The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Ivy Inn

10/18/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Penn Webster

Penn

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Penn Webster, sous chef of The Ivy Inn Restaurant.

1)  Cheeseburger at Riverside Lunch.  “I order mine with chili, onions, mustard, and slaw. That is ‘all the way’ where I come from in North Carolina, and Riverside does it right on.  You have to order a basket of fries and onion rings to share at the table.  Plus, the nice lady writes on your cup what drink you are enjoying with your meal!”

2)  Spanakopita from Mr V’s Kitchen.  “I have been eating Mr V’s wonderful pastry for years.  I just don’t tire of it ever.  On special occasions, he makes lahanodolmades, meat-stuffed cabbage rolls. They are 100 percent awesome. Plus, he makes a mean pizza as well.”

3)  Rock Barn Bratwurst and Barefoot Bucha Cherry Root at the Lockn’ Festival.  “Odd combo for sure, but at Lockn’ it just seemed right.  It kept me going for four days of fun and working the festival.”

4)  Tacos at La Michoacana.  “It really doesn’t matter what type of tacos you order.  They all taste good, and I end up smothering them with fresh hot salsa out of the squirt bottles anyway. It is cheap and tasty.  And, remember to bring cash.”

5)  Chicharron en Salsa Verde at El Tepeyac. “Not something I would recommend eating everyday, but it is so good and spicy. I think I broke out in a sweat last time I ate it.”

09/04/2013

James Beard Local Dish: Ivy Inn’s Pork Rib Chop

Ivy Inn Pork Rib
It’s James Beard Foundation’s Local Dish.  Throughout September and October, select top restaurants across the country are creating a dish that conveys their local cuisine, and donating $1 from the sale of each dish to the educational efforts of the James Beard Foundation.  Among the participants are Charlottesville’s own Ivy Inn, where, to reflect local Virginia cuisine, chef-owner Angelo Vangelopoulos has created a Pork Rib Chop with andouille sausage, spoonbread, purple black-eye peas & lima beans, and smoked tomato-bacon jus ($27).  “Pork, corn products, and beans are all an integral part of our Virginia culinary heritage,” says Vangelopoulos, “and I can’t wait to share this with our customers.”

It is truly a Local Dish.  The pork rib chop is from Double H Farm in Wingina, with sausage from The Rock Barn in Arrington.  The spoonbread is made of cornmeal from Wade’s Mill in Raphine.  The purple black eye peas and lima beans are from Goldman Farm in Cullen.  And, the tomatoes are from Harvest Thyme Herbs in Staunton.  In Vangelopoulos’ own words:

I’m excited to feature two of our local pork producers who do an outstanding job with their products.  Pork is something we do so well here in Central Virginia that it seems a no-brainer to be the central part of this dish.  Jim and Georgia at Wade’s Mill operate an 18th-century  water-powered mill that is one of the last of its kind.  I’ve been using their cornmeal and grits for as long as I’ve been cooking at the Ivy Inn.  Goldman Farm grows a variety of beans and peas, and The Local Food Hub keeps us well supplied from them and several other farmers in the region.  Phil and Deirdre Armstrong are specialty produce/herb farmers at Harvest Thyme who grow quite simply the prettiest and best taken care for vegetables I have ever seen.  We smoked a large batch of their Brandywine tomatoes to make the jus for this dish.”

Ivy Inn Pork Rib 2

Ivy Inn Pork Rib 3

07/05/2013

Five Finds on Friday: Dylan Allwood

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On Fridays, we feature five finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Dylan Allwood, sous chef of Brookville Restaurant, which this week introduced a lunch menu, as well as mid-afternoon hours for drinks and their “Munchies” menu.  Allwood’s picks:

1)  Gambas al’ parilla at Mas.  “Everything that Tomas and his team come up with is delicious, but I have to get these giant shrimp with garlic aioli whenever I go.”

2)  Fried Chicken at Wayside.  “Wayside’s chicken is always juicy and crispy – everything that I want in fried chicken.  I love dipping it in the mashed potatoes and gravy.  I hit this spot up on my days off for lunch – a little more often than I should.”

3)  Whiskey on the patio at Miller’s.  “My cooks and I always go for a drink after the brunch shift.  It’s my favorite place to sit and relax after a stressful week in the kitchen.”

4)  Hell Sandwich at BBQ Exchange.  “I have known Chef Craig for a few years and he is always trying to get me to try his latest hot sauce experiments.  The hell sandwich is painful to eat, but I end up ordering one almost every time we make the hike to Gordonsville.”

5)  Foie Gras at Ivy Inn.  “If I see foie on a menu I have to get it.  Chef Angelo’s foie dishes are some of the best I’ve had.”