The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Taste Shack

05/30/2022

#8: Cheesesteak – Belle

The Cheesesteak 

Usually you have to choose. Do you want an original cheesesteak? Or do you want a riff by a great chef? As delicious as the original rendition is, it doesn’t exactly require a culinary degree. And so, when a great chef takes a stab at a cheesesteak, the experience can differ from the sandwich made famous by former hot dog stand owners in Philadelphia.

Belle chef John Shanesy somehow does both. The cheffy tweaks he makes to one of America’s favorite sandwiches manage to enhance it while also staying faithful to the original. No, he doesn’t use Amoroso rolls. He has access to hoagie rolls baked fresh every day by a world-class baker: his brother Scott, with whom he co-owns Belle. As for the cheese sauce, Shanesy makes an upgraded version of “whiz” by combining Tillamook cheddar and American cheese, which he steeps at 180 degrees in Mt Crawford milk and heavy cream with dried chilies and herbs, fresh thyme, black pepper, and salt. For the sandwich, he griddles sliced steak, mushroom duxelles, bell pepper, and white onion, and chops them all together.  For assembly, he smears mayo on the top bun and adds iceberg lettuce. On the bottom bun, he adds the steak mixture and cheese sauce. The result is a classic made even better.

#8: Cheesesteak – Belle
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Beef Cheesesteak at Farmacy, Cheesesteak at Fabio’s, The Whiz at Lucky’s Cheesesteak and Sub Shop, Rib-Eye Steak & Cheese at Miller’s, Cheesesteak Hoagie at Revolutionary Soup, Philly Cheesesteak at Timberwood Grill. Vegetarian Alternatives: The Godfather with Shrooms at Lucky’s Cheesesteak and Sub Shop

05/22/2022

#16: Pho-rench Dip – Feast!

Photo by Do Me A Flavor.

The Dip

“Soggy” is not often a compliment for food, but sometimes moisture can enhance a sandwich. A dip in a flavorful broth or sauce allows the liquid’s seasoning to seep into every last corner of the sandwich.

Among Charlottesville’s several stellar iterations, there is none better than Feast!’s Pho-rench Dip. It is the creation of Head Chef Dan Frosaker, who once managed the kitchen at Pok Pok, then one of the nation’s most acclaimed restaurants for Southeast Asian cuisine. Frosaker draws on that experience to combine roast beef, basil, cilantro, and spicy mayo on Albemarle Baking Co. ciabatta. But, the key is the side of pho broth, the product of a lengthy, but worthwhile process that starts with charred onions and ginger. Then comes toasted star anise, black cardamom, fennel seeds and coriander seeds, with beef stock. The broth reduces for several hours, breaking down the onions, which thicken the stock. To finish, Frosaker adds Sriracha and lime for brightness. It’s a heady, flavorful broth, and may be the reason that popular demand moved this former special to Feast’s regular menu.

#16: Pho-rench Dip – Feast!
(GFA)
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Hot, Wet Beef at Kitchenette (GFA), Torta Ahogada at La Michoacana, The Drip at Peloton Station, Roast Beef Sandwich Au Jus at Kardinal Hall, The Hercules at Timberwood Grill; Vegetarian Alternatives: Grilled Cheese With Tomato Soup at Taste Shack (GFA)

05/21/2022

#18: Ednam – The Market at Bellair

Photo by Do Me A Flavor.

The Turkey Sandwich

There is something distinctly American about our love of turkey. And, it’s not just Thanksgiving. Nowhere in the world does turkey dominate lunch boxes, sandwich boards, and refrigerator drawers the way it does here. It is the most popular deli meat in the country.

When it comes to turkey sandwiches, some purists insist on turkey that is freshly roasted. Others have come to prefer the processed turkey products more common at deli counters, supermarkets, and sandwich shops. In fact, it is this latter style of turkey meat that inspired the career of the most famous sandwich maker Charlottesville has ever produced. Mason Hereford founded the first sandwich shop to be named Best New Restaurant in the Country, Turkey and the Wolf. But long before he graced magazine covers and award lists for his New Orleans restaurant, Hereford grew up in Charlottesville, and credits his love affair with sandwiches to a place he’d go twice a week: The Market at Bellair.

Founded in 1991 by former caterers, The Market has since expanded from its Ivy gas station location to become such an institution that almost everyone has their go-to order from its menu of elaborate sandwiches, many with local names like Afton, Farmington, and Keswick. While all are delicious, the Ednam is hardest to resist. Boar’s Head maple turkey joins bacon, Havarti, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, on freshly baked bread. The kicker is the market’s own herb mayonnaise, an ingredient so habit-forming that some people go twice a week.

#18: Ednam – The Market at Bellair
(GFA)
The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches

Others of Note: Gobbfather at Ivy Provisions (GFA), Turkey No Wolf at The Wich Lab, Herb Oven Roasted Turkey at Market Street Market, After the Hunt at Hunt Country Market & Deli, The Smokin’ at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Turkey Muffaletta at Mona Lisa, Fifeville at Petite MarieBette, Hot Sicilian at Dürty Nelly’s, Farmington at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Turkey Bacon Club at Revolutionary Soup, Birdwood at The Market at Bellair (GFA); Vegetarian Alternatives: Yogaville at The Market at Bellair (GFA), Sly Fox at Hunt Country Market & Deli