Over the months, I’ve expressed strong interest in beer and cupcakes, and I finally hit the newest hot spots (several times over) to get the scoop.
They are delicious, and they are beautiful in their simplicity. They arrive before the lunch hour and they can run out, so time your visit accordingly. My picks: almond buttercream and red velvet. While you’re there, pay a visit to the organic butcher. In the end, we are fans.
Mintyfresh’s review was dead on, and Thor and I have paid Belmont’s newest store/restaurant/bar quite a few visits. What stands out to me is that the staff is knowledgeable, outgoing, and really proud of what they’ve got going on. They have every reason to be. A few stand-out menu items worth sharing (and Beer Run guys, tell me to take them down if you don’t want ‘em up):
Popularity: 5% [?]
Tagged as: Bars, Belmont, Charlottesville, Local Business, Restaurants, Reviews
Oh sheeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiit feast has cupcakes. I’m so there.
Hot dogs steamed with Stella? Sounds delicious, but makes my cry for the Stella that shall not be drunk. And no, I don’t wanna drink it after it’s been boiling. I don’t think. Maybe. No. Wait… Yes… or No. Nevermind.
Wait ’til you read what’s in the Cuban pork sandwich. I didn’t want to give away all their secrets.
Both have websites! Please see corrected hyperlinks to http://www.feastvirginia.com and http://www.beerrun.cc in the review text. My bad.
lilith: is the suggestion that one consume the cupcakes with the beer?
(Mind you, I’m not opposed to such a combination, just seeking clarification.)
hmmm…beer run does not appear to carry samuel smith’s organic lager. -2.
I failed to note in my review that Beer Run also stocks the highly regarded Belgian brands Delirium Tremens and Maredsous in bottles. There you go, Nee Nee! Now get your heiney down here from Pittsburgh!
I love how Beer Run’s website nips the “Do you have Fat Tire?” question in the bud. I know a few hippies around here who are always on the prowl for that stuff.
I see they have Bells, though. That’ll make a few of them happy.
We need more cupcake reviews! I’m a cupcake freak! Of those I’ve tried, Foods of All Nations are my favorites. I like my chocolate frosting (icing?) to be sugary…more dense than the shiny/airy stuff a lot of places put on theirs. FOAN seems to have the formula down.
Upstart, I think you’ll like Feast’s. The almond buttercream is just the right consistency and sweetness for me, and they nailed the almond dosage. I can’t stand shortening frostings, I’m partial to butter.
I’ve had cupcakes and beer before. I don’t see any reason not to combine the two.
Sounds like cupcakes aren’t just for breakfast anymore. And thanks for the Beer Run food review. I’m going there for lunch.
Btw, the image is random, it’s not mine. The frosting is more like this:
One good reason to prefer German beer:
http://www.kaltenberg.de/klw/klsk/reinheitsgebot.asp
Stop it! I can’t take any more. Anyone else puts up mouth-watering pictures of delicious food I’m gonna log-off. What time does Feast! get theirs?
I’ve stopped in Beer Run as well, my only suggestion would be a couple of couches a la South Street, where one could relax a bit more. Though I never made it over to the Meade ave side of the bar, maybe there’s some lurking over there?
Lilith - I concur 100% about Feast!’s cupcakes - had the red velvet last week and it kicked the ass of Magnolia’s red velvet cupcakes in Chelsea (the one that’s referenced in the Lazy Sunday SNL video and always has a line around the block).
That’s DEFINITELY the “right” frosting, in my opinion. To think I had lunch at Feast just yesterday and didn’t see the cupcakes.
A great cupcake is hard to come across. I feel like I could play bocce ball with Whole Foods cupcakes. Those things are rock solid.
Okay so Beer Run carries organic wine, which is really hard to come by…
…Whole Foods sells a ton of wine. Whole Foods is all organic. Are all of Whole Foods’ wines organic?
No, most of Wholes Foods wines are not organic, although I have noticed they try to feature the organic/biodynamic ones when they get them.
Whole Foods also has ridiculously bad decorative cupcakes in the bakery case. I was actually thinking of them when I was describing the “wrong” frosting for a cupcake. All fluff, little substance. They’re pretty, but that’s about it.
Whole Foods also has ridiculously bad, decorative cupcakes in the bakery case (search for “Whole Foods cupcake” on flickr and you’ll see them). I was actually thinking of them when I was describing the “wrong” frosting for a cupcake. All fluff, little substance. They’re pretty, but that’s about it.
Fat Tire is the jam, and not just for hippies (though I was one once, I think - memory sorta hazy). Yummy biscuit-y malt taste, but still pretty hoppy, just slightly sweet and eminently drinkable. Everything else New Belgium does (lots of monk-style Belgians) is also incredible, took a tour there once and was blown away (also a bit wasted afterwards - they give you 10 or 12 4oz sample glasses of their beers, most of which is pretty high-test). The brewery is also entirely wind-powered, which is awesome, and they are said to treat their employees really well too. Bastards won’t ship East of the Ole Miss, though, which is really annoying. Was out in SF very briefly recently for a weekend and guzzled a 6-pack on one of the two nights I spent out there, wanted to bring a ton home but wasn’t checking bags and TSA still won’t let you bring liquids on carry-ons, no matter how tasty. I vote Beer Run makes a regular, bi-weekly trip to the opposite bank of the Mississippi to bring back tasty New Belgium goodness for all!
lilith - Whole Foods is most certainly NOT all organic.
As for organic wines, Whole Foods has a decent selection, not great, but decent.
I recently got coffee at Mudhouse and they had some delicious looking cupcakes.
