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AMTHoya

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Pretty new place on The Corner (or just off it, depending on how pure you are): Roots Natural Kitchen. As one can surmise from the name, it's predicated on healthy stuff. Given the location, it's catering to students (and faculty members, such as I). The prices are good. Parking is the usual Corner hassle (though not so bad during these summer months"”and take the trolley!).

I've only been once. The food was O.K. I had a standard dish ("Mad Bowl," which is a bit of inside joke) and my date created a custom bowl. You can design the order, which is probably the way to go. More tests will follow. The concept could work out well, as the paths toward different cuisine-flavors get refined.

Just east of the railroad underpass on University, almost across from the George Rodgers Clark statue.

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I can recommend one that only appears on their specials board called the For the Win. You have tortilla options, but if you're not going for corn I'm not sure if we can be friends.

The salsa/hot sauce selection was a bit mild for my tastes, sadly.

When I remember, I take my own salsa to any place. Those at commercial places are almost alwaysl too wimpy, but they have to cater to the public, of course. IF folks use habaneros, they are in low single-digit %s. I like 'em as a major player in my salsas.

By the way, check out "Mad Hatter" as a bottled local salsa available in various places around C'ville.

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The Harrisonburg, VA, affiliate of NPR ran a story about truffle farming in central Virginia that I thought some folks might find interesting.

For thousands of years Black Perigord truffles have been the purview of European cuisine, specifically of France and Spain. But a perfect storm of enthusiasm, demand, and production could soon make Virginia a source for truffle production.  WMRA's Amy Loeffler has the story.

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Agreed that the salsas at Brazo's fall into the wimpy camp. Their hottest is jalapenos only. Instead of major heat, the interesting inclusion is that of pickled ingrediants. I've had their onions and watermelon pickles on different tacos and while they are certainly no habanero, they do add a nice vinegar flavor to cut the protein and get a crunch.  At the same time, before 9am at Brazo's they are doing two for one breakfast tacos now which helps lower the costs for that, and they just expanded to 7pm dinner hours during the week.

The Farm and Red Hill "Nuclear" Salsa is my go to hot salsa made in the area. For a spicy meal, the "Hell" sandwich at Barbeque Exchange is amazing. Anyone who can complete that has my respect.

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Going down this weekend to visit the in laws and go to wineries with friends.  One of the friends is vegetarian plus no eggs.  I am trying to figure out if it is easier to cook in or to find someplace she will be able to eat, thoughts?

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Going down this weekend to visit the in laws and go to wineries with friends.  One of the friends is vegetarian plus no eggs.  I am trying to figure out if it is easier to cook in or to find someplace she will be able to eat, thoughts?

This link is about 2 years old, so check to see if a particular place still exists (or I can tell you), but here's a start: http://iyfoods.com/blog/2013/7/12/vegan-guide-to-charlottesville

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This link is about 2 years old, so check to see if a particular place still exists (or I can tell you), but here's a start: http://iyfoods.com/blog/2013/7/12/vegan-guide-to-charlottesville

That's great!  Thank you.  I saw Orzo had some good options, I know Zinburger has a good veggie burger and I think she eats dried pasta that doesn't have eggs, and pizza, so thought Spring Fry Station and a few others might be an option too.  Her husband is a huge meat eater, so it's always funny going the places with the two.

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That's great!  Thank you.  I saw Orzo had some good options, I know Zinburger has a good veggie burger and I think she eats dried pasta that doesn't have eggs, and pizza, so thought Spring Fry Station and a few others might be an option too.  Her husband is a huge meat eater, so it's always funny going the places with the two.

No problem! I've only been to Zinburger of those 3 but can help recommend/raise red flags if you have other ideas.  I thought Zinburger was so-so (for a beef burger, no veggie burgers for me) but that was mainly the prices and fries...

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There is a Peter Chang's on Barracks Road - the tofu and bok choy dish is quite good and enough for a small army. Lots of other vegetarian options there as well. My vegetarian daughter has also always found something she liked at The Local. Lunch to go from Feast also has non-meat sandwiches.

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Went to the new Timbercreek Market yesterday for lunch. Nice selection of meats and Flora's cheese shop inside. Lunch options were fairly limited. A specials board of two sandwiches (and they were out of one of them at 1pm) and then four everyday sandwiches. My coworker had been planning to try their "Steak on a Plate" option where you buy a steak at the butcher counter and then pay $10 to have them cook it up for you, but decided against it while we were at the store since he was afraid it would put him to sleep. Further investigation will be pursued at dinnertime one of these evenings.

Both the Chicken sandwich and the Cheesesteak were on Albemarle Baking Company bread and had a pretty hefty amount of fat on them before being toasted. This was not a low-cal option. The cheesesteak had slices of steak, a variety of local mushrooms, peppers and provolone cheese. While it wouldn't satisfy a Philly Cheesesteak purist or that strange beast that is the Washington DC Cheesesteak, I found the sandwhich to be flavorful and highlighted the local beef well. The chicken sandwich was also a winner, with a welcome crunch added with some radish and pickle.

The only sadness was that the portion size was not abundant. I hesitate to call it small, but I could have certainly eaten another sandwich (and probably would have felt like a glutton doing so). I'd recommend this as a lunch stop with only that caveat.

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Went to the new Timbercreek Market yesterday for lunch. Nice selection of meats and Flora's cheese shop inside. Lunch options were fairly limited. A specials board of two sandwiches (and they were out of one of them at 1pm) and then four everyday sandwiches. ...

Thanks for the report. I've not stopped there yet. Would it be accurate to say Timbercreek Market's emphasis is on its retail and not the food service, much like Feast?

It'll be interesting to see how things develop in the "center" as other shops move into it, though I suppose there probably won't be more eateries.

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There is another eatery planned there. There is a plan for a September launch of Kardinal, which is the newest project by the owners of the successful Beer Run.

