94 replies to this topic

[AMTHoya]

On October 22nd, I'm going to be going to Palladio, the restaurant at Barboursville Vineyards, where Cesare Lafranconi, the chef from Tosca, is going to be guest chef for the night. Has anyone been to these wine dinners at Barboursville before, and would you recommend them?

[Joe H]

It is an idyllic setting with a restaurant, Palladio, that is thought of very well locally. When we were there it was for a similar dinner with Roberto Donna and Michel Richard the visiting chefs. We had a good time and promised to return although now, two years later, we still have not for whatever reason. But we really liked the setting and the wine dinner was worth it. Barboursville, remarkably, has some good red VA wine with the winemaker from Tuscany. Perhaps most important is the beauty of both the winery and the area it is in; an American "Tuscany" if you will. 

[Yentruoc]

We've had UVA season tickets for a while now, and this season I'd like to make an effort to hit some of the many good restaurants in C'ville, now that we're not on a student budget anymore, and we have the interest.

We ate at the Fuel Company last year and really enjoyed it. Any and all suggestions welcome, although we'd probably like to keep it below or up to around $100 for two for dinner/wine (while not students anymore, we are not yet CEOs!) Places open for Sunday lunch are great too to grab a bite before coming back home. Old places, new places, tell me about 'em!

[DC in DC]

We are planning to stop in Charlottesville on Monday night after a road trip down to Asheville, NC. Can anyone recommend a low-key but good place for dinner? Nothing fancy, but nothing too student-oriented either.

Thanks.

[cjsadler]

Ciboulette Market downtown is an interesting French bistro/market that fits what you're looking for. However, they were changing things up the last time I was there, so I'm not sure whether they're serving dinner now or only lunch still (try ciboulettemarket@earthlink.net)

There's the somewhat legendary Crozet Pizza in the nearby town of Crozet, which gets alot of hype (I think it's overrated, but still very good pizza). You'll need a reservation.

[John Wabeck]

I too need some recs (for next weekend). Allegedly there's a wine bar/restaurant that's pretty good?

[giant shrimp]

in the downtown mall area, c&o and oxo were good the last time we were there in the late autumn. service at the latter was definitely bent, but didn't detract too much from the food. this is still a college town. i would recommend metropolitan, but it's gone. bizou used to be a reliable, unpretentious offshoot, and maybe still is, at least for lunch. have never made it to the more expensive places frequented by the horse-riding crowd strewn over the countryside. would like to visit kluge; it was closed on the mondays when we were in the area.

Edited by giant shrimp, 02 September 2005 - 07:55 AM.

[Al Dente]

I've really enjoyed Mas Tapas on Monticello Rd a number of times. It's trying to be a little too hip for its own good with the music a little too loud and the funky interior, but the tapas were excellent. They have outdoor seating too!

[thistle]

I took my son down this weekend for camp, as we were leaving, I asked his counselor for a good Mexican restaurant. He recommended 'Guadalajara' & after a few wrong turns, we found it. My 7 yr. old daughter & I enjoyed a delicious dinner, a bit over salted, but the salsa was spicy, they kept our drinks filled (she had Hawaiian punch, I had a lime margarita & water), & the chile rellenos were great. Since I got 'misdirected', shall we say, I got to see lots of C-ville, the White spot, bagel places-it's a nice college town, reminds me of Chapel Hill, a bit....

[thistle]

edited for double post

[Escoffier]

I got to see lots of C-ville, the White spot, bagel places-it's a nice college town, reminds me of Chapel Hill, a bit....

First it's a nice University town and secondly Chapel Hill is a pale imitation of the best University in the U.S. (perhaps you detect a bit of Hoo'ism here? )

[thistle]

Hey, hoo-hoo to you -it IS a lovely university town, perhaps a touch more insular than Chapel Hill, which has a bit of intercollegiate rivalry going on w/ Duke & NC State (well, not so much). After picking up our guy, we ate at Guadalajara (the one on Fontaine Ave.), delicious again, then the kids occupied the hotel pool until closing. It was a nice drive down from NOVA, I thought Orange looked like a nice small town, too. I'd like to go back for the wool festival/sheepdog trials in the fall...

