Harlem Renaissance renaissance

Barbara Buhr opened Warm Springs Gallery on Third Street—it’s that bright little room with the wood floor opposite Fleurie—a year ago as a show-case for challenging art. Warm Spring’s latest bit of eye candy, “Asymmetry and Abstraction,” by the noted African-American painter and etcher Joseph Holston, is a welcome challenge. Joseph Holston’s (below) “Two Fishermen” […]

Small Bites

Open for business In a word, the invite-only opening dinner last week at chef Peter Chang’s new Barracks Road restaurant, Peter Chang China Grill, was delicious. Seventeen menu items arrived at the table from the elusive chef himself, including tofu skin rolls, shrimp and mushroom hot pots and a bevy of dishes for meat lovers. […]

Here's to a happy Fat Tuesday

It’s too late to celebrate in the Big Easy, but you can still live it up right here in Rivanna River City by spending today enjoying decadent, earthly pleasures—especially if Lenten restriction is in your future come tomorrow.

The Big V

You don’t have to forgo flavor just because you’re going Vegan (if only temporarily). Here, four local dishes even carnivores will love.  The Valedictorian, Boylan Heights On the Corner, gourmet burger joint Boylan Heights has a choice homemade vegan burger. The Valedictorian is made from brown rice, toasted pecans and carrots. Slathered with hummus and […]

March 2011: Green Scene

 Smaller farming Do you have a small plot and an intense desire to grow lots of food on it? If so, SPIN (small plot intensive) farming might be your ticket. Proponents of the method say that a half-acre of land can yield $50,000 of produce a year! We say, just squeezing more veggies onto your […]

March 2011: Your Abode

 Couched in better terms What does your couch say about you? Upholstery rubbed thin on the arms and seat: “I’m getting by on hand-me-downs.” Sitting up on wooden legs with inches of clearance below: “I have nothing to hide.” Festooned with pillows: “I’m detail-oriented.” What if you want to say “I know style when I […]

March 2011: Your Kids

 Problem: Getting kids to bed, and to sleep   The plan was simple: Olinda, 1, would share a room with her brother Shepard, 3, thus freeing up a guest room for their grandparents’ frequent visits.   The Davis family—despite the togetherness in evidence here—found that 1-year-old Olinda sleeps best by herself (just like big brother Shepard). After […]

March 2011: Your Kitchen

 Across the northern hemisphere a journey begun at the winter solstice finally comes to light in early spring: Longer days and stronger rays coax onion bulbs out of dormancy, and pull their brave tips skyward (even if they are stored in a dark drawer, or a cold refrigerator). While it can be frustrating to find […]

March 2011: Standing tall

 It was love at first sight. Until the day Mark Hampton and Jay Alexander first laid eyes on a house built by Charlottesville design-build company Latitude 38, they thought they were looking to buy an older dwelling —maybe a 1930s bungalow. One look at the Latitude house changed their minds. “We went from wanting old […]

March 2011: Real Estate

 In real estate, less is really more, especially if you are talking about how long a house has been up for sale. Days on the Market (DOM), a number that is often used when devising a pricing strategy for both sellers and buyers, has its fans and detractors. Some real estate agents use it to […]