For weeks before I finally went, the amount of positive buzz I’d heard about Peter Chang and his new Taste of China in Albemarle Square was staggering: he’d cooked for presidents; he’d been all over the world; he could feed the masses with but a fortune cookie and glass of plum wine. Normally I’m pretty cool about such things, but I’ll admit, I got caught up in the hype.
Before the holiday season, I had no idea who Peter Chang was, and I was just fine for it. I had my regular take-out Hunan chicken and I was content. Over the course of December, however, as I heard more and more, I began telling my friends and family, “Oh, you’ve got to go eat at Taste of China…I hear it’s great!” What began as excitement, however, turned into outright hypocrisy by the end of the month. “What!? You’ve never eaten Peter Chang’s food before? Get out of my sight, you hay-chomping hick. Come back when you’ve had some real Chinese food.” Yes, I exaggerate, but as the holidays rolled on I knew I was getting past due for a visit to Chef Chang’s new eatery; thankfully some friends gave me the perfect opportunity to visit on New Year’s Eve. »Read More
Critical Repeat A review of the menu with the foodservice operator indicates that there is no consumer advisory for the steak tar tar and the duck that may be served raw and/or undercooked
Critical Repeat The following equipment food-contact surfaces were observed soiled to sight and touch: Meat slicer. Owner stated that this was for personal use, but needs to be labeled as such and not be out in regular prep area.
Quiznos, McDonald’s, Burger King, Hardees, I can’t get over the level of marketing stupidity you have when you associate fast food with hot women, sex, blow jobs and all the other stuff which has NOTHING TO DO with your crappy food. It doesn’t make the food taste any better. Walking into McDonald’s the other day I couldn’t stop thinking about the “Awesome Threesome” and how gross that would be if it were included in any real (read: non-food) sexual experience. Burger king, you just kind of piss me off with Seven Incher ad. Anyone else notice a recent rise of the porno food ads?
Quiznos Tasty Torpedo
More sexually dirty food advertising videos after the break…»Read More
Tonight I was cruising home from work when I saw something odd. It was a taxi bearing the name of a recently-opened Main Street kabob shop, Ariana. The back window was emblazoned with an add for said restaurant, so at first I thought it was a delivery guy. But closer inspection revealed the name “Ariana Transportation” on the side. Risking life and limb (and possibly a ticket) I snapped a couple of pics with my cameraphone.
I’m not sure if anyone has tried them yet, but Ariana has some damn tasty food. If their cab service includes a complementary lamb kabob, then I think they may give Wahooptie a run for their money. Of course, I’m still not sure how kabobs and taxis relate, but I guess you have to get there somehow.
applying for a liquor license with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The ABC has confirmed that the application was received on May 21…The store will be located on the stretch of land between Hydraulic Road and Greenbrier Drive.
The only gripe: why can’t it be closer to downtown?
Drove by the shops at Woodbrook Shopping Village on Seminole Trail, and noticed that Amigos Mexican Restaurant is no more. In its place is something called the Mexican Italian Restaurant. For some reason, I’m not optimistic about this. Maybe they just figured that both types of food can have a lot of cheese in them, so why the hell not just combine them.
A lot of you villains complain we focus too much on the downtown/corner area of Charlottesville and neglect that far corners of our elitist community. I thought I would listen to some of you and try something new, and very far away from the welcome comfor the downtown mall has to offer. Yes, thats right, I ate at a strip-mall restaurant (gasp!). Not just any strip mall restaurant, Lime Leaf Thai Restaurant in the Rio Hill shopping center (same place as Crutchfield and Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts). What drew me there was a combination of hunger and that intoxicating wok/burnt sugar smell that was in the parking lot air. Nothing spells tasty food like tasty smoke…mmm mmm good.
I tried the three dishes any Thai restaurant should be judged with: pad thai, pad see ew, and the tom yum soup. The reason being these are easy to find street food picks in Bangkok, and if you can’t get street food right in a professional kitchen, you just gotta go…Lime Leaf can stay however. Find out what made all of these dishes zoom. »Read More
Tuesday Night, from 7 to 8:30PM, at Rapture, Left of Center (*****POLITICAL ORGANIZATION) will host a event about the future of local food. The organizers will answer questions like “is the local food movement a passing fad for the wealthy” and “how do we expand beyond the farmer’s market to something accessible to—and affordable by—everybody?”
