Into the bookless future: As the county invests $20 million in new construction, libraries come to a fork in the road
The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite, perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries.–Jorge Luis Borges, “The Library of Babel” In September, Albemarle County will open a library in a brand new building in Crozet. Between now and then, it will also begin a public planning process for the newly approved [...]
Some like it hot: Thai ’99′s chicken pad ped combines spice and tradition
Having grown up in smaller cities during the pre-culinary America era, the last few decades, for me at least, have been a psychedelic deliverance from the doldrums of Big Boy, Sizzler, egg foo young, and cardboard pizza. The accompanying historical landscape of the period —colored by preemptive and proxy military actions and psychopathic financial tactics [...]
The great Divide: The making of Continental’s perfect tuna tostada
This started out as a nachos survey, with me sampling some platters from a few establishments around the village perimeter, plus one on the Downtown Mall, just to establish a baseline. But I knew all along where it was going, where I would end up directing my sunshiny prose. I wanted to be in a [...]
Full of beans (and rice): Can local options stack up to Popeyes? (Yeah, we said Popeyes!)
The fast food franchise gods have extended a gesture of mercy toward us and hath bestowed upon our town a considerable bounty of good tidings with the opening of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (1). It might behoove us all to send up thanks with abandon and with earnest zeal as then these gods may see fit [...]
Beyond organic: Local farmer Michael Clark’s produce thrives despite growing pains
I had never known an independent organic farmer before I went to meet Michael Clark, who owns and works Planet Earth Diversified (PED) farm outside of Stanardsville. Therefore, I had nothing on which to base any expectations. But what I did not expect was to meet an organic farmer who would go fishing more often if [...]
Curry up and eat: On West Main and beyond, a little spice is nice
Now that it’s warmer outside, they will come. They’ll come from the field and the hollow and the valley and even the next state over. I saw one last summer just after he had gotten off the bus. He looked as lost as Gomer Pyle at a love-in. He was warily wandering around the west [...]
Quality ‘cue: How does local pulled pork stack up?
Barbecue can be so vexing—like one of those vague memories you can’t decide whether it ever really happened, or you maybe just dreamt it. You’ll be driving around the ragged streets of North Philadelphia trying to find that vacant lot where some guy had a half-barrel smoker and was selling brisket and ribs wrapped in [...]
Pizza, pizza! Top slices, personal pies, and surprises around town
The New York pizza slice, for years the pizza gold standard, inspired a lot of wasted effort and money, what with people trying to reproduce NYC pizza parlors, replete with transported ovens, in places like Kansas or Albuquerque or (gack) San Francisco. Pizza everywhere was measured against some non-specific New York City pie. If you [...]
Hidden treasures: Strip mall food joints are a unique culinary experience
Color me tacky and low-rent, but there’s just something homey and inviting about the naive optimism and dauntless ambition behind a strip mall storefront that has been transformed into an enchanting dining experience with a cozy darkened lounge. The practice must have been perfected in places like Texas, Florida, and Dubai, where the blistering heat [...]
Honey, let’s go out: Cheap dates for cheapskates
The cheap date is a tricky proposition. But there are ways to cut corners without necessarily revealing yourself for the broke-ass bounder that you really are. Despite the holdover notion that some here in central Virginia cleave to—the idea that we live in some bastion of Southern rectitude—you needn’t occupy your mind with chivalric conceits. [...]
Wake up, sunshine: Four breakfast spots that will make you want to face the day
After covering kebabs and burgers in my last two columns, I should, in the interest of my own constitution, undertake my signature psyllium screwdriver cleanse, which involves copious amounts of vodka, orange juice, a hot water bottle, and, well, you get the idea. Instead, I’m soldiering on, and have been eating eggs and meat for [...]
Order up! Who’s got the best burger in Charlottesville?
I used to plot burgers on the national map like I was tracking a serial killer. The Rusty Nail, Canton, Michigan. Casino El Camino, Sixth Street, Austin. Some Irish bar, west side of Clark Street, far north side Chicago. Pink’s, La Brea, Los Angeles. They all had their own thing about them. I took a [...]
You say kabobs, I say kebabs
They go by many names. Some are so elusive, the names may as well be aliases. But they could be what saves us. They are, after all, where everyone comes together. Greeks and Turks, Muslims and Christians alike can all get behind the kebab (anglicized Turkish spelling), the kabob (Afghan version), the döner, and the [...]
Veg out! Four healthy options for herbivores
Whether you’re a vegetarian or the kind of person who will pull over at he faintest waft of smoking hickory charcoals, sometimes it’s not a bad idea to just lay off the meat for a spell. Revolutionary Soup and Eppie’s may earn top marks for vegetarian fare in Best of C-VILLE every year, but the [...]
Better late than never: Late night options for after-dark diners
This is more about reliability than quality. If you’re looking for something to eat at 1am, how exquisite can you expect the cuisine to be? First thing you need to know is that the place is open. And that alone really narrows the field. And we’re talking mid-week here. We can’t concern ourselves with Friday [...]
Bowls of plenty: When it comes to Asian noodle soups, the broth tells the story
If every restaurant in the world served only pho, that would be fine by me. Pho is the Vietnamese beef noodle soup sensation that has been sweeping the nation the last 10 years or so. Charlottesville has been a latecomer to the pho scene, but there is one place doing it exactly right. Saturdays and [...]
Loco for tacos: Craving Mexican? Try these three
I’ve eaten tacos from propane-fired griddles outside my apartment near downtown Los Angeles, and from the street grills off Garibaldi Square while mingling with mariachis between sets in Mexico City. I’ve partaken of the ubiquitous taco stands of Texas and the cozy Mexican diners on the north side of Chicago. It doesn’t make me an [...]
Inked: Local tattoo artists keep it real in the age of reality TV and commercial counterculture
The closest I ever came to getting a tattoo was when my girlfriend offered to put up $500 for one, so long as it had her name in it. Long before that, I’d sailed the oceans with the U.S. Navy and spent many an hour waiting in alleys of “gut” districts in the sooty port [...]
Roller Grrrrls: Derby Dames find sisterhood in flat track revival
Miami Beat Box is wearing the elastic beanie cap with the big star on it stretched over her helmet to indicate that she is her team’s jammer, the only skater eligible to score points in a scoring round, or jam. She has already made the requisite first pass through the pack and is coming around [...]