With its hard skin, seed-filled cavities, and often unruly size, winter squash can intimidate even the savviest cooks. It’s absolutely worth tackling though—not only is squash inexpensive and packed with vitamins, but it’s also one of the only relics from the garden that can feed you through the winter. Fortunately, even if you don’t get […]

Artisanally made cocktails are the new post-work entertainment. They lubricate conversation on a blind date and have the power to rouse even the most worn-in relationships. Here’s a pair of his/hers cocktails from the bar at Zinc that will get your lashes batting and your tootsies footsie-ing in no time. Of course, in this modern […]

Every cork dork loves a wine battle, especially when it involves rubbing France’s les nez in how good our wine’s gotten in the past five years. At the third annual Thomas Jefferson Wine Event in Staunton on October 13, Virginia wine won over French in four out of seven blind pairings. But save one man […]

You can almost feel yourself getting healthier with every bite of the dark, leafy greens that flourish come fall. Nevermind if they’re braised with ham hocks, drenched in cream, or studded with bacon. From collards to bok choy and all the shades in between, these restaurant dishes make it a downright pleasure to eat your […]

Nelson County’s not the only place to go for local beer. Champion Brewing Company, a nanobrewery off Avon Street, will be on Downtown Charlottesville’s map by Thanksgiving weekend, and Scottsville, our neighbor to the south, just got its own place for suds. James River Brewing Company, owned by a team of four beer-loving friends (three […]

There’s no such word as “eww” in an omnivore’s vocabulary. While these dishes are far from the beetles and brains that TV personalities get paid to eat, they require a more adventurous palate than your typical restaurant offering. Of course, those brave enough to consume them will be most deliciously rewarded. Nothing cures a hangover […]

When Groucho Marx said, “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member,” he must not have had wine in mind. The variety of wine club memberships offered by our retailers, wineries, and co-ops assumes nothing more about its members than a shared love of wine. And who doesn’t […]

With new restaurants in the spotlight, it’s easy to forget about our culinary forerunners. And nothing about Tastings of Charlottesville, the space under the Market Street parking garage, lets on to the gem that lies within. After 22 years, it’s still, as owner Bill Curtis calls it, “Charlottesville’s best-kept secret,” and though it’s tempting to […]

For the food-obsessed, the traditional restaurant experience can sometimes be a snooze. If it’s not a here today, gone tomorrow pop-up, a dinner cooked by a guest chef flown in from Copenhagen, or a meal centered around an especially fatty type of swine, they’d rather stay home and cook the next recipe in their sauce-splattered […]

It’s never too soon to learn the value of a buck, especially if we want our kids to take care of us one day. Fellini’s #9 turns the tables by putting our kids to work while we sit back and relax. At the Fellini’s 9 and Under monthly luncheon (the next one is Saturday, October […]