stay in the shallow end

As I previously mentioned my best friends Jeremy and Tasha came to town over the weekend and I had a food tour of Charlottesville all planned out for them. They arrived late Thursday night so the real eating didn’t start until Friday. I decided we could take a stroll through downtown Charlottesville and sample some of my favorite lunch (and dessert) options: Seafood @ West Main, Feast, Revolutionary Soup, Christian’s Pizza, Splendora’s, and Carpe Donut.

We started at Seafood @ West Main with a Blackened Fish Po’boy. I went there with the intention of getting fish tacos, but unfortunately they were out. I’m almost glad they were out because everything about this sandwich was perfect. It came on a nice roll, and the fish was spicy, well seasoned, and not at all overcooked. While it was still tartar, the sauce on the sandwich was very different than what I would expect. Once again, it was very good. Tasha said she really liked the sandwich despite the fact that she normally doesn’t like fish on bread.

Next we moved to Feast. Jeremy chose the Prosciutto and Mozzarella baguette. It took a really, really long time. We waited over 20 minutes. They were working on two platters of sandwiches and rather than work our sandwich in, they fully prepared both platters and then got to ours. If we didn’t have the po’boy to eat in the meantime, I’d have been much more annoyed than I was. Compared to the po’boy, this sandwich was a really big disappointment. The boldness of the spices on the fish rendered Feast’s more delicate sandwich nearly tasteless. Finally, the baguette was hard and chewy, which relative to the soft and crusty bread of the po’boy, was just not satisfying. I’m sticking with Seafood @ West Main when I go to Main Street Market for lunch.

We then walked down to the mall, and I dropped into Revolutionary Soup and picked up a Gulf Coast Shrimp Salad. I saw that they had some pulled pork Cuban sandwiches they’d made that day, but I fought the urge and walked out with the salad. As usual, it was great, but in hindsight, I don’t think it was representative of just how good of a restaurant Revolutionary Soup is. Next time I’ll add a sandwich into the mix also.

I sent Jeremy into Christian’s to grab a slice or two of pizza for us to split, and I was dismayed when he came out with a slice of pepperoni. With all the choices available to you, why would you go pepperoni?!? I let him and Tasha split it. They both thoroughly enjoyed the slice, but as with the salad at Revolutionary Soup, I don’t think a slice of pepperoni is representative of what Christian’s is all about.

Dessert time! We went to Splendora’s and split a sampler. The flavors I can remember are Pear, Black Currant, Mango, Irish Cream, Jack Daniel’s, Mexican Coffee, Mint Chocolate and Ginger. I recommended Jack Daniel’s and forgot to also recommend Chocolate Hazelnut. Of these flavors, the Black Currant was definitely the biggest hit, while Pear was a miss. Next time I’ll push for more creamy and chocolatey flavors, as I find them to be the best.

The original plan was these five restaurants, but then we happened to come across Carpe Donut. How do you say no to that? We split a couple of donuts, and they were so hot and fresh. I’m not into cakey donuts, so I was pretty happy that these melted in my mouth. I think I’ll go back today.

Stay tuned! I’ve got some detailed reviews of Continental Divide, Ten, and Blue Mountain Brewery coming up including a couple of guest reviews by Jeremy. Enjoy!

Sunday: Brunch at Blue Moon Diner: I ordered the biscuits and gravy. The gravy was a little runny and lacking in richness, but it was still very satisfying. I usually don’t get hungover, but I felt like crap this morning. This got me back in shape for the tournament where Viva! reclaimed the trophy. Oh, the food was slooooow, but that’s par for Blue Moon.

Monday: Dinner at Amigo’s: Chili Verde. Always and forever.

Wednesday: Lunch at Revolutionary Soup: I ordered Adam’s Chicken Sandwich. It was a little dry for my taste. Some sort of zesty sauce would have definitely brought me back.

Thursday: Lunch at Wayside: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I need to remember not to go to Wayside during off hours. The reheated chicken sucks.

Thursday: Late Night at Boheme: We joined other cVillains at Boheme for their late night soft opening. We enjoyed some tasty beverages and free appetizers including BBQ pizza, bruschetta, sweetbreads, and others I cannot recall. I’m not huge on the late night scenes of most of the restaurants in town, but this was chill enough that I want to go back. Too bad I’m too beat to go back tonight.

My BFFs Jeremy and Tasha came to visit and made it to Boheme with us. I’m cutting this week short so I can document our dining adventures in greater detail: Ten Charlottesville dining establishments in three days!

Sunday: Dinner at Royal Indian Restaurant: ZOMG! A good Indian restaurant in Charlottesville! I should probably knock on wood, because I’ve only been there once. I ordered the Goat Curry off of the Specials section of the menu and asked for it extra hot. For an appetizer we ordered a bread basket with Garlic Naan, Aloo Paratha, and Paneer Kulcha. The Garlic Naan was perfect. I felt the Aloo Paratha could’ve been stuffed a little thicker. I’d never had anything like the Paneer Kulcha before, and while it was good, it wasn’t for me. We also ordered their Non-Vegetarian appetizer, which consisted of a variety of grilled kabobed chunks of meat, all perfectly cooked. The big winner for me was the Goat Curry. I despise the use of the work “authentic” to describe food, but I will say that I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between this and my mom’s. I am definitely, definitely going back.

