Best restaurant 2013: MAS

MAS 501 Monticello Rd. 979-0990 mastapas.com Runner-up: The Local 824 Hinton Ave. 984-9749 thelocal-cville.com Hashtag nosurprisehere. Tapas spot MAS wins again, just ahead of its Hinton Avenue neighbor, The Local. Both Belmont eateries serve up delectable menus—the former with Spanish-style small plates and a sizable drink menu; the latter with comfort food and, according to […]

Best cocktail 2013: Bang!

Bang! 213 Second St. SW 984-2264 bangrestaurant.net Runner-up: Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar 422 E. Main St. 202-7728 commonwealthskybar.com More than 30 cocktails comprise the menu at Bang!, with options like the Secret Garden (Absolut Wild Tea, organic green tea, and fresh rosemary), the Esquire (Makers Mark, Firefly sweet tea vodka, Cointreau, and white cranberry juice), […]

Best Pad Thai 2013: Thai 99

Thai 99 2210 Fontaine Ave. 245-5263 Runner-up: Lime Leaf Thai Rio Hill Shopping Center 245-8884 limeleafsiam.com Here’s a tip: Traditionally in Thai culture, the left hand is not used for eating. Hold your spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, using the fork only to rake food into the spoon. Of […]

Best martial arts studio 2013: Hiromi T’ai Chi

Hiromi T’ai Chi 609 E. Market St. (877) 880-2479 hiromitaichi.org Runner-up: Charlottesville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 601 Concord Ave. 825-6202 cvillebjj.com T’ai Chi Ch’uan is Chinese for “supreme ultimate fist.” We can’t help but think that sounds pretty intense. But the practice is actually quite pensive. Readers turn to Hiromi T’ai Chi for strength-building in both mind […]

Full strength: Dealing with your child’s illness

On her second birthday, Ellie Blaine started vomiting repeatedly. After two weeks of multiple doctor and ER visits, her parents finally knew why: Ellie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called pineoblastoma. The family was in shock. “We knew she was sick but we didn’t expect a brain tumor,” said Carly Blaine, Ellie’s […]

New CHS principal abruptly resigns

Newly hired Charlottesville High School Principal Aaron Bissonnette has resigned with little explanation six days before students were set to return to school and two days after teachers came back to their classrooms. In a letter sent to parents Thursday, Bisonnette cited “personal matters that have arisen,” saying he would leave at the end of […]

Ask Betty: Green roofs and textile recycling

Teri Kent runs Charlottesville’s Better World Betty, a non-profit organization and online resource for locals looking to shrink their impact on the environment. Every month, Betty—Kent’s ’50s-housewife-meets-earth-goddess alter ego—answers the most burning eco-questions from our readers about energy use, water, waste and recycling, transportation, and green buying. Q: I am looking to find out if […]

Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events

Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com.  Brown bag it: Every […]

ARTS Pick: The Dark of the Moon

Forbidden lovers cross under the starry sky in a live theatrical production of The Dark of the Moon inspired by the timeless folk favorite, “The Ballad of Barbara Allen.” A mountain backdrop provides the perfect setting for this eerie story of an unusual young man who becomes enraptured with the beauty of his beloved. Laden […]