We got an updated tip from a reliable birdie who has some friends in the business:  There is some meat to the rumor that Coran Capshaw’s restaurant group, including Blue Light Grill, Enoteca, Mas, Mono Loco, Ten and Three Notch’d, is actually on the auction block.

The birdie points out that times are very tough for food and beverages businesses, especially high end places like Starbucks.  With ATO Records successful signage of new artists, do you think the Coran empire is tired of running local restaurants in tough times? It would make sense and we have a strong feeling this is the truth.

What do you know?

[pic]

Popularity: 20% [?]

It is a rare occasion that a dish in cville almost succeeds in bringing me “back” to a country I have visited, and surprisingly I can thank Mono Loco this month for making it happen. Not too hungry the other night, but accompanying a friend of mine for dinner, I decided on trying the grilled corn appetizer, a new item (at least since the last time we let crazy monkeys cook for us) on the Mono Loco menu.

»Read More

Popularity: 49% [?]

Alicia Keys said, “If I want to be alone, some place I can write, I can read, I can pray, I can cry, I can do whatever I want–I go to the bathroom”. I assume that she’s talking about the bathroom in her house, and not any of the public restrooms in Charlottesville, but for the moment, I will humor (probably only) myself and think that she could be applying this philosophy to say, Zinc. Or Maya. Or Mas.

»Read More

Popularity: 34% [?]

This was the kind of morning where I had to do the wake-up damage assessment. I feel how gnarly my hair is to find out if I took a drunk shower. I check the kitchen trash can to see what my drunk meal was. I open my phone and go to my text outbox. I log in to Facebook and select “Sent messages.” (The problem is that I’m getting too responsible. I haven’t had a “Sweet baby Jesus, NO!” moment in way too long.)

I kept saying last night would be really fun out, and I was so right! I feel really smart. Even though my head hurts. So much!

»Read More

Popularity: 18% [?]

Besides experiencing my first Foxfield (NO S!) weekend, I also had the un-exquisite pleasure of eating at Mono Loco. That is Spanish for…”The Crazy Monkey!”. We all crawled out of the house around noon to have what was described as “good food” for brunch. I was excited as our self proclaimed cville “Fun Director” is a foodie, and I usually take him quite seriously…until yesterday. This restaurant proclaims itself as cville’s “original nouveau-Latin restaurant.”

»Read More

Popularity: 21% [?]