A reader asks:
Where do we find ready made meals to take home and eat?
I’m going to expand this question and say, between all the restaurants and grocery stores in the area who has the best made ready to eat meals. Also, who has meals in town that you just pop in the oven and go?
Popularity: 4% [?]
Tagged as: Charlottesville, Questions, Restaurants
I never ate their, nor do I know anyone who has, but it might be worth checking out “Super Suppers” http://www.sscville.com/. They’re way up 29N so maybe they are more aimed at the Forest Lakes breeder crowd.
er… can you fix my typo — ate their –> ate there. Thx.
Personally I like Mona Lisa Pasta. A nice selection of raviolis, pastas, sauces, frozen or ready to cook and eat, great food at a great price. I think Foods of all Nations has a good selection too. Not an expert on this (or any other) topic though..
Well this isn’t a restaurant or grocery store, but there is a place on 29N called Super Suppers (www.sscville.com) which is a new concept in screwing us out of our hard earned scheckels in the name of convenience. You can go along and either ‘grab and go’ which means someone has put the food together and it’s in the freezer and you pay ‘X’ or donate a kidney and leave with a weeks worth of meals, or you can go in and they provide all the raw ingredients and recipes and you assemble a selection of delectable delights yourself, bring them home and freeze them.
I went in and bought a shit load of pre-prepared stuff, stuck it in the freezer and one of my bastard children left the freezer door open and the whole shebang defrosted so I had to chuck the equivalent of Bill Gates’ fortune in the trash and never got to try any of it… ergo I am the worst person to review this place.
Crap.
On a merrier note, it would be really fun to go there and get plastered drunk while preparing the meals and have some fun. Just a thought. We might need a designated Chef.
And for the record, yes I have been drinking. But if you’d had my day you would too.
Yo Doof… we nearly had a simultaneous post there. What are you up to my little nocturnal party beast?
Why not just call Guad and pick up a to-go meal? Mmm, Guad….
James.. don’t sweat the spelling darling. I misspell all the time. Last week I went to write ‘ yummy candy’ and it came out as ‘hot cock’. Increased my fan base no end.
Chill out sweetie.
Super Suppers is part of a new industry that is booming in upscale suburbs. The Short Pump area of Richmond has a bunch of these places…basically, it’s for the I-bought-a-Viking-and-have-no-idea-how-to-cook crowd (you could also sub in Aga Range for Viking).
My quick meal picks: Whole Foods and Foods of All Nations. I think I read that Alex Montiel was going to have “take away” food at Brasserie Montiel, but it’s out of the way for me and I haven’t been there.
‘Sup flooze? Just getting ready to go see Cloverfield, then out to party ’till 4… and you?
I was serious about stopping by to see you the other day, but you weren’t there. If it wouldn’t throw a wrinkle in your space-time continuum, I’d like to track you down and say hello one of these days… any objection?
Doof… hope you don’t have a susceptibility to vertigo.. have heard bad things about Cloverfield.
You come see me anytime… just don’t tell B’yo where I am hanging. Have had to perform horrible acts to get The City to remove the stop order. If I had a soul it would be damned for ever
Wow, not my specialty. I do keep a regular stock of Lean Cuisines and Progresso soups, and I consider those “heat and serve.” Since I’m the only person I have to make happy, these are great!
On rare occasions, I’ll call a restaurant that I know makes an awesome [fill in the blank], wait ten minutes, and get it to go. On this note, I want to check– as far as I know, it’s recommended to leave a 10% tip for the bartender, who is usually the one who packages it and checks me out. Is that necessary? Should I be tipping more?
I know the doof-mobile, so he will have to rent a car. My spawn are all over the neighborhood.
Ooh, yes. Seconded. My desk drawers at work are replete with their lentil soup. So delicious. A five-minute meal.
I like those soups that come in a box/carton thingy. Dunno who makes them. But are you all talking “meals”. Like with different components and all. I guess I really am an alien. How did I end up running with all you foodies?
And doof, where are you gonna party til 4? I may be up that late as well partying & working, and I was wondering if by chance it would be the same location…
Foods of All Nations (or “Foods of Inflation” as many of us know it). Yes, it’s expensive. No, it’s not exactly near anything but the university. But on the rare occasion I’m on that side of town and feeling lazy/flush enough to have someone do the lifting for me, that’s my poison of choice.
