The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: JM Stock Provisions

03/31/2017

Five Finds on Friday: Erica Hellen & Joel Slezak

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Photo by Brianna LaRocco.

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Erica Hellen and Joel Slezak, of Free Union Grass Farm. Tomorrow marks the opening of the 2017 Charlottesville City Market, where Free Union Grass Farm is a longtime fixture and one of our favorite sources of meat, poultry, eggs, chicken liver pate, and duck fat caramels. This fall, the farm is hosting a special Outstanding in the Field feast with James Beard semifinalist chef Tarver King of The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. Details and tickets here. Hellen’s and Slezak’s picks:

1) Potter’s Craft Cider. “Any of them, all of them. In a region dominated by wine and beer, their perfectly dry libations pair with everything and work year-round. The Farmhouse Dry is such a crowd-pleaser that we went through five pony kegs at our wedding!”

2) Ham Biscuit at JM Stock Provisions. “Seriously, it’s perfect. It’s moist and flaky and lofty, and sticks to your ribs without sticking to the roof of your mouth. Add a little peppery honey and a pile of their Tasso ham and baby, buckle up. We like to buy them in twos – one for now, and one for pretty much right after that.”

3) Chicken Salad at Feast!. “You know it, we know it: Feast is the OG. They’ve been sourcing locally since before it was even a thing, and they’ve been using our chickens for their chicken salad for years now. It’s our go-to lunch on delivery day and is perfect hot or cold.”

4) Baguette at MarieBette. “It’s hard to nail something so seemingly simple, but Marie Bette has done it. Who knew bread could be so elegant? #westilllovegluten”

5) Al Fresco Lunch at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery. “It’s the perfect pit stop on the way to Seven Oaks Farm, our satellite duck operation. We grab one of the aforementioned baguettes, a stick of salami, and a soft-ripened cheese. We spread it all out at a table under the trees, eat every last crumb, and wash it down with a ginger beer so potent you can feel it up in your nose.”

02/10/2017

Five Finds on Friday: Ivar Aass

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Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Ivar Aass, owner of Spirit Lab Distilling, whose flagship whiskey received lavish praise in last week’s Five Finds. Check out the distillery here, and learn more about the single malt whiskey here. Aass’ picks:

1) Head Cheese from JM Stock Provisions. “Delicious porcine goodness. You don’t know what meat is supposed to taste like until you’ve tried something from Matt and team, but the head cheese is an especially fun find.”

2) Open-faced Chicken Fried Octopus Sando at Oakhart Social. “Chicken. Fried. Octopus. Unbelievably tasty and tender. I could eat a dozen of these in a sitting.”

3) Meat Lovers Pizza from Fabio’s. “A staple for movie night at home. After living in NYC for eighteen years, I can tell you that Fabio’s gets pizza.”

4) Fried Chicken at Brown’s. “My favorite fried chicken in town with crispy, sinful skins and juicy meat.”

5) Canelés from MarieBette. “Caramelized crusts with custardy, vanilla-rum centers. Makes me nostalgic for Paris. Fun personal challenge: tell yourself you’re just stopping by MarieBette for a baguette and see if you can leave without a box of these.”

02/03/2017

Five Finds on Friday: Patrick McClure

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Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Patrick McClure, General Manager of Tavern & Grocery, which this week won 2017’s Best New Restaurant. McClure also manages and co-owns the restaurant’s downstairs bar Lost Saint. McClure’s picks:

1) Iced Coffee from Splendora’s Gelato. “I hope PK will forgive me for hipping more people to this, but the iced coffee from her shop is absolutely the best I’ve ever had. I’m a regular to the extent that most of the folks behind the counter will start pouring mine as I’m coming through the door. A simple recipe and the cold Toddy method of brewing produce a rich but mellow brew with low bitterness and a mild nuttiness. I drink it black, and try to start every work day with one. Their gelato is pretty amazing as well.”

2) Magical Mystery Tour Pizza from Mellow Mushroom. “I know, I know, everybody loves Lampo. Me too! Luckily for me, my favorite pizzas are like apples and oranges, and I don’t have to compare them. The wonderfully spongy and heavily parmesan-dusted crust Mellow consistently delivers is my style, and the combination of pesto, mushrooms, jalapenos, spinach, feta and mozzarella cheeses is perfect. I sometimes add bacon to this vegetarian pie.”

3) Malt Whiskey from Spirit Lab Distilling. “Charlottesville’s oldest distillery is the one you probably haven’t heard of yet, and Ivar Aass is producing some great distillate. He’s patched together a solera-style barrel aging system that has produced (only) 94 bottles to date of handmade single malt that is rich in toffee and vanilla notes with a smoky backbone that I can’t wait to enjoy again.”

4) Ham Biscuit from JM Stock Provisions. “I have only had this twice. The early risers usually buy all of them before I can get to JM Stock, especially since I think pre-noon is early morning. The perfect biscuit, tender tasso ham, honey and just enough hot sauce to wake you up are worth setting my alarm for.”

5) Cocktails from my Favorite Charlottesville Bars: Oakhart Social, Tavola Cicchetti Bar, and The Alley Light. “My peers around town (and my teammates at Lost Saint) are producing cocktails on the level of the great cocktail bars in the country, and I’m excited for more people to find this out. Go see Albee or Brendan at Oakhart Social, Steve at Cicchetti, Micah at The Alley Light or Carrie and Colin here at Lost Saint, and you’ll be treated to excellent service and a bevy of delicious and balanced flavor combinations that will open your eyes to the great American history of cocktail culture.”