Blue ribbon cones

The melody of an ice cream truck can whisk you down memory lane as fast as a lick of a Bomb Pop, but this vestige of nostalgia seems to have gone the way of the paperboy and the milkman. Thankfully, there’s still one truck jingling its way around town.

Small bites

Easy as ABC In the category of “News you may have missed last week,” Boylan Heights issued a “self-imposed” dry week after Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control concluded the restaurant had served underage patrons, according to media sources. ABC said the Corner burger joint could shut down for 30 days or pay a fine and shut […]

We are what we drink

James Bond had his shaken-not-stirred martinis; The Dude had his White Russians and Carrie Bradshaw had her Cosmopolitans. In this day when our Facebook profiles precede us, it’s nice to have a signature that captures our three-dimensional selves. Hairstyles, clothes and scents help to define our styles, but I say drink orders are the window […]

Whites, rosés and reds of Rioja

When life gets in the way of vacation, you’ve always got wine. Opening a bottle and pairing it with regional foods can take you on a virtual voyage faster than you can click your heels and say, “There’s no place like the Mediterranean.” And my Spanish high heels found their way back home the minute […]

Small bites

New developments A change is gonna come to the Downtown Mudhouse. The java spot—best in town, according to readers—shut its doors for an estimated three weeks to give the space a makeover. Says Julia Minnerly of the Crozet shop, the red wall behind the bar will be removed to open things up. “A big goal,” […]

Brown-bagging it

Kids are notoriously picky eaters, but when a professional chef is in control of the brown bags every day, all sorts of miracles happen —vegetables are eaten and nothing gets swapped for a bag of Cheetos. Ivy Inn’s Angelo Vangelopoulos whips up something delicious for his son, Alex. Until last year when his youngest graduated, Aromas […]

Axes from scratch

The body is old-growth Brazilian rosewood and red spruce, finished in a gorgeous sunburst and trimmed with abalone, its insides braced with Adirondack spruce. Koa wood binds the Honduran mahogany neck. The scale is 25" and the nut width is 1 3/4". Adam McNeil (right) and Randall Ray (left) make Rockbridge guitars by passing them […]

Olé olé!

We’re no San Diego, but for a small town, we have quite a few choices for good Mexican. These dishes ought to spice up your week.—Megan Headley Line up early at the Al Pastor Taco booth at Saturday’s City Market for the namesake al pastor (BBQ) taco, which will start your morning off with a […]

Winning with red

On the heels of the Virginia Wine Board’s spring announcement that viognier would be our state’s signature grape, it came as no surprise that eight of the 15 participating Monticello AVA wineries submitted a viognier as one of their four wines to be judged in this year’s Monticello Cup. But what I and the other six judges at Prince Michel Winery did find surprising last Monday was how few of the viogniers we loved.

Small Bites

New developments The local restaurant pool just keeps getting bigger, foodies. Welcome, Burger Oasis. The Woodbrook Shopping Center spot serves, as you’d expect, burgers and fries, plus tasty desserts like strawberry shortcake. Across the street, The Brick Oven in Rio Hill Shopping Center recently reopened its doors under new ownership and down the road in […]