Living

He’s a fantastically wonderful guy.” That’s the report on Steve Carell, star of the big-budget cinematic extravaganza Evan Almighty, from Uncle Charlie’s manager Deke Shipp. This week, Restaurantarama has stars in our eyes, as we go hunting for Hollywood in, of all places, Crozet. And boy do we find it! Word is, with the filming of Evan in full swing, movie types are crawling all over that town’s eateries.

Apparently, there’s some major university or something over near the Corner. Proprietors of that neighborhood’s dining scene are currently gnashing their teeth over the ebb of the great student tide, which declines mightily after graduation comes and sweeps the little darlings off to partake of summer adventures. This means they’re no longer partaking of food and drink (well, these are UVA students, so we should make that drink and food) here in their adopted hometown, and businesses must adjust accordingly.

A couple of weeks ago we shared a delicious recipe for Citrus Mint Tea. In the spirit of fairness, we figured it was diplomatic to give coffee lovers equal time. Thus we placed a call to Renee Martin, proprietress of Mermaid Express, the coffee and juice bar just inside the entrance to Foods of All Nations. Open 7:30am until 5pm during the week and 8am to 5pm on weekends, Mermaid Express offers everything from lattes to smoothies. And, to delight coffee drinkers\’ tastebuds, Martin was happy to share the recipe for her “most popular coffee summer drink,” Frozen Mocha. As Martin exclaims, it\’s “our sure-fire way to cool off on a hot summer day!” So bring out your blenders and let summer begin. \’ Pam Jiranek

There’s nothing better, from a hard-core investigative reporter’s point of view, than when a story just…appears. Out for a leisurely Friday night in Scottsville recently, Restaurantarama stumbled across not one but two breaking developments in that town’s dining scene, which seems to churn along as frothily as the nearby James River.

Brothers Dan and Charles Epstein are the friendly faces behind the counter at Eppie’s, which opened on the Downtown Mall at the end of April. Dan says the Mall location is “perfect for what we want to do.” Namely, “to provide counter service at reasonable prices really quickly.”

Last week we brought you news of Southern Culture’s new stewards, Christian Kelly and Peter Castiglione (formerly of the Clifton Inn and Zocalo, respectively). They’re set to reopen Southern, with a different name, later this year. This week, we shuffle over to Southern’s next-door neighbor, Blue Bird Café, which-hough it certainly hasn’t closed—is nonetheless shaking things up a bit. In a bid to re-energize, owners Brent Pye and Chuck Hancher have hired a new chef, Roderick Lee, and are planning some menu changes.