Five Guys
I first heard about this place as the East Coast version of In-N-Out. I didn't like the burgers until I figured out that I needed to order a regular-sized burger, not a little burger, which contains just a smaller patty. The larger patty is necessary to balance the doughy sesame-seed topped buns. One must be careful with toppings here because they pile it on such that the patty disappears.
Guadalajara
You can't come here expecting authentic Mexican food. DON'T, and you'll be somewhat less disappointed. I think people come here just for the margaritas.
Korea House
This place was perfect for satisfying my comfort Asian food cravings. I once sat at the counter and slurped up the seafood soup noodles and kept slurping up ALL THE SOUP, which is very much out of character for me. One of the waitresses took pity on me and gave me a bowl of rice to temper the salty soup. The cold dishes are all clearly homemade and delicious. Although the beef and cabbage soup is on the salty side, it was still very flavorful from the beef bones, which they serve in the soup bowl. The seafood pancake is crispy and awesome...I really could go on and on.
The Local
The key to eating well here is to not order meat. I ordered the short ribs and was incredibly disappointed with how one-dimensional it tasted. Just meaty and not in a good way. Order the pasta, which they buy from Mona Lisa Pasta. Everyone else I went with did and they were all pleased with their meals. Also on the plus side is the list of delicious delicious drinks.
Marco and Luca
Everyone notes this place for its deal: for just $2 you get six dumplings. In my book, that's not really cheap--50 cents a dumpling?!--but then it's somewhat meatier and thicker skinned than the frozen kind. I just wish they wouldn't serve it with the thick sweet soy sauce. The sesame noodles, really capellini pasta, was surprisingly good. Only Asian place around that serves it.
Mas
This was easily one of my favorite restaurants with incredibly yummy food for a decent price. As a tapas place, the dishes are well-portioned for small bites and sharing. Everything on the menu is great, although be careful not to order too much meat, cheese, and bread. My favorites are the air-cured pork chop and lemon-cured anchovy fillets. The drinks are also delicious. The downside is the wait time, especially during the winter when they close the front patio.
Ming Dynasty
Other than maybe Asian Express, Ming Dynasty is surprisingly the best of the lot of Americanized Chinese food. Not everything is great, however. I was happy to order the pleasantly spongy textured vegetarian meatballs and the tofu and vegetable stir fry.
To be continued...
06 September 2008
05 September 2008
Eating Charlottesville (A-C)
When a young professor came to give a job talk in Charlottesville last year I remember telling her that despite the availability of diverse ethnic cuisines to not expect a big city dining scene. I did generally like the food offerings, however, a and most everything is relatively conveniently located. Whereas in LA I would have to drive all over the city, in Charlottesville I could purchase fresh local produce as well as exotic foodstuffs and have a great meal all within one ten mile radius.
If I wasn't a poor graduate student I probably would have dined out more frequently. Still, in two years I was able to visit quite a few establishments. I'm posting my notes below, although they may be obsolete in a short time given the area's high turnover in eateries. One year here and gone the next. This is just a brief list. I was never dedicated enough to take more detailed notes, remember menu prices, take photographs to be a systematic reviewer.
Albemarle Baking Company
I always arrive at this bakery with high hopes, but end up disappointed most of the time. The cakes are great as are their signature breads, the pain de mie, challah, and bagettes. Although in general the other breads have a wonderful crust and crumb, they tasted not quite put together. The pastries are dismal--they are not as refined as they appear and seem commercially made. I also don't like the cake-like texture of their cookies.
Aqui es Mexico
My pick for the best Latin American food in town. Hands down the best pupusas. The Salvadoran food is the kind one might find in a small family style restaurant in the Los Angeles area.
Asian Express
My favorite American Chinese Japanese restaurant because their food doesn't taste too greasy and their portions are generous. The sushi rolls are small and expensive but very satisfying in a town with even fewer acceptable Japanese restaurants (to someone who has dined at Matsuhisa in LA and Morimoto in Philly). I haven't been to Ten on the Downtown Mall, which looks to be a swanky Manhattan style sushi place, but it's much more expensive. I'd also like to add a side rant about American Chinese restaurants in Charlottesville: how is it that chow mein dishes here do not have any noodles in them? To what does the "mein," which indicate noodles, refer?
