The Charlottesville 29

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

Tag: Bashir’s

The Charlottesville 29 Challenge: Free Restaurant Meals for Those in Need

Cemita

Need a meal? Have one on us. Want to give meals to others? You can do that, too. All while providing Charlottesville restaurants cash flow they need to survive. The Charlottesville 29 Challenge. Here’s how it works. And, thank you to realtor Matt Kneece for the idea.

The Charlottesville 29 has started tabs at Al Carbon and Bashir’s for anyone who could use a meal right now. Whether you’re struggling to make ends meet, are battling COVID-19 on the front lines, or just could use a meal, a free meal is yours until the tabs run out. No questions asked.

1) If you would like a meal, call Al Carbon at (434) 202-2609 or Bashir’s at (434) 923-0927 and ask for a meal on The Charlottesville 29 tab. Until The Charlottesville 29 tab is exhausted, the restaurants will provide you a free meal.

2) If you would like to donate to the The Charlottesville 29 tab, this is the easiest way to help. Just call Al Carbon at (434) 202-2609 or Bashir’s at (434) 923-097 and ask to donate to The Charlottesville 29 tab. The restaurants will replenish the tab with your donations.  

3) If you would like to start your own restaurant tab, call the restaurant of your choice, and ask if they are able to set up a tab for free meals for others. Provide your credit card information and the tab amount ($100? $200? $500?). Next: post on social media about the tab you have started and tag two friends to challenge them either: (1) to donate to an existing tab; or (2) start their own. Also, to help the challenge grow, tag The Charlottesville 29 (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and Matt Kneece (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). #TheCharlottesville29Challenge

 

Sandwich Lab, August Edition

Lab

Charlottesville is upping its sandwich game.  Sure, we’ve long had counter-service stalwarts like Feast!, Revolutionary Soup, and Bashir’s.  But, a crop of young, talented chefs seem determined to take Charlottesville sandwiches to another level.  At Brookville, chef Harrison Keevil, who calls sandwiches his desert island food, offers a lunch menu of serious sandwiches.  JM Stock Provisions makes a new sandwich every Saturday, and we often plan our day around it.

And, chef Curtis Shaver and his team at Hamiltons’ have dreamt up Sandwich Lab.  “Sandwich Lab promotes better living through better sandwiches,” says their Facebook Page.  One Wednesday each month, the chefs offer a new concoction, available for pick-up at the Hamiltons’ bar.  Utilizing the talents and resources of a high-end restaurant kitchen, their aim is “to share the kind of sandwiches that you can’t buy at the corner deli.”  “Sandwich Lab is all about taking an idea for a sandwich and thinking out of the box, “said Shaver. “It’s fun trying to marry different flavors and ideas while balancing spicy, sweet, salty, sour, and the texture of soft and crunchy as well.”

That all sounds good.  But, how do they taste?

Extraordinary.  Last month’s was duck confit with a poblano-citrus sauce, local beet relish, fresh arugula, Caromont Plank Road Round, and crispy wasabi onions on a kaiser roll, all served with truffle popcorn.  Delicious.

This month’s, available next Wednesday August 6, is a creative riff on chicken and waffles, Middle Eastern Inspired Chicken and Waffles: harissa marinated fried chicken breast, dill pickled cucumbers, brown shugga bacon, pomegranate syrup, hot pepper raita, on a falafel waffle. It sounds great, but you have to reserve yours in advance by calling (434) 295-6649. Here’s how Shaver describes it:

It all started with wanting to do a chicken and waffles sandwich, but we wanted it to be different while staying true to what chicken and waffles is, which is a waffle with fried chicken, maple syrup, and hot sauce. So we thought Middle Eastern would be a fun realm to play in.

The place we started was the waffle. Somehow we came up with falafel being the main flavoring of the waffle and it just sounds fun “Falafel-waffle!” Then we wanted to do a traditional Middle Eastern flavored chicken but fry it so I thought we’d play with the idea of a spicy fried chicken breast like a Hotlanta or Nashville’s Hot chicken sandwiches, and that’s where the harissa marinade comes in.

All great Southern fried chicken sandwiches come with pickles, in my opinion, and dill plays well with Middle Eastern cuisine. Bacon had to be a part of the equation too, so we are just gonna add a little more sweetness to some local, Double H Farm’s bacon for balance.  My Sous Chef, Hannah Moster, came up with the idea of the pomegranate syrup, again balancing the Middle East and Southern comfort.

Lastly I felt it needed some sort of savory creaminess to tie it all together. So raita came to mind. It’s a traditional Indian condiment made with yogurt, herbs, lemon juice, and for a little more of that “hot sauce” feel I added some local hot peppers.

 

Five Finds on Friday: Vincent Derquenne

Vincent

On Fridays, we feature five finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  This week’s picks come from Vincent Derquenne, chef and co-owner of Bang, Bizou, and The Space.  Be on the lookout for pop-up dinners at The Space starting this fall, with food by the dynamic duo: Derquenne and co-owner Tim Burgess.  Derquenne’s picks:

1)  Ham and Brie Sandwich with Cucumber Salad at Bashir’s.  “Get a coke and the sports section and disappear for a half hour.”

2)  Glazed Donut at Spudnut’s on Saturday morning.  “Way better than the sugar-coated that my son likes.  (He’ll grow out of it and realize his father was right all along).”

3)  Pistachio Burma with Yogurt at Aromas Cafe.  “This is it one of the best balanced desserts I know, especially after Moroccan cuisine.”

4)  Pastrami on an Everything Bagel at Bodo’s .  “I change options every time so I don’t seem boring, but always on an everything bagel.  And of course the cream cheese on a plain bagel that saved me so many times on the way to school. Or back from it! Thanks Bodo’s.

5)  An Afternoon at Veritas Vineyard and King Family Vineyards.  “You go with friends, get a glass, and enjoy the time together.  I easily forget to do it, but when I’m there I always think I should do it more often.”

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