The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Public Fish & Oyster

02/09/2024

Five Finds on Friday, A Love Story: Susan Jackiewicz

Susan Carla Jackiewicz (August 29, 1966 – December 14, 2023)

In a special edition for Valentine’s Day, this week’s Five Finds on Friday celebrates one of Charlottesville’s great love stories.

There is one thing all love stories share. They end.

Some say that the inevitability of their ending is what gives love stories meaning. “Knowing that this can’t go on forever,” sings Jason Isbell, is why lovers hold hands and make plans, in their finite time on Earth. If “death was a joke,” he says, we wouldn’t feel the need.

Here in Charlottesville, the love story of Justin Ide and Susan Jackiewicz inspired the community for more than a decade. They held hands and made plans. But, their time together was unexpectedly cut short in December.

Justin is a photographer whose photos have appeared on this site, as well as much more distinguished publications. Susan was a health care professional, “bonus mom” and caretaker of family, friends, and Labradors. She was the love of Justin’s life, and their shared food experiences were a big part of their union. Susan fell for Justin on their first date, she said, because he made “Brie en Croûte with Pistachios” for her.

Susan especially loved the Charlottesville food community, and in this week’s Five Finds on Friday, Ide shares some of her favorites. Also near to her heart was Local Food Hub. If you are inclined, remember Susan with a donation in her name.

1) Baguettes from Albemarle Baking Company. “The importance of bread in our life together is right up there with oxygen and dogs, and the baguettes from Gerry Newman at ABC were essential elements of our Friday night ‘dinners.’ Often, not just on Fridays, we would stop at Feast!, pick up cheese, salami, pate and some Crose from King Family Vineyards, and have a simple ‘country picnic’ in the living room, or make the trip to King Family here in Crozet.”

2) Cheeseburger at Jack Brown’s. “In March 2023, Susan, a lover of cooking shows and competitions, decided we needed to have our own Charlottesville competition, and she chose the cheeseburger. In the past we’ve done ‘tour de baguette’ while we were in France, ‘tour de Gelato’ in Italy, and even a ‘tour de cannoli’ when we lived in Boston, but here it was with the cheeseburger. Before Susan passed, we ate fourteen different burgers and judged them on ten different categories. We each ate the same exact burger combo each time, to be fair. Although we didn’t manage to get to every place on our list, Jack Brown’s was by far the best burger we had in town, and sitting there at the bar will be a great memory for me.”

3) Lobster Roll at the bar at Public Fish & Oyster. “We are New Englanders through and through, and when we found out that Public had lobster rolls at the bar during happy hour, we were sold. With John, another New Englander, behind the bar, and always ready with a Kir Royale for Susan, we were happy campers. Just don’t try and convince us there is any other way to eat a lobster roll other than the way they do in Maine.”

4) Polpettine Al Forno at Lampo. “It goes without saying that Lampo is one of the best places in town for just about anything they have on the menu. But the combination of beef and pork meatballs is out of this world. You get six meatballs per order, but one order was never enough for the two of us, and we would often order an extra one to-go, because they were that good.”

5) Farm to Batteau with James River Batteau and Two Fire Table. “This is the outlier on the list because not many people have experienced this yet, but 2024 is going to be the year that this experience blows up, I assure you. Last October, just two months before Susan passed, we had the good fortune to spend an evening on the James River and eat the delicious food prepared by Sarah Rennie of Two Fire Table. Cooked over an open fire, as you float on a Batteau, the locally sourced sausages and fish were amazing, and the atmosphere as the sun set put the experience over the top.”

 

 

12/29/2023

Five Finds on Friday: Rachel Gendreau

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Rachel Gendreau, of Crush Pad, Luce, and Bizou. A Certified Sommelier, Gendreau these days is most often at Crush Pad, where if you walk in and ask her to choose a glass, a bottle, or even a case, you will walk out happy. “I am blessed to eat and drink exceptionally well in my line of work with Vincent & Co., and so this was a major challenge,” said Gendreau. “I went with the dishes I returned to most often this past year, the things that make my heart happy and were always enjoyed in beloved company.” Gendreau’s picks:

1) Skip Burger at Blue Moon Diner. “Somehow both tragically hip yet endlessly welcoming, everything about the Blue Moon vibe is immaculate, and Laura is truly the coolest. I’ve been coming religiously for the Skip Burger since I was in college, a slightly runny egg, perfectly medium rare patty, crisp LTO, bacon, melty cheddar, side of fries (dipped in mayo, because I’m a monster), and invariably accompanied by a bottle of the house bubbles to share. THE breakfast burger to cure anything that ails ya.”

2) Boat Noodles at Thai Cuisine & Noodle House. “Thai Cuisine is my go-to Thai spot for sure, and while Jay and his crew always deliver exceptional pho and curries, I’m a Boat Noodle girl for life. Something about that dark, rich broth and the chew of the noodles, tons of cilantro and scallions, bulked up with an extra portion of Gai Lai. Oh baby.”

3) Celery Salad at Birdhouse. “I am lucky to live in a killer food neighborhood, and having this gem within walking distance is a beautiful and dangerous thing. Liz’s expertly curated low-intervention wine list is a major draw, as is the achingly perfect chicken and sides the kitchen turns out, but nothing has my heart quite like the celery salad – a light, refreshing, texturally perfect foil to all of the schmaltzy goodness on the table.”