Generally, though, I’m down with both Progresso and Campbell’s Healthy Choice (especially the Italian wedding and tortilla chicken). Hey, if it’s just me, cheap, fast and tasty does the trick (that’s what she said).
Oh, and Floozy, I think I’m going to start using “yummy candy” to refer to “hot cock.” Works both ways. Thanks!
Are you stalking my ass B Yo? I will pay to rent Doof an anonymobile just to evade your non-overly protuberant eyes [Quote from our paint balltrain wreckpornfest… ” I see two outcomes and both of them are eyeballs] LMFAO
Hey ThatGrrl.. hope you get some yummy candy tonight. But knowing that you left your black gloves in Shenanigans ‘ booth’ last Thursday I wonder if you may want to try ‘ donut holes’ instead.
JMHO
I ask thee these questions three:
• How could one stalk someone that they don’t know anything about?
• Where in the fucking world could I find the time to stalk anyone? I barely have time too play with my own yummy candy.
• What’s wrong with knowing yo?
Am I going to have to start carrying candy with me for when a girl asks me to give her some hot cock? ’cause you know thats something I run into all the time…
/thoroughly confused
EXCUSE ME B’yo….YOU were the one that said you would be looking out for Doof’s ride…. so DON’T become Mr. Pissy Fucking-Features with ME.
I am torn between teasing you and wanting to know you… one will out.
Alas, no yummy candy tonight. I have the cold to end all colds and the candyman has been banned from all contact with me, until further notice. Not that my coughing, sneezing, achy and thoroughly cranky ass deserves any, right now, anyway.
Doofus, just carry hot cock with you. It’s appropriate for all occasions.
Gotta get those gloves back, though. They’re vital for not leaving fingerprints at the scenes of my crimes.
Stanley and ThatGrrl, I feel like I’m bonding with you on a whole new level! Yes to the Italian wedding in both brands, though I like the noodles better in Progresso because they’re bigger than the traditional “pearls” in Campbell’s. Both make a delicious broccoli/potato/bacon/cheese soup. The carton butternut squash soups are good, but I’ve switched over to chunky soups. I know this will kill at least one person when I say it, so I apologize in advance: I can’t stand Amy’s or Wolfgang Puck’s. I think they’re oversalted and greasy.
I swear I don’t have an opinion about soup…
Youch! Just a joke. My kids skate all over this neighborhood, is what I meant… but I would never send them on any mission like that… it was… just… a joke.
Thought it was funny. My bad. Yo out.
/backs away slowly
This country just makes CRAP SOUP. Try Heinz Cream of Tomato or Vegetable soup ( Food of All Nations or Harris Teeter International section). Now that is soup.
And yes doof, carry hot cock and candy, its the only way to be sure.
#25 .. does your lanky assed kid skateboard? I was heading down to Beer Run last weekend and this streak of piss came down Monticello Rd and just about took my tits off with him as he rounded onto Carlton. If that is the fruit of your loins I will kick his ass next time I see him.
I’m with doofus - Mona Lisa Pasta rocks. My husband, 2 year old, and I would all starve if it weren’t for their frozen lasagnas and pastas. The frozen raviolis are about twice as expensive as their grocery store cousins, but the ingredient list is about a tenth the size, and lo and behold, the spinach ravioli actually tastes like spinach.
As for the heated discussions about stalking and canned soup, I’m guessing I’m about 10 years older than most of the crowd here. Thanks for making me feel old.
Before Fuel became Fuel, it was the coolest little sandwich shop/gas station. They had two kinds of soup a day, as I recall. I lived for Italian wedding soup day. They also had the best rotissarie chickens, just waiting for you to take them home to dismember. Oops. Apologies to the veg set. But I do miss that place. They did great take away meals, as well.
Never had the Heinz varietal, Floozy. Might have to give that a try. But I’m with Lilith on the Wolfgang Puck stuff being totally overrated. Not my cup o’ soup.
I did, however, make a wonderful coconut curry soup from scratch tonight, to keep my cold from killing me. Spicey food scares germs.
