The Dish


Savory feeling: Restaurant Week rocked Food Bank w/$13K Published on Mar 19th, 2012 0 comments The sixth Charlottesville Restaurant Week took place in late January, but the savory flavors linger– especially for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which learned this week that the city-wide...
Purple days: Feast! celebrates 10 cheesey years Published on Mar 13th, 2012 1 comments Since the bold paint was applied in 2002, the shop that has anchored that festive purple palace of cuisine known as the Main Street Market has been increasing its sales and just celebrated its 10th...
A snowy Biltmore Published on Mar 13th, 2012 0 comments
Quake casualty: Fellini's #9 welcomes new chef Published on Mar 13th, 2012 0 comments More Italian cuisine news • Bella's on West Main has set March 23 as its opening date. Turns out last year's earthquake has brought us some hearty Italian food. As Fellini's #9 recently...
Saintly move? Poet thieves return St. Maarten's sign Published on Mar 8th, 2012 16 comments Looks like the people who stole St. Maarten Café's sign had a fit of remorse, which even inspired some poetry."I came around the corner last night after having dinner and there it was," says Nicole...
St. Maarten Café sign stolen Published on Mar 6th, 2012 15 comments Just a week before the planned re-opening of St. Maarten Café on the Corner, which closed abruptly at the end of January after 26 years, more trouble has struck. On the night of March 5, the massive...
Reopened: Fuel Co. refueled by Desai Published on Mar 5th, 2012 16 comments Related stories • Topped off: Convenience store owner is Fuel's high bidder • Fuel Co. closes • Fueling competition: Kluge's gas mart gears up Sam Desai, the operator of the venerable Seven...
No Bull: Secrets of the veggie burger sisterhood Published on Mar 1st, 2012 12 comments "We've been eating these our wholes lives," says Elizabeth Raymond, talking about her mother's veggie burgers in the small commercial kitchen on East Market Street. "And we've talked about doing this...
Pigged out: How Paulie started small... and smoky Published on Mar 1st, 2012 6 comments There's a new barbecue place on the way to Wintergreen– new, that is, compared to the one that's been pleasing palates for over 20 years. The venerable one, of course, is the Blue Ridge Pig,...
Siips bows out, McClure and his burgers step in Published on Feb 28th, 2012 12 comments As you might have already heard, Siips Wine & Champagne Bar closed on February 19 after four years on the Downtown Mall. Siips was known for its impressive wine offerings, music, and art events,...
St. Maarten Café set to re-open Published on Feb 27th, 2012 16 comments When St. Maarten Café abruptly closed at the end of January after 26 years, the outpouring of nostalgia and grief was immediate. A Friends of St. Maarten Café Facebook group had 350 members by 6pm on...
Staved off: Cracker Barrel bypasses Fifth Street Published on Feb 23rd, 2012 81 comments The red dirt out by the Holiday Inn on Fifth Street has recently been raising some eyebrows. But what won't be raised anytime soon is the developer's intended target: the combination southern foodery...
Mardi Gras on Second Street Published on Feb 22nd, 2012 0 comments No, this ain't New Orleans, but Fellini's #9 was doing its best imitation of Fat Tuesday last night. There was a giant blow-up jester in the back of a truck, purple, gold, and green beaded necklaces...
Jumbo Escafé: Venerable restaurant unveils old Oxo space Published on Feb 22nd, 2012 3 comments Prior story Escafé readies: Grand reopening before month's end The new Escafé has opened. The official day was Monday, February 20, the day before a reporter/photographer stopped in to take a look...
Whiskey Jar: Streamlined Southern fare unveiled Feb 6 Published on Feb 22nd, 2012 6 comments Previous story Southern, uncapped: Whiskey Jar strips down walls... and recipes When we wrote about the impending opening of The Whiskey Jar restaurant back in January, we left out the part...
The Chang re-effect: New place, new movie, and taking NYC by storm Published on Feb 14th, 2012 2 comments The Year of the Dragon is turning out to be a special one for chef Peter Chang and his partners Gen Lee and his wife, Mary, who opened Peter Chang's China Grill in the Barracks Road Shopping Center...
