The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Riverside Lunch

07/25/2025

Five Finds on Friday: Caite Hamilton

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Caite Hamilton, Editor in Chief of C-VILLE. Few have contributed more to Charlottesville local news over the last two decades. Last week her tenure at C-VILLE became old enough to vote, with eighteen years spanning from part-time proofreader to Editor. Hamilton’s picks:

1) The Rhodie at Ivy Provisions. “I once ran back into my high school during an active bomb threat to rescue my packed lunch—a chicken salad sandwich prepared by my grandmother, who made the best I’ve ever tasted—so I’m pretty serious about chicken salad. Ivy Provisions’ version is a very close second, with the notable upgrade of a baguette.”

2) Pappardelle Ragu at Tavola. “Tavola has been the backdrop of so many special occasions for me—my 30th birthday, the night I got engaged. I even hosted my mom’s celebration of life in the cicchetti bar. And for just about every one of those occasions, I’ve ordered the pappardelle. It’s comfort food at its finest—the ribbons of pasta, the tender pork, the dusting of salty-nutty grana padano. Perfection.”

3) Cheeseburger with LTM and Fries at Riverside Lunch. “Not only was the Riverside burger the subject of one of my favorite cover stories so far this year – shameless plug — it’s also perennially the answer to all ‘Is there just a quick, cheap lunch we could get on the way home?’ conversations with my husband. Riverside is akin to a burger place we frequented as kids — RIP Jess’ Quick Lunch — but the burgers are better. You heard it here first.”

4) Mr. Rech at The Alley Light. “I can conjure the taste of this chocolate-drenched XL macaron as I type, I’ve ordered it so many times: the hot-cold mix of chocolate sauce over ice cream, the crunchy-creamy combo of delicate hazelnut macaron and semifreddo, the feel of the plate against your tongue as you drag it through those final dark ribbons — just me? It’s a dessert that’s probably best shared, but I’ve never had an easy time of that.”

5) Princess Cake at Albemarle Baking Co. “It’s fair to say I have a bit of a sweet tooth. See above: bathing in Mr. Rech. But even those who don’t share my embarrassingly high tolerance for sugar can enjoy ABC’s princess cake: vanilla sponge cake layered with Bavarian cream and blanketed with a sheet of marzipan, then topped with its signature pink rose. The day the bakery started producing this crowd-pleaser in cupcake form was a very happy one. Cause for celebration — with cake!, one might say.

03/22/2024

Five Finds on Friday: Travis Burgess

Photo by Eze Amos

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Travis Burgess, who is now a co-owner of the restaurant group his father helped build, which includes Bizou, Bang!, Crush Pad, and The Space. Read here about the unsurpassed legacy of his father Tim Burgess, and what’s next. Travis’ picks:

1) English Muffins from Cou Cou Rachou. “This is actually the best thing in Charlottesville. So light and fluffy, perfectly buttery and acidic. I stop by weekly to pick these up for the restaurants. The highlight of my week is seeing how many of these I can eat in the car during the three minute drive back to work. Cou Cou is the perfect vibe. Step in and you quickly forget you are on Preston Ave. A slice of Paris right here in Charlottesville with the friendliest staff in town. Pro tip: grab a 6 pack to go, freeze what you don’t eat instantly, and wake up on a weekend morning and make your significant other the best and easiest breakfast egg sandwich in town.”

2) Cabeza Quesadilla from Tacos Gomez. “Worked my way through the Tacos Gomez menu before realizing this. Quesadillas are the move here. And I get it that cabeza can be a little intimidating for us gringos, but these beef cheek quesadillas are incredible. Still can’t figure out what kind of cheese they use but you’ll get some iconic cheese pulls and the meat is so tender. Red sauce is a little too spicy for me. Extra green sauce always. Tortillas are made fresh right there. It is no wonder that the parking lot always has a line in it.”

3) Kouign Amann at Crush Pad Wines “V needs a shoutout here. A true culinary genius – like actually a genius – and the best mentor, godfather, and friend I could ask for. His kouign amann is the best thing he makes. It disappeared after Covid but rumor has it it is on the dessert menu at Crush Pad. Flaky, buttery, caramel croissant dough perfection. But be aware, it is dangerous. Took an extra home last week to surprise the wife and bake off at home. I ended up eating 80% of it. Apparently it’s just like they make in Brittany, but I wouldn’t know because I am still waiting on him to go on our boys’ trip to Brittany.”

4) Porchetta Sandwich from Petite Mariebette. “The other porchetta sandwich in this town. This one deserves some love too. They mix it up every year (currently, Porchella), and it is typically only on the menu for a few months, so get it while you can. It’s the best sandwich they make. Fresh ciabatta soaks up all the porchetta drippings, so much melty gruyere holding the broccoli rabe and everything all together. Just the right amount of pickled veg. The kind of sandwich you finish and immediately crave another. Treat yourself and splurge on a caramel latte while you are at it.”

5) Double Bacon Cheeseburger at the Riverside Lunch bar by myself without my wife. “I can’t be the only one with this routine. But apparently some consider Riverside not to be light and healthy, so we can’t eat there. This one is a real treat for me. Some Sundays when she double books yoga classes around lunch time, I’ll sneak up the street. Double bacon cheeseburger, lettuce, grilled onion, mayo, a side of fries and a cola. Sitting at the bar, NASCAR on one TV, NFL on the other. If you see me there alone at the bar don’t worry. I’m in my happy place.”

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.”