Reviews

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 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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Thai, Good for Vegetarians, Neighborhood: 29/Rio Hill Shopping Center, Parking, Rating: 5 stars, Restaurant: Lime Leaf

The Inn at Court Square

Jan 3

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

We thought we knew all the top restaurants in Charlottesville and vicinity. Clifton Inn, Duner’s, Mas, Tavola. Maybe Palladio and Ventana, too. Whenever someone asked for a fine dining recommendation, we pulled something off this list. How silly we were. How naive! One of the best restaurants in Charlottesville has been right under our noses for years, tucked away above an antique store on Court Square.

A walk up the stone and brick steps leads you into a romantically lit lobby, with the dining room beyond. Both are lushly furnished with fine antiques and pristine white linen. The atmosphere is hushed, maybe even to a fault, depending on the kind of evening you’re looking for… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American/Southern, Good for Dates, Neighborhood: Downtown/Court Square, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: The Inn at Court Square

Milan

Dec 13

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

If you read cVillain or spend time on Charlottesville-Dining.com, you have witnessed the absurd mudslinging battles between two of Charlottesville’s three or four Indian restaurants. I won’t go into detail now — I’ll save it for the curry cage match coming later — but suffice to say that Milan considers itself the premier Indian restaurant in town, and many people I know would agree. I personally find it the least good of all of them.

We were with a big group on our most recent visit, so we ordered a dozen different dishes. We had the Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Palak Paneer, Chili Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, and Shrimp Masala… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Indian, Good for Vegetarians, Neighborhood: 29/Emmet St, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: Milan

St. Maarten Café

Dec 7

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

Before there was Cheeseburger in Paradise there was St. Maarten Café. Tucked away on the dark side of the Corner, backed up against the railroad tracks, St. Maarten’s has been inconspicuously serving up juicy burgers, solid wings, and beachy cocktails for almost twenty-five years. It won’t win any prizes for popularity, but it’s not for lack of things to like.

The entrance is as drab and non-descript as a speak-easy, but the interior is festive, draped with enough ocean-faring paraphernalia to make Captain Quint feel at home. There are fish tanks, giant marlins on… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Neighborhood: The Corner, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: St. Maarten Café

Taste of China

Dec 6

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

We started to get excited after reading various food blogs about a renowned yet mysterious Szechuan chef who had attracted a devoted cult of followers in DC before disappearing. After sightings in Atlanta and Knoxville, there was a rumor that THE Peter Chang was behind the new nondescript Taste of China restaurant in Albemarle Square. I tried to keep my expectations in check, but they shot up when we arrived to see the restaurant name in neon Chinese, as well as English, outside the strip mall exterior. And up even further when we walked in to an absolutely packed place featuring very little English, with a menu… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Good for Vegetarians, Near Carmike Cinema, Neighborhood: 29/Albemarle Square, Parking, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Taste of China

French Toast Cage Match: West Main vs. Blue Moon

Nov 20

Posted by Jed in Cuisine Cage Matches, Reviews | View Comments

Let’s get ready to [have a stomach] rumble! Even if you’re not normally a French toast person, which I wasn’t until recently, this French toast is going to kick your derriere and leave you sucking your thumb in the gutter. This French toast is going to smash your face and send you to the dentist. Okay, so French toast doesn’t have the muscle to do all that, but it has all the cunning and sneak-attack deadliness of French Savate boxing, and cinnamon to boot. Don’t come crying to… Read More

Tags: Brunch, Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Cuisine: Breakfast, Restaurant: Blue Moon Diner, Restaurant: West Main

Tokyo Rose

Nov 10

Posted by Erin in Reviews | View Comments

I’m perhaps the least qualified person ever to review a sushi restaurant. I avoid raw fish and hate the taste of seaweed. Yet I’m a big fan of Tokyo Rose, so consider this a heartfelt yet unqualified restaurant review.

Apparently back in the day this Ivy Road spot was a hot destination spot with great live music. Now, not so much. Since Tokyo Rose’s reopening in 2005, every time we visit there’s always a sprinkling of patrons but it doesn’t exactly scream nightlife. The setting is nice enough with a sushi bar that I’ve never seen anyone sit at and a private room with traditional Japanese floor seating. Supposedly there’s a downstairs karaoke bar but we have… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Japanese, Neighborhood: Ivy, Parking, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: Tokyo Rose