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
Parking
Lime Leaf 
Jan 10
Taste of China 
Dec 6
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
Tokyo Rose
Nov 10
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
Mas
Nov 1
I’m ambivalent towards tapas. On the one hand, it’s fun to try a variety of flavors over the course of an evening, and since they’re built for sharing they promote a more social dining experience. On the other hand, my taste buds are usually sufficiently excited by the standard two or three courses of a non-tapas meal, and I’m not a good sharer. Regardless of which camp you’re in, this hip bacony beacon in Belmont will make a believer out of even the least adventurous and sharingest among us.
The physical space of Mas is unusual. Situated funkily in the hairpin elbow of Carlton Avenue and Monticello Road, the yellow-umbrella’ed patio, which would… Read More
Zinc
Oct 20
Only in a food town like Charlottesville do you find “anglo-franco tapas style comfort food” served up in a former service station. Zinc, the bistro on Main Street where you can get anything from fish and chips to steak tartare with quail egg, has a lot going for it. The beautiful courtyard patio feels far removed from the street and is one of my favorite outdoor eating spots. The bar area is cool and usually uncrowded, and the interior hints at its garage past while showcasing an open kitchen and funky industrial feel.
The menu reinforces the quirky blend of personalities with a wide range of options for… Read More
Beer Run
Oct 20
For 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
Cavalier Diner
Sep 29
I can say without hesitation that our recent trip to the Cavalier Diner on Emmet Street (previously Sam’s Kitchen) resulted in one of the worst meals we’ve had in Charlottesville. Or anywhere. It was so bad that for the few belchy hours that followed Erin kept asking me if I thought she was going to get sick. I forced a smile and assured her she didn’t eat enough for that. But I wondered.
The first sign of trouble is when you walk in. It’s nice enough from the exterior, and the interior actually isn’t terrible to look at. The problem is that it’s not so nice to smell. I don’t know how to describe it… Read More
The Korean House
Sep 3
It’s hard to say which I loved more during my first outing to the Korean House: waitress Audrey or the chicken bulgogi. Whichever it was, I can’t believe it took us so long to find this place. Given its warehouse exterior in a nondescript strip mall on Carlton Road, it’s understandable how we could miss it. But as soon as we stepped into the equally warehouse-feeling interior, complete with conference room furniture, I knew it was going to be good. With decor like that, the food could only be awesome. Even more promising, it smelled like a… Read More
Al Hamraa
Aug 24
If you’ve ever been to the IX building, you may have passed a stretch of curtained glass with lights glowing inside. There was no big sign to advertise what might be happening in there, and unless you really stopped to investigate you probably thought the menu by the door was a flyer tacked to a corkboard.
Had you gone in, you would have seen what too few other Charlottesvillians have had the pleasure to see: A grand, ornamented dining room, looking as if it was lifted from the streets of Morocco and put back down next to the Blue Wheel Bicycle shop here in Cville. The bar is one of the most romantic in… Read More
Bodo’s Bagels
Aug 20
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
