The cellar of your dreams (Or, just a nice collection of wine, stored well)

The first thing that pops into your mind as an everyday wine drinker who’s looking to start laying down a few bottles is, inevitably: “Don’t I need a big temperature-and-humidity-controlled dungeon, replete with rustic stone walls, candles, and old first-growth Bordeaux?” The answer is “No.” Cellaring wine is, really, all about understanding the rules and […]

Overheard on the restaurant scene… This week’s restaurant news

Now open in the former Pita Pit space on 14th Street: Onyx Lounge, a crêperie, sandwich shop, and hookah bar. It’s open until 4am Thursday-Saturday, giving Littlejohn’s a little competish on the late-night scene. Also open? The C’ville Cheese Store on Fifth Street SE in the former Downtown Deli spot. There’s more than 30 different […]

Five Finds on Friday: Melissa Close Hart of Palladio

On Fridays, we and The Charlottesville 29 feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from four-time James Beard award semi-finalist Melissa Close Hart, chef of Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyard.  On June 9, Palladio will be celebrating the release of Barboursville’s 2012 Vermentino Reserve with a multi-course dinner with […]

Five Finds on Friday: Pei Chang of TEN Sushi

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Pei Chang, chef of TEN Sushi.  And, on Mother’s Day weekend, the mother of his three young children made the list!  Chang’s picks: 1)  Meatloaf Sandwich at Stonefire Kitchen.  “Artisanal sandwiches and salads engineered by Jeremy Butterfield, a […]

It’s Willamette, dammit! Making the case for Oregon wines

If rain is Oregon’s best-known cliché, then Pinot Noir is the runner-up. With May celebrating Oregon Wine Month, and the Willamette Valley being one of my favorite wine regions in the world, what better time than now to delve into this sustainable wine mecca? Viticulturally, Oregon is a big state, with five AVAs (American Viticultural […]