The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Pineapples Thai Kitchen

06/06/2025

Five Finds on Friday: Ellie Picard

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from The Beautiful Idea co-owner Ellie Picard, who has co-founded Charlottesille’s first queer commuity center. Rivanna Area Queer Center opened last week, just in time for Pride Month, with a mission to provide “a safe refuge for all LGBTQIA+ people in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties, a loving home for our community, and a resource for our liberation.” Information about the new center, including how to donate, is available here. Picard’s picks:

1) Saltati Scarola at Lampo. “Probably the most delicious cooked greens in Charlottesville. Best enjoyed under the lights of Lampo’s covered patio on a warm spring night.

2) Dos Amigos at Asado. “Specifically, the Chori Pollo taco and traditional Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing — an absolute favorite comfort food. When you’re down on your luck, out of a job, and really depressed, this will cheer you right up.”

3) Beef Rib Yellow Curry at Pineapples Thai Kitchen. “Literally the most flavorful curry at any Thai restaurant in Charlottesville. And it’s served with a delicious roti, which is absolute fire.”

4) Big Mac Dolsot Bokkeumbap at Umma’s (RIP). “My partner introduced me to this bonkers culinary mash-up the night they asked me to be their girlfriend. We shared it again the night we decided to move in together, the last week before Umma’s closed.”

5) Bolo from Luce. “Always the go-to carry-out dish when we need something the whole polycule can enjoy.”

04/15/2022

Five Finds on Friday: Emily Harpster

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come Emily Harpster, who has just launched Sugarbear –  made-from-scratch ice creams celebrating great local ingredients of Charlottesville. Buttermilk with Strawberry Jam, for example, swirls in jam from Jam According to Daniel, while Honey Sea Salt Latte draws on Lone Light Coffee and Hungry Hill Farm honey, and Vanilla Blueberry Stracciatella features shards of Gearharts Blueberry chocolate bars. Flavors change often, so check out what’s in the the freezer at MarieBette or order online for pick-up at MarieBette.

A graduate of UVa, as well as ice cream college at Penn State, Harpster’s Charlottesville culinary roots run deep, all the way back to the original Tokyo Rose, where she worked as an undergrad. After more than a decade on the west coast, she and her husband returned to Charlottesville “because we love it here,” says Harpster. “In many ways, my ice cream is a love letter to Charlottesville.” Harpster’s picks:

1) Everything Prezzant from MarieBette. “I spend a lot of time at Marie Bette, so I feel like I am a connoisseur of the MarieBette baked goods library. Honestly, the everything pretzel croissant (prezzant) cannot be beat. It cannot. It is a perfect creation. Also a perfect creation in the cupcake department: cupcakes by Tammy. Have you seen what she can do with frosting? She is basically a magician.”

2) Coconut Shrimp from PineappIes Thai Kitchen. “I’m sort of obsessed with everything Pineapples Thai does. We always have to put in a double order for their coconut shrimp.  They are light, perfectly crispy, and perfectly sweet.”

3) Golden Milk and Cocoa Macarons from Bowerbird Bakeshop. “Good macarons are not easy to pull off, and we have world class seasonal ones from Bowerbird? They are like pretty, colored, delicious jewels. They are one of my favorite presents to give.”

4) Blackberry and Apricot Jam from Jam According to Daniel. “I’ve had a lot of jam in my life, and I have never had jam as good as the jam that Jam According to Daniel makes. Ever. You can put it on anything.”

5) Double Smash Burger from Oakhart Social. “I love a good cheeseburger. Shout out to Oakhart, whose smash burgers got us through some of our hardest pandemic days. Unfortunately, our kids no longer consider other burgers acceptable.”