The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville
02/05/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Josh Skinner

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Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Josh Skinner, Lead Brewer of Champion Brewing Company.  Today is a big day at the brewery, with the 2016 release of the coveted Fruitbasket Double IPA, a limited release which some have called the best beer made in Virginia.  Skinner and crew use extravagant amounts of Mosaic hops, and add grapefruit juice, orange juice, and citrus zest.  Previously just available on draft and in large bottles, this year Fruitbasket will be available in cans, starting today at 1 pm at the brewery.  Skinner’s picks:

1)  Abruzzo Pizza at Lampo.  “While I love a classic Margherita pizza, this to me is the ultimate pie.  The addition of pork meatballs take a classic pizza to an entirely new level of satisfaction.  Just fold it up ‘wallet style,’ grab a pilsner, and enjoy.”

2) Mosaic Hop Cider from Potter’s Craft Cider.  “I’m a huge fan of what Potters is doing, be it the wild fermentation ciders they have recently released or their line of hopped ciders. The combo of refreshingly dry cider with a huge, pungent nose of Mosaic hops makes for an extremely dangerous combo.  This could easily be my official non-beer drink of the summer.”

3)  GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Ramen with Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Pickled Vegetables at Miso Sweet.  “This, for me, is comfort food at its best.  Some people like mac’n’cheese, but give me a spicy bowl of noodles in pork broth loaded with kimchi and let me shamelessly slurp away.  The addition of crispy Brussels sprouts and pickled veg lend both interesting flavor and texture contrasts to the mounds of pork belly and shredded pork hiding in the piping hot broth.  It goes perfectly with an IPA.”

4)  Torta Ahogada at La Michoacana.  “Before I was a brewer, I was an archaeologist and spent some time excavating in Mexico.  During that time I fell in love with the regional cuisine and am always in search of dishes that take me back to the wind-battered coasts and solitary deserts of Central Baja.  This dish does just that.  This simple, unpretentious sandwich drenched in chili pepper broth is about as authentic as you can get.”

5)  Everything from Côte-Rôtie. “I really can’t say enough about the work that Pete and Merrill are doing.  With a constantly rotating menu ranging from fresh takes on French classics to Japanese yakitori inspired dishes, they crank out what is hands down some of the best food in town.  And all out of a food truck!  The crispy pig’s ear snack may be the ultimate bar food and they’re doing God’s work when it comes to lamb and duck dishes.  They come to the Champion tap room every Sunday and I refuse to miss them.”

Fruit

01/29/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Mark Otis

Otis

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Mark Otis, personal chef and self-described “enthusiast of eating and drinking,” who is part of a stellar line-up of chefs at the upcoming dinner to raise money for the National MS Society, which now has a venue.  Next Saturday, February 6, at Early Mountain Vineyards, Otis will join Tucker Yoder of Eljogaha, Christian Kelly of Maya, and Bryan Kelly of Harvest Moon Catering to prepare six courses paired with wines. Among the excellent local purveyors to be featured are Harvest Thyme Herbs, The Rock Barn, The Local Food Hub, Seafood @ West Main, a.m. Fog Mushroom Farm, Gabriele Rausse, Blenheim Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, and more.  $100 per person, with proceeds to fight multiple sclerosis.  Details here. Email msbenefitdinner2016@gmail.com for tickets.

1) Fried Oysters at Duners.  “Located in Ivy, it is an institution and nobody does that many covers that well. I’m a sucker for a perfectly fried oyster and a cold beer.”

2) Pupusa at Cactus. “Behind the Sunoco station on 5th street, Cactus makes a pupusa that will solve anything life has to offer. Of course, Brazos crushes tacos with force–as we all know!”

3) 2015 Pinot Grigio from Gabriele Rausse.  “First off,  if you can find it you win.  And, the 2015 Pinot Grigio is my favorite Virginia wine right now.  It is due out Valentine’s Day and will make you very proud of Virginia wine.”

4) Ravioli at The Ivy Inn.  “Kills it. It gets better every time I go, and Angelo pretends like he doesn’t know it. Everything. Leave room for dessert.”

5) Ham and Brie Sandwich at Bashir’s Taverna.  “Bashir and Kathy do everything well, but the ham and brie is burned into my mind forever. Bashir is just my hero. I think he has secret powers.”

01/28/2016

Introducing Tavern & Grocery

Tavern

At 5 pm today,  Tavern & Grocery will open its doors in the former home of West Main Restaurant.  It is the latest project of restaurateur Andy McClure, who also owns Citizen Burger Bar, The Biltmore, and The Virginian.  At Tavern & Grocery, McClure says to expect “classic tavern dishes” in a comfortable setting – the type of food you’d want “when you return home from a long trip.”

A sneak peek at the menu reveals familiar favorites, gussied up, like a crispy chicken sandwich with Swiss, bacon, and sriracha mayo, and a “steak and fromage” sandwich, with cold smoked grass-fed rib-eye, sliced thin to order, creamy brie, caramelized red onion, on crusty bread.  But, there’s more adventurous stuff too, like veal sweetbreads with dill sauce, and a banh mi sandwich, with smoked pork belly and house pork pate, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, jalapeno, and miso mayo.  As for the “grocery,” a section of the menu called “The Store” offers house-made items to-go like cured ham and smoked sausage.

Running the kitchen is David Morgan, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who has been sous chef to Tucker Yoder at Clifton Inn and Ian Boden at Staunton Grocery, and also worked for Reed Anderson at Blue Light Grill during what he calls its “glory days.”  The dish that Morgan lights up about is “Squid and Eggs.” Baby squid, braised in red wine and smoked pork stock, is topped with a 62 degree egg.  “When broke and stirred in,” says Morgan,  “it becomes something magical. Perfect to mop up with a hand-torn chunk of bread.”

Downstairs is a bar called Lost Saint, a promising addition to our cocktail scene, which McClure describes as a “modern cocktail lab in a historic setting.”  Managing and co-owning Lost Saint is McClure’s brother Patrick, a Certified Cicerone who has worked at and even managed some great Washington D.C. bars like Birch & Barley, Eat the Rich, and Barrel. Patrick plans “modern classics” using house-made tinctures, bitters, shrubs, and infusions. “Our guests can expect a classic cocktail customized to their preferences or a new flavor combination from our house cocktail menu,” says Patrick.  For food, there will even be some Lost Saint-only items from the Tavern & Grocery kitchen.

Lost Saint