C&O Restaurant

I am ashamed to say that, after 8+ years in Charlottesville, this was my first visit to the legendary C&O Restaurant.  Allie and I received a gift certificate to C&O, and because of that, finally made it out the restaurant!  We made a reservation at the last minute for a chilly Wednesday evening.  We were seated at a table on the main floor, just inside the entrance.  The room is very rustic, with original hardwood flooring and wall paneling.  There were several other tables seated in the small room, but it remained quiet and felt intimate nonetheless.  I will also mention that the service was outstanding throughout our meal.  (Side note: Please excuse my photography in this post - my camera flash decided not to work on this particular night.)

After spending some time with the wine list, we selected a bottle of Pinot Noir from one of our favorite Napa Valley wineries - Pine Ridge.  We then moved on to the dinner menus.  I must say that this was one of the few menus that I have seen off of which I would have ordered every single item!  Allie and I decided to order 2 appetizers and 2 entrees and share them all so we could try as many dishes as possible.  To start, Allie ordered the oyster stew and I selected the ricotta gnocchi.  The oyster stew was delicious - with a subtle smokey flavor imparted by the bacon and some of the biggest, most tender oysters I have had in Virginia!  We were also amazed by how well the oyster crackers in the stew held up - even by last few bites of the cup, the crackers still had a satisfying crunchy texture.  The ricotta gnocchi was equally as good.  The gnocchi themselves were delicate, pillow-like pouches of perfection.  The gnocchi were arranged carefully atop a bolognese-style sauce of local pork that was slightly sweet and salty making for a perfectly composed dish that I would have been happy to eat an entree-sized portion of! 

Oyster Stew

Ricotta Gnocchi

For dinner, both Allie and I selected steak options.  This, too, was a tough decision for both of us and had I not just ordered Rag Mountain Trout at another restaurant recently, I think I might have opted for that as well.  Anyhow, Allie ordered the Cuban ribeye steak and I ordered the Steak Chinoise.  The Cuban ribeye came cooked to a flawless medium.  The steak itself is modestly spicy - it is marinated in Tabasco and dijon mustard after all!  The spice is attenuated perfectly by the tangy buttermilk blue cheese and sweet red onion jam that top the steak.  If you like ribeye as much as I do, this dish is a must-try!  And if you don't think you like ribeye very much, just wait until you taste this one!  The Steak Chinoise was also delicious (though Allie and I both agreed that the Cuban ribeye was our favorite).  The flank steak was incredibly tender (which can be quite an accomplishment) and also cooked to a perfect medium.  The sauce is described as a "ginger, tamari, and scallion pan sauce" and had delicious umami qualities and invoked subtle flavors of peanut and soy. 

Cuban Ribeye Steak

Steak Chinoise

By the time we had finished devouring all that beef, we were both really too full for dessert.  But we looked at the menu anyway.  And then we ordered dessert anyway.  The warm cinnamon bun with homemade espresso chip ice cream was just irresistible.  And it did not disappoint!  The bun was gooey and delicious and the ice cream complemented it perfectly.

Warm Cinnamon Bun

Overall Impression:  This was the best meal Allie and I have had in Charlottesville in years!  Incredible food, great service, and a marvelous atmosphere!  Get yourself to C&O as soon as possible!

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          C&O Restaurant
          515 East Water Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902 (on the Downtown Mall)
          (434)971-7044
          http://www.candorestaurant.com/

Eppie's

Eppie's is a Charlottesville legend that serves classic, down-home comfort food on the Downtown Mall.  Allie's mother wanted to take us to lunch recently, and we picked Eppie's.  I ordered the jerk chicken, which I had never had before, with mac-and-cheese and coleslaw.  The chicken was less spicy than I would have preferred for something labeled "jerk."  Even so, it was flavorful and the meat was tender and juicy.  The coleslaw was vinegar-based and easily made up for the lack of spice on my chicken.  The mac-and-cheese was a cup of gooey, cheesy deliciousness.  All of the chicken plates are also served with a piece of cornbread.  Eppie's cornbread is among the best I've had in Charlottesville - with pieces of real corn baked right in and served warm.

My mother-in-law opted for the lemon pepper chicken plate.  She liked the flavor on her chicken, but unlike mine, felt that the meat was too dry.  She chose a sweet potato and collard greens as her sides.  She raved about the sweet potato - saying that it was so sweet and juicy that she didn't even need to put butter on it (which is definitely saying something!).  She also really enjoyed the collards.

Allie ordered her favorite item from the Eppie's menu - the Santa Monica salad.  The salad is definitely big enough to make a meal out of and filled with fresh veggies.  Eppie's starts with crisp spinach and tops that with tomatoes, freshly sliced-off-the-cob yellow corn, goat cheese, and dates.  The salad comes with a side of champagne vinaigrette, which Allie says compliments the fresh veggies with the perfect amount of sweetness and acidity.  The salads at Eppie's are served with one of their famous pumpkin bread muffins. (Side note: If you haven't had it before, you should definitely try Eppie's ham biscuits - Kite's "pink salt" country ham layered on pumpkin bread - delicious!)