The rodeo: Forest Lakes Mex stakes claim on Main Published on Feb 13th, 2012 5 comments Its name means "the Rodeo," but El Jaripeo kicked up precious little dust when it quietly unveiled a new look in October for the Main Street building last known as 12th Street Taphouse. It turns out...
Two Parrots: Lazy for BBQ joins Lazy for wings Published on Feb 3rd, 2012 31 comments When the Lazy Parrot Grill folks took over the former Brix Café space at the Pantops Shopping Center earlier this year, owner Kevin Kirby worried that some people might think the Lazy Parrot Grill,...
Chow Bella: Rome-inspired restaurant to open in March Published on Feb 2nd, 2012 9 comments What does the man who created Charlottesville's Wild Wing Café do for an encore? He builds another restaurant on West Main Street– only this time it's not a television-laden sports bar, but...
Vigil held for St. Maarten Café Published on Jan 31st, 2012 9 comments In what may be the first evening vigil for a Charlottesville restaurant, a small group gathered outside St. Maarten Café on the Corner to pay their respects January 31. As the Dish reported a day...
After 26 years, St. Maarten Café closes Published on Jan 30th, 2012 28 comments News about the sudden closing of St. Maarten Café on the Corner, the place with the Buffett vibe (Jimmy, not Warren) long before Cheeseburger in Paradise, spread like wildfire on social media...
Southern, uncapped: Whiskey Jar strips down walls... and recipes Published on Jan 19th, 2012 3 comments "It's been a long time dream of mine," says Will Richey, while lying on his back with a wet paintbrush in hand, "to do a Southern restaurant." That dream may come true next month when the 35-year-old...
Southern, uncapped: Whiskey Jar strips down walls... and recipes Published on Jan 19th, 2012 3 comments "It's been a long time dream of mine," says Will Richey, while lying on his back with a wet paintbrush in hand, "to do a Southern restaurant." That dream may come true next month when the 35-year-old...
Restaurant Week tip: Reserve early for semi-annual food fandango Published on Jan 12th, 2012 1 comments From January 23 to 29, Charlottesville will once again experience the hugely popular Restaurant Week, which draws eager diners from within Charlottesville and the surrounding area. The week of three-...
Monsoon, switched: Friends season Market Street with Siam Published on Jan 11th, 2012 4 comments How did two Thai art students wind up taking over Monsoon, Charlottesville's oldest Asian fusion restaurant? Well, to hear 31-year-old "Kitty" Ashi tell the story, it began in Bangkok. Kitty hails...
Monsoon, switched: Friends season Market Street with Siam Published on Jan 11th, 2012 4 comments How did two Thai art students wind up taking over Monsoon, Charlottesville's oldest Asian fusion restaurant? Well, to hear 31-year-old "Kitty" Ashi tell the story, it began in Bangkok. Kitty hails...
Escafé readies: Grand reopening before month's end Published on Jan 11th, 2012 4 comments Escafé's coming back, baby. As first reported in the Hook, the venerable Downtown Mall restaurant with the hip nightlife recently packed its bags from its longtime home in the shadow of the Omni...
Escafé readies: Grand reopening before month's end Published on Jan 11th, 2012 4 comments Escafé's coming back, baby. As first reported in the Hook, the venerable Downtown Mall restaurant with the hip nightlife recently packed its bags from its longtime home in the shadow of the Omni...
Rapture: Rare & Ancient Ale Dinner Published on Jan 9th, 2012 0 comments Rapture on the Downtown Mall pairs up with Maryland-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to bring you a dinner highlighting the brewery's Rare Ales (rare because of their extremely small production...
Healthy Chinese: Song Song's Zhou & Bing Published on Jan 9th, 2012 11 comments Right across from the "Skybar" on 5th Street NE, you may or may not have noticed that a placed called Song Song's Zhou & Bing opened on the Downtown Mall with little fanfare around the first of...