Shrimp with a big taste: Il Cane Pazzo’s risotto calls for lemon, fresh herbs and oh so buttery shrimp. Calling all pathological stirrers and hawkeye chefs: If you can’t seem to separate yourself from your wooden spoon as something’s cooking, risotto should be the main staple of your diet. Il Cane Pazzo does it up […]
Charlottesville is getting kind of famous for its poshed-up versions of city staples: the black tie gas station (R.I.P., Fuel Co.), the break-the-bank gym membership, the luxe condos for students, and now Hamdingers, Patrick Critzer’s gourmet food cart on the Downtown Mall. There is one major difference in Critzer’s approach, though—Hamdingers doesn’t charge a fortune […]
The classics don’t get enough credit: Something like the old-time chicken salad recipe, which millions of people eat every day, has held up for over a hundred years. Andreas Gaynor at Kiki learned how to whip this one up by watching his grandmother, peeping over her range top when he was a hungry, lanky kid. […]
If your usual forays into Mexican cuisine are heavy on the rice and beans, it’s time to branch out. Guadalajara offers a perfectly refreshing and tasty solution: seviche! On its own, it’s a power snack—raw fish always makes me feel like I can run a marathon, not to mention the nutrient kick from all the […]
So you’ve all heard about Queen Isabella selling the crown jewels to finance Columbus’ valiant trek across the ocean blue, right? And how he discovered America, met the natives, yada yada yada. But how much do you really know about the guy?
Fresh figs are almost a forbidden pleasure, considering that they’re one of the most expensive fruits on the market. If you’re only going to sample a few this season, be sure to ravish them like they deserve on your first tasting: Stuff them into your mouth, unadorned, and let the juice stream down your face […]
Given that it’s one of the world’s predominant food staples, you’d think rice would have its own massive chapter in every cookbook. But no. What you usually get is Spanish rice, saffron rice and jambalaya, maybe a casserole or two if you haven’t updated your library for a couple decades. Foods of All Nations recently […]
You know that the grocery store fish counter’s “fresh” sign refers to its being freshly thawed out after its subzero flight from Thailand, right? Seafood @ West Main owner Chris Arseneault hates that, preferring to offer real fresh fish from ’round these parts, including the Gulf crab that’s cooked, picked and shipped up in a […]
Sometimes the whole plate is just right, sides, sauce and all—and that’s the case with Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar‘s pan-seared halibut, caponata and mashers combination. Fresh veggies plus flaky fish plus buttery potatoes equals total satisfaction, and now that I’ve tasted it, I wouldn’t prepare it minus any of its components. It’s not even […]