Overall Impression:  Eppie's is the place to go for good ole' down-home country food!  Though the chicken was cooked somewhat inconsistently at this visit, all of the flavors were spot-on! 

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          Eppie's
          412 East Main Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902 (on the Downtown Mall)
          (434)963-9900
          http://eatateppies.com/

Sweet Reasons Cupcakes

Yes... it's another cupcake review!  Allie and I were in Fredericksburg doing some shopping and couldn't help but notice Sweet Reasons tucked into a strip of the Central Park shopping metropolis.  When we stopped in to satisfy our mid-afternoon sweet tooth, Sweet Reasons was packed!  I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in the flavor selection, having seen their Facebook page which mentioned such past selections as: caramel macchiato, bananas foster, strawberries & champagne, and the boss hog (a maple brown sugar cake with bacon!).  The weekly specials when we visited were much less inventive and included hot chocolate, blueberry pancake, and cinnamon roll.  Regardless, we made our selections and settled in at a high-top table to indulge ourselves.

I opted for the turtle cupcake... a chocolate cake with caramel center, pecans, and chocolate buttercream frosting.  The cake itself was really moist and tasty, thanks in large part to the perfectly salty caramel sauce poured down the middle.  The pecans added a nice crunch and the chocolate buttercream was smooth and delicious.  Allie went with the cookies and cream cupcake.  In case you couldn't guess, that's a vanilla cake with pieces of Oreo in it and topped with vanilla buttercream.  Allie's cake wasn't quite as moist as mine, but certainly wasn't dry by any means.  She enjoyed the sizable chunks of cookie (and Oreo cream filling!) in the cupcake, but felt that the cupcake as whole was just a touch too sweet. 

Even though Sweet Reasons' cupcakes (like those from Sweethaus) don't beat our all-time favorites from Bubblecake in Roanoke, they are definitely not a fad that's going out of style anytime soon.  And always remember - Love thy cupcake!

Overall Impression:  Really tasty (though not the most unique) cupcakes that we will definitely try again next time we're in Fredericksburg!

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          Sweet Reasons Gourmet Cupcakes
          1672 Carl D. Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA  22401
          (540)785-1550
          http://www.sweetreasons.com/#!

Fry's Spring Station

I can remember when Fry's Spring Station was actually a gas station/mechanic shop.  Now it has become a fun neighborhood hang-out with great pizza and local beer.  It's especially lively when the weather is nice - they have a large patio (with a firepit) and they open up the garage doors and make the whole restaurant open-air.  The restaurant itself is clean and modern - you would never guess it was a working auto shop just a few years ago!  It also features a large open kitchen where you can watch the pizzas going into and out of the brick oven fire.

Now... first I want to talk about the food - and I will get to the service in a minute.  Allie and I started our meal with the Fried Green Tomato and Mozzarella Stack.  It's pretty much a riff on the classic caprese salad but with fried green tomatoes instead of raw tomatoes (and who doesn't love fried green tomatoes?).  As you can no doubt see, they actually stack the fried green tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and layer them with basil pesto.  When you get all of the elements (including the balsamic glaze) in one bite, it is the perfect balance of crispy, creamy, salty, and tangy.  My only complaint is that the fried green tomatoes were room-temperature.  I think the dish could have been elevated to the next level had the tomatoes been hot out of the fryer and made the mozzarella get just slightly melty. 

The pizzas at Fry's Spring are definitely big enough to share - especially if you have appetizers and beer too!  Allie and I opted to try one we hadn't had before - The Greco (though we omitted the kalamata olives - I'm not a big olive fan).  Instead of a traditional red sauce, this pizza has a tangy but slightly-sweet balsamic glaze as its base.  It's then topped with earthy artichoke hearts, juicy and just slightly shriveled grape tomatoes, and creamy feta cheese.  The best part, though, is the spicy Merguez lamb sausage - I only wish there were more of it on the pizza!  And all of this is, as always, layered atop the soft but perfectly charred fire-roasted pizza dough.  Yum!

Now, about the service.  On my multiple visits to Fry's Spring, I would say that the service has been great 50% of the time and no-so-great the other 50% of the time.  On this particular night, the service was okay, but not exceptional.  When we first arrived, we were told that there was about a 30-45 minute wait.  We agreed to wait and headed to the bar to order some beer.  We had just settled in and were still waiting to catch the bartender's attention when the hostess approached and said that our table was ready.  Now I'm certainly not complaining about only having to wait 5 minutes, but I can't quite understand how they could be so far off in their estimate.  Regardless, we headed to our table instead and I selected a local beer on draft from the menu.  When our waitress appeared, she informed that that beer was among 3 of the 6 draft beers that had been "substituted out."  Now again, I don't mind Fry's Spring rotating through a wide variety of local beers, but I feel like they should update their menu accordingly.  Luckily, Allie's selection - the Wild Wolf Blonde Hunny Ale - was available, and she enjoyed it very much!  The service for the rest of the night was pretty average. 

P.S. - Has anybody tried the weekend brunch at Fry's Spring?  I'd love to hear what you thought of it!


