The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Beer Run

10/25/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Diane Flynt

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On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs or personalities.  In anticipation of the upcoming Cider Week, today’s picks come from Diane Flynt of Foggy Ridge Cider.  On Monday, October 28 at Clifton Inn is a four-course dinner paired with various Foggy Ridge ciders.  Details here.  Flynt’s picks:

1)  Apples from Vintage Virginia Apples.  “Apples of course!  Vintage Virginia offers many heirloom varieties, packed full of interesting flavor, with much more to offer than ‘sweet’ and ‘tart.’  Grimes Golden is my favorite sweet apple to mix in a pie, and the famous Albemarle Pippin, a spicy apple, tastes even better a few weeks off the tree.”

2)  Bloomsbury cheese from Caromont.  “Gail Hobbs-Page has won lots of acclaim, and for good reason. Her Bloomsbury cheese, made with milk from Silky Cow Farm is fantastic with a slice of tart apple.  Sara, the genius cheesemonger at Feast!, says this cheese is more complex than Brie, with soft texture and mushroom notes.  Agreed.”

3)  Doughnuts at Brookville Restaurant.  “Harrison Keevil fries a mean doughnut.  The Wine Spectator recently wrote about his little sugary gems.  While still warm, Harrison pipes in a dollop of apple butter, the seasoning of the season. You can’t eat just one.”

4)  Candied Apple Cocktail at The Whiskey Jar.  “For drinks, I often head to The Whiskey Jar and this time of year enjoy a Candied Apple Cocktail.  Made with Bowman Brothers Whiskey, caramel brown sugar simple syrup, lots of lemon to balance things out, Foggy Ridge First Fruit Cider, and a cinnamon apple slice to top, this drink shouts ‘autumn.'”

5)  Autumn Omelet at Beer Run.  “For an apple grower, brunch is a rare treat. But when possible I head to Beer Run for their Autumn Omelet (El Otono) with roasted butternut squash, Yukon gold potatoes, Vermont goat cheese and, of course, apples . . . and just savor being warm, dry, and off the tractor.”

04/09/2013

Two for Tuesday: Moto Pho Co. and Beer Run

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1)  Banh Mi at Moto Pho Co.  Moto Pho Co. is not our typical experience with banh mi sandwiches, which we are accustomed to eating in more downscale digs.  We have enjoyed extraordinary banh mi sandwiches at bare bones bakeries, foul-smelling Asian grocery marts, and holes-in-the-wall that were filthier than our college dorm room.  While these Vietnamese sandwiches can take many forms, they are almost always served on crusty baguettes, and filled with some sort of meat, such as pork liver pate, head cheese, pork meatballs, or pork belly.  Garnishes often include cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, chilis, chili sauce, and mayonaisse.  Like Banh Mi Boys in Toronto or The Box here in Charlottesville, Moto Pho Co. takes these humble sandwiches to slightly snazzier digs – a sleek, airy dining room and a welcoming patio on West Main Street.   Despite the upgrade in surroundings, the sandwiches themselves stay true to form, with just the burst of flavors that makes banh mi sandwiches one of our most irresistible cravings.   We’ll be back again and again.

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2)  A.M. Biscuit at Beer Run.  For years, one of our favorite parts of Sunday has been Conchi’s Biscuit Basket at Beer Run’s brunch, which contains three biscuits that are so light that they seem to defy physics.  The biscuits are worth waiting all week for.  Now, we don’t have to wait anymore.  Beer Run has recently made the biscuits part of the daily breakfast menu.  The A.M. Biscuit ($3.75) includes a freshly baked cheddar-scallion biscuit with egg and a choice of cheese.   A delicious and hearty start to the day, particularly when you’re not sure if you’ll have time for lunch.

02/15/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Hunter Smith

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On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Hunter Smith, owner and brewer at Champion Brewing Company, the newest brewery on the Charlottesville scene.  This Sunday, from 1-4 p.m., Champion is hosting an oyster and stout event, featuring freshly shucked oysters from Rappahannock River Oysters paired with Champion’s new oyster stout, made from those same oysters.  If you’ve never had oysters and stout together, Sunday’s event is a great chance to try this classic pairing.  Also, on March 14 at 6 p.m., Smith will be appearing at The Artisan Series, Blenheim Vineyards’ series of  lectures and demonstrations featuring experts in the art and science of fermentation.  Smith’s picks:

1)  Tres Colores Fish and Chips at Beer Run.  “I don’t know what it is, but this fresh twist on a pub favorite really nails it for me.  Moderate spicy heat, and really fresh pico on top of crunchy catfish is perfect with an IPA for me.”

2)  Carne Asada at Mas.  “I could order at Mas by using the menu as a dartboard and always be happy, but I particularly love the melt-in-your-mouth eyelid-squeeze-inducing carne asada.  A showcase of amazing beef that seems to just barely touch the grill.  Carnivore indulgence.”

3.  Baltimore-Style Pit Beef Sandwich at Ace Biscuit & BBQ.  “Brian catered our soft opening party and it was love at first bite. (Forgive the cliché.)  Everything I’ve had there is fantastic . . . . We rarely have time to do lunch outside of the brewery because of hectic brewdays, so when we can, we plop down at Ace and I love the tender, juicy Baltimore-style pit beef with a smooth kick from the horseradish sauce.  Can’t skip the side of fried green tomatoes.  Always motivated to work out after a trip to fat kid heaven.”

4)  Tacos de Lengua at La Michoacana.  “We have been the fortunate offsite venue of choice for La Michoacana to set up their truck and by god is their food every bit as amazing from the truck as it is at the restaurant.  Nothing off of the list is less than great, but I love the chewy and flavorful tongue, prepared ‘Mexican’ style, with their green hot sauce.  3 of these plus a Missile IPA = so bangin’.”

5)  Duck Confit at The Clifton Inn.  “I recently attended a beer dinner at Clifton Inn, and as usual Tucker, Tyler, and Collin were swinging for the fences. The highlight for me was duck confit with roasted endive, cocoa nib nougatine, and cherry fruit leather.  Seriously?  Seriously.”