News

Restaurant Roundup

Dec 17

There are all kinds of opening and closing shenanigans as we head toward the holidays! It’s hard to keep up these days. A brief recap of the latest restaurant news in recent weeks:

Goodbye Orange Crush. We had heard rumors of Escafé shutting its doors and recently C-ville confirmed it. The good news? Rev Soup Owner Will Richey will take over the space and plans to open The Whiskey Jar in the new year. The bad news? Where in the world will we go for Red Bull-fueled bar dancing? Head to Escafé TONIGHT (Saturday) for what promises to be a bittersweet and debaucherous farewell bash.

Choppers on Meade? In an unlikely and awesome combo, The Dish reports a rumor that the creator of the… Read More

A Fond Farewell to The Tavern

Dec 6

Posted by Erin in News | 4 Comments

You have just a few weeks left to get your fix of the best pancakes in town while saying goodbye to a local institution, as The Tavern‘s last day is officially December 24th.

It’s always sad to see a longstanding local business close, especially when the rumored backstory is that the wealthy local landlord significantly raised rent prices and wouldn’t agree to a multi-year lease. After 30 years serving the friendliest breakfast in town, The Tavern will soon close and there are whisperings a CVS will be put in its place (if true, I personally vow to never step foot in it). Love or hate The Tavern’s greasy comfort food, it’s a loss for the community… Read More

Tags: Restaurant: The Tavern

Pho Mania

Nov 15

Posted by Erin in News | 7 Comments

After years of lamenting the lack of good Vietnamese food in Charlottesville (Saigon Cafe isn’t cutting it), we couldn’t have been more excited to learn that the fabulous Vu, owner of Zinc, is planning on opening a new pho restaurant on West Main. The delicious Vietnamese noodle soup is the perfect comfort food, and I think he is going to rock it.

No sooner had we finished celebrating that news that we heard that Ten Sushi Chef Pei Chang is planning C-ville’s first pop-up restaurant. Serving? Pho. “Handsome Boy Noodles” will hit Ten for one night only on Sunday, December 4 from 6:00 – 11:00 pm. Let… Read More

New Treats in Town: SweetHaus Opens

Sep 15

Posted by Erin in News | 5 Comments

We were lucky enough to stumble upon a sneak preview of adorable candy and cupcake shop, SweetHaus, at the Midtown Street Fair last weekend. The new store on West Main (next to Random Row Books) officially opens tomorrow so head that way for your sugar fix.

There are whimsical touches throughout the store with jars of brightly colored candies, old doors and windows converted to banquettes and display cases, a candy mural, and my favorite chandelier of all time. So I was in love before we even tried the cupcakes and things just went up from there.

We sampled mini versions of the vanilla and chocolate made with all-natural ingredients: no glitter here. Delicious… Read More

Interview with Chef Justin Hershey of Zinc

Aug 27

Posted by Curry in News | 3 Comments

Justin Hershey is executive chef of Zinc where he creates seasonally inspired, locally acquired dishes.

ICEBREAKER

What was your first foray into the culinary world?

It all started when I was young. My mother often worked as a waitress and eventually as a general manager, and I would eat in her restaurants. During the summers, I would visit my uncle and grandmother, both avid diners. We would eat out as often as five days a week. I spent a lot of time in restaurants, and I liked the excitement and constant movement. So when I turned fifteen and I needed money… Read More

Tags: Restaurant: Zinc

Interview with Chef Craig Hartman of BBQ Exchange

Jun 11

Posted by Curry in News | 1 Comment

Chef Craig Hartman is owner of BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville. Since opening this year, he’s served 140,000 lbs of pork.

ICEBREAKER

Cooking alongside of the railroad tracks is quite a scenery change from your country club days. What inspired the transition from table cloths to picnic tables?

I hate to say that I’m starting to get older, but I actually started feeling it recently. The kitchen is like athletics – it’s a grueling kind of pace, and I spent the last 38 years really away from my family. I started feeling more sore when I woke up and more exhausted… Read More

Tags: Restaurant: BBQ Exchange

If a Gargantuan Furry Bunny Could Please Bring Charlottesville the Following…

Apr 13

Posted by Dave in News | 11 Comments

I recently wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny. He was due to swing by my pad later this month with Peeps, so I figured why not give him a shout and see if he could fetch some extra gifts. In my letter I requested the following additions to the Charlottesville food & drink scene…

A Beer Garden

Don’t get me wrong, there are several fantastic places in town to drink quality beer (I know them each more intimately than my own living room). I’m looking for something similar to a traditional German beer garden. I’m looking for massive picnic tables, colossal steins of draft beer, house-made sausages covered… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville

Interview with Chef Harrison Keevil of Brookville Restaurant

Apr 5

Posted by Curry in News | 1 Comment

Chef Harrison Keevil is chef/co-owner of Brookville Restaurant.

ICEBREAKER

You studied foreign affairs at UVA, followed by a Parliamentary stint as a research assistant in London. How did this prepare you for the kitchen?

It really taught me that I didn’t want to be in a 4×4 cubicle. I grew up on a farm so I like the manual labor aspect as well as the human interaction and getting to see smiles on peoples’ faces. That more than anything told me what I didn’t want to do, which led me in this direction.

Once you realized what you didn’t want to do, how did you end up here?

Food… Read More

Tags: Restaurant: Brookville

Interview with Chef Mark Gresge of l’etoile

Mar 16

Posted by Curry in News | 2 Comments

Ever wondered about the faces behind the food? This is the first in a series of interviews with chefs and other Charlottesville food industry personalities by Curry, a new writer here at Mas to Millers.

Chef Mark Gresge is owner of l’etoile restaurant. He lives in Charlottesville with his wife and three children.

Would the following be an acceptable analogy for the S.A.T.? Alton Brown is to food science as Mark Gresge is to food history.

I’m a chef and a food historian. I love our culinary past, heritage and history, and I want to translate that into the restaurant. I love the technical aspect of cooking. I was an… Read More

Tags: Interview, Restaurant: l'etoile

Calling All Eaters

Jan 12

Posted by Erin in News | 3 Comments

We’re looking for a few good eaters to join the Mas to Millers team. Do you feel strongly about food and drink in this town? Maybe you’re an expert on the family-friendliest restaurants in Charlottesville, or a connoisseur of the perfectly mixed martini. No matter what your passion may be, help us with our New Year’s Resolution to be kinder to our waistlines and wallets. Become a M2M reviewer!

We’re looking for a few people willing to contribute reviews, food finds, best in chow, or food news a handful of times throughout the year. It’s been over a year and a half since we’ve been shouting our feelings from the rooftop… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville