Stretched thin: Five Charlottesville fitness centers with childcare for busy moms
For a town that’s both fitness- and family-oriented, there don’t seem to be many local gyms that offer to take care of your little ones while you sweat it out. There are obviously plenty of all-day and half-day child care options in Charlottesville, but for stay-at-home parents who just need an hour on a mat […]
Gearharts moves into new space, introduces baked goods and coffee bar and more local restaurant news
Gearharts moves into new space, introduces baked goods and coffee bar For those of you who have passed the now-dark Gearharts Fine Chocolates shop in the Main Street Market, don’t panic—you can still get your hands on all your favorite chocolates, plus a whole new menu of baked goods and other treats. The production side […]
Virginia Distillery Company debuts in Lovingston and more local restaurant news
Virginia Distillery Company debuts in Lovingston The selection of locally made booze you can sniff, swirl and sample in Nelson County continues to grow. If you’re in the area tasting beer, cider, wine, gin, vodka or moonshine, now you can chase it all with four half-ounce pours of whiskey. Introducing Virginia Distillery Company, the newest […]
Lights out: Blue Light Grill to close permanently
You may remember an announcement we made about Blue Light Grill a few months ago. In April, the Downtown Mall favorite that had been serving up seafood and cocktails since Coran Capshaw opened it 14 years ago quietly switched hands. Trinity Irish Pub and Coupe’s owner Ryan Rooney took over, and we were told the […]
You can fly: Yoga studio brings fitness to new heights
It’s a few minutes before noon on a Wednesday, and women are stationing themselves in front of bright orange hammocks hanging from the ceiling. Some of them pull themselves into relaxed, seated positions in the U-shaped fabric, while others tug at the drapings and skeptically eye their surroundings. FlyDog Yoga co-owner Eliza Whiteman takes her […]
Local company Foodwaze creates sustainable food locator app and more local restaurant news
Local company Foodwaze creates sustainable food locator app It’s not hard to hunt down basic information about restaurants. Between Yelp, Google and Facebook reviews, you can find photos, entire menus and lengthy customer reviews from just about every restaurant in town. But what about the component of food and drinks that everyone seems to be […]
Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery makes its debut in Crozet and more local restaurant news
Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery makes its debut in Crozet Local dentist John Schoeb wanted to open a business that makes people smile more than cringe. So, naturally, he opened a brewery. Schoeb filled us in on his plans for the former Moose Lodge space back in the spring, and we checked back just in […]
Back Pocket Provisions makes its debut with three takes on the classic brunch cocktail and more local restaurant news
Back Pocket Provisions makes its debut with three takes on the classic brunch cocktail If you’re still buying factory-made Bloody Mary mix at the grocery store you’re doing it wrong. Introducing Back Pocket Provisions, the local, fresh-pressed brainchild of brother-sister duo Will Gray and Jen Beckman. The Sunday brunch—or Saturday lunch, Tuesday dinner, whatever—mixer comes […]
Our Local Commons announces statewide food-and-drink book and more local restaurant news
Our Local Commons announces statewide food-and-drink book C-VILLE Weekly isn’t the only media outlet in town that loves talking to chefs, discussing food trends, trying new restaurants and putting words on paper. The team behind Our Local Commons has been on top of the Charlottesville food scene for years, compiling interviews and photos for articles […]
The Kardinal has landed: Beer Run team debuts new beer garden
Oktoberfest celebrations may be winding down soon, but at the new Kardinal Hall beer garden on Preston Avenue, the festivities have just begun. After months of construction and Facebook teasers, Beer Run owners Josh Hunt and John Woodriff finally opened the doors of their German-inspired restaurant and bar next to Timbercreek Market in the old […]
Côte-Rôtie hits the streets with a global menu and more local restaurant news
Côte-Rôtie hits the streets with a global menu Fried chicken. Marinated mushroom skewers. Steamed pork bun. Steak frites. “It sounds like it’s kind of all over the place, and maybe it is,” Peter Robertson says. “But we want it to be interesting and fun for people who come to the food truck.” Robertson and his […]
Local restaurants and wineries gear up for Virginia Wine Month and more local restaurant news
Local restaurants and wineries gear up for Virginia Wine Month Last week, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that sales of Virginia wine increased by nearly 2 percent from fiscal year 2014, with wineries in the commonwealth having sold more than 6.5 million bottles (more than 524,000 cases). Since 2010, according to the press release, sales of […]
Chef Patrick O’Connell brings his new book to Charlottesville and more local restaurant news
Chef Patrick O’Connell brings his new book to Charlottesville You may have heard the name Patrick O’Connell, the self-taught chef who’s received international accolades for The Inn at Little Washington, which he opened in an old garage in 1978. O’Connell has been referred to as “the Pope of American Cuisine,” and he and the inn […]
Spice up your life: Six dishes that bring the heat