[Escoffier]

Hey, hoo-hoo to you -it IS a lovely university town, perhaps a touch more insular than Chapel Hill, which has a bit of intercollegiate rivalry going on w/ Duke & NC State (well, not so much). After picking up our guy, we ate at Guadalajara (the one on Fontaine Ave.), delicious again, then the kids occupied the hotel pool until closing. It was a nice drive down from NOVA, I thought Orange looked like a nice small town, too. I'd like to go back for the wool festival/sheepdog trials in the fall...

I remember when Guadalajara was a rooming house. You might want to skip Orange and stop in Culpeper. There are a number of excellent restaurants hidden away there. You might also want to check out around Ivy Road in C'ville. There is a decent Italian restaurant on the left on the hill as you go west on Rt.250. There are also a bunch of good restaurants on Water Street and the C&O restaurant at the end of Water St is beyond excellent (you might want to make reservations now for the graduation party that will come in a couple of years). The Main St (s)mall has a bunch of good places. The Hardware Store comes to mind but there are others as well. There's also the Boars Head Inn on Rt 250 across from Farmington Country Club which has a number of dining options, all of which are very good. If you want to continue in that vein, you can go to Crozet which is becoming the DelRay (SoHo?) of C'ville. A number of good restaurants there as well...or go to Wintergreen and eat at one of the three places at the resort...

[jasonc]

avoid the hardware store at all costs, unless it's just to pick up a pie. the food there is terribly misguided, uninteresting, over-priced pub fare.

do try out continental divide on main st.

[Escoffier]

avoid the hardware store at all costs, unless it's just to pick up a pie. the food there is terribly misguided, uninteresting, over-priced pub fare.

do try out continental divide on main st.

Last time I was in the Hardware Store there were two restaurants on Main St. and a real bakery and a grocery store. The last time I was on the mall, there were a bunch of restaurants, no grocery and no bakery. I'm not sure if that's an improvement or not.

[thistle]

I saw Northern Exposure on Main, but not Continental Divide-lots of interesting looking places, but the kids just wanted Mexican & ice cream-the Hershey place on the corner. My son loved camp, but we're a long way from thinking about graduation dinner-I went to Chapel Hill, my DH attended the Citadel. Hmm-Chapel Hill, Charleston, Charlottesville-all appear to be pretty good food towns-do we see a connection?-besides humidity & mosquitoes?...

[Escoffier]

I saw Northern Exposure on Main, but not Continental Divide-lots of interesting looking places, but the kids just wanted Mexican & ice cream-the Hershey place on the corner. My son loved camp, but we're a long way from thinking about graduation dinner-I went to Chapel Hill, my DH attended the Citadel. Hmm-Chapel Hill, Charleston, Charlottesville-all appear to be pretty good food towns-do we see a connection?-besides humidity & mosquitoes?...

The others don't have The Rotunda, The Grounds, Monticello, Rugby Road, The Pavilions, The Seven Society, and last but certainly not least Thomas Jefferson...other than that, there's a connection. . Charlottesville really started to develop a restaurant 'culture' in the last 20 years. Before that, it was pretty much fast food and a couple of expensive but not very adventurous food places. A lot of legacy type food..at Keswick, at Farmington Country Club (if you belonged, otherwise, forget it), and then Boars Head Inn came along and good food started to find it's way to C'ville...followed shortly thereafter by fading Hollywood stars who bought 'retirement' homes in the area and with them brought a demand for better food..when I lived there, good dining was Black Angus near the Holiday Inn on Rt 29 North and that was it. It was almost impossible to get a table on a Saturday night when the U was in. Of course, if you grew up there, you knew about places like Jak & Jill which still have the best foot long hot dogs in the state of VA. You couldn't get in there on a Saturday night either but it didn't matter, you could always go to the window and order and sit in your car and watch all the other high school kids do the same thing. Now, there are a ton of good restaurants and I get to try one or two every now and then when I go back to visit what's left of my family there.