Bell Air Gas Station
One of a number of gourmet food and gas stations in the area. Sandwiches here feature yummy combinations of about a half-inch layer of meat and thick slices of cheese and doughy rolls of bread.
Bizou
Comfort food in large portions enough to feed two. Great bargains at lunch, when the meatloaf plate is slightly less expensive but just as generous.
Bodos
A local favorite for warm, chewy bagels. Some say they are New York style, but I disagree. Nevertheless they are tasty in their own right, especially warm. Beware the cream cheese spread, which is good but tends to get goopy and horribly messy as it melts between the slices of warm bagel. The fresh meat and/or veggie filled sandwiches make for as cheap or as expensive a lunch as you want on the Corner.
Cafe 88
The eating place I miss the most since moving back to LA. The best yan su ji （盐酥鸡; salty crispy chicken) I've ever had can be found here. This is surprising given that I'm from the LA area. I've ordered the dish several times since I've moved back and none can match. The friendly proprietor also serves some tasty fried tofu in a soy sauce, basil, ginger, and chilli sauce. She thinks this is her best dish and she recommends it every time. I also like the two veggie side dishes that come in the bento boxes. With the exception of the omurice and the pineapple rice, everything on the menu is great.
Cassis
A special occasion restaurant. Lucky me, my parents wanted to eat here when they visited in October 2006. The portions appear small but even my dad, a big eater, found them filling. He had the pan-roasted duck breast with confit, which was the best of the three dishes. I ordered a satisfying rabbit stew with potato gnocchi and peas. My mom ate the disappointing salmon plate--the salmon was clearly farm-raised and the lentils were overcooked.
Chandler's
A bakery up 29 in Albemarle Square. I think this place gets mixed reviews. When people want a great cake, the Albemarle Baking Company comes up instead. I was fortunate to taste a slice of their cake. It was two layers, one yellow and the other chocolate. It was nice and moist. Usually I detest frosting, but found their version to be pleasant and not too thickly spread nor tooth-achingly sweet.
To be continued...
If I wasn't a poor graduate student I probably would have dined out more frequently. Still, in two years I was able to visit quite a few establishments. I'm posting my notes below, although they may be obsolete in a short time given the area's high turnover in eateries. One year here and gone the next. This is just a brief list. I was never dedicated enough to take more detailed notes, remember menu prices, take photographs to be a systematic reviewer.
Albemarle Baking Company
I always arrive at this bakery with high hopes, but end up disappointed most of the time. The cakes are great as are their signature breads, the pain de mie, challah, and bagettes. Although in general the other breads have a wonderful crust and crumb, they tasted not quite put together. The pastries are dismal--they are not as refined as they appear and seem commercially made. I also don't like the cake-like texture of their cookies.
Aqui es Mexico
My pick for the best Latin American food in town. Hands down the best pupusas. The Salvadoran food is the kind one might find in a small family style restaurant in the Los Angeles area.
Asian Express
My favorite American Chinese Japanese restaurant because their food doesn't taste too greasy and their portions are generous. The sushi rolls are small and expensive but very satisfying in a town with even fewer acceptable Japanese restaurants (to someone who has dined at Matsuhisa in LA and Morimoto in Philly). I haven't been to Ten on the Downtown Mall, which looks to be a swanky Manhattan style sushi place, but it's much more expensive. I'd also like to add a side rant about American Chinese restaurants in Charlottesville: how is it that chow mein dishes here do not have any noodles in them? To what does the "mein," which indicate noodles, refer?
Bell Air Gas Station
One of a number of gourmet food and gas stations in the area. Sandwiches here feature yummy combinations of about a half-inch layer of meat and thick slices of cheese and doughy rolls of bread.
Bizou
Comfort food in large portions enough to feed two. Great bargains at lunch, when the meatloaf plate is slightly less expensive but just as generous.