I think that Timbercreek Market was attempting not to steal/compete with that business while still trying to get a niche in the area, as there is a lot of lunch traffic at Bodo's or Sticks across the street. Nobody else is trying the "take home your dinner" model that they eluded to on the site and I haven't seen in person yet.

Honestly it has taken me some time to get over there because my normal time downtown would be Saturday mornings while going to the market and I am usually long gone by the time they open their doors at 10am.

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There is another eatery planned there. There is a plan for a September launch of Kardinal, which is the newest project by the owners of the successful Beer Run.

I think that Timbercreek Market was attempting not to steal/compete with that business while still trying to get a niche in the area, as there is a lot of lunch traffic at Bodo's or Sticks across the street. Nobody else is trying the "take home your dinner" model that they eluded to on the site and I haven't seen in person yet.

Honestly it has taken me some time to get over there because my normal time downtown would be Saturday mornings while going to the market and I am usually long gone by the time they open their doors at 10am.

Ironically, it appears that Timbercreek's main competition is JM Stock, who once trumpeted the fact that they carried local meats from ... Timbercreek Farm.  Based on a small sample size, I would say the quality of retail meats and local food products is currently higher at JM Stock as is the service.  However, right now Timbercreek is signficantly less expensive than JM Stock while carrying comparable items.  Hopefully this means that in the near to mid future JM Stock will lower their prioces rather than Timbercreek raising theirs.

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Parallel 38 in C'ville this past weekend was a bit uneven. A tomato-based vegetable soup was rather thin and plain. Artichokes seemed like they might have come from a can. Cheese board was uninspiring; perhaps we chose the wrong ones. However, I liked the citrus potatoes, the grilled asparagus, spicy shrimp, and the tuna tartar.

We were a 4-top and sat inside near the back, close to the kitchen.

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I wasn't blown away by their cheese plate either. They had some fairly tame options on there (Ricotta? Why?), but their meat options to go with it had a welcome surprise of a salt cured trout available. My go to option from Parallel 38 has been their spreads with fresh pita bread and their desserts. The olive oil cake in particular was worth coming back for.

Good to know on the rest of the menu. I've never been by for anything other than wine, spreads, dessert, charcuterie and cheese.

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Ironically, it appears that Timbercreek's main competition is JM Stock, who once trumpeted the fact that they carried local meats from ... Timbercreek Farm.  Based on a small sample size, I would say the quality of retail meats and local food products is currently higher at JM Stock as is the service.  However, right now Timbercreek is signficantly less expensive than JM Stock while carrying comparable items.  Hopefully this means that in the near to mid future JM Stock will lower their prioces rather than Timbercreek raising theirs.

JM Stock is insanely expensive.  Mind bogglingly expensive. And I don't get why they have that huge space when most of it is just empty floor.

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I wasn't blown away by their cheese plate either. They had some fairly tame options on there (Ricotta? Why?), but their meat options to go with it had a welcome surprise of a salt cured trout available. 

I'll hit the trout next time. My dining partners had the prosciutto or the salchichon as the meat on that board and I notices it disappeared pretty quickly. (We got 3&1, as I recall.)

Yes, they are better with the spreads and dips.

We had a nice Sancere.

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JM Stock is insanely expensive.  Mind bogglingly expensive. And I don't get why they have that huge space when most of it is just empty floor.

The first time I bought a 6 pound pork shoulder for smoking from them I was in a state of shock.  $60 plus for a freakin pork shoulder with a generous fat cap?!

I want to support local products/businesses but damn ...

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It's been getting hot out again, so here's a discussion topic. What are folks favorites for Ice Cream?

Splendora's is unique for gelato, but there's a place in my heart for some ice cream on a hot day. There's a few ice cream places in and around Charlottesville and a few creameries outside town which sell product you can find in stores. Three options that come to my mind:

- Moo Thru in Remington. Yes, this isn't in Charlottesville, but it's still one of the better options in the area

- Homestead Creamery. Their location is down in Wirtz, but you can find their ice cream in Kroger if nowhere else. I'm a huge fan of their lemon ice cream served with fresh berries.

- Kirt's. Location on 29N next to a Little Caesars isn't attractive, but they have some great flavors made right in the store. They also supply the ice cream for the Carpe Donut ice cream sandwiches and can be found at Whole Foods.

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Splendora's is unique for gelato, but there's a place in my heart for some ice cream on a hot day. There's a few ice cream places in and around Charlottesville and a few creameries outside town which sell product you can find in stores. Three options that come to my mind:

- Moo Thru in Remington. Yes, this isn't in Charlottesville, but it's still one of the better options in the area

- Homestead Creamery. Their location is down in Wirtz, but you can find their ice cream in Kroger if nowhere else. I'm a huge fan of their lemon ice cream served with fresh berries.

- Kirt's. Location on 29N next to a Little Caesars isn't attractive, but they have some great flavors made right in the store. They also supply the ice cream for the Carpe Donut ice cream sandwiches and can be found at Whole Foods.

Splendora: Yes, I get dragged there regularly, often when I've already eaten too much. When I do have something, it's very good. I want more. Triple dip.

I don't know, pollens, about Homestead or Kirt's. I'll have to take lessons. Thanks for the tips.

I will have to admit to having a soft spot in my heart (gullet? stomach?) for Chaps. Although they are now only on the DT Mall (right?), in the 70s-80s there was an incarnation in Shoppers World on 29N within a block of our house. We went there often. The 'cream was good and they did something I remembered from my childhood in Manassas: I could request a sprinkle of malt atop my scoops. Yum.

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Without diving too deeply off the topic, I can heartily agree with you on the importance of malt powder as part of the experience. While a chain, the folks at the Tastee Freeze outside of Madison or Gordonsville can give you a generous serving to go with your shake or cone without too much difficulty.