4) French Onion Croissant at Cou Cou Rachou. “Another neighborhood delight, and one with which I share a name. My daughters and I allow ourselves carte blanche and always leave much poorer, but with a box full of sweet and savory masterpieces. We are fond of the quiche-lets, the caneles, the sourdough, the giant cookies, and whatever mousse is in the fridge upon arrival, but the French Onion Croissant rocks our world every single time. Get two, trust us.”

5) Lobster Roll and Oysters at Public Fish & Oyster. “Nobody does happy hour quite like Public – snag a couple of early barstools, and let John make you a pristine Negroni. Order a dozen dealer’s choice bivalves, always expertly shucked, and work your way through them while waiting for a generously portioned lobster roll (Maine-style or bust, fight me). Add a glass of sharp, saline Muscadet, and you’ll probably hear me purring from West Main Street.”

11/10/2023

Five Finds on Friday: Lisa Richey

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Lisa Richey, the very supportive ex-wife of Charlottesville’s most prolific restaurateur Will Richey. Lisa suggested Will provide her background:

“I have shared many of the greatest meals of my life with Lisa. We both share whatever that thing is that makes a person seek out great, authentic, well made cuisines. We have traveled extensively together, and we started a farm together. It was not to produce food alone, it was to produce food that was interesting to us in ways that we connected with. We still reach out to each other for travel tips knowing that the first priority when traveling for each of us is researching the best places to eat. Lisa’s recommendations are always at the top of my list.”

Lisa Richey’s picks:

1) Gulf Coast Salad as a Wrap from Revolutionary Soup (owned by Will Richey). “Look, I want to eat healthy, but eating a salad with a plastic fork is a bummer. The combo of shrimp, hard-boiled eggs and avocado makes this my healthy go-to lunch, and putting it all in a wrap makes it easier to eat at my desk. And yes, I do frequently order the Lisa Quesadilla. I’m a sucker for anything with goat cheese.”

2) Fried Chicken and Collards at The Whiskey Jar (owned by WIll Richey). “Sure, I love the BBQ Nachos, and The Jar Salad, but if I’m craving something from The Jar, it’s fried chicken with the honey jalapeno dipping sauce. The collards remind me of how we used to eat when we lived on the farm, but now I don’t have to actually harvest anything which somehow makes this recipe taste even better. I also adore the Creamed Spinach and Sweet Potato Dumplings. I also think The Jar is the best place for a business lunch with out-of-towners – you can get French or fusion in most cities, but the client who seems shocked at how small CHO is definitely needs the full Southern experience, sweet tea encouraged. (And yes, I am from NJ.)”

3) Dealer’s Choice at The Alley Light (founded and formerly owned by Will Richey). “I think this place has the best ambience of any restaurant in town. Robin and Chris continue to make The Alley Light shine, so much so that it’s hard to pick just one dish. However, I always start with the Anchovy Toast, as it is the perfect way to set your palate for everything that’s to come. Then I order whatever carpaccio is on the specials board, followed by something braised. Micah and team make magic at the bar. Their attention to detail, down to the glassware, is evident and joyful. I usually request some sort of high ball with a gin base, and I love how the bar incorporates local fruits and herbs.”

4)  Wine List at Cafe Frank (owned by Will Richey). “The great irony that Will’s first sit-down restaurant (The Jar) sells basically no wine wasn’t lost on us. Cafe Frank is the bistro I always assumed he’d want to run. It’s a great spot to go for happy hour and order an assortment of snacks while splitting a bottle of wine with that friend you’ve been meaning to make plans with for months. Also, the Mushroom Fritters go perfectly with a bottle of Burgundy.”

5) Classic Burger at Högwaller Brewing (owned by Will Richey). “I live right down the street from Högwaller, which may buy my future cardiologist a beach house someday. But until then, my idea of a perfect weekend day is a sauna at Rivanna River Company, followed by a Classic Burger and a Rives Street Lager. It’s just a burger, sure, but it’s the platonic form of a burger. And I love a beer that is both delicious but also low enough ABV that I don’t need to take a nap later. Mark makes awesome beer, and it has been a blast checking out the new taps each Thursday and chitchatting with folks around the firepit.”

“Wait, Other People Are Crazy Enough to Own Restaurants?!”

1) Banh Mi at Vu Noodles. “This may be the official sandwich of Apex Clean Energy employees. This is the only tofu I have ever craved and I probably eat this once a week.”

2) Clam Pizza at Lampo. “If I had a bat signal, it would be checking Instagram to see if this pizza is on special. When I was little, my grandfather made me linguine with clams for any special occasion, so you could say this flavor profile is my Ratatouille moment. Tavola’s linguini con vongole also makes me feel like I’m back home.”

3) Omakase at Ten. “Let the chef choose the fish, and feel like you’ve been transported out of Charlottesville to a city large enough to have a subway. Don’t sleep on the seaweed salad. I’m also a fan of the harami miso.”

4) Lobster Roll (Connecticut Style) at Public Fish & Oyster. “My oldest friend in town and I frequent this happy hour, splitting a lobster roll and a dozen oysters. She gets a Negroni and I go with a Negroni Sbagliato. The french fries that come with the lobster roll are ideal with the oysters, especially if you get a side of horseradish.”

5) Shaved Salad at Oakhart Social. “Few salads are craveable. This one clears that hurdle easily, and it’s usually the reason I end up at Oakhart. Also, their tuna crudo is fantastic.”