Craving something fresh and green on your lunch break? These six spots boast a robust mix of ingredients—including local leafy greens. Now you just have to kick your bad habit of eating lunch at your desk. The Earlysville The Salad Maker The newest addition to Charlottesville’s local salad scene, The Salad Maker’s Earlysville combines romaine, […]
Melissa Close-Hart rarely eats breakfast—who has the time? The Junction chef is often in her Belmont restaurant kitchen by 8am and sometimes doesn’t leave until 12:30 in the morning. Such is the price of running the kitchen at one of Charlottesville’s most anticipated restaurants. In the works since 2014, its doors officially opened in January, […]
In a delicious commitment to serving beyond good eats, a few local restaurants are making inedible differences by also serving altruistically. Here’s a sampling of eateries nourishing communities with more than savory fare. Serving the hungry Albemarle Baking Co. deserves acknowledgment for its charitable efforts. A true community partner, ABC donated enough bread in 2016 […]
What says spring cuisine more than a salad? Answer: nothing. “I looooove salads,” says chef Tyler Teass. And it shows. From simple greens to grilled endives, his Brasserie Saison menu is overflowing with them (“and I plan on keeping it that way,” he says). But it’s this one, with peas both snap and snow, that […]
Getcher nose out of the menu (for a second)! In our area, it’s not just a restaurant’s food that stands out. Thanks to a few local architects and designers, the atmosphere at these five new spots is adding some serious flavor, too. Vitae Spirits The most difficult task with this space, says Alloy Workshop’s Dan […]
When all else fails, choose carbs: That’s the motto of this issue of Knife & Fork, in which we introduce you (or remind you of) 20 perfect comfort foods. Here’s what you’ll find inside: Chef Ryan Collins’ autumn favorites (plus a recipe!) MarieBette’s homemade marshmallows. Tucker Yoder takes on Timbercreek. A pearl of wisdom on […]
I conjure a memory of my grandmother—bent over a stainless steel pot of salty potatoes, holding an electric mixer and a jug of milk—every time I cook mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and, like anyone who has a favorite comfort food, it warms me. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Because scent is tied to memory, just the […]
Pork, apples and mustard. It’s a quintessential autumn combination and one that Early Mountain Vineyards chef Ryan Collins says he’s most looking forward to cooking as the weather turns cold. “I love to take advantage of the bounty of Virginia’s wide array of apples, with tender pork, sticky pork sauce, smooth mustard and crunchy apples […]
You’re at a tailgate party outside Scott Stadium taking down dogs and burgers two at a time. You’re thinking, “I don’t want to pay a bunch of money inside for food. I’ll fill up now.” This year, you might want to think again. According to Matt Smythe, director of operations for Aramark’s UVA dining program, […]
Bill Yenovkian laughs as he attempts to describe the perfect Thanksgiving turkey “without sounding pornographic.” You want a “full, nice-shaped bird,” the longtime Foods of All Nations butcher begins. And then he stops, embarrassed, and tries again: “You want a rounded, plump breast…” Why don’t we start with the number of people you’re serving and […]
Cauliflower, the hearty veggie cousin of broccoli, kale and cabbage, is mimicking everything from pizza crust to rice to mashed potatoes. But it’s a star in its own right—no reinvention needed. From appetizers to main dishes, restaurants are featuring florets in a variety of ways. Lampo Neapolitan Pizzeria Cavolfiore al forno, $6 Lampo in Belmont is […]
The water where the Rappahannock River meets the Chesapeake Bay had grown murky. Plant life was struggling. The solution? According to restaurateur and oyster farmer Travis Croxton, it was a no-brainer. Revive the oyster beds. As the beneficial bivalves feed on plankton and other organic matter, they also remove particles and muck, producing clear seas […]
“I take good stuff and try not to screw it up.” That’s chef Tucker Yoder in 2013, the year C-VILLE Weekly named him as a rising star chef. It was a humble response for a man overseeing the Clifton Inn’s Relais & Chateaux kitchen, but it was as clear then as it is now: Rather […]
How do we like them apples? In cobblestoned layers beneath a tender, flaky crust, that’s how. Which is why, this fall, we’re voting for a slice from The Pie Chest, which owner Rachel Pennington packs with Granny Smith apples first marinated in a cinnamon and sugar mixture, then sautéed in a caramel made with Southern Comfort and baked in a […]
You may have explored the Virginia Wine Trail, but if you want a meal with your wine, you can sample area selections at a few choice restaurants around Charlottesville. Here are some must-visit places for great food and wine pairings. Wine and brine Start your food and wine crawl with some raw oysters at Public […]
The summer issue of Knife & Fork is out! From sweet tea’s Southernness to a local pastry chef’s favorite ice cream, this issue is packed full of tasty morsels from the Charlottesville dining scene. Here’s what you’ll find inside: The Whiskey Jar’s secret to the perfect tomato sandwich. These five tomato dishes? Our main squeeze. Fleurie’s […]
It’s hard to resist eating out for every meal in a town like Charlottesville, but ain’t nobody got money for that. So we cooked up a list of our favorite cheap eats—the expected ($3 dumplings at Marco & Luca, obviously) to the not-so-expected (read: grit bowl). They run the cuisine gamut, from Asian to Mexican […]
One of the most widely planted grapes in the world, Chardonnay grows well in a variety of climates and is capable of immense stylistic versatility: It can be a fresh, zesty, easy-drinking table wine; it can be picked ripe and heavily oaked to produce a toasty, buttery wine; or, if it’s planted on a great […]
Ice cream dreams Nothing spells out s-u-m-m-e-r quite like a melty, drippy scoop of ice cream. Here are nine local options we’re digging right now (and always). Top row: Half Baked: Ben & Jerry’s (Barracks Road Shopping Center, 244-7438) Coconut: Kirt’s Homemade Ice Cream (Albemarle Square Shopping Center, 202-0306) Peach almond: The Market at Grelen (15091 Yager Rd. […]
Ice to a bartender is like fire for a chef: The amount and type you use will affect the outcome of the final product. Let’s talk about the main types of ice bartenders tend to use. Large format or block cubes: These are used for chilling a drink without adding much dilution, like with a […]
Like any good Southern recipe, the origins of sweet tea are about as clear as an oversteeped pitcher of Lipton. Southerners of all stripes clamor for their own little piece of the beverage’s lore. Central Virginia, it seems, doesn’t have much of a stake. Thomas Jefferson certainly loved his tea—his financial records show he purchased […]
It’s honey season, y’all! Bee colonies like the ones at Hungry Hill Farm have been buzzing around for months, and it’s time to reap the rewards. According to farm owner Glenn Clayton, June and July are the “height of the honey flow,” and one beehive can hold upward of 60,000 honeybees this time of year. […]
What makes the perfect tomato sandwich? We think The Whiskey Jar serves one of the best in town, so we went straight to the source. “I and my entire staff wait all year long for the tomatoes to come back,” says owner Will Richey. “It is heresy to use an out-of-season tomato and simply stupid. […]