July 2011: Top of the Heap

 Once upon a time there was a person with lots of cool drinks to share with guests. We’re talking everything from mint juleps to acai smoothies to fresh-squeezed orangeade. Only problem was, this person had nothing in which to serve these refreshing libations. Luckily, a bunch of local shops came to the rescue with a fine […]

Life's a beach with Albariño

Just back from a week at the beach and already I miss the ocean’s cool breeze, briny smell and salty taste. On the bright side, I’ve found a wine that captures these sun-drenched glories of summer at the beach: Albariño.

Small Bites

’Round these parts, we foodies aren’t strangers to waiting a while for a restaurant opening. (We’re looking at you, Semolina, Fry’s Spring Station and, ahem, Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar.) Historically, it’s been worth the wait. Balkan Bistro & Bar, which opened June 21, is hardly an exception. The new West Main restaurant from Anja Cetic […]

Picnic perfect

This Breadworks apple pie goes quicker than you can say, "I’ll have that à la mode, please." Eating local is always on trend. Pick up these classic picnic items for your next outing. With parks, historical sites and wineries in abundance, there’s no excuse not to dine al fresco. Hot or cold, Wayside’s fried chicken […]

Play it 33 times fast

It was a big night. Bobo the Mime walked his invisible dog Pinky for the last time. Two dudes shared an emotional breakthrough while watching a football game on TV. A young widow paid an unpleasant visit to her former mother-in-law’s. A date between two puppies went south after it emerged one was not pure Beagle, as was earlier suggested.

Into pickles

Matt Bressan’s only complaint about the pickle business is that he’s always being compared to people’s grandmothers. “Grandmothers’ recipes come up a lot when people taste my bread and butter pickles,” he says, “but they still buy mine.” Craving cukes? Nab a freshly grown few at the City Market. Fresh Crunch Pickles, which make the […]

Wednesday night with the regulars

Last Wednesday was the kind of night where I tend to look at the C-VILLE calendar and my blogs, throw my hands up in the air and say, “There’s nothing going on tonight.” The fact that there is, in fact, a ton of music happening on any given night may be a foregone conclusion for […]

Small Bites

Happy birthday! Keeping a restaurant afloat in this town ain’t easy. It takes more than good service and a bangin’ menu to keep a customer in. You need a good reputation, too. Enter Sticks. The Preston Avenue kebob shop has served up tasty (and healthy!) food on a stick for 10 years as of this […]

Drinking from the garden

Sometimes I wish that summer’s bounty could be spread out over the course of the year. It’s a futile and selfish wish, but I feel pressure to eat myself into oblivion during the growing season and spend more time than I ought to figuring out how many fruits, vegetables and herbs I can consume in […]

Small Bites

Whoever said “the bigger, the better” had the new location of Whole Foods in mind. Situated on Hydraulic Road and boasting an additional 15,000 square feet, the new Whole Foods is an impressive fixture. During a special tour before the official June 7 opening, we got a little taste of what’s, er, in store. Each […]