Charlottesville VA food sources

[Mottmott]

I'll be staying with my family just moving into Charlottesville in about a week. I'm to do the cooking and supervising the children so my DIL can do all the rest of the settling into a new community.

It would be super helpful to know where to get meat, chicken, fish without hormones and antibiotics, local and/or organic produce. For those who know Philadelphia, I'm used to shopping at the farmers markets and Reading Terminal Market, 9th street vendors, and a local coop, with Whole Foods and Trader Joes as backup.

It would also be helpful to know where to find the best pizza, thai, and chinese takeout.

[rob7]

I hope you enjoy your visit to Charlottesville. I've been here a few years and it is definitley an area that you need to get to know. Not everything is as convinient to find or buy. I often find myself having to go to three or four different stores, in three or four different areas, to get everything I need.

I may revisit this post again to add some additional items as they come to mind.

I would defintiely start with a visit to the Main Street Market on West Main, a mile or so west of the University. In that market you have an organic butcher, Albemarle Baking Company (great breads, sourdough is excellent), Gearhart's Chocolates, Seafood shop, Feast (charcuterie, chesses, oils, salts, etc...), and a kitchen store.

For an above average supermarket there is Food of All Nations (east of the University). They will have a "finer" selection of most of your supermarket type provisions (for example- differnet types of anchovies, raw local honey, pate's, dried mushrooms). They have what you will normally find in a supermarket for all your fruits and vegetables but then they also have a wider selection (pickles other than Mt.Olive or Vlassic).

You do also have Whole Foods on 29.

The farmers market is over for the season but Charlottesville does have one.

If you like beer, defintiley check out Beer Run in Belmont (Belmont is a neighbood within Cville). They have a fantastic beer selection.

Pizza recommendation- my favorite has been Crozet Pizza. It's about 15 minutes east of the university, and has very limites seating, but is good. People rave about Christian's. It's ok. Some new ones have popped up recently but I have not been able to try them. Most of my pizza lately has come out of my oven (550 degrees with convection and a nice thick stone have provided me with excellent results...I digress...)

I have not come across any spectacular chinese food. If you are by the downtown mall, Max & Luca's Noodle shop is good for a quality lunch. They only have a few items on their menu but they do them well and they are inexpensive. They have the best hot & sour soup in town in my opinion. Oriental Express is take out only and has better quality food in the area. If we have people over from around the area and we get ffod from there they usually ask where the food is from because they notice the difference in quality.

Thai- Lime Leaf in Rio will provide you with your standard Thai fare. Thai 99 put some of their own uniqueness into their dishes.

Sushi- Miyako on the downtown mall is good. Ten is very nice....great quality, expensive also.

Steak- for a high end steak, Downtown Grill.

I would also recommend Mas. It is a tapas restaurant. The dishes are prepared simply but the quality of ingredients and attention to detail is excellent.

[Mottmott]

Thanks rob, I'll only be there for a week or two, so knowing where to find things right away is a big help.

[Reignking]

Pizza recommendation- my favorite has been Crozet Pizza. It's about 15 minutes east of the university

15 miles west of Cville...

[rob7]

Thanks for the catch Reignking....yes 15 miles West of Cville...and figuring the easiest way is to hop on 64, with a 65 MPH speed limit, that 15 miles should take about 15 minutes .

[Mottmott]

Welllll, maybe no 15 minute hop for pizza today.

My DIL had to drive, with kids in the car, to Charlottesville from Phila yesterday. The van with their belongings scheduled for today. What a welcome. I'm to go down tomorrow, but I think I'll be a day late.

[KatieLoeb]

Oh damn! What a rotten time to have to drive down there! My friend in Charlottesville was supposed to do the opposite drive and be in Philly tonight and couldn't get out of CVille due to the snow storm. As it turns out, our mututal friend's surprise birthday party has been postponed until Sunday because the restaurant where we're having it has closed for Saturday due to the weather!

I'll see if my friend in Charlottesville has any suggestions for you...

[KatieLoeb]

Here's the advice my friend sent back.

C&O (do not judge from the outside)

C & O Restaurant

Hamilton's

Tastings

Downtown Grille

I don't think she cooks very much. She's a busy professor in the Engineering Department and probably eats out more often than not...