The recent string of a million degree humid weather has made my mid-afternoon coffee outings from the office rather unappealing. Loading up on ice cream seems much better yet a bit too decadent for every afternoon. So what’s a downtown worker to do in this heat? Lately I’ve been hitting Java Java Downtown to try their fruit smoothies for a different kind of afternoon pick-me-up. While there are more traditional smoothie flavors, my favorite is the delicious and unique Cantaloupe smoothie.
Java Java’s Cantaloupe Smoothie is a little less sweet than other fruit blends. It’s icy and creamy with a hint of honey and spice to it, with a beautiful pastel color that screams summer. It’s a… Read More
The restaurant Bang has more martinis than a UVA football game has bowties. They tend to cater to a younger female audience, with a reliance on fruity flavors and a naming scheme that involves Sex and the City characters, but most deliver a solid alcoholic punch as well. For me, however, a sordid college past that involved mixing anything alcoholic with Snapple Kiwi Strawberry has made me wary of the Bang classics, as I’ve avoided any overly sweet drinks in my wiser, more mature years. So I was pleased to find a new favorite after giving the martini menu another try on a recent visit to Bang: the Honey Ginger martini, which consists of Ketel One vodka with ginger simple syrup… 
My nominee for the most underutilized bar in Charlottesville goes to Vivace, hands down and with great enthusiasm. Yes, the Ivy Road location is a slight drive from downtown. But the reward upon arrival is great. First of all, there’s the popcorn machine where you can fill up old school popcorn baskets as much as you’d like. They… 
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