I've never really done Chaps and that's part of the reason that I made this post. I'm hoping for more out there than what I've tried.

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The first time I bought a 6 pound pork shoulder for smoking from them I was in a state of shock.  $60 plus for a freakin pork shoulder with a generous fat cap?!

I want to support local products/businesses but damn ...

I am new to grilling/smoking, but my experience went something like this:

"Do you have any flank or skirt steak? I want to make fajitas."

"All out of those, but we have a nice bavette that would work well for that purpose.  It's $23.99 a pound."

I googled it when I got home, feeling swindled.  24 bucks a pound for flap meat?

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Yo, Seanchai, pcollins, tentimesodds, and the rest of y'all in the Hookville area:

Anyone been to Oakhart Social? It's on West Main where Vu used to have Moto Pho, right next to the Public Oyster House. I'm thinking of hitting it soon, but would appreciate any guidance.

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Yo, Seanchai, pcollins, tentimesodds, and the rest of y'all in the Hookville area:

Anyone been to Oakhart Social? It's on West Main where Vu used to have Moto Pho, right next to the Public Oyster House. I'm thinking of hitting it soon, but would appreciate any guidance.

I have not been there, but would very much like to hear about your experience if you go. I am not a fancy restaurant guy but liked Public Oyster House when my wife and I went there last year.

I'm not sure when the last time I went to a "new" Cville restaurant was.  I really want to try Lampo, but from what I hear it's always super packed.

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Oddly enough, despite the fact that I hardly get to dine out much in Cville, I HAVE been to Lampo, Oakhart, and Public.  I've given some feedback about Lampo upthread (in short, awesome).  Oakhart and Public I've only been to once or twice and not always for full meals.

For me, those two restaurants are similar to Tavola in Belmont:  very good, but not superlative.  If any of them were in a major city, they would be solid to very good neighborhood options.  In Charlottesville, because no one is really doing what they are doing, they are more exceptional.  In my opnion, Lampo would be considered excellent no matter where it was located and we are very fortunate that they are in our little city/big town in central VA.

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Yo, Seanchai, pcollins, tentimesodds, and the rest of y'all in the Hookville area:

Anyone been to Oakhart Social? It's on West Main where Vu used to have Moto Pho, right next to the Public Oyster House. I'm thinking of hitting it soon, but would appreciate any guidance.

O.K. Corey and I went to the Oakhart Social on Saturday early (about 5:40 pm). We sat indoors and the waitron recognized her from a previous visit, but asked if I was a newbie. I owned up to the status, so he took the opportunity and explained that the strategy is shared plates. O.K.

There was an oyster special, but they were (a) cooked and (b ) dressed with bacon. Off my list. Apparently the chef doesn't compete with the neighboring Public Oyster house. We ordered

  • Shaved salad
  • A special crispy shrimp
  • Lentil toast 
  • Avocado crema pizza (bacon withheld)

The first three were really good and the last was good. I wouldn't usually order a prepared salad (too many inclusions), but this one is worth getting again. The shrimp had lots of interesting flavors. The lentil toast came to the table already halved and the ingredients melded quite well.

Although we treated it like dinner, it's good to know that one could stop here for a snack on the way to something else. Also, bonus: They advertise a late-night menu! Yay!

Good first impression, I'd say.

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I have not been there, but would very much like to hear about your experience if you go. I am not a fancy restaurant guy but liked Public Oyster House when my wife and I went there last year.

I'm not sure when the last time I went to a "new" Cville restaurant was.  I really want to try Lampo, but from what I hear it's always super packed.

Yep, Lampo. Worth taking the time to wait in line.

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From a recent trip to the Charlottesville area:

Barbecue Exchange (Gordonsville)

Two of us had: BBQ Lovers 4 Meat platter with ribs, pulled pork, chopped brisket, sausage, collards and mac and cheese. We also got an order of hush puppies, which come six per order. This was almost too much for two of us. But we managed... :)

The pulled pork was the best of the meats. I would describe the "chopped" brisket more as pulled and it came pre-sauced with a tangy, tomato based sauce, which I wasn't expecting. The ribs were good and I would probably think more highly of them if the ribs and the dry rub from Martin's in Tennessee weren't so recent in my memory. The sausage had an overwhelming smoke flavor and snappy casing.

The collards were excellent, in my opinion. (The BF didn't like them as much as I did.) Well balanced in terms of smoky, tangy and sweet flavors. The mac and cheese was good, but the cheese sauce wasn't as smooth as it should be. The hush puppies had excellent flavor and were not too dense.

Miller's - Downtown Mall

We stopped in here after a concert at the Pavilion, choosing this location mainly because 1) the kitchen was open and 2) there was available outdoor seating. The draft beer menu included a decent selection of local drafts and a 10 ounce pour option. We wanted the cheesesteak (they were out) but ended up with the roasted red pepper soup and blackened chicken sandwich. The soup had the tiniest amount of spice to it, which was nice. It also came with a large piece of toasted bread. The only thing it could have used was some sort of garnish. The chicken sandwich was a solid version of a chicken sandwich you'd expect to get from a bar. The big flaw I found with it was the potato roll, but I know I'm in the minority on hating potato rolls.

I probably wouldn't recommend Miller's as a place to get food, but it is nice to be able to sit outside, have some beers and know that the bar food you'll inevitably order might actually taste okay sober too.

Bluegrass Grill - Downtown

On Sundays (maybe Saturdays too?), go early or expect to wait. I added our name to the list, expecting the wait to be about 45 minutes to an hour, but were able to grab seats at the first come-first serve counter after about 30 minutes. The waiting list is not managed by anyone and is posted on the wall just inside the door.

