The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Ivy Provisions

05/25/2022

#12: Belle Cubano – Belle

The Cuban

A great chef knows to tread carefully with a classic dish. Invoking a classic’s name on a menu can create expectations that risk leaving some disappointed by even slight deviations.

Belle’s John Shanesy is a great chef. And his riff on a Cuban sandwich is outstanding. In hotspots like Miami and Tampa Bay, where the sandwich dates back more than a century, there are strong opinions about what belongs on it, or, more importantly, what does not. Traditional ingredients include roast pork, ham (sometimes salami), Swiss cheese, sliced dill pickles, and yellow mustard, pressed on Cuban bread.

Shanesy’s recipe tracks these fairly closely, but with a chef’s attention to detail, and only carefully considered deviations. For the pork, instead of the standard roast, Shanesy braises Autumn Olive Farms pork shoulder overnight, in salt, water, and the pork’s own fat, and throws in pig feet and skin as well to ramp up the swine flavor. The next day, he pulls the meat and cools it. Shanesy’s ham choice is prosciutto cotto for its ability to retain flavor and texture whether served hot or cold. The bread is his brother’s sourdough hoagie rolls made with Autumn Olive Farms cornmeal and local Deep Roots flour, which he fries on both sides in butter until crisp, and then smears on mustard and mayo. For assembly, he sears the braised pork and piles it on the bread with the prosciutto cotto, Alsatian Gruyere, and a generous handful of house-made pickle slices. Finally, there is Shanesy’s main tweak to the standard recipe: a salsa verde he makes from chopped herbs, jalapeños, fresh squeezed orange juice, apple vinegar, and oil, which adds flavor and offsets the sandwich’s richness, without upsetting its underlying appeal. The verdict? Spot-on.

#12: Belle Cubano – Belle
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Cuban Pickle Crisis at Ivy Provisions, El Cubano at Guajiros, Ace Cuban at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue

05/21/2022

#18: Ednam – The Market at Bellair

Photo by Do Me A Flavor.

The Turkey Sandwich

There is something distinctly American about our love of turkey. And, it’s not just Thanksgiving. Nowhere in the world does turkey dominate lunch boxes, sandwich boards, and refrigerator drawers the way it does here. It is the most popular deli meat in the country.

When it comes to turkey sandwiches, some purists insist on turkey that is freshly roasted. Others have come to prefer the processed turkey products more common at deli counters, supermarkets, and sandwich shops. In fact, it is this latter style of turkey meat that inspired the career of the most famous sandwich maker Charlottesville has ever produced. Mason Hereford founded the first sandwich shop to be named Best New Restaurant in the Country, Turkey and the Wolf. But long before he graced magazine covers and award lists for his New Orleans restaurant, Hereford grew up in Charlottesville, and credits his love affair with sandwiches to a place he’d go twice a week: The Market at Bellair.

Founded in 1991 by former caterers, The Market has since expanded from its Ivy gas station location to become such an institution that almost everyone has their go-to order from its menu of elaborate sandwiches, many with local names like Afton, Farmington, and Keswick. While all are delicious, the Ednam is hardest to resist. Boar’s Head maple turkey joins bacon, Havarti, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, on freshly baked bread. The kicker is the market’s own herb mayonnaise, an ingredient so habit-forming that some people go twice a week.

#18: Ednam – The Market at Bellair
(GFA)
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Gobbfather at Ivy Provisions (GFA), Turkey No Wolf at The Wich Lab, Herb Oven Roasted Turkey at Market Street Market, After the Hunt at Hunt Country Market & Deli, The Smokin’ at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Turkey Muffaletta at Mona Lisa, Fifeville at Petite MarieBette, Hot Sicilian at Dürty Nelly’s, Farmington at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Turkey Bacon Club at Revolutionary Soup, Birdwood at The Market at Bellair (GFA); Vegetarian Alternatives: Yogaville at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Sly Fox at Hunt Country Market & Deli

05/17/2022

#22: The Angry Bird – Kitchen(ette)

Photo by Do Me A Flavor.

The Chicken Sandwich
(Roasted or Grilled)

Charlottesville has not always been a great place for sandwiches. Over the last decade, though, the quality and quantity of sandwiches in Charlottesville have exploded, thanks to a cadre of chefs who have turned their passion for sandwiches into businesses.

Leading the way is a pair who love sandwiches almost as much as they love each other. After catering together for years, in 2017 Morgan Hurt and her husband Gabe Garcia Gomez decided to pursue their dream of running a sandwich shop. At Kitchen(ette), they make refined versions of classic sandwiches as well their own creations. You can’t go wrong, but one standout is their riff on a chicken sandwich. For the Angry Bird, they roast dry-rubbed chicken thighs and stack them on ciabatta with cheddar cheese, herb aioli, red onion, sliced tomato and greens. What makes it “angry” is the addition of fresh jalapeños, a nod to Gomez’s Mexico City roots, and indeed this is his favorite sandwich on the menu. A worthy choice.

#22: The Angry Bird – Kitchen(ette)
(GFA)
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches 

Others of Note: 90’s Club at Revolutionary Soup (GFA), Winner Winner at Ivy Provisions (GFA), Chicken Philly in a wrap at Beer Run, The Scott Norwood at ooey, gooey, crispy, The Grilled Clucker at Multiverse Kitchens, The Wilson at The Whiskey Jar, Fluvanna at MarieBette, El Paso at Foods of All Nations. Vegetarian Alternative: The Penny at Kitchen(ette)