Overall Impression:  Fun atmosphere, great pizza and local beer, but the service can be hit-or-miss.

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          Fry's Spring Station
          2115 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903
          (434)202-2257
          http://www.frysspringstation.com/index.php

Sweethaus Cupcake & Candy Shop

We needed cupcakes... and we needed them bad!  So Allie and I headed over to Sweethaus Cupcake and Candy Shop.  Sweethaus is located in a strange-seeming location, inside of the old Charlottesville Tire building on West Main Street.  From the outside, it doesn't necessarily seem like it would work, but once you're inside, it really does!  The Sweethaus team has transformed the space into a rustic yet inviting bakeshop.  The cupcakes are displayed behind a large glass case next to the coffee bar.  Next to this is a small retail area with everything from t-shirts to cards to baking supplies (Allie fell in love with all of the "cute party supplies").  And, of course, there is the candy!  Sweethaus has dispensers with a rainbow of colored chocolate candies (so you can make your own mix of colors) and candy treats ranging from swedish fish to chocolate-covered pretzels to cayenne pepper truffles.  Sweethaus has also put in a large picture window that looks in on the bakery, so you can watch owner Tara Koenig and her team in action.  There is also a space in the back with tables for enjoying the goodies, or hosting a party.

I chose to order the Special of the Day cupcake - called the "Salted Caramel."  Allie went with the vanilla coconut.  The salted caramel was very tasty - moist marble cake topped with caramel buttercream, chocolate, and a salted caramel swirl.  The perfect blend of sweet and salty.  Allie's vanilla coconut cupcake was just as good.  The cake was very moist and flavorful and the cupcake was topped with creamy, not-too-sweet buttercream and then sprinkled with grated coconut.  Allie also ordered an espresso, which paired nicely with her cupcake.  All in all, Sweethaus' cupcakes were moist and delicious, and certainly rank among the best in C-Ville (though I must admit that they still don't quite stand up to my all-time favorites from Bubblecake in Roanoke).

Salted Caramel

Vanilla Coconut

Overall Impression:  Really good, fresh cupcakes from a charming little bakeshop that's definitely worth a visit!

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          Sweethaus Cupcake and Candy Shop
          843 West Main Street, Charlottesville, VA
          (434) 422-2677
          http://www.sweethaus.com/

Kabuto Sushi and Teppanyaki

You know when that craving for sushi sets in and you just can't shake it until you get some good sushi?  Well luckily for Allie and I, Kabuto Sushi came to town a few months ago.  And when the craving hit the other night, we knew that's where we had to go.

When we pulled up in front of Kabuto on Pantops, I was rather surprised to see that they still had their "Now Open" banner hanging, considering that they have been for several months.  Anyway, we headed inside to the rather small restaurant.  Kabuto has about 10 tables total, though it has not been full either time we have been.  We ordered a couple bowls of miso soup right away.  Kabuto's miso soup is quite good - it is thicker than some of the miso soup you find at other places in town (which is often a thin, clear broth).  Kabuto seems to blend some tofu into the broth itself in addition to the tofu and seaweed pieces in the soup.

Kabuto

Miso Soup

We spent some time looking over the sushi menu, but Allie is kind of stuck in her ways and we ended up deciding to order the same sushi rolls we had ordered the first time we visited Kabuto.  First was the caterpillar roll.  The caterpillar roll is essentially a spicy tuna roll with tempura flakes inside and sliced avocado draped over the top.  The caterpillar roll was very good, but not great.  The tuna was not as spicy as I would prefer in a spicy tuna roll, though the tempura flakes inside the roll do add a very nice, subtle crunch to the roll.  Next came the Philadelphia roll.  A traditional roll with smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado, it too was very fresh and well-made.  Finally, we had the butterfly roll.  My favorite roll of the night, the butterfly is a shrimp tempura roll with avocado inside and a spicy snow crab salad on top.  The tempura shrimp was crispy and the spicy snow crab was actually spicy and added a nice kick to the classic shrimp tempura.  The butterfly roll was also topped with a "special sauce" which was quite tasty, though I'm not sure exactly what it was.

Caterpillar Roll

Caterpillar Roll

Butterfly and Philadelphia Rolls

Overall, Kabuto is my new #1 choice for sushi that is fresher and more inventive than many of the other places in C-Ville.  While it is certainly not the best sushi I've ever had, it is the best sushi I've found in Charlottesville (unless you want to pay an arm and a leg to eat at Ten).  Kabuto also has hibachi dishes (which I haven't tried) and a number of lunch specials, making it the perfect place to grab sushi to eat-in, carry-out, or have delivered.  Allie and I will definitely be returning to Kabuto next time the sushi craving hits!

Overall Impression:  Fresh, reasonably-priced, made-to-order sushi that is as good as sushi gets in Charlottesville.  

Food Rating:  

Contact Information:
          Kabuto Sushi and Teppanyaki
          1836 Abbey Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
                 (between Christian's and Sticks in the Giant shopping center)
          (434)973-1585
          http://kabuto-cville.com/