We had Joan Marie's Omelet which includes herb cream cheese, spinach, swiss cheese and tomatoes. The omelets are made by folding very thin cooked egg around the fillings like a burrito, not your typical half circle shape. We ordered the omelet with cheese grits (garnished with fresh dill...an odd choice) and a biscuit, adding a side of gravy for the biscuit. We also ordered the Southern Belle Benedict from a paper specials menu. It was pimento cheese, bacon and tomatoes on an English muffin, topped with eggs over easy and a jalapeí±o hollandaise. I think there was a bit of confusion here (maybe just on my part?) because I assumed that a benedict would automatically come with poached eggs, but the eggs over easy produces the same runny yolk effect. The benedict came with home fries. The benedict was excellent because all of those things are good, but what really stands out are the home fries because they so far exceeded expectations. They were seasoned well, with onion and a small amount of garlic and rosemary, in addition to salt and pepper. The balance of soft and crispy potatoes was perfect.

I had been once or twice before, six to eight years before; the BF had never been. After getting a little cranky while waiting for a table, he later commented that the food was definitely worth the wait and commented that I didn't fight hard enough for it when we discussed going elsewhere. The food was excellent and exactly the brunch food that I was in the mood for, but what struck me was how nice all of the servers were, even under the brunch crush. And they let us take coffee refills to go.

Oakhart Social - Main Street

Late-ish dinner on a Sunday night. There were tables inside, but we chose a table outside, between a propane heater and small fire pit, on a crisp autumn night. I wasn't too hungry after beer and cider tasting on what some people are apparently calling Alcohol Alley (Route 151 between Wintergreen and 250) so we ordered fairly light:

Brussels Sprouts with Korean chili flake aioli and crispy shallot

Proveletta - Caramelized Provolone and goat cheese with harissa tomato, cippolini and lemon, served with grilled bread

Hanger steak with patatas bravas, chimichurri and aioli

The brussels sprouts came out first, which I didn't prefer. They were good, although I expected the aioli to be a little hotter. I wanted to save some to eat with the steak, but because of the outside temperature, they were cooling off quickly. Next came the provoletta, which was served in a small cast iron dish, which going back to the description makes sense. But I was expecting something more like a pre-assembled bruschetta. The flavors of this worked well; the creamy, salty cheese with the tangy lemon and spicy (not hot) harrissa. The menu indicated this was cooked in a wood oven. Not sure if they mean the dish or the toasts... The hanger steak came out last and was pre-sliced and served on thin slices of potatoes, which were on top of the aioli. There was some sort of micro green garnish along with the chimichurri. It didn't occur to me until we got it, but we were not asked how we wanted the steak cooked; it was rare-medium rare. Which was fine for us. I thought the plate was a little heavy on the aioli, but that was easy enough to avoid.

Overall, the food was good and I liked the setting, and would probably say the same if we had sat inside. I thought the service could use some improvement both in terms of the order the food came out and staff. If the menu doesn't explicitly say that food comes out whenever it's ready, shouldn't the server ask if we have a preference? Because I probably would have indicated the provoletta first, then the sprouts with the steak. I think the restaurant was coming off a busy Sunday night and the chef/owner's wife was with a group outside (I know this because one of her friends would announce the fact to anyone and everyone), so maybe our server was feeling some pressure because of it? This seems like a great place to go with friends, drink wine (they have wines on draft in quarter, half and full liter sizes) and order some plates to share. But based on the service I got, I'm not sure I'd feel that comfortable doing that. But I will definitely give it another chance next time I'm in town.

Bodo's - Preston Avenue

A more emotional pick than anything else. Sausage, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. The everything bagel at Bodo's has salt, which I don't think is the norm. Also, they don't toast their bagels, even if you're not getting a bagel sandwich.

Carter Mountain Orchard - Charlottesville (near Monticello)

We picked up some apples to take home, but had a few apple cider doughnuts and hot apple cider at a picnic table out back.

A bit outside of town, we hit:

Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub - Roseland (other nearby attractions have a Nellysford address)

We (accidentally, I swear) tasted all of the beers they had on tap. They do flights in specified groupings (standard, seasonal, experimental.) We ordered the standard (six beers) to start, then asked for the experimental grouping. They brought the seasonal instead but let us keep it when the corrected their mistake. Because of the extra beers, we decided we should get some food before we could safely continue on. We ended up with an order of wings. Everything else seemed too heavy. We got the order split between hot and dry rub (the two flavor options.) The hot had a good flavor outside of the heat, but I preferred the dry rub, which was smoky, salty and a tiny bit sweet. I thought it was kind of weird that the order had been split so that the drums were all the dry rub flavor and the flats were hot.

Greenwood Grocery - Crozet

We picked up sandwiches, some Route 11 potato chips (dill pickle flavor!) and drinks for a picnic on Skyline Drive. We got:

Devon - roast beef with horseradish-chive spread and arugula on focaccia

Wessex - ham with brie and apple chutney on ciabatta

The Devon was good, but I didn't taste too much horseradish. (Admittedly, I like a LOT of horseradish on roast beef sandwiches.) The focaccia was not overly dry or greasy, both of which can be a problem with focaccia.

The Wessex was really good, but the chutney was weird. It didn't seem like it was apple based; there was some fruit in it that looked like reconstituted golden raisins. The fruit was raisin-sized and kind of light in color which is the only reason I'm saying that. I honestly have no idea what it was. But it was not apple. The chutney had an overwhelming flavor of what tasted like tamarind to me.

They had a small selection of prepared foods outside of sandwiches and a variety of other foods. About a third of the store is dedicate to local wine, beer and cider.

Throughout the few days we were in the area, we hit: Castle Hill Cider, Potter's Craft Cider (popup tasting at Greenwood Grocery), Bold Rock and Keswick Vineyards.

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From a recent trip to the Charlottesville area:

...

