Brunch

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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French Toast Cage Match: West Main vs. Blue Moon

West Main's Corn Flake-coated cinnamon roll french toastLet’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

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Beer Run 

Beer Run - 05For those of you who aren’t familiar with Beer Run on Carlton Road, here’s the premise: take a convenience store and fill it with beer and wine, throw in a cheap menu with bar classics like nachos and burgers, and add some picnic benches outside. This simple but smart idea has created a popular spot that’s great for the casual and devoted drinker. But I must admit – bring on the ire of the Beer Run devotees – I’m perplexed when people get really enthusiastic about this place. Maybe I just need to change my perspective. As a convenience store to grab a six pack on your way to a party, it’s a gold medal winner. As a casual… Read More

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Maya Brunch 

Vegetable potato cake with smoked salmon, sour cream, and chivesWe have an unhealthy relationship with brunch. And by unhealthy I mean not only that we invest an alarming portion of our happiness in a positive brunch experience every weekend, but also that it is literally unhealthy. I eat lots and lots of bacon, and Erin eats lots and lots of fried potatoes. Our favorite brunch places and dishes are so entrenched in our lives that it’s an act of tremendous will to go somewhere else, as we did one recent Sunday when we went to Maya. It was fine, but I missed our usuals.

Maya offers a brunch menu that… Read More

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La Taza Coffee House 

la taza - 7When the sun is shining and the temperature is warm, there’s nothing like a weekend brunch at La Taza. The patio is large, scenic, and dog-friendly. The coffee is strong, delicious, and fair trade. The juice comes with champagne (if you want it), and the food has a Latin American flair.

Humbly called a coffee house, I think La Taza has one of the more interesting brunch menus in town. Their Huevos Benicio is potatoes layered with ham, pepper jack cheese, and eggs covered in salsa and sour cream with tortillas on the side, while the Machaca includes scrambled eggs, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, tortillas, and… Read More

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Tip Top Breakfast 

tiptop - 9It doesn’t require a lot to make my weekend mornings happy ones. No alarm clock, a nice cup of coffee, hearty eggs, and some fried potatoes go a long way. Tip Top seemed like a sure bet given its constantly crowded parking lot on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Counter seating and cozy booths for classic diner ambience? Check. Swiftly delivered food at bargain prices? Check. Friendly service? Check, with a big “what can I get you, sweetheart?” and smile. All the elements were in place.

The food, sadly, was not. Now, let me say up front that people we’ve talked to are big fans of the Tip Top lunch… Read More

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Bluegrass Grill and Bakery 

bluegrass - 7Half the people in this town will tell you that a brunch at the Bluegrass Grill and Bakery is a key part of any good weekend plan. But my weekend plan usually involves the following: wake up hungry, decide Bluegrass sounds like a good idea, drive past Bluegrass and see a line of 20 people waiting outside, feel hungry and grumpy, decide it will take too long to wait, go somewhere else. This repeated pattern has led me to my wisest Bluegrass lesson: go during the week. Read More

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Horse & Hound Gastropub 

Bucket o' friesBrunch, the best meal ever, always poses a difficult question: high brow or low brow? Usually I prefer my brunch to be a low brow but delicious affair, which explains nearly weekly visits to the Tavern. But it’s fun to mix it up every once in awhile with a more… Read More

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The Tavern 

the tavern - 1
One of the charms of Charlottesville dining is that the most uninviting exterior can conceal some of our town’s most delicious treasures. Like the carpenter’s chalice in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Tavern is one such diamond in the rough… Read More

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