Bodos
A local favorite for warm, chewy bagels. Some say they are New York style, but I disagree. Nevertheless they are tasty in their own right, especially warm. Beware the cream cheese spread, which is good but tends to get goopy and horribly messy as it melts between the slices of warm bagel. The fresh meat and/or veggie filled sandwiches make for as cheap or as expensive a lunch as you want on the Corner.
Cafe 88
The eating place I miss the most since moving back to LA. The best yan su ji （盐酥鸡; salty crispy chicken) I've ever had can be found here. This is surprising given that I'm from the LA area. I've ordered the dish several times since I've moved back and none can match. The friendly proprietor also serves some tasty fried tofu in a soy sauce, basil, ginger, and chilli sauce. She thinks this is her best dish and she recommends it every time. I also like the two veggie side dishes that come in the bento boxes. With the exception of the omurice and the pineapple rice, everything on the menu is great.
Cassis
A special occasion restaurant. Lucky me, my parents wanted to eat here when they visited in October 2006. The portions appear small but even my dad, a big eater, found them filling. He had the pan-roasted duck breast with confit, which was the best of the three dishes. I ordered a satisfying rabbit stew with potato gnocchi and peas. My mom ate the disappointing salmon plate--the salmon was clearly farm-raised and the lentils were overcooked.
Chandler's
A bakery up 29 in Albemarle Square. I think this place gets mixed reviews. When people want a great cake, the Albemarle Baking Company comes up instead. I was fortunate to taste a slice of their cake. It was two layers, one yellow and the other chocolate. It was nice and moist. Usually I detest frosting, but found their version to be pleasant and not too thickly spread nor tooth-achingly sweet.
To be continued...
04 September 2008
Reminiscing Charlottesville (already)
After finishing my masters degree in May, I moved back to LA. In the two years that I lived in Charlottesville I never thought I would miss it. Whenever people asked me if I liked living there, I would always reply with a halfhearted mumble "it's fine. " I think they expected me to say that moving to the South was a cultural shock, but I always thought of it as moving from one suburb to another. The differences were that I had to drive farther to get to Target (I irrationally loathe Walmart which was but a few miles closer) and Charlottesville has far fewer Chinese restaurants and markets. But, I did come to appreciate certain things.
Much of what I miss has to do with what Charlottesville meant to me as a place for my studies. I had my own apartment, shared with one roommate, and for the most part it was my happy refuge. I rarely felt like I needed to escape elsewhere "to get away from it all" as I sometimes feel at my home in LA. Charlottesville is a relatively quiet town, so fewer distractions. Yet there was enough around so that I could enjoy exploring the new whenever I needed a break. I didn't know many people outside of my classmates, but for the first time I felt I belonged because we had a similar interest in studying our built environment despite our differing personalities and divergent paths. The program has its pluses and minuses, but it provided a nurturing environment in which to develop. A large university with a small town feel and population. As I prepare to transition to a larger school and program, I can already see the lack of personal touch and unfortunately necessary bureaucratic bulk. Of course, the new school, the new program, and the new classmates will work out somehow, and I'll learn to stop dreading living in West Los Angeles.
Much of what I miss has to do with what Charlottesville meant to me as a place for my studies. I had my own apartment, shared with one roommate, and for the most part it was my happy refuge. I rarely felt like I needed to escape elsewhere "to get away from it all" as I sometimes feel at my home in LA. Charlottesville is a relatively quiet town, so fewer distractions. Yet there was enough around so that I could enjoy exploring the new whenever I needed a break. I didn't know many people outside of my classmates, but for the first time I felt I belonged because we had a similar interest in studying our built environment despite our differing personalities and divergent paths. The program has its pluses and minuses, but it provided a nurturing environment in which to develop. A large university with a small town feel and population. As I prepare to transition to a larger school and program, I can already see the lack of personal touch and unfortunately necessary bureaucratic bulk. Of course, the new school, the new program, and the new classmates will work out somehow, and I'll learn to stop dreading living in West Los Angeles.
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