Greenwood Grocery - Crozet

We picked up sandwiches, some Route 11 potato chips (dill pickle flavor!) and drinks for a picnic on Skyline Drive. We got:

Devon - roast beef with horseradish-chive spread and arugula on focaccia

Wessex - ham with brie and apple chutney on ciabatta

The Devon was good, but I didn't taste too much horseradish. (Admittedly, I like a LOT of horseradish on roast beef sandwiches.) The focaccia was not overly dry or greasy, both of which can be a problem with focaccia.

The Wessex was really good, but the chutney was weird. It didn't seem like it was apple based; there was some fruit in it that looked like reconstituted golden raisins. The fruit was raisin-sized and kind of light in color which is the only reason I'm saying that. I honestly have no idea what it was. But it was not apple. The chutney had an overwhelming flavor of what tasted like tamarind to me.

They had a small selection of prepared foods outside of sandwiches and a variety of other foods. About a third of the store is dedicate to local wine, beer and cider.

Throughout the few days we were in the area, we hit: Castle Hill Cider, Potter's Craft Cider (popup tasting at Greenwood Grocery), Bold Rock and Keswick Vineyards.

Greenwood may have the single best collection of Virginia wine of any store I have been in anywhere.

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Greenwood may have the single best collection of Virginia wine of any store I have been in anywhere.  

Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville is my number one source for Virginia wines in the area. Greenwood is good, but they don't have quite the size that Wine Warehouse does.

The 250/151 area south from Crozet has an awful lot of restaurants now with people doing winery tours in the area. Blue Mountain, Rockfish 151, Wild Wolf, Bold Rock, Devil's Backbone... It's a lot to take in. Glad you had a good visit!

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Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville is my number one source for Virginia wines in the area. Greenwood is good, but they don't have quite the size that Wine Warehouse does.

The 250/151 area south from Crozet has an awful lot of restaurants now with people doing winery tours in the area. Blue Mountain, Rockfish 151, Wild Wolf, Bold Rock, Devil's Backbone... It's a lot to take in. Glad you had a good visit!

Pro tip  - Matt from Wine Warehouse provides the best selection and customer service in Cville on beer as well.

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Starting tomorrow, even with the predicted snow, is Charlottesville's winter installment of the restaurant week

Had a mixed meal over at Moe's yesterday at lunch. Tried the Brisket platter, collard greens and the brisket stew. The brisket was meaty and juicy, but lacked much of a smoky flavor to it. The collards were pleasant, if lacking some kick to them. I'm not sure if I received the brisket stew or some variety of baked beans, but whatever it was it was outstanding. Plenty of beans, brisket and flavor in there.

Was surprised that they only have one house BBQ sauce and no other varieties. If you wanted something spicier, you had bottles of Crystal available.

Not sure how well this chain will do in town with other local BBQ options available, but I'd go back for another try.

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Had a great birthday lunch at Lampo the other day.  The Hellboy pizza with soppressata piccante and the honey scorpion pepper sauce was amazing per usual.    We also hugely enjoyed the General Tso's Sweetbreads appetizer.  Made with a sauce of Calabrian pepper, honey, garum (kind of an Itailian fish sauce I'm told) and braised celery (I think; garlic scapes are used in season) covering batter-fried sweetbreads, one local food website called it 2015's Charlottesville dish of the year.http://charlottesville29.com/2015/12/23/2015-dish-of-the-year-general-tsos-sweetbreads/

We in Charlottesville are lucky to have an affordable restaurant of this quality in our humble college town.

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Had a great birthday lunch at Lampo the other day.  The Hellboy pizza with soppressata piccante and the honey scorpion pepper sauce was amazing per usual.    We also hugely enjoyed the General Tso's Sweetbreads appetizer.  Made with a sauce of Calabrian pepper, honey, garum (kind of an Itailian fish sauce I'm told) and braised celery (I think; garlic scapes are used in season) covering batter-fried sweetbreads, one local food website called 2015's Charlottesville dish of the year.http://charlottesville29.com/2015/12/23/2015-dish-of-the-year-general-tsos-sweetbreads/

We in Charlottesville are lucky to have an affordable restaurant of this quality in our humble college town.

Garum's an interesting flavor, agreed. They had a side for a while of roasted cauliflower with garum, mint and some chilis which I can recommend, but I haven't yet tried the sweetbreads. Thanks for the read.

For any of the other readers who are thinking of making Lampo a stop on a visit to the area, it's best to note the downside of the restaurant: it is small, no reservations, and no takeout. You can have over an hour wait without too much effort and you're going to have trouble with anything more than four people at a table. I love the restaurant, but I have to schedule the times I visit there more than any other in town.

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For any of the other readers who are thinking of making Lampo a stop on a visit to the area, it's best to note the downside of the restaurant: it is small, no reservations, and no takeout. You can have over an hour wait without too much effort and you're going to have trouble with anything more than four people at a table. I love the restaurant, but I have to schedule the times I visit there more than any other in town.

Yep and yep! And the waiting area is outside.

But, it is worth a wait.

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Yep and yep! And the waiting area is outside.

But, it is worth a wait.

For any of the other readers who are thinking of making Lampo a stop on a visit to the area, it's best to note the downside of the restaurant: it is small, no reservations, and no takeout. You can have over an hour wait without too much effort and you're going to have trouble with anything more than four people at a table. I love the restaurant, but I have to schedule the times I visit there more than any other in town.

Anyone on this board have a recommendation for what time of day to go when it won't be so crazy? I have a birthday coming up and want to go, but have a newborn and probably don't want to spend a precious in-laws babysitting hour standing outside a restaurant in the cold...thanks!

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The first seating when the restaurant opens is the most common way for me to get a seat. There's usually not a line out the door waiting for them to start (but I have seen that happen).

I would recommend that if you are attempting to go there to just always have a second plan in case it is busy.

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The first seating when the restaurant opens is the most common way for me to get a seat. There's usually not a line out the door waiting for them to start (but I have seen that happen).