Now that temperatures have dropped, warm up by adding some spice to your plate. Here are just a few local options to put a little hair on your chest. 5. El Jefe sauce (above) Brazos Tacos The spiciest item at the newest taco joint in town is the El Jefe, a thick green hot sauce […]
Rising star: Nine-year-old Anya Rothman pursues a Broadway dream
It all started with the Wicked soundtrack. During her long commutes to work 10 years ago, Erin Rothman sang along with the infamous Broadway cast while she was pregnant with her daughter, Anya. Anya wasn’t even 3 years old when her parents took her to the theater for the first time, and after hanging on […]
Clean your machine: The Juice Laundry opens a coffeehouse-style vegan hangout
Mike Keenan has a message for all the carnivores out there: Being a vegan doesn’t mean gnawing on carrots all day. In fact, it turns out vegan grub is actually pretty tasty when done right. Keenan introduced The Juice Laundry’s cold-pressed fruit-and-vegetable juices to Charlottesville in 2013. He started out making small batches of nutrient-dense […]
Rockfish Valley Inn owner prepares for new cidery on 151 and more local restaurant news
Rockfish Valley Inn owner prepares for new cidery on 151 For those of you determined to hit every boozy spot on Route 151 in one day (one weekend might be more realistic, though still ambitious), that goal is about to be even more challenging. Todd Rath, who may be familiar to anyone who frequents the […]
Shenandoah Joe rolls out beer-inspired iced coffee and more local restaurant news
Shenandoah Joe rolls out beer-inspired iced coffee Good news for all the caffeine junkies who also happen to be beer snobs. As of a couple weeks ago, there’s a beverage on the market that allows you to (kind of) have a beer first thing in the morning without alarming anyone: Introducing Hoppn Joe, Shenandoah Joe’s […]
Eat like a pig: Babes in the Wood brings forest-fed pork to new restaurant
“Happy pig, good bacon.” That’s one of Bill Jones’ mantras when it comes to Babes in the Wood, his decade-old pig farm in Buckingham County, also the name of his recently opened farm-to-table restaurant in Charlottesville. You may recognize the names and faces from the City Market—Jones and his wife, Kimberly, figured they’d had so […]
Meals on Wheels brings back its popular foodie fundraiser and more local restaurant news
Meals on Wheels brings back its popular foodie fundraiser Charlottesville prides itself on being a food-oriented town, with restaurants, food trucks and breweries popping up left and right. But what doesn’t always get as much attention is the food-and-drink world’s involvement when it comes to giving back to the community. On September 15, more than […]
Lunch break: Foodify CEO discusses evolving technology-and- food trends
The world of online food ordering is constantly evolving. OrderUp was just acquired by Groupon; companies like Blue Apron deliver pre-measured ingredients straight to your door to save you the trouble of using things like spoons when you’re prepping dinner; hell, there’s even Stadium Concierge, an app that lets you order your game day pizza […]
The scoop on Splendora’s limited-time, booze-inspired flavors and more local restaurant news
The scoop on Splendora’s limited-time, booze-inspired flavors I scream, you scream, we all scream for…pumpkin beer-flavored gelato? Splendora’s Gelato Cafe owner PK Ross never gets tired of experimenting with flavors (anybody remember the ghost pepper-honey-raspberry concoction?) and after weeks of doing diligent research around town she’ll be serving up scoops of beer- and cocktail-inspired gelato. With […]
A taste of Costco’s reliably cheap chow and more local restaurant news
A taste of Costco’s reliably cheap chow There’s a cult following around a new place to eat in Charlottesville, and it’s not a restaurant run by a James Beard nominee. Costco, the long-anticipated membership-only warehouse club located in The Shops at Stonefield, already seems to have found its niche here. At lunchtime, a steady stream […]
Ramen and donut shop makes debut on Downtown Mall and more local restaurant news
Ramen and donut shop makes debut on Downtown Mall You may have noticed a sign for a new restaurant on the mall, and no, you didn’t read it incorrectly—it does say ramen and donuts. “Because, why not?” says Miso Sweet co-owner and chef Frank Paris. Frank and his wife Heather, who met while they were […]
Public Fish & Oyster preps for sister location and more local restaurant news
Public Fish & Oyster preps for sister location Oyster season is just around the corner, and the guys at Public Fish & Oyster are gearing up to bring the chewy, briny delicacies beyond West Main Street. Last week, Public owner and general manager Daniel Kaufman announced his plans to open Public West Pub & Oyster […]
Pack a punch: 9Round offers 30-minute workout with no class times
Crowded fitness centers can be breeding grounds for competition and hostility. Regular gym-goers decked out in Lululemon who eat, sleep and breathe working out can come across as intimidating to novices, and nobody enjoys being stared down by someone who wants a turn on the treadmill during peak hours. Sherie and Ross Flores, a former […]
Sundown special: Local Turkish-Americans share Ramadan meal and Muslim culture
It’s dinner time on Tuesday evening. I sit down to a heaping plate of the delectably aromatic Turkish meal I’ve been smelling from down the hall for the past hour, my stomach growling audibly. I fill my water glass, pick up my fork, look around the table at my dining companions and…wait. Five more minutes. […]