Si Tapas Opens Tonight
A birdie just told us Si Tapas will open tonight! Make sure you check it out and let us know how it compares to our Richmond experience.
Posts Tagged ‘dining’
Eating at Charlottesville’s Ventana: A High End Mexican Restaurant
Ventana means “window” in Spanish. Rightly so, this little restaurant has big windows and a big vision for Charlottesville’s mexican cuisine. I’m not going to lie, I heard many things about this place being pricey. Dollar signs aren’t something we associate with Mexican in this town. Between “eating” at Guadalajara to dining at the much better Aqui Es Mexico and Michoacana, I don’t think anything comes close to the prices at Ventana, but does the food live up to its price?
What’s Charlottesville’s Si Tapas Gonna Be Like? A Review of the Richmond Location.
You know you are a little crazy about food when you trap your friend into driving over an hour from Charlottesville to Richmond to eat dinner at a place called “Si Tapas.” My companion goes “but Thor, why do we have to go to Richmond, can’t we just eat at Mas!?” I told this one (who grew up hunting wild animals and knows how to wrestle bears, but barely knows how to use the internet) that it’s something I’ve been meaning to do and we can’t question my intentions. I digress.
In case you didn’t know, Si Tapas will open in the old Star Hill space in Mid-Town within two weeks. It’s an exciting competitor for Mas, which is loved and hated by Charlottesville for its food and service, respectively (despite the employee praise that happens on this site, it’s a common issue). What better way to preview it for Charlottesville than to visit the Richmond location?
Tipping in Restaurants and Cafes without Servers
When I go to a standard, sit-down-and-a-server-comes-to-your-table restaurant, I normally tip well over 15% (and on the total amount of the bill). I know servers think that 15% tips are pretty bad and chances are upon your return you will receive above average service.
The 15%+ tip represents a cornerstone in the waitstaff industry. Restaurants have a pretty good deal with waitstaff in that, you and me, decide their salaries. Now I know restaurants are super competitive and no one makes any money on them, but the sad part is that if I get really horrible service, I feel guilty about leaving less than 15%.
The real feelings of guilt hit when I get coffee, takeout or something like Eppie’s. These places share the same ordering process where you go up to a register, order your food and you pick it up either down the line or from the same person you order it from. Then, they give you the receipt and there is that inevitable TIP/GRATUITY line on the receipt.
What do you do!? I’m stuck in a restaurant mindset most of the time, but sometimes I think, well, the people here didn’t really do anything and why should I pay them for doing their jobs and not really providing me any service.
It’s confusing, and I call upon you, cVillains to help me solve this dilemma.
About how much do you tip in restaurants and cafes without servers?
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The Culture of Food: An Interview with Tara Tober
When I read the UVa article about the summer class named “The Sociology of Food and Eating,” I was sure that I missed one of the coolest college classes. I never got the chance to study food like these college kids. Tara’s approach to food was exciting not only because it was a college class, but also because, as she explained, “taste and preferences are socially shaped. They are not as individual as people think.”
In case you’ve been living under a rock, that’s what cVillain food reviews are about: individual opinion, but critiqued by the masses. We recognize that our writers’ tastes are far from perfect, but Tara sheds some light on another level of food. She studies how preferences and traditions shape our interaction with food. If you see Tara out, make sure you buy her a drink and then ask her to analyze your drinking (kidding!).
It’s a pretty interesting interview where we get into some gender issues, her favorite meals, and of course, address the “culture of food.”
Best Food Best Ofs – Respecting Charlottesville’s Misunderstanding of Eating
Tomorrow C-VILLE will publish its 2008 Best Of Awards for Charlottesville, so I’ve decided to publish our food winners list as well as analyze some of the winners from Daily Progress’s Reader’s Choice (which was published about 3 weeks ago) in one fell swoop. Last year we did our own superlatives which we think are much more accurate (although biased and not democratically chosen). As seems to be the case with any reader driven contest, the larger the place, the larger the voting power of their customer base/employees. Oh well.. that’s why you have snarkers like us. Feel free to critique!
Week O' Charlottesville Lunches: Thursday at Bodo's
This is the fourth “Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches” article. I will feature my favorite lunch places around the downtown mall. Monday, we covered Eppie’s, Tuesday, Rev Soup, Wednesday, Feast, Today, Bodo’s Bagels.
I don’t know if it’s possible to talk about lunch in Charlottesville without mentioning Bodo’s Bagels. As much as a staple the Downtown Mall is to Charlottesville culture, Bodo’s is the same to food. The bagel place has been around for many years and has three locations that serve the same menu.
You go to Bodo’s for cheap, high quality food and quick service. I know this one actually may require a drive for some, but it’s close enough to the mall to warrant it being one of my favorite lunch joints.
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Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches: Wednesday at Feast
This is the third “Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches” article. I will feature my favorite lunch places around the downtown mall. Monday, we covered Eppie’s, Tuesday, Rev Soup, Today, Feast!
Since we covered a local food paradise yesterday, I thought it would make sense to talk about another supporter of the local food movement. Feast, while not directly on the downtown mall, sits about 5 minutes away from the Federal Courthouse. Don’t complain about walking there.
Feast excites me each time I visit. Feast prides itself on offering high-end everything. It’s part retail, part restaurant and you can find everything from artisan meats and cheeses to local produce to bulk olive oil. I digress. This is a lunch review…
Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches: Tuesday at Revolutionary Soup
This is the second “Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches” article. Yesterday we covered Eppie’s, today, Rev Soup!
Sure, we may have made fun of the small apples at Revolutionary Soup, but if you’ve been living in Charlottesville for longer than 3 weeks, you should know about this place. Sure, its underground location on 2nd Street across from the movie theater may dissuade you from a visit, but have no fear, my friend. Also, you shouldn’t call it Revolutionary Soup… you should call it Rev Soup, because if you don’t, everyone will know you are a dummy.
Rev Soup makes a serious effort to fill its menu with local items. It’s hard to go in there and anonymously report on this stuff, but if you look on the pillar on the main counter, you will be amazed at how much of the menu is actually produced nearby. Now we all know Charlottesville residents are suckers for local food items (and should be), but when I go to a restaurant, my first thought is the food. Service, Ambiance, Local Food, etc., are a close second.
So, how is the lunch?
Week O’ Charlottesville Lunches: Monday at Eppie’s
Today I start a feature on my favorite lunch places near the Downtown Mall. I will feature 5 hot lunch spots each day this week, updated before lunchtime.
We’ve reviewed Eppie’s in the past as part of our Veggie Tales. I am not a vegetarian, so you should listen to my opinion, because it means a lot more.
Eppie’s sits in the heart of the Downtown Mall with a little 10 foot wide entrance, you may have missed. Next to the Tea Bazaar, the Southern American influenced “fast food” place should not be missed. I say “fast food,” only because Eppie’s does the factory line, but the food is far above and beyond the crap which we typically refer to as fast food.
