The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Mas Tapas

09/02/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Landon Saul

Landon

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Landon Saul, chef and co-owner of Vivace Italian Restaurant, which this week participated in a fundraiser involving the signature dish of one of the town’s most devastated by last week’s earthquake in Italy. Vivace raised $500 for relief efforts. On September 20, Vivace is also joining the Meals on Wheels fundraiser Taste This, featuring an array of tastes from restaurants and drink purveyors. Saul’s picks:

1) Tacos Al Pastor at Al Carbon. “As many of my friends and family know, I am obsessed with tacos (after four trips to Mexico). Slow roasted pork shoulder rubbed with dried chiles, pina, salsa verde, cilantro and onions on light-as-air tortillas. Also, the cemitas with coal roasted local chicken, avocado, jalapeno, oaxaca cheese and salsa roja on fluffy torta bread is everything a sammie should be. Pro tip: order it spicy with a negro modelo. The elote con mayonesa (street corn) and the frijoles charros (brown beans) are also not to be missed.”

2) Polpettine al Forno and Peroni at Lampo.  “Andrew Cole is cultivating a fantastic cocktail, beer, and wine list from the Aperol Spritz with prosecco, draft Peroni, and Brunello. Loren Mendosa and crew crank out wood fired local beef and pork meatballs with mozzarella and pecorino that are simply delicious. Ian’s cavolo nero (kale salad) and cavolfiore al forno (roasted cauliflower) are perfect to round out the meal. Did I mention you can also have the meatballs as a pizza or panuozzi? That’s what I call winning and these guys do it every day.”

3) Bocadillo Jamon at MAS Tapas. “Mas is my wife’s and I’s go-to when we want to celebrate life and indulge. Boquerones (white anchovies from Spain), the bocadillo with jamon, manchego and alioli on hearth baked organic bread, artichokes on the plancha, carne asada, and a fantastic bottle of Rioja makes my life complete. Chefs Tomas and Mike use the best imported and local ingredients simply and perfectly.”

4) Cocktails and Housemade Gnocchi at Parallel 38. “Ask the bartender what he recommends. You won’t be disappointed. I had a barrel-aged Manhattan that was simply magical.  Also, the ability to sample wines by the ounce is a nice feature. Housemade flat bread with labneh is my go-to along with the gnocchi, chorizo potatoes, local chicken skewers, and the wonderful array of artisanal meats and cheeses.”

5) Bottle of Coke and a Double Bacon Cheeseburger at Riverside Lunch. “This is my birthday lunch every year. Perfectly seared and seasoned beef smashed on a flat top in all its glory with all the fixins. Shoestring fries and a bottle of coke fly me to the moon. I’m in heaven. (When I want a more gourmet burger I head to Boylan Heights with organic beef and of course tots! Also the best beer specials in town.)”

07/01/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Jason Tesauro

Jason

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Jason Tesauro, writer, speaker, sommelier, and author of a recent feature for Travel & Leisure. This Thursday, July 7, Tesauro will serve as Master of Ceremonies for a very special evening at Gearharts Fine Chocolates. The Simply Virginia Dinner includes an all-star line-up of Tim Gearhart, Curtis Shaver, Spencer Crawford, Gail Hobbs-Page, and Hunter Smith for “a hands-on evening of demonstrations, flights and tastings” featuring “the Commonwealth’s finest vino, vittles, cheeses, chocolates, and beers.” Details and tickets here. Tesauro’s picks:

1) Brioche Feuilletée at MarieBette Cafe and Bakery. “Buttery, flaky, golden brown, finger-lickin’ French sublimity paired with an off-the-menu Cortado.”

2) Pimentón Padron at MAS Tapas. “Green and blistered black, these firecrackers and a bottle of Albariño take me right back to Galicia, Spain.”

3)  Porchetta Panuozzo at Lampo. “Broccoli rabe, aged provolone and bread baked to order. Super fresh with a little char, it’s Little-Italy-NYC good.”

4)  Crispy Shrimp at The Local. “Washed down with Champion suds, Chef Matty’s sweet and spicy app sends me to my Asian-hued happy place.”

5) Fried Oyster Po’Boy at Southern Crescent. “Save yourself the Frequent Flyer miles. These are true Leidenheimer baguettes with a crisp crust and fluffy center.”

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06/05/2016

MAS Tapas Auction

Food 138

Here is your chance to experience MAS Tapas like you never have experienced it before, while helping to feed the area’s hungry. It’s The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions, presented by McGuireWoods. Along with all of the other restaurants in The Charlottesville 29, MAS has created a signature experience available to whoever pledges the highest donation to The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of MAS, the winning bid goes directly to the food bank, and each dollar donated is enough to provide four meals to the area’s hungry. So, a winning bid of, say, $1,000 means not just a wonderful meal for the winner and their guests, but also 4,000 more meals for the area’s hungry.

The MAS signature experience for The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auction:

El degustación a MAS

Enjoy a feast of the very best of MAS, with Tomas himself. The auction winner and three guests will sit at the bar fronting the kitchen, where chef-owner Tomas Rahal will personally escort them through a seemingly endless, all-inclusive extravaganza of his favorite dishes. Beyond great food, Rahal is also well-known for the special Spanish wines he keeps in reserve at MAS, and he will break out a few of his very favorites throughout the auction winner’s meal. Enjoy MAS like you’ve never enjoyed it before: el degustación a MAS.

Note: The winner will schedule the dinner with MAS at a mutually convenient time.

Bidding

Bidding for the MAS auction ended on July 5, 2016.

Winning Bid: $1,400