In April, six food places in Charlottesville opened their doors: Found. Market Co., Vu Noodles and Pearl Island Catering in the Jefferson School Café, Iron Paffles and Coffee, Snowing in Space Coffee Co., Mama Meals at Charlottesville Cooking School and Oliva.
LIVING Picks: Week of April 18-24
FAMILY Earth Week Eco Fair Sunday, April 22 Learn about local environmental organizations and businesses, listen to speakers and enjoy live music, workshops, a book swap and more. Free, 11am-4pm. IX Art Park, 522 Second St. earthweek.org NONPROFIT Wordplay Thursday, April 19 This team-based
The ham biscuit is named Charlottesville’s signature dish
By Sam Padgett Considering our broad food and drink world, it’s difficult to imagine a single dish that could represent the city’s local food scene. Charlottesville, on account of its geography and demographics, has a more dynamic selection of foods compared to the seafood-obsessed southeastern
LIVING Picks: Week of April 11-17
Nonprofit Block party Friday, April 13 through Sunday, April 15 The Tom Tom Founders Festival hosts a three-day block party featuring several bands, technology and art showcases, food trucks, a craft beer garden and more. Free entry, 5-11pm Friday; noon-11pm Saturday; and 2-8pm Sunday.
Mudhouse to open third stand-alone location
By Sam Padgett and Erin O’Hare eatdrink@c-ville.com A third full-size Mudhouse will soon open on 10th Street NW, in the former Cville Classic Cars space. The local roastery and coffee shop’s new location will offer the usual Mudhouse coffee and atmosphere, plus an extended array of bakery
The Yard food hall set to open in May
By Sam Padgett and Erin O’Hare The Yard food hall at 5th Street Station is gearing up to open in May, in the building next to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Jeff Garrison, the project’s lead, says he wanted to “create an active community-engaged area…a great area to hang out.” And so The Yard
Rum diary: Junction’s mix master shares his secrets for a winning cocktail
As I walk through the doors of Junction, bar manager Alec Spidalieri beckons me to the upstairs area, adjacent to the kitchen. He’s got something cooking that he can’t leave for very long. In fact, one of the ingredients he’s making is the brown butter-washed rum for the Rum Communion, the
LIVING Picks: Week of March 28-April 3
Family Easter celebration Friday, March 30, through Sunday, April 1 Wintergreen Resort’s annual Easter celebration includes an egg hunt, bonnet parade, craft workshops and egg decorating. Prices and times vary by activity. Wintergreen Resort, 39 Mountain Inn Loop, Roseland. 325-2200. Food &
As spring blooms, beware of flowers toxic to pets
It’s not yet safe to think that spring has fully sprung, but as the occasional warm days sneak back onto the calendar, it’s hard to resist cracking the windows and cleaning the house in preparation for brighter weather. In my case, that optimistic spirit invariably leads to the purchase of a
LIVING Picks: Week of March 21-27
Food & Drink Vegan cooking class Thursday, March 22 Ingrid Berger leads this class on utilizing bright and fresh flavors to welcome in the new season. Drinks included. $45, 6-7:30pm. The Happy Cook, Barracks Road Shopping Center. 977-2665. Health & Wellness Charlottesville Ten Miler
The best local bars for each drinking decade
By Pen + Knife bloggers eatdrink@c-ville.com For generations, authorities have buried the lede when warning us about alcohol killing brain cells. Omitted from the tired mantra is the truth that some of our deepest seeds of wisdom are sewn at watering holes and colored by booze. Bars are like
Cream of the crop: We dairy you to try this soft-serve
By Sam Padgett It only takes hearing a few notes of ubiquitous ice cream truck jingles such as “Turkey in the Straw,” “Pop Goes the Weasel” and “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” to make most people salivate (we know it’s not just us). Although food trucks have evolved beyond their creamy origins to
CSAs offer benefits for farms and consumers
To-may-toes. To-mah-toes. ’Maters. No matter what you call them, if you want to be slicing into the freshest ones around come summer, you’ll want to sign up to participate in community-shared agriculture. And now’s the time to do so. The community-shared agriculture (or CSA) model of farming,
Tavola bartenders are rocking national competitions
Two of Tavola’s bartenders are shaking up national drinks-related competitions. Bar manager Steve Yang was named one of 12 regional finalists in the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s annual World Class bartending competition. “Qualifying is both humbling and terrifying,” Yang says of going
LIVING Picks: Week of March 7-13
FAMILY Caromont Farm open house Thursday, March 8 Stop by Caromont Farm for a tour, to browse the pop-up shop selling cheese-centric items, and—the main attraction—baby goat snuggling. Reserve slots in advance to spend quality time with the kids. $10 (ages 4 and under free), 11am-4pm. Caromont
Getting the scoop on a new ice cream trend
By Sam Padgett A new restaurant—J-Petal—has rolled into Barracks Road Shopping Center. And although the eatery offers both savory and sweet Japanese rice flour crêpes, and even serves drinks such as green tea and mojitos in a light bulb, its flashiest menu item is surely the Thai rolled ice
Thoroughly Vetted: Dogs and cats have an extra eyelid
At a glance, you wouldn’t even know it’s there. Dogs and cats appear to have the same two eyelids that we do. But look closer, especially if you find your pet half asleep, and you might catch a glimpse of their third eyelid. Properly called the nictitans, it’s a pink sheet of tissue that
Lampo team primed for steakhouse opening in former bank space
The owners of Lampo, the cozy Neapolitan pizzeria in Belmont, first started conceptualizing the idea of a local-farm-centered steakhouse after hearing from area producers that they were frustrated with the distribution process. Enter Prime 109, a steakhouse bent on highlighting products from
Changes ahead for Market Street Wineshop
After 31 years of selling wine, fresh bread, cheese and more at Market Street Wineshop from the basement level of 311 E. Market St., Robert Harllee has decided to retire. But fear not; Charlottesville is not about to lose another jewel from its quirky downtown crown: Two of Harllee’s longtime
Students light up over JUULing
By Sam Padgett living@c-ville.com There’s a new verb hanging in the Charlottesville air: JUULing. If you have heard it, most likely from a high school- or college-aged kid, rest assured it isn’t some odd youth mining craze. A JUUL, pronounced “jewel,” is a small vaping device that can be found
What’s in my backpack
Take a look inside a backpack and you’ll get a glimpse inside its owner’s life: perhaps notebooks and pens show evidence of his favorite color, or what he likes to do in his free time. There are folders full of assignments that indicate her potential career path, a book she reads for fun and