[afelton]

I enjoyed C&O quite a bit; it's in a very nice old house. We sat in the garden area, which was very pretty. Might be a bit too hot for that now, though. It was about a year ago, so I don't recall specifically, but I think I fondly recall a ceviche appetizer.

[Escoffier]

I enjoyed C&O quite a bit; it's in a very nice old house. We sat in the garden area, which was very pretty. Might be a bit too hot for that now, though. It was about a year ago, so I don't recall specifically, but I think I fondly recall a ceviche appetizer.

The C&O started out as a lunch counter on the first floor and a bar in the basement when the C&O Railroad station was across the street. I remember when trains used to stop there (the C&O and Southern Railway tracks used to cross not far from my house, the Southern running north and south, C&O running east and west). Somewhere along the way (around 1980 or so), the railroads went away but the C&O stayed and became the really good restaurant it is today. If you measure goodness by the amount of time it takes to get a reservation, the C&O is right up there. The last time I tried to get reservations, there would have been a 3 week wait. The best place to eat at the C&O is upstairs where it's bright, light and the windows overlook the old C&O station. You can sit and imagine the passenger trains arriving (if you're old enough to remember them)

[jm chen]

Had a bang-up meal Monday night at C&O -- what a lovely place. The only confusion was upstairs vs. mezzanine. We'd made a reservation for the upstairs, but were seated in the mezzanine (where we were the only people around for the first hour). Once we asked one of our lovely waitstaff what the situation was, she explained that they close the upstairs when there aren't enough reservations, so, that made sense.

Food was truly awesome, every bite. The sea scallop ceviche had a really intense smell to it that I couldn't quite figure out at first, but I think came from the unusual combination of mustard oil and truffles. My +1's quail stuffed with sweetbreads was even better than the scallops. We both tried to go lightish on the mains, with seared tuna and trout. Both excellent. Had an awesome cheese plate of Irish cheddar and something with green peppercorns to finish (plus a little Camemzola since we had trouble deciding).

In cooler weather I'd sit on the patio, the covered part. Just beautiful out there.

[Seanchai]

Had a bang-up meal Monday night at C&O -- what a lovely place. The only confusion was upstairs vs. mezzanine. We'd made a reservation for the upstairs, but were seated in the mezzanine (where we were the only people around for the first hour). Once we asked one of our lovely waitstaff what the situation was, she explained that they close the upstairs when there aren't enough reservations, so, that made sense.

Food was truly awesome, every bite. The sea scallop ceviche had a really intense smell to it that I couldn't quite figure out at first, but I think came from the unusual combination of mustard oil and truffles. My +1's quail stuffed with sweetbreads was even better than the scallops. We both tried to go lightish on the mains, with seared tuna and trout. Both excellent. Had an awesome cheese plate of Irish cheddar and something with green peppercorns to finish (plus a little Camemzola since we had trouble deciding).

In cooler weather I'd sit on the patio, the covered part. Just beautiful out there.

The little bar room in the lower level has a great atmosphere and is a fun place for late night drinks.

[CrescentFresh]

I'm heading down to C'ville for the day on Thursday. Will be looking to get some lunch somewhere. Looking at the suggestions posted above that seemed most interesting, the only one with a website was C&O, and that seems a bit much for lunch, and probably a little too on the fine dining side.

Other suggestions for where to go? The Mexican joint sounds nice, but unless it's killer, there's probably really nothing about it making it unique to C'ville. So, where should I hit? Doesn't need to be fancy by any means. Even a kick-ass burger would be great. Just something representative of the area.

Thanks.

[giant shrimp]

I'm heading down to C'ville for the day on Thursday. Will be looking to get some lunch somewhere. Looking at the suggestions posted above that seemed most interesting, the only one with a website was C&O, and that seems a bit much for lunch, and probably a little too on the fine dining side.

Other suggestions for where to go? The Mexican joint sounds nice, but unless it's killer, there's probably really nothing about it making it unique to C'ville. So, where should I hit? Doesn't need to be fancy by any means. Even a kick-ass burger would be great. Just something representative of the area.

