Shades of gray

It’s not uncommon for a common type of snob to thumb his or her nose at the notion of "anthology," be it an anthology of modern American poetry (ah, Norton) or an emo-themed mix CD. I’ve never really held that attitude, preferring instead to just be thankful that there are people out there that have […]

Striking chords

While in the band Oneida, Pat Sullivan stopped through Charlottesville quite often to bask in Tokyo Rose's red glow. In time, though, he grew away from that group's noisy, chaotic trajectory.

L'heist!

Last week we told you about the illegalities of forgoing the delicious fare at Buck Island BBQ. This week, we are disturbed to inform you about a straight-up culinary caper. L’étoile restaurant on W. Main Street was burglarized on Thursday, August 23. It all happened while the restaurant was closed for two weeks during the […]

Warm and fuzzy

This Acquired Tastes originally ran about two years ago—around the time that From Scratch Baking Company opened. From Scratch Baking Company brings an "upscale gourmet" twist to the restaurant choices north of town. Chef and co-owner Erica Hall brings international culinary experience back to her hometown and has brought her friend, co-owner and pastry chef, […]

We Ate Here

Chef Jesse Wykle at the Inn at Court Square takes Southern cuisine to a whole new level, and rather than one dish we made a feast of samples: crispy, golden grit cakes beneath melted Stilton, roasted asparagus, Portobello mushrooms and a sprinkling of pink peppercorns—delicately balanced flavors and alluring presentation, done and done. It goes […]

Puzzling pieces

In the blink of an eye, a season could have changed. Hopes could have been dashed and promises could have gone out the window. Fortunately, "hope and promise" just limped to the sideline with a deep knee bruise.A startling revelation occurred three Saturday nights ago at Fed Ex Field when Washington quarterback Jason Campbell writhed […]

Talk of the town

One of the best and worst things about Charlottesville is that it’s a small town. This is a dichotomy that I have long struggled with: On the one hand, I delight in knowing a good piece of gossip about the random person sitting next to me at the bar; on the other hand, I cringe […]

From little to big

If there's one profession that's well represented in Charlottesville, it's architecture. The local glut of designers—from neo-Jeffersonian to eco-contemporary—partly accounts for all the great houses here. This year, as we looked forward to our children's design issue, we started to wonder: When architects become parents, how do they design spaces for their own kids?

Parentproof

When I announced, eight months pregnant, at my baby shower that (1) I planned to be back in my bikini by summer, (2) I intended to tag along with my spouse on a planned work trip to China with a nine-month-old, travel-loving baby in tow and (3) I planned to never, ever appear in public, […]