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

We have a hamster called Richard that just has to be sneaking anabolic steroids in from somewhere because that fluffy little bastard just will not stop growing. The other evening, I watched him running on his little wheel, and his nose was literally up his own ass so I decided he needed a new crib. I headed off to Pet Forum in Seminole Square (think Marshalls, Big Lots and Office Depot) on a mission to find an overpriced piece of fucking plastic junk, and that’s when I saw it. Big, white and flapping around in the wind (no Shen, not my arse) the sign on 29S said, “GRAND OPENING Asian Fusion Buffet Sushi and Grill”. It was right beside the pet shop. It was lunchtime. It was new. I needed a pee, so the decision was made. As I walked up, several cops came out. My four-year-old shrieked at a decibel rating that has to be illegal, ” OH NO…IT’S THE COPS”. They smiled indulgently at her as she made a crucifix with her index fingers and brandished it at them so thanks baby Daddy for that little parlor trick.

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So Im chillin, post mulching, on the stoop with some of my neighborly Belmontonians the other day, watching Brick and Berries teach his Most Excellent Hound to catch frisbees. Grandfathers ChiHooaHooah, Cocopuff, is too small to get in on the game, but you know, he had to try. All in all a lovely spring afternoon.

Now my man Brick and Berries is a man who loves his food. Fairly soon, he will be in my yard consuming cherries at a rate that is most inhuman. Hell, he has even taught his Most Excellent Hound to enjoy such fruits. He has concocted salsas from the Yo Tomato and Pepper Patch that would make you weep. He may not be a butter obsessed cocoNUT, all well schooled in the Culinary Arts of Goddamnit I Know What Im Talking About, My Parents Had Tall White Hats, nor does he have the Yellow Belt in Free Liquor like señor Francesco, but he is a man among men, and as he is my bud, I trust his buds, tastewise – dig?

So when Brick and Berries starts waxing about “one of the best meals he has ever had in his life”, my lobes were knocked akimbo. Then when his discriptives trend toward “30 different distinct spices and flavors dancing around in his mouth in a distinct yet harmonious manner”, I am like a corn field, baby, all ears. By the time he gets around to the “nicest family and service and presentation and overall happy eating experience” I am waiting for the end of the bible – thats right – revelations! Where is this culinary mecca? And so he told me…

KOREAN HOUSE!

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Buried in Barracks Road, Aromas Cafe serves fresh, healthy Moroccan inspired cuisine for those on a tight budget.  We’re completely skeptical of the restaurant’s Daily Progress “Best New Restaurant” award (didn’t Arby’s win best lunch place?).  This time, we totally agree with the readers; it’s awesome!  Aromas rests right across from Tara Thai and Five Guys.  On to the review…
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Some of you have heard this story, some of you have not. I decided to share it here because it’s too hilarious not to. So here we go…names have been changed.

My friend “Lisa” works at a bar downtown. This bar has inside seating and a patio. Servers have to wait on tables in both sections, sometimes simultaneously. One milder night here in Cville a few weeks back, Lisa had some tables inside and a table outside. The customers at her outside table racked up a $150 tab and then to her dismay, left without paying while she was inside. Walked out on their tab is what we call it in the service industry.

The problem is, not only is Lisa out of about a $30 tip, her manager is threatening to make her pay the $150 tab unless she finds the people. Lisa can’t afford to lose $180 and cries as she finishes up at the end of the night.

While having a shift drink after work, Lisa confides in her coworkers and one of them knows the girl that was at the table and tells her the girl’s name and that she works at a local school. Wheels start to turn in Lisa’s head as she hatches a plan to contact the girl and the guy she was with at the table.

Lisa waits until Monday and calls the school to speak to the girlfriend of the guy who walked out on his tab. She gets a name and the fun begins.

First, Lisa goes onto Facebook. She changes her private profile pic from a demure head shot to two chicks on a bed in sexy dresses, asses on display and faces turned away. »Read More

Blue Moon has battled Bluegrass Bakery since before baby Jesus. But that was a breakfast battle…did you all know Blue Moon serves dinner too? And it is ridiculously inexpensive. I tried both the chicken pot pie and the apple cider braised polyface pork served on top of mashed potatoes and collared greens. Both of these dishes were $13.95 and came with a salad. I know, you think everything comes with a salad anywhere you go. True, you can probably get a salad included with an $8 entree at TGI Fridays, but this is prepared with spring/mesclun lettuce mix and has a real vinaigrette. Quality was tops for both. There were plates of their home cooked french fries coming out of the kitchen which I didn’t try. They looked amazing. Thick cut and nicely fried.

Dessert is another story. The special ice cream sandwiches of the evening were blackberry ice cream in between oatmeal cookies or chocolate ice cream in between peanut butter cookies ($4.95). Unbeknown to me, Blue Moon makes their own cookies, and they are unbelievable. We went with the blackberry/oatmeal combo. All I have to say is wow. Our waitress said it would change our thoughts on ice cream cookie sandwiches for the rest of our lives, and it did! I believe they use Chap’s ice cream which was really good…but the frikking oatmeal cookie. It is definitely the best I have ever had.

You had me at $13.95 dinner.

