The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Brookville

08/28/2015

Five Finds on Friday: Mitch Willey

Mitch

On Fridays, we feature five food finds from local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Mitch Willey, owner of Clifton Inn, home to one of Charlottesville’s most influential restaurants, and recent winner of yet another award as C-VILLE’s best hotel or inn.  Clifton has just introduced a brand new a la carte menu, a first for the longtime prix fixe restaurant, which Willey says now “enables guests to stop by for just soup and salad or pasta and dessert, paired with the perfect glass of wine.” Clifton is also fast-approaching a milestone and big celebration. On October 22, the inn will host a 30th anniversary, poolside dinner dance “to honor the many gifted artists who started their culinary careers at Clifton,” says Willey.  Also, that night, Willey says, Clifton “will share some very exciting news. Stay tuned!” Willey’s picks:

1) Corn Cakes at Tip Top.  “I love to start the day being greeted by the delightfully friendly and efficient wait staff at Tip Top on Pantops. I settle into a window booth with my three morning papers (where the natural light is plentiful and I catch a nice view of the Blue Ridge) and order the corn cakes with a side of bacon. Decadent but splendidly so.”

2)  Pimento Cheese Fritters at Maya.  “One of our early chefs at Clifton, Christian Kelly (who the staff quickly designated as our resident George Clooney), has created a cult following at Maya and I am one of those cult members! I especially love to start a delicious dinner with Christian’s pimento fritters — light and cheesy, and the pepper jelly is divine. A perfect start to a terrific meal.”

3)  Pulled Pork at The BBQ Exchange.  “Craig’s pulled pork, with his creative array of sauces, is the way that I reward myself if I have really been working out because the indulgence is so amazing that I can only justify it if I have earned it!”

4)  Grilled Pork Chop with Grilled Peach Salad at Brookville.  “Harrison has so many delightful interpretations of pork that I find myself trying something new each time. In fact, my daughter’s rehearsal dinner was hosted there last Labor Day primarily because of this!”

5) Pear Ravioli at C&O.  “I can’t go very long without a generous helping of Dean Maupin’s pear ravioli at C&O — a dish he featured at my other daughter’s wedding when he was the chef at Clifton. It is so subtle in its flavor and somehow seems almost healthy as the fruit is front and center. As always, Dean gets the sauce just right and while often it is a starter, on occasion I have requested it as a main course since I just can’t get enough.”

10/03/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Hillary Lewis

On Fridays, we feature five foods finds selected by locals chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Hillary Lewis, founder of Lumi Juice, the Charlottesville-based cold-pressed juice company that in just eleven months has already established a national footprint.  Yet, Lewis stays true to her local roots, with juice names like Wahoo Orange and Belmont Beet, which the bottle says will surprise and charm you “just like the Charlottesville neighborhood that shares its name.”  Lewis’ picks:

1)  Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies at Brookville.  “This is hands down THE BEST dessert I’ve found in the city. Actually, everything Brookville does is amazing, from bacon popcorn to bacon waffles (you can tell they dominate when it comes to bacon). You can’t go wrong eating at this establishment on the downtown mall.”

2)  Sushi at Now & Zen. “When I walk into this sushi restaurant, I instantly get a smile on my face. The staff is personable and the specials are always dynamic and flavorful. Whenever pomegranates are in season they use them, and combined with fish its a wonderful way to get not only your omega-3s, but also, antioxidants!”

3)  Blanchard’s Coffee at La Taza.  “Living in Belmont makes grabbing any meal at La Taza a seamless endeavor, and now they have Blanchard’s coffee from Richmond. Many of their blends are organic and all are full of flavor. Making your way to La Taza is definitely worth the drive!”

4)  Late Night Menu at C&O.  “I typically don’t get out of work at a reasonable ‘dinner time’ hour, and I’m always hungry! From cocktails to food, there is something for everyone on this menu. I love the charcuterie plate with their in-house brown mustard. It is happiness in a bite.”

5)  Beer and Ambiance at Champion Brewing Company.  “Every week I feel like Champion has a new beer that pushes the envelope with ingredients like cayenne or lavender. The atmosphere rocks – you can watch a sports game or the news, or hang outside for a game of corn hole with a cold beer. Not to mention, there’s always a delicious food truck.”

07/31/2014

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.