On a cold day last week, I decided to treat myself to a lunch at Feast. I had just read CVILLE’s post on Feast’s spectacular fall salad, so I ordered a half-size (minus butternut squash, since I dislike cooked veggies in salads) and a cup of smokey roasted red pepper soup. The soup was perfect for a crisp fall day – chipotle and smoked paprika added depth to an already-rich base of roasted red peppers and tomatoes with a touch of cream. Melted Parmesan shred added textural interest to the smooth consistency of the full-flavored soup. The salad was bright, fresh, and a perfect flavor compliment to the hearty… Read More
Posts Tagged Lunch
Bellair Market 
Sep 11
As much as I love a homemade meal or an elegant dinner, there are some days – or weeks – that don’t allow for leisurely dining. Though I’ve been known to knock back a couple Wendy’s junior cheeseburgers during a busy week, I decided to take a more local, and less greasy, approach to quick eats during this past week of moving and class-related chaos. Bellair Market, Tiger Fuel’s Ivy Road location, has always been my favorite sandwich stop in Charlottesville, but I’ve never loved it more than during a quick lunch break last Wednesday.
Though the shop consistently draws a large crowd from 12-2 on any given day of the week… Read More
Lou’s Philly Steaks
Aug 3
On first sight, Lou’s Philly Steak doesn’t seem like much. Tucked away on Long Street in the Donut Connection shopping strip, this newcomer Philly cheesesteak shop doesn’t have any big signs or flashy lettering to draw you in. The interior is purple and gold with large UVa Cavalier posters. It looks like it’s been in Charlottesville for years, though it opened on July 1st. There are only six tables, which were all filled at 12:30. But if anything, the nondescript nature and worn-in feeling of Lou’s will only help entrench it in Charlottesville’s tried-and-true, locals-only category of restaurants.
I ordered a Philly cheesesteak with onions, peppers, American cheese, and lettuce, as… Read More
Song Song’s Zhou & Bing
Jun 25
After the farmer’s market last Saturday, I found I’d strolled a little too far down the mall on a nice warm summer’s day, so I detoured down 5th St. SE where I was greeted with red Chinese lanterns I had never seen before and a sign boasting ‘Homestyle Chinese Cooking’. The snickering red devil on my left shoulder said, ‘Are you KIDDING ME? It’s home-style Chinese food time!’. The serene white angel on my right shoulder considered for a hot second and shrugged, ‘There’s no General Tso here, don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
Song Song’s Zhou and Bing… Read More
We just returned from an amazing trip to Ireland, a country that deserves a much better food reputation than it has. Who wouldn’t love a place where every restaurant has, on average, ten different potato dishes? I’m hoping we helped with the country’s economic recovery through our food and drink bill, but I think it will be awhile before I can order lamb, duck, or Guinness.
For my own Ireland recovery, I’m turning to a summer salad regimen for the foreseeable future. The timing is great as I just discovered my new favorite lunch order: Eppie’s Curry Chicken Salad. I’m averaging two a week and I can’t get enough. You can order the curry chicken as a sandwich as… Read More
Savour
Mar 26
Drinking the last of our wine at the table with Chef Ed Nafei hours after the other diners and servers had left the restaurant was the finale to a truly memorable and amusing dining experience at Savour. How did we get to that point? We have our friend and dining companion Liz to thank, as well as Chef Ed’s appreciation for a challenge and his uncanny ability to read people. When we were seated at our table several hours earlier, Chef Ed had warmly greeted us right away and asked if we had any questions about the menu. As he started to describe the three fish specials, Liz – who has a discerning palette… Read More
Cinema Taco
Jun 9
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
Until a few years ago, the thought of fruit and meat together made my stomach turn. Maybe it’s because a friend of mine used to always make me try the strawberry-beef jerky she bought at the Chinese market. While that was unequivocally disgusting, this latest permanent addition to the Feast sandwich menu – one of three new sandwiches added this week – is delicious.
It’s a simple concoction – arugula is the only ingredient not in the name – but it hits all the right notes. The chutney is just the right balance of sweet and spicy, rounding out both the… Read More
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
Baggby’s
Sep 11
If there is one thing that Charlottesville over-serves it’s sandwiches. We have a lot of spinach-artichoke dip and egg rolls and jalapeño poppers too — sometimes all on the same menu — but sandwich shops are squished into this city’s limits like so many turkey cold cuts. Some of them are skippable, but many serve up fresh ingredients in creative, well-executed combinations that are more than worthy of your lunch hour. Baggby’s is one such establishment. In addition to old faithfuls like egg salad and pastrami you can find newfangled genre-benders like the Sedona… Read More
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