Cups and cakes, cups and cakes…
I’m so full my tummy aches…
Mudhouse gets okay cupcakes, but you have to go early or they’re stale. Put a dome on those puppies!
Hey, just out of curiosity… how much are these cupcakes? If we’re talkin about $8 cupcakes I gonna strangle myself with my ethernet cable, but if they’re reasonable,….
Ha! $2-something.
Wonderful article in the New York Times a couple of months ago about the rise of the artisanal/hipster cupcake and the blowback surrounding said rise.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0DA1F30F936A35752C1A9659C8B63
Ok! That I can afford without having to fish my lunch out of a dumpster. Mmmm… red velvet….
Screw the cupcakes, let’s get back to the beer. Does Beer Run have Corsendonk Christmas Ale? How about Anchor Steam Christmas Ale? Two “must have” beers for the holidays . . . to be drunk only in excess.
Ya know, if I had managed to find a decently paying job and move to Cville, I was seriously planning to start selling my cupcakes to one or more of the worthy coffee or eating establishments in town (I do baking as a side gig). And my cupcakes totally kick ass.
Sadly, though, it looks like I am not meant to become a born-again CVillain after all… at least, not geographically. I would like to try out these cupcakes (even though I really am certain mine are superior)… always good to keep tabs on the competition.
And mmmmm, beer.
Smiley, dunno, but they have Starr Hill Gift something-or-other on tap, and it’s mighty tasty.
We have the Anchor Christmas, no Corsendonk at the moment…….
Hey Smiley: Beer Run has some Anchor Brewing beers but I don’t know if the Christmas Ale is one of them. You’re right, that is a tasty recipe! They do have a surprising number of NorCal breweries represented: Anderson Valley, Butte Creek, Mad River and Lagunitas, in addition to the Sierra Nevada lineup. Sierra Nevada’s porter is my standby until Deschutes Brewing gets a distribution deal in Virginia for their Black Butte Porter.
I don’t remember seeing Corsendonk, although with a name like that you’d think I’d remember. Dang, y’all will be seeing ME at Beer Run later this evening!
does anyplace in town have Celis White on tap? X had it when they first opened, but not for long
That’s a great beer, oy.
Sorta off-topic, but “The Young and the Restless” had a cupcake themed party on today’s episode. They even served some red velvet ones! Gotta try the cupcakes at Feast. Thanks for the tip!
Alright I am the culprit who bought all the cupcakes at Feast today, 22 to be excact, I was afraid other cvillains might have beat me to it, but there were supplies of sundry cupcakes when i arrived at 11:00AM. I tested the samples with a focus group of about 15 professionals that subjected themselves willingly. It was love at first sight, many thanked me twice and there was distinct holiday spirit detected and I even saw a few moist eyes. Even delegate Toscano thank specifically for the cupcake. I warned Feast about the bull run they might experience due to the reputation of their muffins. Enough said, those muffins may be laced with some addictive agent, or just made with some powerful love, because I am still in sugar lala land, and have earned quite a bit of goodwill on the shoulders of some magnificent baker. Feast, hand over the commision about now.
Ffuucccckkk, I thought about cornering the market, then organizing a brisk black-market resale business out in the parking lot, but you beat me to it! We’ll see who camps out there tonight to be first in line.
Lil, josh, minty . . . thanks for the brew update at Beer Run. I am so there!
Dave from Beer Run: thanks for joining us!
Hey Ya’ll!
Feast thanks you again for the awesome “press”. I will pass the cvillain link on to the ladies who bake them for us. They will be so pleased! They are locals who dreamed of having a cupcake business. We said, “bring us samples and we’ll see”. They did, and we were hooked, too. I agree w/ lillith the red velvet w/ cream cheese frosting and the almond buttercream are my favorite so far, but i am saving the special gingerbread w/ borbourn frosting one for after we close tonite.
FYI - the cupcakes are $2.50 each. They arrive fresh Monday, Wednesday and Fridays about 10am. If you are having a party and want to be sure to get them, we take preorders with 48 hours notice.
Rock on Cvillainers! Thanks for getting Keri and Laura’s business off to a great start. (and helping ours as well)
best,
kate
Bourbon and cupcakes = winning combination
Gingerbread and bourbon cupcakes? OMG. That sounds amazing.
I read about some mojito ones with lime and rum…mmmmm….
Dern my anonymity!
Kate,
Why don’t you suggest to Keri and Laura that they do a special ‘Prohibition’ line of these cakes. Tell them to concentrate on creating a cocktail-in-a-cupcake range… it’s a marketeers dream.
I think a secret stash of cupcakes should be kept behind the counter at Feast just for those who have the super secret, cVillain password.
Palomino!
Palomino!
Hi all,
Thanks so much for the flattering feedback! Laura and I are very excited about our new venture, Cupcakes & Co., and are so grateful to Feast! for their help getting started. Tomorrow (Friday) is our last batch before the holidays, but we will return full force on January 7th with some new flavors and crowd favorites!
Tomorrow’s flavors are: Dark Chocolate with Cream Filling and Chocolate Frosting, Almond Buttercream, Red Velvet, Ginger Cake with Brandy Creme Frosting, and Carrot with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Look for the Cupcakes & Co. shop on the Downtown Mall in early Summer ‘08!
Cheers,
Keri
I for one, always involve alcohol with baking and add a little dark rum to my red velvet concoctions. Haven’t had Feast’s cupcakes yet but love the place. Does anybody remember when Hedge (the flower shop) had awesome cupcakes?
I always involve alchohol with waking…
(hic!)
Keri,
It’s a simple rule on this site. If you impress our taste buds, we love you. Keep up the good work! Where are you opening up on the mall?
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