The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Ivy Inn

03/22/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Ben Thompson

On Fridays we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Ben Thompson of the pork butcher The Rock Barn.  A trained chef, Thomspon may be the only man in town whose resume includes Per Se and The French Laundry.  You can enjoy The Rock Barn’s products at top restaurants all over Charlottesville, or buy directly from The Rock Barn at area farmers’ markets.  Better yet, try a Porkshare, where each month you get a different selection of cuts, plus expert tips and recipes on what to do with them.  Thompson’s picks:

1)  The Gyro at The Ivy Inn.  “This is not always on the menu, but just pop in the back door and tell the guys to stop service and make you one.”

2)  Bellisima Pizza at Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie.  “See all previous mentions.  Everybody else already said it.”

3)  Steel Wheels ESB from The Barrel House of Blue Mountain Brewery.  “Great balance of drinkability and complexity. My ‘go to’ when it is available. Growlers or cans.”

4)  Citra Hops Kombucha from Nugget’s Raw Kombucha.  “Straightforward. Gets you right. Brings you back.

5)  The Rock Barn Bratwurst at Beer Run.  “Shameless plug. Proud to have my sausage in their hands. They do a great job.”

 

02/19/2014

Angelo Vangelopoulos: James Beard Semifinalist

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Angelo Vangelopoulos has added yet another honor to his resume: James Beard Award semifinalist.  The longtime chef-owner of the Ivy Inn, who last year was named to the Mt. Rushmore of Charlottesville chefs, is among twenty semifinalists for 2014 Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic, the James Beard Foundation announced today.  The James Beard Awards are essentially the Academy Awards of the food world, and Vangelopoulos joins elite chefs from cities like Washington D.C. and Philadelphia on this year’s list of semifinalists.

Congratulations to Vangelopoulos and Charlottesville on yet another instance of national acclaim for Charlottesville food.

12/20/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Five from 2013

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For the final Five Finds of 2013, we thought we would look back at some our favorite foods of the year.  There are too many to mention, but here are five that leap to mind.

1)  Pupusa de Queso con Loroco from El Tepeyac.  For several months in 2013, this became an addiction.  Loroco is an edible flower common in El Salvador that seems like it was created just to go with pupusas.  It has other uses, too, but its floral, truffley, flavor melds perfectly with cheese inside chef Adolfo Solorzano’s handmade pupusas.

2)  Grilled Artichokes at MAS Tapas.  One of the challenges to eating at MAS is that we are so fond of our old favorites that it can be difficult to save room for the newest creations from Tomas Rahal and Mike Ketola.  When we do branch out, we are always rewarded, but never more so than when we followed our server’s advice this year to snatch up an order of grilled artichokes.  Blistered quickly on the plancha, and drizzled with olive oil, these artichokes are the best we’ve ever had.

3) Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Oysters with Collard Greens and Stone-Ground Grits at Maya.  Chef Christian Kelly is not just one of the nicest chefs in town, he’s also among the most talented.  A highlight of the year was learning that Kelly’s personal favorite way to eat at his restaurant is to have an appetizer of fried oysters, with sides of collard greens and grits, and eat the whole concoction together.  Wow.  We might have to run over there right now.

4)  Gyros by Angelo Vangelopoulos.  Unless you spring for the extraordinary Duet of Lamb entree at The Ivy Inn, you sort of have to be in the right place at the right time to be lucky enough to enjoy gyros made by Vangelopoulos, whose father once ran a gyro place in D.C..  Who knows when or where he might turn up and whip together some of these amazing sandwiches?  Vangelopoulos makes his own gyro meat by combining ground pork, beef, and lamb and baking it in a pate mold before slicing.   He stuffs it into his own pita and tops it with his own tzatziki.  Oh my.

5) Cakes from Bodo’s.  Co-owner Scott Smith worked hard to perfect these chocolate bombs inspired by bouchons, before introducing them this year at Charlottesville’s most popular restaurant.  Made from a combination of chocolate from Valrhona, Barry Callebaut, and Van Leer, they are dense and decadent.