The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Two for Tuesday

08/28/2012

Two for Tuesday: August 28, 2012

1)  Kofta Kabob Wrap at Afghan Kabob Palace.  Not long ago, there were no restaurants in Charlottesville serving authentic Afghan or Turkish cuisine.   Now, there are three.  Ariana, Sultan Kebab, and Afghan Kabob Palace all serve outstanding kabobs, curries, and breads.  Our latest obsession is the Kofta Kabob Wrap at Afghan Kabob Palace, opened last year by one of the founders of Ariana.  Beautifully seasoned kabobs of ground sirloin are stuffed into a wrap with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, onions, and a minty housemade dressing.  We could eat this every day.

2)  Southern Breakfast Sausage at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue.  Sausage might be the world’s greatest food.  Bangers, Bratwursts, Italian sausage, Lap Cheong, Chorizo, Kielbasa, Boerwors, Merguez, Boudin Blanc, and even hot dogs — we love them all.  In these parts, southern breakfast sausage dominates.  And, the version at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue may be the best we’ve ever had.  House ground and delicious.  It’s served on a biscuit with egg and cheese, but (and we can’t believe we’re saying this) you don’t need the egg and cheese.  The sausage is that good.

06/05/2012

Two for Tuesday: June 5

1.  Pupusas at Mercado World Foods.  Walk towards the back of this tiny food mart in Albemarle Square, and you will hear the happy sounds of hands slapping fresh dough.  Pupusas, a popular Salvadoran dish, are discs of masa de maiz dough typically stuffed with quesillo (cheese) and either pork, beans, or the flowers of loroco, a vine common in El Salvador and other parts of Central America.  Mercado Wold Foods makes all three to order, and we cannot decide on our favorite.  In all three, the hand-made dough steals the show.  It goes straight from their hands onto a hot griddle, creating a crisp exterior with a warm and tender interior, sweet and redolent of corn.  The pupusas’ fillings can be rich, which is why they come with the traditional side of curtido, a vinegary relish of cabbage and carrots.  These pupusas have long been among our very favorite foods in Charlottesville.   $1.75 each.  One makes a snack.  And, two make a decent meal.

2. Egg Salad Sandwich at The Whiskey Jar.  When it comes to egg salad, we usually like to keep it simple.  Mom’s on white bread is tough to beat.  But, when we do feel like something a little more interesting, we have a hard time resisting The Whiskey Jar’s gussied up version.  Egg salad, pimento cheese, forage greens, and preserved green tomatoes on sunflower wheat.  It’s about as good as an egg salad sandwich can get.  Our one improvement is to ask them not to toast the bread.   But that’s just a personal preference, of course.  With a side of local greens in a tangy dressing, it makes for a hearty lunch for six dollars.