I would recommend that if you are attempting to go there to just always have a second plan in case it is busy.

I took your advice and got to Lampo at around 11:05am on Saturday. Man, I knew it was a small place, but had no idea it was this small--there might be 5-6 tables and a bar. But we got a table no sweat, though the restaurant was full at 11:30.

We shared the Polpettine Al Forno ($6) to start, and good God, I wish we had just sat there all day eating as many meatballs as we could. Every element of the plate--the sauce, cheese, and meatballs themselves--was delicious. So much so that I wish we'd continued with a Polpettine panini or Abruzzo pizza.

Went with the Margherita D.O.C. ($15) and were a bit disappointed. That is not to say that this is not a fine Neapolitan pizza, but rather that authenticity probably didn't mix with our palates that day. The flavors from the San Marzano were very light, and the olive oil made things a bit wetter than I'd prefer. The crust, while nicely leopard spotted, was a bit doughy, which (for all I know) could be part of the D.O.C. process as well. More enlightened readers can set me straight--but I saw pizzas come out after ours that were a little more done and looked like the crust had a little more bite. I think we would have been happier with the Hellboy special, which looked great, or the aforementioned Abruzzo.

Zeppole ($7) for dessert were delightfully light doughnut balls covered in cinnamon sugar. I especially liked that there seemed to be more cinnamon than sugar as they were flavorful without being too sweet.

Service was pleasant and unassuming. We'll be back, if for nothing else than those damned meatballs...

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I took your advice and got to Lampo at around 11:05am on Saturday. Man, I knew it was a small place, but had no idea it was this small--there might be 5-6 tables and a bar. But we got a table no sweat, though the restaurant was full at 11:30.

Well that's been my experience, too, and I'm glad it worked for you.

I don't recall all the items you mentioned, but I do 'member having a Margherita and finding it really good. Mayhaps my taster was off that time?

Given your confirmation about the size of (i.e., number of seats in) the place, I especially recommend "jackie robinson's" note:

I would recommend that if you are attempting to go there to just always have a second plan in case it is busy.

Also, tell the barkeep or host that you have heard that  "Mira" (who teaches about special education at James Madison University, graduated from U.Va., and is on her way to doing great things [according to some doofus I heard from on the Intertubes]) is really fabulous. It probably won't get you moved up in the line, but one of the principals is Mira's brother, so you might get a smile and a chance to talk to her brother!

They really are fabulous folx and it's so tiny that they attend to everyone in the space.

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Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville is my number one source for Virginia wines in the area. Greenwood is good, but they don't have quite the size that Wine Warehouse does.

The 250/151 area south from Crozet has an awful lot of restaurants now with people doing winery tours in the area. Blue Mountain, Rockfish 151, Wild Wolf, Bold Rock, Devil's Backbone... It's a lot to take in. Glad you had a good visit!

Also, even the Food of all Nations has a good local wine selection, sometimes with very good deals.  As well as the Kroeger in Charlottesville from time to time.  This thread reminds me we haven't been to C-ville since Christmas.  We are going to be in big trouble with the in-laws soon!

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Specifically the Rio Hill Kroger is known for its wine selection, due to an uncommonly devoted manager at that store. We have a boatload of Kroger locations around and not all are up to that quality.

Little bit of Cville trivia.  I know the Rio Hill Kroger wine manager at one point (and maybe still is) was named Gregg and was previously the manager of Crush, the shuttered Belmont wine shop that now houses Tavola.  And so it goes in a small town.

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Specifically the Rio Hill Kroger is known for its wine selection, due to an uncommonly devoted manager at that store. We have a boatload of Kroger locations around and not all are up to that quality.

Little bit of Cville trivia.  I know the Rio Hill Kroger wine manager at one point (and maybe still is) was named Gregg and was previously the manager of Crush, the shuttered Belmont wine shop that now houses Tavola.  And so it goes in a small town.

Gentle friends,

Great info. Thanks! I shall brave the road issues and visit that NoVA like part of our ville.

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We spent this past weekend in Charlottesville and we ate well!  

Lunch on Friday was at Bodo's Bagels.  We went to the location on Preston Avenue.  Obviously, bagels are the life-blood of Bodo's. However, I want to point out that you can get something other than a bagel at Bodo's and it is good! I had a caesar salad and a cup of tomato soup with raviolini. Both were great! The lettuce in the salad was really fresh. MrB had a chopped liver sandwich on an onion bagel and he loved it.  I'm sure we'll be back to Bodo's on a subsequent visit.

Dinner Friday evening was at The Alley Light.  Given all of the hype around this restaurant, it was a set-up for disappointment. Good news! It did not disappoint and came through on every level. The hype is real!  We had early reservations on Friday evening and were grateful to be seated at one of only 6 normal-height tables. The rest of the seating is at the bar, at high-tops in the bar area, or at sofas with a low-table in the lounge area. You can order from the printed menu and/or from the specials menu on the giant blackboard on the wall. We chose 3 of our dishes from the blackboard and all were excellent. MrB loved the duck foie gras and even I, who isn't normally a fan, found it really delicious. The rack of lamb (3 small lamb chops) was perfectly cooked and very good. The star of this show to me was the Halibut Ceviche. This was so light, refreshing and flavorful! It was so good, I was tempted to place a second order. Finally, we ordered the carrots off the regular menu and they were very well cooked and the yogurt was a nice accompaniment. (Not nearly as good as the carrot dish we had at Rose's Luxury awhile back, but tasty anyway.)  The only off-note of the evening was the dessert -- I ordered the 'raspberry tart' and it was very disappointing. It was a pistachio cream set atop a round shortbread cookie, surrounded by fresh raspberries. (So, actually not a tart.) The shortbread was so dense that it would have taken a jackhammer to break it apart. The pistachio cream didn't have much flavor at all. I sent the dish back and asked that it be taken off our bill -- something that's extremely rare for me to do. The service was just right, with a perfect tempo.  We'd return any day and will definitely do so on our next trip to Charlottesville.