Der. And my cold has obviously affected my spelling. Dammit.
ThatGrrl… spicy food and alcohol. I am 83 and haven’t had a cold since 1953 because I have been drunk … yes… the whole time.
I think I’m still drunk from Thursday night. So, alcohol? Check.
Ah now I know, cause you’re all so friendly. Yay! Puppies and kittens!
Double youch. Sorry, I cant stay and play anymore.
ThatGrrl, feel better! Your soup sounds delicious… I’m heading out shortly, but I suspect tonight will be like Thursday: 1am cheesy soup and French flicks.
CrozetMama, welcome to our little party! Help yourself to some box wine and “yummy candy.”
Thanks, Lilith! And good luck, if you end up watching movies sideways, again. French flicks rock.
Ohm y god, I think I’m in love with floozy
For the last two years (since I’ve been in Charlottesville), my family has had Thanksgiving dinner at my house since I live in between my parents, who live in West Virginia, and my sister and brother in law, who live a little south of Petersburg. My kitchen is a good size for my purposes since I live alone, but a bit of a pain in the ass when it comes to cooking a large holiday meal, hence in our most recent Thanksgiving, my parents opted to order the entire meal (except for pies) from Harris Teeter. It was pretty good, actually, and my mom got to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in years.
I’ll second (or third) Mona Lisa. It’s on our short list for takeout.
If we’re in a rush it’s the Giaconda (fresh mozz, tom, and pesto on focaccia). If we’ve got more time, one of their frozen entrees (lasagne, chick parm, etc.). Really great quality and consistency.
hooray for fellow progresso fans! the only soup they make that i don’t like is french onion, but everything else i’ve had of theirs is delightful. i’m a huge fan of chickarina - i could eat those little chicken balls all day long. their chunky soups are equally yummy; lately i’ve been nigh inseparable from their chicken pot pie. lots of chicken here. chicken chicken chicken chicken. (did someone say hot cock?)
i’ll fourth mona lisa. also quite delightful.
the thing that i miss most about richmond is ukrops. they have the best ready-made meals EVER. and to make it even better, they walk it out to your car for you so you can feel even more pretentious than you already did for offering up your first born for some mashed potatoes and some green beans. it’s so worth it.
I think this site is awesome. I think most of you suck. I think you sit in front of the computer looking for answers instead of venturing out into this small town to find them. I might be stirring up some trouble, and it’s possible I enjoy it. I think I have a few things to say, and I think you should all give me the benefit of the doubt and listen…or read, since this really requires little to no active particiaption you lazy bastards.
#41… First time I went to Ukrops they had to call the paramedics when I collapsed from exhaustion having walked around for 10 solid hours trying to find the wine section. A dry grocery store? WTF is that about?
Christian business. Read about it here.
Chick Fil-A too. Former head of Pizza Hut has a fascinating story– starting a Catholic city in Florida. (NYer.)
@42 noneof your business. what are you talking about? I think we do tons of venturing out. too much, perhaps.
So where does their ‘Christian’ anti-alcohol stance come from… what about all that ‘water into wine’ business? Dredging up my memory of that hairy chap and his stone tablets, I cannot recall there being a ‘Thou shalt not quaff Pinot Noir’ or any other reference to booze. Very strange.
I believe Mr. Ukrop was aware of the fact that alcohol is often taken too far. Getting “drunk” is gluttony. One of the seven deadly. Come on, Flooze, don’t look so shocked.
lilith, if we’re talking about the same thing, i think it was actually domino’s. the former owner of domino’s pizza sold his controlling interest in the corporation for about a billion dollars, then used that money to open Ave Maria School of Law. the school was opened (and i think is still open) in Ann Arbor, MI, but he’s been building a town near Naples also named Ave Maria as the school’s future home. there’s been a ton of controversy around this school (loss of accreditation, lawsuits by professors, etc.). you can read about it here: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/?s=monaghan
(sorry for my lack of link-embedding-skills)
OMG Lilith… is my webcam on? LOL
The seven deadly sins … venial sins and mortal sins….blah blah blah… so much thrown at me as a child, with so little effect.