Thanks.

if i were in your shoes, i would go to bizou, located on the downtown mall. i haven't eaten there in perhaps two years. it's just the place i would be going to on thursday for lunch, for better or worse.

[Escoffier]

I'm heading down to C'ville for the day on Thursday. Will be looking to get some lunch somewhere. Looking at the suggestions posted above that seemed most interesting, the only one with a website was C&O, and that seems a bit much for lunch, and probably a little too on the fine dining side.

Other suggestions for where to go? The Mexican joint sounds nice, but unless it's killer, there's probably really nothing about it making it unique to C'ville. So, where should I hit? Doesn't need to be fancy by any means. Even a kick-ass burger would be great. Just something representative of the area.

Thanks.

Try parking near the Fed Courthouse and walking down Second Street. If you don't find something interesting, hit the White Spot (or the Grease Spot as we lovingly knew it) on the Corner (across from the hospital on W. Main St) for representative (heartburn inducing) food. Personal preference would be either some place on Second St or pick one of the places on the mall. (Sorry I can't be more specific, but it's been a while since anyplace I ate in C'ville wasn't a relative's house)

[Scott Johnston]

If you really want something that is different and very good try Shebeen, a South African pub and restuarant in the Vinegar Hill Shopping Center. I have been here twice and found the traditional foods quite good and authentic. In particular I liked the Bobotie, Sosatie and the Braised Lamb Shank.

http://www.shebeenpub.com/

[Escoffier]

Vinegar Hill Shopping Center.
http://www.shebeenpub.com/

Remind me to tell you how Vinegar Hill got it's name when I see you on Friday night.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled forum, already in progress..

[Seanchai]

I'm heading down to C'ville for the day on Thursday. Will be looking to get some lunch somewhere. Looking at the suggestions posted above that seemed most interesting, the only one with a website was C&O, and that seems a bit much for lunch, and probably a little too on the fine dining side.

Other suggestions for where to go? The Mexican joint sounds nice, but unless it's killer, there's probably really nothing about it making it unique to C'ville. So, where should I hit? Doesn't need to be fancy by any means. Even a kick-ass burger would be great. Just something representative of the area.

Thanks.

A lot of the more unique food choices in Charlottesville are dinner-only, so your options are a little more limited. On or near the downtown mall, the Shebeen has been mentioned (I'm pretty sure they have a website) and I would recommend that as well, although not as enthusistically as I would in the past. The food can be quite good, but the service and food quality are not as consistent as they once were. Bizou is a solid choice as is Hamilton's for interesting American food. Great takeout BBQ can be had at Jinx's on east Market St. east of downtown in the Woolen Mills neighborhood. The inside is, shall we say, eclectic, and about the size of a very large phone booth. The Blue Bird Cafe on West Main St. between the Corner and downtown, a dining staple for many years in Cville, is open for lunch and does a respectable if not exciting job. Christian's pizza has interesting pizza by the slice as well as calzones and is the local fave.

Actually, several nice lunch options can be accessed in the Main Street Market on West Main on the other side of the street from the Blue Bird. There is a great cheese shop called Feast that has a little cafe attached, Seafood at West Main has started doing lunch takeout specials, La Ciboulette is supposed to be quite good and there is a great European style bakery as well (Albemarle Baking Company).

Enjoy!

[eruby]

... Even a kick-ass burger would be great...

Definitely hit the previously mentioned White Spot for a One-Eyed (fried egg) Gus Burger.

Eric

[CrescentFresh]

Was all set to hit one of these joints, but FWIW, we ended up getting taken out to lunch by our hosts, so we had no choice in the matter. Thanks for the suggestions, though.

[Escoffier]

Was all set to hit one of these joints, but FWIW, we ended up getting taken out to lunch by our hosts, so we had no choice in the matter. Thanks for the suggestions, though.

So, where did you end up?

[CrescentFresh]

So, where did you end up?

A souvlaki place. The pita was nice. The lamb was chunky and too tough, meaning you had to put the whole chunk into your mouth instead of biting through it when it was in the sandwich.

