The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Junction

02/15/2016

Buy Tickets to the Junction Preview Dinner

Junction

The most anticipated opening of 2016 must be Junction, the first Charlottesville restaurant ever to open with a chef who is a four-time James Beard semi-finalist, Melissa Close-Hart.  After a few unexpected delays, the restaurant should open this summer.

But you don’t have to wait that long. On March 15, The Local is hosting a preview dinner of the Junction, with proceeds to benefit The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and The International School.  Close-Hart will compete against her husband Matthew Hart, chef of The Local, in a course-by-course showdown, paired with cocktails.  Charlottesville legend Craig Hartman will be on hand to emcee.

Given the anticipation for the restaurant, tickets are sure to go quickly. Info below:

  • When: March 15, 6:30 pm.
  • What: Four courses, two small dishes per course, paired with cocktails, plus a welcoming cocktail.
  • Where:  The Local
  • How Much: $60, plus gratuity.
  • Tickets: Just 50 will be sold.  Buy yours here.

 

02/12/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Amber Cohen

Cohen

Photo by Bethany Bandera.

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Amber Cohen, the former chef of Continental Divide and sous chef of Hamiltons’, who will be Melissa Close-Hart’s sous chef at Junction, set to open this summer.  “I have had a professional crush on Melissa since I met her when I first moved to town,” says Cohen, who has cooked in Charlottesville for 14 years. “I feel like I got asked to prom in a John Hughes flick.”  On March 15, Cohen will join Close-Hart for a special Junction preview dinner, benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and The International School of Charlottesville.  Check back here Monday at 10 am for an announcement on how to get tickets, which will be sure to go fast.  Cohen’s picks:

1) Canelés at MarieBette Cafe and Bakery.  “I am seduced into stopping and getting those decadent, evil, irresistible mini canelés every time I drive by MarieBette.”

2) Red Hot Blues at Continental Divide.  “It’s been a short two months since I gave up my kitchen residency at the Divide and I have already started missing and daydreaming (and sometimes actual night dreaming) of the Blues. Accompanied, of course, by a margarita.”

3) Prosciutto Pizza at Lampo.  “I’ve always felt that pizza is a perfect food, in this case, made somehow more sublime by cured meat and lightly dressed arugula.”

4) Pork Star Taco at Brazos Tacos.  “Perhaps just the words ‘pork belly’ make me giddy, but I have to have it on every visit.”

5) Absolutely Anything at Café 88.  “Their crispy tofu is perfectly seasoned, their veggies are never overcooked, the wonderful chicken is as advertised in the name (wonderful), and I would happily marry the hot sour soup.”

 

02/08/2016

Preview Dinner of Junction

Junction

The most anticipated opening of 2016 must be Junction, the first Charlottesville restaurant ever to open with a chef who is a four-time James Beard semi-finalist, Melissa Close-Hart.  After a few unexpected delays, the restaurant should open this summer.

But you don’t have to wait that long. On March 15, The Local is hosting a preview dinner of the Junction, with all proceeds to benefit The Local Food Bank and The International School.  Close-Hart will compete against her husband Matthew Hart, chef of The Local, in a course-by-course showdown, paired with cocktails.  Charlottesville legend Craig Hartman will be on hand to emcee.  Given the anticipation for the restaurant, and the fact that proceeds go to charity, tickets are sure to go quickly. Just $60 each, tickets go one sale Monday, February 15.  Check back here next Monday.