The Dish


New frogurt: Bloop plops down on Pantops Published on May 18th, 2012 11 comments Like a cool dollop of twisty soft-serve ice-cream falling slowly in circles from the machine as it shapes a mound on a crispy sweet cone, Charlottesville's newest self-serve frozen yogurt joint has...
Pei in The Box: Ten chef brings new menu Published on May 15th, 2012 0 comments For several years now, The Box on the Downtown Mall has been a beacon of downtown night-life with its solid music line-up and dance scene vibe into the wee hours, but owner Chas Webster wanted to...
Goodbye, Expresso: Venerable food family exits Pantops space Published on May 15th, 2012 23 comments About a year ago, the former owners of the famed Expresso Italian Villa on Emmet Street (now The Villa under new ownership), known by countless students and townsfolk for its 2am breakfasts, reprised...
Hog heaven: Brookville's pork party pleases Published on May 10th, 2012 15 comments On Friday, May 4 Brookville Restaurant became a BBQ joint, complete with pig roast, and we have the pictures and video to prove it. "We had a lot of great people come up the stairs, and I put my...
Jason's Deli: Unblanking a wall, chain readies for August opening Published on May 8th, 2012 19 comments A representative for Jason's Deli stood before the County Architectural Review Board on Monday, May 7, hoping to hammer out details concerning the exterior renovation of the old 5,900-square-foot...
Deck the Mall: Fancy Fleurie adds space for 22 Published on May 4th, 2012 14 comments Fleurie, the compact and upscale restaurant on the Downtown Mall's Third Street NE, will finally get its own café, as these images from May 3 indicate. The restaurant, owned by chef Brian Helleberg,...
All fresco: Taking farm-to-table literally Published on May 3rd, 2012 0 comments "Our carbon footprint," says our waiter at a recent dinner at Zinc, "is pretty low from there to there." Related story Heavy metal: Zinc patio gets zincier He's pointing out the bed of herbs, peas...
Café-market: Batesville gets its store back Published on May 1st, 2012 8 comments The historic structure that previously housed the beloved Batesville Store has reopened, and its new incarnation is Plank Road Exchange, which its foodie proprietors describe as a "café-market."...
Café-market: Batesville gets its store back Published on May 1st, 2012 8 comments The historic structure that previously housed the beloved Batesville Store has reopened, and its new incarnation is Plank Road Exchange, which its foodie proprietors describe as a "café-market."...
Pig out this Friday at Brookville, ah, Bville-Q Published on May 1st, 2012 1 comments Brookville Restaurant on the Downtown Mall is known for its inventive, local food-inspired cuisine, a reputation that earned chef Harrison Keevil an invite to assist celebrity chef Alice Waters in...
Everybody's place: Citizen Burger Bar set for Memorial Day opening Published on Apr 29th, 2012 6 comments Restaurateur Andy McClure says he's been trying to open a place on the Downtown Mall for several years. And he came close a few times, once at The Gleason, and another time closer downtown where Jean...
Divine stage: Waters serves up idea-drenched Monticello feast Published on Apr 23rd, 2012 5 comments On a beautiful day last Friday, April 20, Monticello served as the "divine stage" for a feast of feasts, according to Alice Waters, owner and executive chef of the world-famous Chez Panisse...
Heating up: Chang wows Richmond; plans new menu, movie Published on Apr 23rd, 2012 8 comments Peter Chang is likely the only chef in America whose migration from one restaurant to the next over the last several years has been depicted by a map graphic in the Washington Post, from his arrival...
'Mother' calling: Celebrity chef Alice Waters to visit Monticello Published on Apr 17th, 2012 9 comments Okay, hard-core foodies, fasten your seat belts. Monticello just announced that Alice Waters, widely hailed as the "mother of American cooking" and the American pioneer in the local food movement,...
Growing trend: Zynodoa puts the farm on the table Published on Apr 17th, 2012 1 comments There's a growing trend, literally, among chefs and restaurant owners to source food from their own gardens and small farms, but few seem to be embracing that idea quite like Zynodoa in Staunton....