On the plus side, a trip to Ukrops necessitates a visit to Total Wine, which is in the strip mall with the really tacky cactus sign on W Broad. Awesome selection of grog at great prices.
The funny thing about Ukrops is the knowledge that there will always be a reliable source of alcohol, nearby. The Ukrops I most often frequented in Richmond was located in a strip mall with both an ABC and a CVS with the most decked out beer and wine section I’ve ever seen. It boggled the mind. Across the street was a really great wine store. Ukrops’ loss was definitely a gain for others. Admittedly, one stop shopping is preferable. And yes, their ready made items are amazing. Truly. But in all locations in which I used to shop, someone was picking up the alcohol slack almost directly next door.l
While I understand it (and would appreciate it, as an employee), my most frequent problem was that Ukrops was closed on Sunday. All day. And I always forgot that fact, until I was standing in front of their locked doors, kicking myself in the ass.
Total Wine on Broad in Richmond ROCKS!!!! I love that place. It’s like I’ve died and gone to drunky heaven.
am i the only person in town that wishes we had a wegmans? just as well… people would be a bit more depressed if they knew what they were missing out on.
Don’t you dig that kitschy cactus sign too? It looks so out of place.
I just LOVE going in and having a choice of 15 different NZ SauvBl all under $20. And they stock Cloudy Bay which I am not a fan of, but kudos to them for sourcing it as it is really hard to get.
Seriously! What is up with that cactus? For those who haven’t been there (and to take nothing at all away from our pals at Crush and Market Street, who do an amazing job of keeping all of us stocked up in alcoholic delicacies), Flooze and I are talking about a store which is roughly 4 times the size of Market Street. If not larger. Next time you’re in Richmond, check out Total Wine on West Broad. But don’t make a special trip. That’s what Crush and Market Street are for!
Just Curry rocks my stripey socks.
The only disadvantage is location–the Corner is annoying when it comes to parking. I’d like to have a pedestrian bridge (or heck, why not a conveyor) directly from my Fifeville Fiefdom to that side of campus.
eye of newt… I concur about the parking pain in that area. Also playing dodge the txting undergrad puts my nerves on edge… frigging lemmings.
But it is a good tasty curry… if a tad mild for my palate.
Oh and did you know, if you cluck like a chicken on a Friday, you get $1 off your meal! That is honestly true.
eye of newt, please write a review of Just Curry and send it to me at cvillainlilith@gmail.com. Thank you!
SOMEONE around here used to run a home cooked meal delivery thing. It was pretty delicious, except the pot pie was like, vegetarian which always bummed me out. What happened with that? Was it working and just a casualty of the bigger picture? Do you think there’s still a market for that kind of thing?
And what about that “Hot Meals on Wheels” thing from like 10 years ago? Does anyone remember this, and what the name was? Did that fail cause that guy was a dildo, or is it a bad business concept? (You could order from about 20 different restaurants, and for a 10% upcharge, they’d deliver you Pollo Tacos from Southern Culture AND the trout wontons from Blue Ridge at the same time!)
Ah Wegmen’s. I know people who drive from Purcellville to Sterling just to show at the one up there. They’re fantastic, though at times they’re so big and so diverse that I’ve found myself making loop after loop, trying to narrow down my choices. I’ve literally been there a good 30 minutes without putting anything in my basket.
If we’re talking about out of area grocery stores with good prepared food, my award goes to Scnuck’s, a chain in St. Louis. Anyone know that one? They have a Charlottesville connection…
my brother used to work in the prepared foods section at a wegmans in northern virginia. it was one of the happiest times of my life.
The Whole Foods in Alexandria had an amazing already prepared food section, and their hot and cold buffets were to die for. I haven’t spent much time in the Whole Foods here but word on the street is that they are making the mecca of all Whole Foods for Virginia right here in cville by the KMart.
And regarding Wegmans (being that I am a Northern Virginia native), I do miss it terribly. The good news is that they are opening one up in fredericksburg and manassas (off 29) so for the small price of terrible traffic and a daunting drive you can have wegmans once again.
The ‘noke got our Ukrops. One more thing about Mona Lisa pasta, they have pizza dough balls in the freezer. They defrost really quickly room temp, then just smoosh em out and put on sauce & toppings, bake hot and eat.