[pic from Blue Moon MySpace page]

We have more restaurants than we know what to do with in this town, spanning the spectrum of poor to excellent.  My dive into French cuisine in the area has been limited to the amazingly consistent Petit Pois and the extremely mediocre and now out of business replaced by Asia Fortune, Bohème.  I can finally add Fleurie to that list.  Its adjective is TBD, at least until the end of this review.

Perfect Date Environment

The first thing you notice about Fleurie is how tiny and quiet it is.  This restaurant is a little bigger than Petit Pois and contributes to a very intimate environment.  The lights are dim and the tablecloths are perfectly ironed.  The wood on the teeny tiny bar is dark and reminds you of those fancy pants lobby bars in boutique European hotels.  I must admit, our group was the youngest in the entire restaurant.  I saw more gray and white at Fleurie than what pours out of a McCormick ground pepper tin.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, just expect to be stared at whenever you laugh out loud….even the kids accompanying adults feel compelled to stare at you.  The ambiance can be summed up as soft, gentle, relaxing, classy and fancy.  All in, this makes for a terrific fancy night on the town with your significant other kind of place.

Impeccable Service

If there is one thing I hear consistently about most restaurants in cville, it is the horrible service.   I was pleasantly surprised that Fleurie’s staff was so on the ball.  Not a napkin or piece of silverware was out of place.  If you needed something, they were there for you.  They all speak in soothing spa-like voices and are very familiar with the intricate details of the menu.  If you are an aspiring waiter/ress in town, look to Fleurie as your service professor.

Insane Wine List

If you just inherited a lot of money, or might have possibly been part of a local ponzi scheme and swindled large sums of money from cville’s elite, than Fleurie might be a great place to drink wine. »Read More

Letter sent in by a birdie…

Read our prior articles on Crush:

August 21, 208 – Our Love, Gregg leaves Crush

October 28, 2008 – Crush Rumored to be Sold

February 16, 2008 – Crush Rumored to be Italian Restaurant

Good Afternoon Crush Wine Lovers:

As some of you may have heard, we are going through some changes at Crush. After much deliberation over the past few months, Nan and I have decided to sell the wine shop to Michael Keaveny, who will be transforming it into an Italian trattoria/winebar. It will still include a wine shop, carrying many of your favorite wines from around the world. There will be a heavier influence of Italian varietals. There will still be the same focus on great wine values on which Crush built its reputation.

This has been a very difficult decision for Nan and me, but it was a necessary one. We really need to return our focus to our Insurance business and to our family. I am looking forward to building the business and coaching my kids’ sports teams; something I haven’t been able to do for the past year. We have really enjoyed being at Crush recently, especially the Friday night tastings. We have met a lot of great people and hope to continue these friendships after Crush is gone. We appreciate everyone’s business since opening in December of 2007, and we hope that everyone enjoyed what Crush brought to the community of Belmont and to the Charlottesville area. We believe that the spirit of Crush will carry on with the new venture that Michael will be bringing to the space. I will probably keep some limited involvement in the new business, possibly doing outside wine tastings and dinners, as my schedule permits. In fact, we still have our South American wine dinner this Saturday (which is almost sold out), as well as a couple of private tastings in late March and April.

After this week’s Clearance Sale, Michael will probably shut down the shop for a short period of time to bring in the kitchen equipment and other build-outs. For the time being, the Friday night tastings will be eliminated while the transition takes place. Once the restaurant opens, there are plans to have wine tastings/classes on Monday nights. As much as everyone loved our Friday night tastings, it will be impossible to continue them with the huge crowds we had on the busiest restaurant night of the week.

We will miss everyone, but hope to still see everyone at the new place, or around town. Please feel free to call us anytime at Coleman-Creasy Insurance, even if just to talk about wine, get recommendations, join us on wine trips, etc. Nan and I can be reached at (434) 295-1154. Stop by and check out some of the wine deals (and meet Michael) this week and you will receive more e-mails in the future as the restaurant opens. Thanks again for your patronage and friendship!

Sincerely,
Paul & Nan Coleman

[anyone have a picture to donate?]

Back when we first found out the former Michael’s Bistro team had decided to launch a new restaurant, we knew something good was in the works. Enter 12th Street Taphouse, located on Main and, you guessed it, 12th Street.

With some cash from the Coran, the team has renovated the former Northern Exposure space, adding wood floors, new tables, new paint and some better lighting.  It feels cleaner and more delightful than before.  Parking shouldn’t turn you away either, because you can usuually find something on the street, in front of Kane’s or around the corner in that art store parking lot.  You might be hard pressed to find a sign for 12th Street, but you are probably an idiot if you can’t find the building.

The 12th Street interior is large and daunting, especially when you need to figure out how to ask for a table.  This building has always had this problem. The long, narrow entry-way doesn’t end up at an obvious host station, so just make sure you wander aimlessly to the bar and look effectively confused.  Someone will address you eventually.

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We just got word that the 12th Street Ale House, which replaced Northern Exposure and the short-lived Spry’s, has finally opened.  The former team from Michael’s Bistro recreates what we loved about the Bistro, 14 beers on tap, 30 to 40 bottles and a similar menu.  Anyone know if they are going to carry all the Belgiums again?  The decor looks promising.  We’ll be headed there this weekend. Let us know how it is if you’ve been.

[pic from Paul Lowry of the 12th Street Ale House in NYC] [via C-VILLE]