Atelier de Cuisine: Burgess and Derquenne define The Space Published on Apr 10th, 2012 0 comments The recent decision by the X Lounge to curtail its operating schedule to instigate more private parties heightens the mystique around another downtown restaurant space, one that although it closed in...
X Lounge retools, Buck's Elbow Pub goes public Published on Apr 9th, 2012 0 comments Four years ago, when the Hook asked whether Charlottesville might be "New Yorkifying," a $10 martini at the trendy X Lounge was a key trend indicator. Indeed, when the multi-leveled restaurant/bar...
Super-condiment? Mad Hatter heats, spices, and marinates Published on Apr 9th, 2012 15 comments The creators of Mad Hatter didn't set out to invent a super-condiment, but they did see a void in the ever-changing hot sauce market. As Nathan West tells it, his partner, Cailen von Briesen, a New...
Super-condiment? Mad Hatter heats, spices, and marinates Published on Apr 9th, 2012 15 comments The creators of Mad Hatter didn't set out to invent a super-condiment, but they did see a void in the ever-changing hot sauce market. As Nathan West tells it, his partner, Cailen von Briesen, a New...
Pho-nomenon: Vietnamese soup comes to West Main Published on Apr 5th, 2012 15 comments Related stories: • Savory spheres: Interior work begins at One Meatball Place • Purple days: Feast! celebrates 10 cheesey years Pho, the hearty Vietnamese noodle soup filled with big chunks of beef...
Fresh Market: Upscale grocer wants Circuit City spot Published on Apr 2nd, 2012 27 comments Just two weeks after the artery-clogging opening of Cook-Out, word comes that another Greensboro-based food company plans to shake up Charlottesville. Fresh Market, a fast-growing grocer that...
Savory spheres: Interior work begins at One Meatball Place Published on Apr 2nd, 2012 1 comments Prior stories • Concrete move: Market Annex work begins on Main St. • High on the Skybar Interior build-out may begin next week for One Meatball Place, the sphere-centric dining venue first...
Andale! Tasty Mex take-out in Belmont Market Published on Mar 30th, 2012 3 comments Since last fall, there's been a hole-in-the-wall (literally!) Mexican take-out joint in the back of the Belmont Market that's been serving up spicy fish tacos, burritos, and veggie delights almost...
Eating out's in: City meals tax revenue rebounds Published on Mar 27th, 2012 6 comments With the recent announcement that Charlottesville and Albemarle County are expecting double-digit increases in meals tax revenue for 2013, it looks like our flair for gastronomy is an indicator of...
Meet the meat: Cook-Out backs up Charlottesville artery Published on Mar 26th, 2012 19 comments Related story Cook-Out: Popular fastfoodery heading to Charlottesville "They can wait," barks the man directing traffic in the parking lot of Charlottesville's newest fastfoodery as he directs...
Wine tale: Veritas makes State Department debut Published on Mar 26th, 2012 9 comments Last week, the folks at Veritas Vineyard & Winery in Afton had a challenge and an honor– serving up their wine at a State Department luncheon with the Prime Minister of England David...
Calypso: The Caribbean comes to Emmet Street Published on Mar 20th, 2012 8 comments Calypso, the new Caribbean restaurant, cafe, and bakery that opened last week, probably has the most secure wine cellar in Charlottesville— the vault left behind by a bank that previously occupied...
Roman spring: Bella's readies for Friday opening Published on Mar 20th, 2012 2 comments Related story Chow Bella: Rome-inspired restaurant to open in March The bar will be complete, the tables and chairs set up, and the staff ready to debut Bella's. The Roman cuisine restaurant...
Roman spring: Bella's readies for Friday opening Published on Mar 20th, 2012 2 comments Related story Chow Bella: Rome-inspired restaurant to open in March The bar will be complete, the tables and chairs set up, and the staff ready to debut Bella's. The Roman cuisine restaurant...
Eating, easy: Dinner at Home takes away the work Published on Mar 20th, 2012 0 comments It's the plight of many a harried family: how to provide healthy meals while juggling the demands of jobs, school, sports, and other time-devouring extracurriculars. Enter Ashley East, a former...