As for Foods of all Foods, I like them but the Bel Air Exxon down the road has better sammies, and the coffee people don’t get so upset if you spill something. In other words, go to FoaF and society ladies scowl at you, go to BAE and their daughters rub past you in the jodhpurs. Just kidding, the people at FoaF are the friendliest at any market in town, bar none, I musta been drunk or the coffee shop has different management actually.
Starbux has decent sammies if you’re stuck at the mall, and their workers get bennies.
Wendy, the home cooked meal delivery business was mine, it was called Sao’s and the pot pie was a best seller! We came up with the idea when we were hung over and the only delivery options were pizza and chinese. My partner and I split and I headed to New Orleans to do a juice bar.
Wegman’s? Did somebody say Wegman’s? Every time I go home and shop at the Wegman’s near my parents’ house, I feel like it’s the 1980s and I’m one of those kids in the eighties from the USSR that they’d bring to the US and plonk down in a supermarket and watch their eyes goggle at the huge selection.
Caroline, you silly girl, I know it was yours and T’s.. I was just wondering how well that actually did. Can you tell I am getting a little itchy to make another restaurant? (cause lord knows I am not making another baby!) I totally forgot you went to NO but you did and hung out with Marcus and stuff. Neat.
My brother lives in Ithaca and when I go there I only ever want to go to dinner at Wegman’s.
I loved that pot pie, C and all the other good veg food. YUM! And the delivery girl was sooooooo hot. Dang
Here’s a photo of the Westland Shopping Center cactus everyone’s talking about.
I fucking hate Ukrop’s on principle, but that’s what comes from being a transplant living in Richmond. It’s like everyone drank the Kool-Aid™. Zaaaa, Ukrop’s, <swirly trance eyes>.
Oh, shoot. I let that F-bomb slip on mistake. Sorry, gracious overlords!
Mona Lisa Pasta. Get a 1lb or so of fresh pasta (comes in a variety of flavors like saffron, pepper, spinach) and then get their ready-made sauces (vegetarian or with meat). The pasta cooks in 2 mns, the sauce takes a bit longer b/c it’s frozen. Bottom line: yummy meal in 10 mns at most. Oh yeah, get a bottle of red wine too. Personal favorite is D&N (great quality for
Cause it’s on *West* Broad, so it has a cactus, get it?
silm, I forgot that’s how we met! No wonder you ordered from us so much;)
Wendy, it did really well, I was just itchin’ to get outta town….and here I am doing another coffeshop/restaurant/juicebar! I know whatchu mean.
Kuttner has a lot of space here come open a place with me on the 500 block!
F* bombs are okay! Just not in the context of what you’d do to an unwilling animal.
Crazy cactus!
i enjoy cooking too much to venture into ready made foods on the fortunate occasions i have the day off.
but i whole heartedly agree with mona lisa.
and the soups in a box.
(and the wine in a box- call me a gullible consumer with a green heart- but the little description of how buying a bottle and a half of wine for 8 bucks in a box that is easier on the planet gets me 80% of the time).
as for gluttony and religion and altering substances- i have heard a theory that jesus turned water into wine and fed all those folks with a few loaves of fish and Bread due to the whole ergot thing.
spoiled grain having similar affects to Lysergic acid diethylamide, back in the day…
and i miss Liquid on the corner…( i mean the salad bar/juice place with comfy couches, geez).
After the vegetarian poll (AHEM!), I propose the religious-preference poll, including such options as “lapsed Catholic” and “bohemian ex-Rastafarian.”
i like guad
holla tommy d me too
Stanley: Rastafarian exhibit at the National History Museum in D.C. Shall I say it again? Yes. I s* you not. In the spirit of the Smithsonian, free contact high. JK. But if you have the munchies, the chip selection in the cafeteria should do you fine.
Oh, schnap, you weren’t kidding. I’m supposed to go up to DC in February. I wonder if I can convince my government-worker friend that going to that exhibit won’t undermine his security clearance. Thanks, lil.
Lower your expectations. It’s a 25 x 15 x 10 foot space. Ambient music: you guessed it, Bob Marley. But I totally learned stuff. Peace to parlie’s mother. I’m outttt.