[DC in DC]

Heading to C-ville and doing some furniture shopping at Green Front this Saturday. I think we'll make a return trip to C&O (our last was 8 years ago), and I'm glad to hear that it's still great. I'm a bit confused about the different locations (upstairs, mezzanine, bistro?). I am assuming it's the same menu, but different spaces? What would you recommend? Thanks!

[jm chen]

The Bistro is smoky and crowded and has a smaller menu. As far as the food goes, everything else is the same. If it's nice out, you might try the covered patio. Upstairs is probably the quietest and most "fine-dining" ish. The mezzanine is fine but given the choice I'd probably rather have upstairs or outside.

Have a great meal! And don't miss the cheese plate.

[DC in DC]

Thanks Jael (looking forward to finally meeting you at the Dino's outing on the 24th!). I called, and we were already going to be seated "upstairs" anyway. Will report back.

[Escoffier]

After an invigorating drive through the area around Monticello yesterday, eight of us ended up at Jinx Pit Stop (how apropo). Interesting place. The bbq is good and the atmosphere is unique and welcoming. The owner is very interesting. Dont' pay a lot of attention to the outside, the good stuff is inside. It's hard to argue with Casablanca on a combination TV/VCR and bbq. The bbq is served on toasted white bread with slaw on the side if you ask for it. I had the sammich (sic) special which was pulled pork on the aforementioned white bread and baked beans. Both were very good. Grover had the rib and half sammich special. Two very meaty ribs and half a sandwich. She had the baked beans as well. Another member of the party asked for a full rack of ribs and the owner (Jinx?) said he'd be better off with a half. He said there was too much for one person to eat. It's not often that someone turns down business. Cost to Grover and I for two dinners and two canned sodas was $14.

[CrescentFresh]

After an invigorating drive through the area around Monticello yesterday, eight of us ended up at Jinx Pit Stop

Got details on where to find this place should I care for an invigorating drive myself?

[Escoffier]

Got details on where to find this place should I care for an invigorating drive myself?

The drive or Jinx? Jinx Pit Stop BBQ is at 1307 East Market St. ((434) 293-6904 ) That's Market St at Monticello Rd. You can't miss it, just look for the monument place (in this case, monument means headstones not tall pointy things or people on horses).

[dmwine]

In Ruckersville, north of C'ville, on Rte 33 at 29, just after (about 100 yds) turning to go to Horton or Barboursville wineries, there's a new BBQ joint called Smokin' Eddies, or Sammie's, or something. Pretty good pork sandwich, which I wolfed down on one of the few tables on the porch. (It was warm last Saturday.)

In town, Fuel Co. is pretty nice for a more bistro-style meal. Can't say exactly where it is, though, as I wasn't driving and it was raining buckets on Friday night. I think it's right on Rte 20.

[Seanchai]

In Ruckersville, north of C'ville, on Rte 33 at 29, just after (about 100 yds) turning to go to Horton or Barboursville wineries, there's a new BBQ joint called Smokin' Eddies, or Sammie's, or something. Pretty good pork sandwich, which I wolfed down on one of the few tables on the porch. (It was warm last Saturday.)

In town, Fuel Co. is pretty nice for a more bistro-style meal. Can't say exactly where it is, though, as I wasn't driving and it was raining buckets on Friday night. I think it's right on Rte 20.

Fuek Co. is just northeast of the downtown pedestrian mall. It's owned by Patricia Kluge, who also has founded the boutique winery Kluge Estates. And by boutique I mean expect to pay a lot of money for something that is just OK.

[CrescentFresh]

$5 glasses of Delirium Tremens at Zocalo. Nice price for a nice beer.

[Seanchai]

$5 glasses of Delirium Tremens at Zocalo. Nice price for a nice beer.

Zocalo teeters on the edge of just being trendy, but consistently digs down to offer serious value at the bar or ther dining table.

