Lunch

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

Ham, Goat Cheese & Plum Panini at Feast

Apr 15

Posted by Jed in Food Finds | View Comments

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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Cuisine: Local, Cuisine: Sandwiches, Lunch, Restaurant: Feast

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

Baggby’s

Sep 11

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

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

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Cuisine: Sandwiches, Lunch, Neighborhood: Downtown, Outdoor Seating, Rating: 3 stars, Restaurant: Baggby's

Bodo’s Bagels

Aug 20

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

If you live full-time in Charlottesville and have a mouth and haven’t had a bagel from Bodo’s you should be the subject of one those psych experiments at UVA where they pay you $10 to breathe through a juice-box straw for an hour while asking you questions about whether you think you’re… Read More

Tags: Breakfast, Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Cuisine: Bagels, Good for Families, Lunch, Neighborhood: 29/Emmet St, Neighborhood: Preston, Neighborhood: The Corner, Parking, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Bodo's Bagels

Riverside Lunch

Aug 16

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

We were out celebrating a friend’s birthday the other night and after a few beers the guy sitting next to me said, “Crozet Pizza and Riverside are the two most overhyped restaurants in the Charlottesville area.” I bit my tongue and told myself to find a happy place and then I asked… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: American, Cuisine: Hamburgers, Good for Families, Lunch, Neighborhood: High Street Extended, Parking, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Riverside Lunch

The Balkan Bakery

Jul 30

Posted by Jed in Reviews | View Comments

Erin and I grudgingly decided to try The Balkan Bakery for lunch because it’s new and we’re trying to peel ourselves away from such downtown mall casual staples as Revolutionary Soup, Christian’s Pizza, and Baggby’s. When you’re hungry it’s hard to resist the old faithful stand-bys. How silly of us it was to grudge… Read More