Reviews

Bamboo House

Jul 6

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

There have been many interesting theories about the mysterious, windowless Bamboo House north on Route 29. 1) It’s a cocktail bar acting as a front for the dreaded central Virginian mafia. 2) It’s a strip club/Asian massage parlor. 3) It’s some sort of mason, rotary, Kiwanis-type clubhouse. 4) It is a tasty Korean restaurant. If you suspected the answer was option 4, you’re right! Well, at least you’re right about the fact that it serves Korean food. Sadly it is not tasty, but it’s worth a visit for the delightfully peculiar experience.

If David Lynch was scouting locations for his next movie in Charlottesville, the Bamboo House would inspire quite a flick. As anyone… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Korean, Neighborhood: Madison, Parking, Rating: 2 stars, Restaurant: Bamboo House

Crozet Pizza

Jun 21

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

When someone says they love or hate a fine French restaurant, dissenters will shrug and disagree. Maybe they’ll say they don’t understand what the fuss is about. When conversation turns to beloved or be-hated drinking holes, the response is the same. But when it comes to pizza or hamburgers, prepare for thermonuclear war. No other cuisine is so dangerous to discuss, and if you observe such a belligerent cuisine conversation in progress, you’re likely to find Crozet pizza at ground zero.*

In the 90′s, things were relatively peaceful. Some people said Anna’s was the best around, but the rest of us thought that the quaint little place just west of town was far superior. As Crozet pizza’s… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Italian, Cuisine: Pizza, Good for Families, Neighborhood: Crozet, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Crozet Pizza

Camino

Jun 16

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

I remember when Erin and I discovered Il Cane Pazzo. It was a cold autumn night, and we had decided to see a movie at Vinegar Hill. In the ticket line, Erin craned her neck to take in the warm glow of the restaurant next door. “Why have we never noticed this place?” she said. I shrugged and went over to look at the menu. Just a few items, classic Italian with a twist here and there, not cheap. As it turns out, it was also fantastically delicious. Some of the best Italian either of us had ever had. When it went away and Camino took… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Italian, Cuisine: Mediterranean, Neighborhood: Downtown, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: Camino

Cinema Taco

Jun 9

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

Shortly after I fell in love with Jed, he moved to Argentina. From that point on he had to share my love with empanadas, as it was during my visits there that I discovered this semi-circle of pastry perfection, a handful of happiness with various meat, veggie, and dessert fillings. They’re cheap, delicious, and a balanced late night meal, so I was giddy when Cinema Taco opened up adjacent to the Jefferson with a giant empanada display case front and center.

Cinema Taco has a fool proof concept: cheap Mexican and South American classics served up as lunch for downtown workers and late night food for hungry Jefferson concertgoers. The setting is… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Mexican, Lunch, Neighborhood: Downtown, Outdoor Seating, Rating: 2 stars, Restaurant: Cinema Taco

Blue Moon Diner Brunch

Apr 25

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

I haven’t been looking forward to writing this review since a few friends told me that Blue Moon Diner was their favorite place in town, and then menacingly asked if we had reviewed it yet. So as fair warning: in the ancient blue brunch battle of Charlottesville, my loyalties lie with the Bluegrass Grill. Sorry Team Blue Moon – I know there are many of you – and you may want to stop reading now.

There is good food to eat and good things to say about the Blue Moon Diner on West Main. The ingredients are local and fresh, the coffee mugs… Read More

Tags: Brunch, Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Neighborhood: Main Street, Restaurant: Blue Moon Diner

Sushi Love

Apr 10

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

A local neighborhood rag in San Francisco once published an unfavorable review of the popular low-end sushi restaurant We Be Sushi, and titled it “They Be Mushy.” Another reviewer once wrote of Nobu, the famous global sushi hot spot, “No bull, Nobu is sushi nobility.” Therefore, in what appears to be a long and international tradition of cheap plays on sushi restaurant names, I unofficially dub this review “Sushi Hate.”

That may be a bit extreme, actually. It’s more like “Sushi I Think of You More as a Friend.”

When evaluating a sushi restaurant, we try to order the basics and steer clear of the pan-Asian dishes that many such restaurants feel… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Japanese, Neighborhood: The Corner, Rating: 2 stars, Restaurant: Sushi Love

Bashir’s Taverna for Lunch

Feb 4

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Mediterranean, Lunch, Neighborhood: Downtown, Rating: 2 stars, Restaurant: Bashir's Taverna

Aberdeen Barn

Jan 30

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Good for Dates, Neighborhood: 29/Barracks Rd, Restaurant: Aberdeen Barn

The Local

Jan 13

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

The 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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Local Food, Outdoor Seating, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: The Local

Lime Leaf

Jan 10

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

I count eight 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