The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?

Tag: Manila Street

07/01/2022

Five Finds on Friday: Tasha Durrett

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Tasha Durrett, founder of Black Women Who Wine, which hosts regular wine events and works with Virginia wineries to increase diversity and agritourism opportunities. Durrett is the next featured guest in Blenheim Vineyards’ Oenoverse, an inclusive wine club that aims “to introduce Virginia wine in a comfortable, conversational setting for folks who have never joined a ‘wine club’ before or want to continue the path of learning about wine and want to experience a series of fun events and meet likeminded people.” Each session, a featured guest shares and discusses favorite wines, and on July 10 at Blenheim, Durrett will lead a tasting of her wine selections, paired with bites from chef Tim Moore of Early Mountain Vineyards. In addition to the tastings and conversation, Oenoverse members receive four bottles of wine, printed tasting notes, discounts, and more. Follow along on Facebook. Durrett’s picks:

1) Caipirinha at South and Central. “This is my favorite drink in the entire city. A caipirinha is such a simple drink, but it’s hard to find a good one in Charlottesville. The one at South and Central is amazing and really the only drink I get there.”

2) Grilled Pineapple at Passiflora. “Let’s be clear. I love Passiflora. But the grilled pineapple is one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten. I add the garlic citrus jackfruit. and it’s a perfect dish. I’ve tried to copycat it at home and it’s never quite the same.”

3) Pancit at Manila Street. “One of the things I miss most about living in Northern Virginia is Filipino food. Manila cures that longing. The pancit is comparable to any I’ve had, and the staff is always great here. Grab some after work and pair with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Vidal Blanc. Add on some lumpia and it’s even better.”

4) Country Ham Croissant at The Blue Ridge Pig. “I’m from Nelson County and I couldn’t be featured here without including my favorite item from The Blue Ridge Pig. Country ham was a staple of every Christmas celebration growing up. It’s expensive and salty, so you don’t want to have too much of a good thing, but when you do have it, it’s amazing. The sandwich is served with dill sauce, which adds to its overall uniqueness.”

5) Fried Chicken Steamed Buns, Spicy Garlic Sauce, House Pickles at Bang!. “Bang! has been nothing if not consistent since I first started going here back when I turned 21. It continues to have some of the best cocktails and small plates in the city. These buns are an homage to the menu of the earlier 2000s and give me a nostalgic feel. I’m happy Bang! is still around. It’s a gem.”

09/03/2021

Five Finds on Friday: Chris Martin

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Chris Martin, the Johnson & Wales graduate with a background in fine dining who moved to Charlottesville to launch a pop-up bakeshop. Her Baker No Bakery now pops up periodically at Guajiros and elsewhere, offering treats like sesame leaf glazed donuts, fritters, tarts, and more. And, cookie deliveries are always available here. Look for her tomorrow, September 4, at Guajiros from 9 am – 12 pm. Early bird gets the worm, because she can sell out fast. Stay up to date on her Instagram page. Martin’s picks:

1) Café con Leche at Guajiros Miami Eatery. “The perfect balance of espresso, sweetness, espuma, and milk. And enough caffeine to fuel me for eternity. I drink this iced every single day I can.”

2) Taiyakis from Basan. “Basan is delightful because of their specials, and I’m personally obsessed with their taiyakis. There is typically always a red bean flavor, but there was a banana cream flavor that lingers with me to this day.”

3) Baleadas at El Ciruelo. “This restaurant has amazing flour tortillas, and they shine in any and all of the baleadas. My Honduran coworker introduced me to these and I can’t get enough.”

4) Ddukbokki at Kuma Sushi Noodles & Bar. “Their ddukbokki is perfectly spicy, with chewy rice cakes that I adore. Also the iced honey plum tea is *chefs kiss*.”

5) Biko from Manila Street. “I love sticky rice, and Manila Street’s traditional Filipino dessert called biko in the Dairy Market is so good. The chewiness of the rice, just sweet enough, and toasted coconut are super yum.”

08/27/2021

Five Finds on Friday: Chase Davidson

Twelve years ago today, this guy entered the world, which he has brightened every day since. Chase’s picks:

1) Lumpia from Little Manila and Manila Street. “I’ve been eating these for a long time. When I was younger, I used to look forward to Saturdays because we would always go to the market and Little Manila would have a tent set up there. It’s one of my favorite foods, and it goes perfectly with the sauce.”

2) Marinara D.O.C. from Lampo. “It’s been a tradition for a while that every year on my birthday, I get this pizza from Lampo. I don’t typically like really cheesy pizzas, so this one is perfect for me. Another tradition we had was every Friday in the pandemic my dad would go out and get this pizza for me.”

3) Pan Tomate at Little Star. “I could consume a lot of these.”

4) Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream at La Flor Michoacana. “My dad introduced this place to me. My sister wanted to go to Chap’s but I wanted to try this place, and I’m glad I did because it is some of the best ice cream that I have ever had.”

5) Mini Corn Dogs at Riverside Lunch. “Anytime I travel for a swim meet, my dad tries to find places close to the pool with mini corn dog nuggets because I enjoy them so much. I have gone to many places but none are better than the ones that Riverside has.”