Breakfast Saturday morning was at the Oakhurst Cafe. We stayed at the Oakhurst Inn (I don't recommend, more on that elsewhere).  The Cafe associated with the hotel is very nice -- I just wish they opened earlier than 8:00 am. The ambiance and the food were very good and the service, which started out a little bumpy, improved immensely once the more experienced staff showed up. They have a lovely outdoor patio area, but it was a little too chilly for us to opt for that.  I'd happily dine here for breakfast/brunch (the only meal they serve) anytime.  Open from 8:00 am-2:00 pm daily.

Lunch on Saturday was at Bizou on the Mall.  The weather was gorgeous, so we were able to sit on the patio. We had very few expectations going in and so we were pleasantly surprised that it was really good! I had the lobster and shrimp salad which was fantastic -- the lobster/shrimp had been marinated in spices such as saffron, cumin, coriander that rendered them a lovely orange/yellow color and the salad was just delicious. MrB had their pulled pork bbq sandwich which he loved. Service was good. We wouldn't hesitate to return. I will offer this caveat: the interior of the restaurant is very dark and was quite smoky when we first arrived. We were grateful we could sit on the patio.

Dinner on Saturday was at Oakhart Social.  It was a beautiful, warm evening and we would have loved to sit on the patio, but it was full. No matter. We were seated inside and since the giant doors were open, it almost felt like we were outside. To be truthful, we didn't have great expectations going in, but we left feeling really pleased.  The menu is very limited. We ordered 3 small plates and one pizza. The wood-fired oysters were fantastic. The oyster mushrooms were smoked, apparently, but I didn't care for them, while MrB really liked them. The chicken wangz were my suggestion and they were great -- whoever heard of elegant, asian chicken wings? Well, here you go. Loved them. Finally, the pizza we ordered was the chile lime roast shrimp. I think the pizza itself was cooked perfectly. I found that I didn't care for the bechamel sauce. That didn't stop me from eating it, though! We ordered a bottle of wine, Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Petit Chablis, France, 2014 for $39, that was lovely. I'm still thinking about that wine. We arrived fairly early in the evening and for the most part our service was very attentive. However, as it got later and the crowd grew, it waned. Still, we have no complaints about the service. We'd be happy to go back to Oakhart Social.

Breakfast on Sunday was at MarieBette.  Following a tip from our realtor, we had breakfast at MarieBette's on Sunday. The cafe is on Rose Hill Drive, just off Preston Ave.  What a delightful experience. The minute you walk in it smells and looks like a French patisserie, with a cafe attached. The dining room is delightful and was sun-filled at 8:00 am. The brunch menu is quite varied and it was hard to choose between the many options. MrB decided on The Atlantic (baked eggs with smoked salmon, dill, and pickled onions) and I chose The North Garden (baked eggs with mushrooms, pearl onions and tarragon). Both were very good, although his was better. We also had a side of the JM Stock sausages which were quite tasty.  The coffee and tea are excellent and the ambiance is lovely. We'd return anytime, and will the next time we're in C'ville. On our way out, we couldn't resist the offerings in the bakery display cases and left with a croissant, an apple galette and a petite kouign amann, all of which we devoured in the car on the way home -- every one of them delicious!

We had a late lunch on the way back to DC at the BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville.  It was a gorgeous day and we were lucky enough to be able to sit on the porch.  We both had the pork platter which consisted of pulled pork and 2 sides.  The pulled pork was fine, although I felt it needed help from the Hot bbq sauce that was one of 6 sauces on the table.  I found my two sides, potato salad and spicy coleslaw, to be disappointing.  The spicy coleslaw was spicy alright, but it didn't seem fresh at all and I stopped eating it after a couple of bites.  The potato salad was very pedestrian. MrB had the baked beans which he liked, but frankly they looked to me like they'd come from a can.  Overall, I found this place disappointing.  We went a bit out of our way to come here and I don't think I'd do that again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 


 

Edited by LauraB
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I will say as someone who never has to book a hotel room in Cville, I had some relatives going there for a wedding this past weekend, and they said it was incredibly difficult to get hotel rooms, that the front desk at the Marriott said they book up about a month in advance during nice weather, sometimes further out if there is a big UVA event.  The couple had blocked rooms somewhere, but I don't know if they had enough blocked.  So just a general note on that.

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3 minutes ago, ktmoomau said:

I will say as someone who never has to book a hotel room in Cville, I had some relatives going there for a wedding this past weekend, and they said it was incredibly difficult to get hotel rooms, that the front desk at the Marriott said they book up about a month in advance during nice weather, sometimes further out if there is a big UVA event.  The couple had blocked rooms somewhere, but I don't know if they had enough blocked.  So just a general note on that.

This past weekend was especially difficult with the Tom Tom Festival and who knows what else.  Our trip was kind of last minute, booked a week out and I contacted about a dozen hotels with no luck!  We ended up at the Oakhurst Inn and even though it was ridiculously expensive (see my review in the DR hotels thread) we took it because otherwise we'd have no place to stay.  I'd say, at this point, C'ville is more popular than its hotel capacity can hold.

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3 hours ago, LauraB said:

We spent this past weekend in Charlottesville and we ate well!  

Lunch on Friday was at Bodo's Bagels.  We went to the location on Preston Avenue.  Obviously, bagels are the life-blood of Bodo's. However, I want to point out that you can get something other than a bagel at Bodo's and it is good! I had a caesar salad and a cup of tomato soup with raviolini. Both were great! The lettuce in the salad was really fresh. MrB had a chopped liver sandwich on an onion bagel and he loved it.  I'm sure we'll be back to Bodo's on a subsequent visit.

