The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Maya

06/17/2016

Maya Auction

Maya

Here is your chance to experience Maya 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, Maya has created a signature experience available to whoever pledges the highest donation to The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of Maya, 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, $2,000 would mean not just a wonderful meal for the winner and their guests, but also 8,000 more meals for the area’s hungry.

The Maya signature experience for The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions:

A Modern Jeffersonian Supper

Charlottesville’s original gourmand, Thomas Jefferson, was known for the food at his Monticello home, which statesman Daniel Webster said was “half Virginian, half French…in good taste and abundance.” Nowadays in Charlottesville, there is no better example of this blend of cuisines than Maya. Chef and co-owner Christian Kelly has a fine-dining background, having been Executive Chef at Clifton Inn when it first earned Relais & Chateaux status. For the auction winner and nine guests, Kelly will prepare a modern take on a Jeffersonian Supper. Just as Jefferson did more than 200 years ago, Kelly will apply classical French techniques and concepts to the best of Virginia’s local products.

Guests will enjoy prime seating in Maya’s upstairs dining room along the windows, where their evening will begin with a taste of two cocktails, one French and one Virginian, by award-winning bar manager Ted Norris. Next, Kelly will draw on his French classical training to create, serve, and describe to guests a multi-course meal showcasing seasonal cuisine from the Charlottesville area, all paired with wines. In true Jeffersonian style, republican principles and informality will supplant French dining etiquette. As Jefferson once told a visiting French diplomat: “I am sorry that your first impressions have been disturbed by matters of etiquette, where surely they should least have been expected to occur.” It’s a modern take on a Jeffersonian Supper, at Maya.

Note: The auction winner will schedule the meal at a mutually convenient time with the restaurant.

Bidding

Bidding for the Maya auction ended on July 16, 2016.

Winning Bid: $2,250

04/01/2016

Five Finds on Friday: Ben Clore

Clore

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Ben Clore, co-owner of Oakhart Social.  On Sunday April 24, Oakhart Social’s chef and co-owner Tristan Wraight will join Matt Greene of JM Stock Provisions at Blenheim Vineyards for a special guest chef dinner as part of  the vineyard’s The Library Series.  Under the tented event space of Blenheim Farm, guests will enjoy a five course family-style meal paired with library wines from Blenheim’s cellar.  Tickets and info here.  Clore’s picks:

1) Pork Spring Rolls at Bang!  “Crispy, fried, salty bites of porky deliciousness with a great vinegary dipping sauce that counterbalances the fat and salt perfectly. (Pro tip- Bang is a great place to take kids.  Food comes out fast and if junior doesn’t like one thing just keep ordering!)”

2) Shrimp and Grits at Maya.  “Local stone ground grits and an amazing smoked tomato gravy make me so happy every time I order them.”

3) Aspen Ridge Farm Hamburger at Orzo.  (Lunch only.)  “House pickles and the rosemary aioli are a great compliment to some really flavorful farm-raised beef.”

4) Finocchio Arrosto con Aranci (roasted fennel, oranges and basil) at Tavola. “I think this has been on their menu from the start and it’s clear why.  Super simple flavors and great execution make it a dish that’s more than the sum of its parts.”

5) Guay Tiew Ruea (Boat Noodle Soup) at Thai Cuisine and Noodle House.  “I’m a sucker for anything broth and noodle based.  This a ton of umami and is almost impossible to stop eating until it’s gone.  I can be so full I’m in pain and I still can’t stop.  I get the small to minimize inevitable later self-loathing.”

 

 

 

08/28/2015

Five Finds on Friday: Mitch Willey

Mitch

On Fridays, we feature five food finds from local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Mitch Willey, owner of Clifton Inn, home to one of Charlottesville’s most influential restaurants, and recent winner of yet another award as C-VILLE’s best hotel or inn.  Clifton has just introduced a brand new a la carte menu, a first for the longtime prix fixe restaurant, which Willey says now “enables guests to stop by for just soup and salad or pasta and dessert, paired with the perfect glass of wine.” Clifton is also fast-approaching a milestone and big celebration. On October 22, the inn will host a 30th anniversary, poolside dinner dance “to honor the many gifted artists who started their culinary careers at Clifton,” says Willey.  Also, that night, Willey says, Clifton “will share some very exciting news. Stay tuned!” Willey’s picks:

1) Corn Cakes at Tip Top.  “I love to start the day being greeted by the delightfully friendly and efficient wait staff at Tip Top on Pantops. I settle into a window booth with my three morning papers (where the natural light is plentiful and I catch a nice view of the Blue Ridge) and order the corn cakes with a side of bacon. Decadent but splendidly so.”

2)  Pimento Cheese Fritters at Maya.  “One of our early chefs at Clifton, Christian Kelly (who the staff quickly designated as our resident George Clooney), has created a cult following at Maya and I am one of those cult members! I especially love to start a delicious dinner with Christian’s pimento fritters — light and cheesy, and the pepper jelly is divine. A perfect start to a terrific meal.”

3)  Pulled Pork at The BBQ Exchange.  “Craig’s pulled pork, with his creative array of sauces, is the way that I reward myself if I have really been working out because the indulgence is so amazing that I can only justify it if I have earned it!”

4)  Grilled Pork Chop with Grilled Peach Salad at Brookville.  “Harrison has so many delightful interpretations of pork that I find myself trying something new each time. In fact, my daughter’s rehearsal dinner was hosted there last Labor Day primarily because of this!”

5) Pear Ravioli at C&O.  “I can’t go very long without a generous helping of Dean Maupin’s pear ravioli at C&O — a dish he featured at my other daughter’s wedding when he was the chef at Clifton. It is so subtle in its flavor and somehow seems almost healthy as the fruit is front and center. As always, Dean gets the sauce just right and while often it is a starter, on occasion I have requested it as a main course since I just can’t get enough.”