[ferment everything]

Decided to do a virginia day trip yesterday, and after a tour at Linden, and stopping in at Wasmund's, we decided to pop down to Charlottesville via Shenandoah. As always, the board was helpful in picking places to hit, and we found the following:

Jinx's - closed for "catering"
Shebeen - split a Sosatie: lamb skewers, mango chutney, rice, "voodoo yogurt". Pretty good, and they had St. George's IPA on tap, so a bonus there. Seems like a menu that would be very fun to work your way through.
Fuel Co. - closed for private party (it was maybe at this point that we should've started wondering what was going on)
The Virginian - Stopped in for a beer (Starr Hill Stout on tap) and finally figured out what was happening. Our chosen day had apparently intersected with the Foxfield Races, which means that the entire university was decked out in very entertaining apparel: girls in sundresses, guys in brightly colored ties and sometimes shorts. It was hilarious, in particular because they were all pretty intoxicated.
Buddhist Biker Bar - Cool little bar, but they were out of the good taps, so Wasmund's on the rocks was the order of the day. Batch 6. Lots of laughs at the expense of drunk kids.
Va Vino - stopped in here while we killed time before dinner, had a nice flight of white wines, and some prosciutto-wrapped dates.
Zocalo - dinner here was pretty solid. Lagunitas Pale on tap. Smoky Tomato Grits were suprisingly good, creamy and smoky. Polenta fries were pretty damn good. The mains weren't as impressive, but far from bad: seared duck, grouper. I'd go back.
Orbit - met a buddy (who was in town for the races) here and had a post-dinner drink. A dozen taps or so, with several pretty good choices, some Starr Hill and some St George stuff. I only wish that GW had a bar like this.

It was a good day.

[Banco]

Any recommendations for places with good and interesting food? Much obliged.

[Escoffier]

Any recommendations for places with good and interesting food? Much obliged.

C&O, Fuel Company and there's a E in CharlottEsville...

[Seanchai]

Just as an addendum to Eric's post above, there have been a number of openings and closings in Cville over the last several months:

VaVino on the Downtown Mall has morphed into enoteca; same basic concept but with an exclusive Italian focus and slightly more extensive light food menu.

The Blue Bird Cafe on West Main St. has closed and been replaced by the Horse and Hound, a British-style gastropub (their words).

Wild Orchid on West Main St. has been replaced by Zinc, a French-style gastropub (again, their words).

Southern Culture on West Main has finally been replaced by Maya, a more upscale take on Southern style cooking.

Starr Hill Brewery and Music Hall has closed. Fans of the beer, take heart. They are still producing Starr Hill brews and are even planning a tasting room at their new Crozet location (about 20 minutes west of town).

Also, the unlamented Fuel Co. has closed its doors as well. Patricia Kluge wants to focus on her over-priced wines instead.

[Banco]

Well, we only had a day and a half in Charlottesville, with two kids in tow, so I'm afraid I don't have much to report. Our one dinner there was a picnic with stuff bought from Whole Foods, including an inexcusably bland paté and an overpriced Cotes du Rhone. Our one meal out was brunch at a bar called Rapture, on the pedestrian mall, and it was really very nice. The Bloody Marys were quite good, and my BLT with thick-sliced pepper bacon was excellent. Our six-year-old, Julian, loved his cheese omelet. I forget what my wife and daughter had, but they liked whatever it was. Service was good and friendly. It was one of those places I wish we had more of in DC.

Afterward I played pool with Julian for the first time, in the smoky, beery back room on tables with the requisite stained felt. It was the perfect place to introduce my son to this important vice.

[lackadaisi]

Going on an impromptu trip to visit the great-grandmother today. Does anyone know of a good place to stop for lunch/brunch with an infant prior to our visit?

[lackadaisi]

Going on an impromptu trip to visit the great-grandmother today. Does anyone know of a good place to stop for lunch/brunch with an infant prior to our visit?

Ended up at Enoteca and had some damn good panini! We will return.

[brr]

Hi all:

Traveling to Monticello today and wondering if anyone has any recent reports? General parameters....good food, decent prices that can accomodate a picky father, a garlic allergic mother and an, um, rambunctious 2 year old.....easy right!

Right now I am thinking Shebeen.....

[Demetrius]

You can pick up a great sandwich and a few sides at Food of All Nations. Just a short walk from the UVA campus.