The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville
10/11/2013

Five Finds on Friday: James Lum III and Matt Greene

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On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today is a special Friday because it is the Grand Opening of the much-anticipated new nose-to-tail butcher, JM Stock Provisions & Supply, at 709 W. Main St.  To mark the day, we are featuring the picks of the butcher’s owners, James Lum III and Matt Greene, the Virginia natives who worked together at Brooklyn’s acclaimed butcher, The Meat Hook.  James and Matt’s picks:

1)  Cheeseburger at Riverside Lunch.  “It’s pretty much everything I want in a burger, and Riverside is everything I want in a restaurant.” – Matt

2)  Blueberry Cake Donut at Spudnuts.  “Life altering.” – James

3)  Aioli at MAS Tapas.  “It made me rethink how I make alioli.” – Matt

4)  Everything at The BBQ Exchange.  “Go hungry and order everything.” – James

5)  Pimento Cheese Fritters at Maya.  “If there’s a dish involving pimento cheese on a menu, I get it.  This one doesn’t disappoint.” – James

 

 

 

 

09/27/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Nick Crutchfield

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On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Charlottesville’s leading mixologist, Nick Crutchfield of Commonwealth Restaurant and Skybar.  Crutchfield’s picks:

1)  Corned Beef Hash at Bluegrass Grill and Bakery.  “Their corned beef hash is the stuff that a breakfast lover’s dreams are made of.  Hands down the best I’ve ever had.  Ever.  Then, we head home, go into a food coma, wake up, and head to Champion for some pints.”

2)  Chef’s Counter at Clifton Inn.  “My favorite date night place for my wife and I to head to is the Clifton Inn. I love the whole place, but when we go, I prefer to sit at the Chef’s Counter in the kitchen and go through the tasting menu. This is by far my favorite restaurant that I have ever had the joy of dining in.”

3)  Pan con Miel at MAS Tapas.  “Mas is where you can find me on a late and quiet night.  The sherry menu, pan con miel, carne asada, and seared tuna are my go to items.  But, I love anything that Tomas and his staff pull together.”

4)  Ol Dirty Biscuit at Ace Biscuit and BBQ.  “For lunch I usually try to eat at home due to the amazing abundance of produce we have in the area, but if I go out it’s to Ace Biscuit and BBQ. Holy smokes! (See what I did there?) It is impossible to go wrong with ANYTHING on their menu!”

5)  Egg Salad Sandwich from Greenwood Gourmet with Sparkling Wine at Afton Mountain Vineyards.  “It’s not fair that I have to narrow this to five. Alas, it is the Five Finds though. Number Five would have to be a nice day out in the country, stopping by Greenwood Grocery and picking up some quality sammies and heading to Afton Mountain Vineyards to sit on the patio with great company and relax with a bottle of their sparkling wine. My favorite sparkler to this day.”

09/26/2013

Bodo’s Introduces “Cakes”

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Bodo’s Bagels rarely makes big changes.  Why mess with success when you are Charlottesville’s signature restaurant, feeding nearly 6,000 people per day?  But, that’s not to say that Bodo’s rests on its laurels.  In fact, Bodo’s is constantly improving.  It’s just that the improvements are often so subtle that they go unnoticed – tweaks to the coffee, a new ham, etc.

Today then counts as a big day for Bodo’s, and therefore for Charlottesville food.  Bodo’s has introduced its first ever baked dessert, a riff on bouchons called simply Cakes. “We wanted to develop something very small and unique to our market,” said Bodo’s co-owner Scott Smith, “to satisfy the dessert urge without crowding out the meal.”

In the past, experienced bakers told Bodo’s owners that it can’t be done.  “You can’t bake a cake at the 500 degree temperature that bagels require,” they said.  But, after lots of tinkering and persistence, Bodo’s did it.  And, they didn’t cut any corners, finding just the right balance of ingredients from Valrhona, Barry Callebaut, and Van Leer.  A steal at just $1.25, Cakes are an inexpensive little piece of decadence, destined to be a sensation. (Preston Ave. location only for now.)