Food Find: Enoteca’s Fig, Ricotta, and Honey Bruschette

enotecaEnoteca is made for girls nights out and men in need of a first date destination. The wine bar’s sleek communal tables and slim servings on small plates definitely draw in more of the ladies than the men. My favorite menu item, however, should appeal to all types and genders – or at least provide an added lure for the men.

The Fig, Ricotta, and Honey Bruschette perfects a sweet and salty flavor combo. Enoteca starts with a crunchy bread base covered with the creamiest ricotta cheese you can imagine. Next they pile on sweetly soaked sliced figs that are drizzled with honey. But the best touch is the spicy sprinkle of black pepper on top. It’s creamy decadent goodness with an unexpected bite. It’s a perfect after work snack with a glass of cool white wine and a lovely dessert at the end of evening with a bottle of red. Or go ahead and order 3 at $2 a pop and make it a dinner.

Cucumber Margarita at Ventana

Ventana's refreshing cucumber margaritaA margarita at Ventana is an entirely different and superior species than the frozen neon green concoctions in salt-crusted glasses you see in chains across America. The delicious and sophisticated flavors include tangerine, habanero, jalapeño, and seafoam, but I think the cucumber margarita is the cream of the tequila crop.

It’s the rare tequila drink that makes you feel refreshed, but this Ventana concoction is the alcoholic equivalent of a cucumber eye mask at a spa. The flavor is fresh and tangy with the breezy cucumber flavor balancing perfectly with the tequila zing. It’s topped off with Ventana’s sea foam, which should be patented and served with margaritas worldwide. The frothy foam with… Read More

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Food Find: Duck with Sweet Potato Hash at Camino

Fig-balsamic-glazed duck with sweet potato hashEvery now and then we encounter a dish so flavorful and harmonious that it is as if the ingredients were separated at birth, only to be reunited at long last on the plate. In the case of Camino’s duck dish, the earthy sweetness of figs is balanced by tangy stripes of balsamic vinegar, with a body of salty-sweet potato hash underneath. The duck meat itself is appealingly mild, with a subtle note of gaminess giving it character.

Our overall experience at Camino was mixed, but this masterful dish will make regulars of us… Read More

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Bashir’s Taverna for Lunch 

Tarragon chicken salad looks like it should be delicious...If you’ve been to “Fridays after Five,” you’ve walked by Bashir’s Taverna. Maybe you even sloshed in for a forgettable falafel after one too many beers in a tin bottle. Under such auspicious circumstances, the food might have been good. By the light of a sober weekday lunch, however, it reveals itself to be exceedingly average.

My friend Tom and I were seduced by sound of the “award-winning” apricot-glazed ham sandwich with brie, while our significant others opted for the tarragon salad and falafel platter. Bite one of the sandwich was good, but I grew tired of it by bite four or five… Read More

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Aberdeen Barn 

The infamous cheese jar with breadstick.Sometimes you can only take so many organic vodka drinks and fusion tapas at swanky places downtown. You need something different for date night. You need the Aberdeen Barn. The Barn is a Charlottesville classic that takes you back to the days when the drinks were strong, the steak was red, the lettuce was iceberg, and one only heard rumors about people called vegetarians that lived in California.

On our recent visit, we got gussied up and headed to the red barn off Rt. 29. The hostess led us into the dimly lit room that was awash with white hair patrons and bow-tied waiters. We tucked into our cozy… Read More

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Restaurant Week

(Image from http://cvilleyum.com)

As we receive reports from diners about restaurant week experiences, we will post them here. Send your thoughts to food@mastomillers.com, or post them in the comments. If you send them via email, be sure to say if you want to be anonymous.

Boar’s Head

“Lunch was just okay, though the fried green tomatoes were excellent. I’ll definitely stick with the buffet in the future.”

“My palate was ecstatic…The restaurant was packed, had a delightful atmosphere, and paid attention to the details. Our waitress and the other wait staff were top-notch!” Read the full review here.

“It was amazing…We went after the lunch crowd at 1 pm and it was still… Read More

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Bloody Mary Bar at Fellini’s

Bloody Mary bar at Fellini'sMaybe I just like my Bloody Marys swimming in Worcestershire, but something about the make-your-own approach makes any brunch more festive. I’m not sure how it took us so long to discover that Fellini’s has a make your own Bloody Mary bar on Sundays, but it’s far too many weekends missed.

First, you’ll be served a great mix that’s hearty, nicely seasoned, and with just the right hair-of-the-dog balance. Then you walk over to the bar and the real fun begins. All the fixings are there: eight different kinds of hot sauce, horseradish, A-1, bbq sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lemons, limes, carrots, olives, celery, pickles, and (my favorite touch) pickle… Read More

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The Local 

Tuna Steak Frites with wakame salad – good flavor but too thickThe local food movement has come a long way in two years. When we heard, in February of 2008, that there would soon be a restaurant in Belmont serving dishes made from Virginia farm ingredients, we thought it was a novel and brilliant idea. The Local opened a month later, and we were one of the first in line. That first meal was everything we hoped it would be – rustic and fresh, simple but whimsical. Unfortunately, all of the meals we’ve had there since have failed to live up to the promise of that first one, and… Read More

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Lime Leaf 

A fiery Ka Pao fried rice.I count seven Thai restaurants in the Charlottesville area, which is something to celebrate in a town of this size. But none is worth celebrating as much as Lime Leaf, the delicious gem tucked away north on Route 29 in the Rio Hill Shopping Center. I get a case of food rage every year when I read “Best of C-ville” and Thai ‘99 tops the Asian category yet again. I’m not sure how C-ville voters continue to prefer one of the least impressive Thai places instead of the obvious best, but I hope anyone who hasn’t yet visited Lime Leaf will make the trek north to give the true deserving Thai champion… Read More

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Food Find: Aqui es Mexico’s Chori-Pollo Burrito

Chori-Pollo BurritoFor our last 2009 gorge before the cold reality of New Year’s resolutions set in, we headed to an old gorge favorite: Aqui es Mexico, which competes for the best Mexican in town yet still reminds me how much I miss Mexican food from the west coast.

My recent discovery at Aqui, which makes me pine for west coast taquerias a little less, is the Chori-Pollo burrito. It’s the perfect solution for those who don’t know whether they love chicken or chorizo more. The star of the enormously stuffed burrito is the chorizo: it’s seasoned with a hint of cinnamon and contains so little fat I’m suspicious it’s actually soy meat. But there are other hidden delights… Read More

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