Monday: Lunch at Revolutionary Soup: I got the Garlic Garden Wrap. The hot roasted tomatoes wrapped up with garlic cream cheese became a warm gooey mess. Can RevSoup do any wrong?

Wednesday: Lunch at Cafe Cubano: I got the Dorsal. Ham, peppers, and cheese, in a panini. It’s pretty much what you would expect and completely forgettable.

Wednesday: Dinner at Christian’s: I had a couple of slices os the Spicy Chicken during the Ruby Code Jam courtesy of Nick. Stellar as usual. Working right above Christian’s, I’ve vowed to go there as little as possible because I don’t ever want to get sick of it.

Thursday: Lunch at Revolutionary Soup: Gulf Coast Shrimp Salad. I’ve written about it before. It’s the best thing on their menu. I also had some Black Bean and Veggie Bacon soup. While it was decent, I think the fat from real bacon would’ve added a lot to it.

I went ahead and skipped last week because there was nothing worth mentioning.

Tuesday: Breakfast at Cafe Cubano: I had an enormous breakfast burrito. Absolutely enormous. It could’ve easily been 3 breakfasts. It was reasonably good, but nothing super special. Given my level of hunger at the time, it definitely hit the spot.

Wednesday: Lunch at Revolutionary Soup: I ordered the Roast Beef and Rye. From their website: Fresh Cut Roast Beef with White Cheddar, Caramelized Onions, Mixed Greens, Tomato and a Blue Cheese Horseradish sauce. As nearly everything at RevSoup is, it was delightful. The only thing I would change would be more horseradish in the sauce, but that’s just my personal taste. I doubt it has broad appeal.

Thursday: Dinner at South Street: Once again, the Flank Steak Salad. As is often the case, the beef was overcooked.

I’m also going to skip the next two weeks, as I’ve been out of town pretty much the whole time and really don’t have anything interesting to report.

Tuesday: Dinner at South Street: South Street = Flank Steak Salad. This time I remembered to order the dressing on the side and was much, much happier.

Friday: Dinner at Sakura (on the Corner): Our server here was pretty rude, and when we finally went to pay the check, there were definitely some shenanigans. He just started charging us arbitrary amounts insisting that they added up the total on the check. They did not, but it was not enough off to be worth fighting over. In their defense, they had just dealt with an enormous crowd of undergraduates in fancy clothes drinking sake bombs. We did get to sit in little room in the back which was kind of cool. I ordered a bunch of sushi and sashimi, and was very pleased. They still have my favorite spicy tuna in town.

Sunday: Dinner at Continental Divide: I love eating out on someone else’s tab. We ordered the Red Hot Blues and Texas Hummus as appetizers, and I ordered the Santa Fe Enchilada as my entree. I was disappointed with the quantity of Red Hot Blues. I really feel like this dish has become smaller in recent months. The Santa Fe Enchilada was stellar as expected. Michael ordered a New York Strip special, and it was absolutely incredible. It was served in a deep dish with a salad that had cream cheese on it, and the soupy mess at the bottom of the dish made an incredible salad dressing. Delicious.

Tuesday: Lunch at Main Street Market: I really should walk over the Fish Market in Main Street Market more. I ordered the fish tacos, and as usual, they were exceptionally good. I loved that the cook was out of fish, so we walked across the hall to the fish market and grabbed a filet out of the case. In addition, I am pretty certain they have some of the best fries in town.

Tuesday: Dinner at Amigo’s: Chili Verde. Nothing to see here.

Thursday: Meatball Sub from Baggby’s: How do I always forget how disgusting this sandwich is. Do not order it under any circumstances.

Sunday: Lunch at Amigos: We headed over there after kickball practice one morning. I ordered the Huevos con Chorizo and it was delicious, and I’m glad to have another dining option at Amigo’s.

Tuesday: Dinner at Kiki: We went there for dinner, and I ordered the Chicken Schwarma Entree. Boy, this was a disappointment. A few pieces of chipped chicken and some hummus. I guess they’re gone now, so there’s no point in posting this.

Wednesday: Lunch at Thai 99: I ordered the Pad Krapao. I love to hate Thai 99, but whenever I go there, I always enjoy my meal. Ordering spicy food there is a crapshoot. Half the time it comes out completely bland, and the other half it burns your tongue off. I got lucky today, and it came out with a good base level of spiciness which I supplemented with their spice plate.

Thursday: Dinner at South Street: Once again, I ordered the Flank Steak Salad. I forgot to ask for the dressing on the side, and as usual, it was swimming in the stuff. As much as I love the dressing, I can’t tolerate this much of it. The flank steak was actually NOT overcooked (I order rare), which was a nice surprise.

Friday: Lunch at The Tavern: Pigs in a blanket, a side of bacon, grits, and hot chocolate. What a way to start, and pretty much end, a morning.

Saturday: Lunch at Eppie’s: Will someone please remind me to eat at Eppie’s more. I think the only thing that keeps me from going is that it’s just so much damn food that’s so delicious. I can’t keep myself from eating every last bite, and I’m in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.