Isabelle Abbot isabelleabbot.com Runner-up: Kris Bowmaster bowmasterart.com Keen observation. That’s what it takes to win in this category—and Isabelle Abbot knows it. As she says, “It is by moving through the world that we understand its particularities.” Her impressionistic oil paintings zero in on local scenes with slashes of color on canvas or muslin. Kris […]
King Family Vineyards 6550 Roseland Farm (Crozet) 823-7800 kingfamilyvineyards.com Runner-up: Veritas Vineyard & Winery 151 Veritas Ln. (Afton) (540) 456-8000 veritaswines.com You know how, at a pig roast, people sometimes say the pig gave its life so that we could eat? Well, for every bottle of wine you drink, approximately 2.8 pounds of grapes gave […]
The Local 824 Hinton Ave. 984-9749 thelocal-cville.com Runner-up: Maya 633 W. Main St. 979-6292 maya-restaurant.com The promise of a good menu gets people into restaurants, but great service keeps them coming back. No one knows this better than Peter Shankman, a devoted fan of Morton’s Steakhouse who once jokingly tweeted that the restaurant should meet […]
Sons of Bill sonsofbill.com Runner-up: Love Canon lovecanon80s.com It was only five years ago that Sons of Bill (three literal sons of UVA philosophical theology and southern literature professor Bill Wilson, plus a drummer and bassist) took to the stage for a UVA battle of the bands and won three days of recording. Since that […]
Jen Fariello jenfariello.com Runner-up: Sarah Cramer-Shields cramerphoto.com It must be nice to see the world through the eyes of Jen Fariello. It seems every frame she captures is more beautiful than the last, which is why readers voted the wedding and lifestyle photographer into the top slot this year. Sarah Cramer-Shields, who for the past […]
Revolutionary Soup 105 14th St. NW 979-9988 108 Second St. SW 296-7687 revolutionarysoup.com Runner-up: Moto Pho Co. 511 W. Main St. 293-6685 motophoco.com A most interesting No. 1 choice, readers. Rev Soup isn’t necessarily known for its noodle soup, unless you count the chicken noodle that occasionally graces the menu. Still, we can’t argue with […]
Albemarle Baking Company 418 W. Main St. 293-6456 albemarlebakingco.com Runner-up: Chandler’s Bakery Albemarle Square Shopping Center 975-2253 chandlersbakery.com In Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team,” he describes his lover’s face as “crumbling like pastries.” And while that lyric is arguably one of the worst ever written, he must have had the treats at ABC, which break […]
106.1 The Corner Runner-up: 91.9 WNRN It’s an easy assumption that working for 106.1 is almost as great as listening to its programming: One of the best things about the station is the Corner Lounge, where artists performing in town stop by to record acoustic versions of their hit songs. To be a fly on […]
Bold Rock Cidery 1020 Rockfish Valley Hwy. (Nellysford) 361-1030 boldrock.com Runner-up: Albemarle Ciderworks 2545 Rural Ridge Ln. (North Garden) 297-2326 albemarleciderworks.com Bold Rock makes cider so tasty you could almost bathe in it. In fact, in the 14th century, that’s what people did: As it was often more sanitary than water, kids were baptized in […]
Emma Whittington at Beer Run Runner-up: Deidre Carpenter at Whiskey Jar Donald Trump once left a waiter at a Los Angeles restaurant a $10,000 tip. We’re guessing Emma and Deidre have never been quite that lucky, but that’s not because they don’t deserve it. When it comes to service, readers say there are no two […]