The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville
01/16/2014

Christian Kelly’s Tribute to Richard Bean

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Richard Bean

Christian Kelly, of Maya, is among the many chefs who have created a tribute dish to honor Double H Farm’s Richard Bean, the local food giant who passed away late last year. Kelly’s dish is Crispy Cured Double H Farm Pork Belly, with a Double H Farm egg, pinto beans, and conrbread.  A complete list of the chefs and their dishes is here.  Kelly’s words: 

“Old school comfort for this time of year.  Fitting in my mind for the tribute to a man who touched so many people with his amazing pork products,eggs and vegetables. Richard reminded me a lot of my step father who raised me on his dairy farm from the time I was 6. They both had this unwavering, stubborn commitment to hard, no-glove, callous-building work. Every day, don’t ever let up. I love that about my dad and immediately saw that in Bean from the high quality of his products and how passionately he spoke of his ideals.

He was a man’s man too. Loved to give shit and bust balls. He loved getting it back equally. I know first hand as he IS a diehard Redsox fan and I’m a diehard Yankees fan. We would go round for round exchanging blows about who was the better team. Laughing as we spit barbs at one another, I always knew we both relished those times. When he would call me on Tuesdays to get my order, we would talk sports, family, the food fight, and how the hell do we make money at this? He was everything, an advisor, a dad, a Sherpa, a farmer, a leader of a revolution, a husband and most importantly to me,a really good friend.

Once at one of Maya’s local food and wine nights, I was standing in front of all the dinner guests preaching to the choir about the importance of local food. When I got to the part about getting to know the farmers and getting to build relationships with people who produce the food, I said the most important thing in my life is my relationships with people. Richard stood up and started clapping. He felt the same way. Relationships make us who we are. It tells the world what we value and who is important to us. He always drove that home for me. Knowing Richard the way I did was really an honor. He made me look good. Like, I have some really great friends mom, look I can make good decisions.

To say that Richard Bean was one of a kind is an understatement. He was one of the most unique individuals I will ever know. He will be missed without question. But in a way, he will always be here. Living in all of us who he touched. We pass along his beliefs, his work ethic, his generous nature to the next group and so on. To me, that’s heaven and reincarnation.  I love that guy.”
-Christian Kelly, chef/owner of Maya

01/10/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Richard Ridge

On Fridays, we feature five foods selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Richard Ridge, chef of Restoration, at Old Trail Golf Club in Crozet.   Ridge’s picks:

1) Country Ham and Apple Chutney Sandwich at Greenwood Gourmet. “It’s been on the specials board for as long as I can remember and I hope David and Nina never take it off. This sandwich is perfect. Fresh bread from Goodwin Creek Farm & Bakery and a balance of salt and sweetness from the country ham and chutney.”

2) Smoked Jalapeño Meatloaf Sandwich at SouthFork Food Truck.  “Phil has a great selection of comfort food that is uniquely him. It’s based in Southern food but he draws from so many other influences.  Whenever I see his truck I stop and buy this sandwich. The tartness of the green tomato salsa and the perfect toast on his sourdough bread make this a sandwich that you pick up once and don’t put down until its gone.”

3)  Bellissima Pizza at Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie.  “A heaping pile of arugula dressed in a lemon vinaigrette on top of a country ham and fresh mozzarella pie. I love the feeling of the place and the staff too.”

4)  Profiteroles at Petit Pois.  “House made vanilla ice cream fills up cream puff pastries and is topped by warm ganache. Every element is done so well and they come together perfectly.”

5)  El Te Caldo de Res Con Arroz at El Tepeyac.  “This soup is a full meal with short rib, yucca, and potatoes with rice, onions, and cilantro served on the side. It’s warm and comforting, just like the owners and staff. This place used to be a counter in the back of a general store. Now they’ve built it out into a full restaurant. A lot of times when places expand something gets lost in translation. They’ve avoided that pitfall completely and I love having this restaurant as an option in Charlottesville.”

01/08/2014

Parallel 38: First Impressions

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Photo by Meredith Coe.

2014 kicked off with a bang in Charlottesville with the opening of Parallel 38, the dazzling new restaurant in Stonefield, which opened New Years Day.  Background here.

Few Charlottesville restaurants have a room with as much energy as Parallel 38’s sleek, loud, sprawling space. Co-owner Justin Ross, who once managed Jose Andres’ Zaytinya in Washington D.C., has lured chef Alfredo Malinis to head the kitchen, whom he met while working together at Level, in Annapolis, MD.  As Level’s Executive Chef, Malinis improbably helped the restaurant earn a spot on the prestigious Washingtonian 100 less than a year after it opened.  Ross describes Malinis as the type of chef who, as soon as you meet him, you know he is something special.

If our first dinner at Parallel 38 is any indication, Ross may be right.  The opening menu (here!) features mezze, small plates drawing on the cuisines of Mediterranean countries like Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.   Food intended for sharing and our dinner guests’ conservative palates conspired to prevent us from trying the lamb tartare with red onion, maldon, and lime ($9) or the veal sweetbreads with fennel and butternut squash ($12).  But, we did manage to finagle excellent goat meatballs, in a sauce of tomato and oregano ($8), as well as a plate of three cubes of pork belly with cipolini and roasted garlic ($10) that rivaled any pork belly dish in town.  As good as those were, they may have been outdone by the lightly grilled kalamari alongside a salad boldly flavored with warm,briny capers, fennel,  lemon juice, and fresh herbs ($10).  Another table favorite was labneh ($6), a spread of strained yogurt, olive oil, and zatar that was far more flavorful and addictive than its milky appearance might suggest.    We ended up slathering it on everything in sight.  It didn’t hurt that the enthusiastic servers kept replenishing the plates of pleasantly charred flat bread, “fired” to order.

p38 array

Photo by Meredith Coe.

Of course, struggles with ABC mean we may be burying the lede here.  While ABC licensing delays left only a few wines available, at full strength the restaurant will be wine-focused, with a menu of 100+ wines, all available by the glass, thanks to a technology that allows wine to be removed from a bottle without compromising the remaining wine.  Ross has spent much of his career in wine, and has also shaken his share of cocktails in his day.  We enjoyed a “Greek Sidecar,” a clever riff using the Greek spirit Metaxa in the place of cognac.  And, we can’t wait to explore the wine.

We’ll be back soon.