The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Riverside Lunch

06/27/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Spencer Crawford

Spencer

Spencer Crawford, left.

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  This week’s picks come from Spencer Crawford, sous chef of Palladio Restaurant, which was recently invited to make yet another appearance at the James Beard house.  Crawford’s picks:

1)  Virginia Apple Cider from Bold Rock Hard Cider.  “What I drink almost all the time. Not a bad place to go and hang out either.”

2)  Spudnuts from Spudnuts.  “All of them. There’s a reason it has been on a lot of people’s list. Best in town or anywhere else.”

3)  Pulled Pork Sandwich and Hushpuppies from BBQ Exchange.  “Smoky pork-a-liciousness. ‘Nuff said.”

4)  Tie between Loaded Footlongs from Jak’n Jil and Bacon Cheeseburgers from Riverside Lunch.  “Both places have been around forever. Never been disappointed.”

5)  Pancakes from Tip Top.  “Good simple food done the same way every time.”

 

06/13/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Laura Jawitz

Laura

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities. Today’s picks come from Laura Jawitz, the award-winning baker at Greenwood Gourmet. Since her January move from New York, where she baked for Brooklyn’s acclaimed Pies & Thighs, Jawitz has quickly developed a following around town for her amazing pies. Jawitz’s picks:

1)  Cheeseburger, “All the Way” at Riverside Lunch. “I love a huge, fancy, grass-fed burger, but there’s a deep truth to the Riverside burger that really speaks to me. It’s always seasoned perfectly, just the right size at four ounces, and really tastes of flat-top (which is like the terroir of greasy-spoon joints) in the best possible way.”

2)  Glazed Spudnut at Spudnuts. “This cloud-like and ethereal pastry is just perfect. I can’t think of a way to improve it, and I also can’t eat just one.”

3)  Fried Chicken at Wayside Takeout & Catering. “Wayside chicken is so aggressively seasoned that I almost prefer it cold the next day; especially if it’s eaten out of a cooler that’s caught in the net of an inner tube floating down the James River.”

4)  Hot and Numbing Tofu Skins at Peter Chang’s China Grill. “I still can’t believe that Charlottesville has Szechuan food that rivals some of New York City’s best fringe Chinese food. The tofu skins have that perfect balance of spicy, sour, salty and earthy that all great Szechuan food has, plus an addictive chewy texture. Might be one of the top five things I’ve ever eaten in my life, no joke.”

5)  Budweiser at Durty Nelly’s Pub. “I think that all good dive bars possess certain qualities, and minus cheap whiskey, Durty Nelly’s has just about all of them . . . solid tunes on the juke, friendly but not chatty bartenders, an assortment of arcade games, and very cold beer.”

01/31/2014

Five Finds on Friday: Andy McClure

Andy

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Andy McClure, owner of Citizen Burger Bar, The Virginian, West Main, Three Restaurant, and The Biltmore.  “Loving the idea of this,” said McClure, “and owning five restaurants in town, I thought it best to exclude my own places from contention. So here goes the list of my 6th through 10th favorite places I would dine at or visit throughout the day.”

1) Eggs and Grits at The Pigeon Hole. “This relatively new Elliewood Avenue spot on the Corner is kitschy, fun, and cozy. The food is good, the people are good, and it’s a great addition to the Corner. It feels like one of those ‘been there forever’ breakfast joints in the Low Country.”

2) “Grab and Go” Sandwiches at Feast!. “They are all fast and easy and oh-so-good (they only make like 3 or 4 types), and the store itself is awesome. The amazing level of staff product knowledge at the cheese and meat counter is enough to make any restaurateur question their training program.”

3) Flat-top Burgers at Riverside Lunch.  “Grease everywhere, crispy edges, thick raw white onion, gooey American, and they’re served blazing hot.  When they’re on their game, they’re the best greasy spoon burger around. Plus I never really recommend getting gourmet burgers (or any large burger really) to go. Old school flat-top hamburgers travel really well . . . and sometimes gorging at home is all you want.  True burger lovers know that small diner-style burgers and large gourmet burgers aren’t really in the same universe, but they both can be perfect depending on one’s mood, and Riverside always helps my mood.”

4) Steak at the Downtown Grill.  “I love Mas…and I love TEN…and I love Continental, but sometimes you just need a giant steak, some raw oysters, and potatoes done 10 ways.  Gimme a bar stool, a well-cooked piece of meat, and a big red wine and I’m quite content. I can’t wait to see their renovations. In addition, I consider our little city so lucky to have a downtown area like we do, so an after dinner stroll on the mall is hard to beat.”

5) Late Night Cheese Breadsticks from The College Inn.  “The Corner is overlooked too often. It’s one of the oldest areas of town and offers the best bar crawl in the city. Though it has many food and drink staples, there’s nothing better for soaking up the booze after a night of excess than a nice delivery of cheese breadsticks with ranch from College Inn.”

“Now start a diet the following day.”