Dinner Friday evening was at The Alley Light.  Given all of the hype around this restaurant, it was a set-up for disappointment. Good news! It did not disappoint and came through on every level. The hype is real!  We had early reservations on Friday evening and were grateful to be seated at one of only 6 normal-height tables. The rest of the seating is at the bar, at high-tops in the bar area, or at sofas with a low-table in the lounge area. You can order from the printed menu and/or from the specials menu on the giant blackboard on the wall. We chose 3 of our dishes from the blackboard and all were excellent. MrB loved the duck foie gras and even I, who isn't normally a fan, found it really delicious. The rack of lamb (3 small lamb chops) was perfectly cooked and very good. The star of this show to me was the Halibut Ceviche. This was so light, refreshing and flavorful! It was so good, I was tempted to place a second order. Finally, we ordered the carrots off the regular menu and they were very well cooked and the yogurt was a nice accompaniment. (Not nearly as good as the carrot dish we had at Rose's Luxury awhile back, but tasty anyway.)  The only off-note of the evening was the dessert -- I ordered the 'raspberry tart' and it was very disappointing. It was a pistachio cream set atop a round shortbread cookie, surrounded by fresh raspberries. (So, actually not a tart.) The shortbread was so dense that it would have taken a jackhammer to break it apart. The pistachio cream didn't have much flavor at all. I sent the dish back and asked that it be taken off our bill -- something that's extremely rare for me to do. The service was just right, with a perfect tempo.  We'd return any day and will definitely do so on our next trip to Charlottesville.

Breakfast Saturday morning was at the Oakhurst Cafe. We stayed at the Oakhurst Inn (I don't recommend, more on that elsewhere).  The Cafe associated with the hotel is very nice -- I just wish they opened earlier than 8:00 am. The ambiance and the food were very good and the service, which started out a little bumpy, improved immensely once the more experienced staff showed up. They have a lovely outdoor patio area, but it was a little too chilly for us to opt for that.  I'd happily dine here for breakfast/brunch (the only meal they serve) anytime.  Open from 8:00 am-2:00 pm daily.

Lunch on Saturday was at Bizou on the Mall.  The weather was gorgeous, so we were able to sit on the patio. We had very few expectations going in and so we were pleasantly surprised that it was really good! I had the lobster and shrimp salad which was fantastic -- the lobster/shrimp had been marinated in spices such as saffron, cumin, coriander that rendered them a lovely orange/yellow color and the salad was just delicious. MrB had their pulled pork bbq sandwich which he loved. Service was good. We wouldn't hesitate to return. I will offer this caveat: the interior of the restaurant is very dark and was quite smoky when we first arrived. We were grateful we could sit on the patio.

Dinner on Saturday was at Oakhart Social.  It was a beautiful, warm evening and we would have loved to sit on the patio, but it was full. No matter. We were seated inside and since the giant doors were open, it almost felt like we were outside. To be truthful, we didn't have great expectations going in, but we left feeling really pleased.  The menu is very limited. We ordered 3 small plates and one pizza. The wood-fired oysters were fantastic. The oyster mushrooms were smoked, apparently, but I didn't care for them, while MrB really liked them. The chicken wangz were my suggestion and they were great -- whoever heard of elegant, asian chicken wings? Well, here you go. Loved them. Finally, the pizza we ordered was the chile lime roast shrimp. I think the pizza itself was cooked perfectly. I found that I didn't care for the bechamel sauce. That didn't stop me from eating it, though! We ordered a bottle of wine, Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Petit Chablis, France, 2014 for $39, that was lovely. I'm still thinking about that wine. We arrived fairly early in the evening and for the most part our service was very attentive. However, as it got later and the crowd grew, it waned. Still, we have no complaints about the service. We'd be happy to go back to Oakhart Social.

Breakfast on Sunday was at MarieBette.  Following a tip from our realtor, we had breakfast at MarieBette's on Sunday. The cafe is on Rose Hill Drive, just off Preston Ave.  What a delightful experience. The minute you walk in it smells and looks like a French patisserie, with a cafe attached. The dining room is delightful and was sun-filled at 8:00 am. The brunch menu is quite varied and it was hard to choose between the many options. MrB decided on The Atlantic (baked eggs with smoked salmon, dill, and pickled onions) and I chose The North Garden (baked eggs with mushrooms, pearl onions and tarragon). Both were very good, although his was better. We also had a side of the JM Stock sausages which were quite tasty.  The coffee and tea are excellent and the ambiance is lovely. We'd return anytime, and will the next time we're in C'ville. On our way out, we couldn't resist the offerings in the bakery display cases and left with a croissant, an apple galette and a petite kouign amann, all of which we devoured in the car on the way home -- every one of them delicious!

We had a late lunch on the way back to DC at the BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville.  It was a gorgeous day and we were lucky enough to be able to sit on the porch.  We both had the pork platter which consisted of pulled pork and 2 sides.  The pulled pork was fine, although I felt it needed help from the Hot bbq sauce that was one of 6 sauces on the table.  I found my two sides, potato salad and spicy coleslaw, to be disappointing.  The spicy coleslaw was spicy alright, but it didn't seem fresh at all and I stopped eating it after a couple of bites.  The potato salad was very pedestrian. MrB had the baked beans which he liked, but frankly they looked to me like they'd come from a can.  Overall, I found this place disappointing.  We went a bit out of our way to come here and I don't think I'd do that again.  

 

 

Well, you certainly hit some good places on your quick tour. Yay!

And your analyses sound quite right. 

I'm especially glad you found MarieBette, as the proprietors send their toddler daughters to my daughter's toddler classroom. I rarely see the proprietors and we don't get any special treatment there, but we feel a closeness to them—and (though it may not arrive quickly) we like their food.

Much good to be said about Bizou. 

Welcome to Hookville.

 

 

 

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