • Fried Green Tomatoes
  • Double H Farms Pork Belly
  • Shrimp & Grits
  • Bison Hanger Steak
  • Banana Pudding
  • Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie
  • Daily Specials

04/21/2023

Marigold

701 Club Drive . Keswick, VA . (434) 284-4200
https://www.marigoldjg.com/

Even before Marigold, Keswick Hall was transporting. Cross the border from Charlottesville to the Keswick resort, and it’s as though you are on the other side of the world. The vistas. The setting. The infinity pool.

But, when one of the world’s most famous chefs opened a restaurant there in 2021, the transporting effect reached another level. Marigold is stunning. There is nothing like it in Charlottesville, and few places like it in the world. A chef so well renowned he goes by his first name, Jean-Georges has restaurants in New York, Miami Beach, London, Paris, Tokyo, and glitzy beach resorts. And now, Keswick, Virginia. Once inside Marigold, though, it may feel more like one of those other destinations than a tiny rural town where the sole post office closes for lunch each day.

For the food, Jean-Georges opts for faithful renditions of crowd-pleasing dishes he has developed over the years for his many restaurants. His timeless east-meets-west signature, Warm Shrimp and Tender Green Salad, for example, was one of the first dishes Jean-Georges created after arriving in the United States, and is still popular at his restaurants decades later. Also always on the menu is his famous molten chocolate cake.

Sustaining quality is not easy when building an empire of restaurants around the world. With more than forty locations, “Jean Georges” is now a full-blown corporation, with executives, design teams, and rigorous training programs, all working to ensure that each restaurant meets his standards. At Marigold, from the moment you enter until the warm madeleines nestled in cloth napkins that close the meal, the polish of the experience bears the chef’s unmistakable stamp.

What to Order

The breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus change seasonally, so don’t get too wedded to a dish. Some are constants, though, like pizzas and the “Simply Prepared” section, which offers just that, simply prepared meats, chicken, and fish, with a side of shishito peppers, and a choice of sauce. One tip: ask for butter. While the complimentary bread and olive oil are excellent, the butter available on request is imported from France, delicious, and served beautifully at room temperature. Below are our suggestions and those of Marigolds’ kitchen.

Our Picks

  • Dealer’s Choice Cocktail
  • Octopus
  • Warm Shrimp and Tender Green Salad
  • Wild Mushroom Pizza
  • Warm Chocolate Cake

Chef’s Picks

  • Crispy Sushi
  • Crunchy Maitake Mushrooms
  • Black Truffle Pizza
  • Striped Bass
  • Roasted Duck Breast