Five Finds on Friday: Alex George of Commonwealth

On Fridays we and The Charlottesville 29 feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  This week’s picks come from Alex George, of Commonwealth Restaurant and SkyBar, who has resurrected his much-missed restaurant Just Curry, which recently opened in a new space across the downtown mall from Commonwealth.  George’s picks: 1)  Shrimp and […]

Mixed manners: Bone up on your bar etiquette

I don’t care if you’re at a speakeasy, a restaurant bar, or a dive—there are unspoken rules of conduct to which one adheres when you belly up to the bar. Many of them can change with the type of joint you’re hanging in for the night, but all have basic codes that are very much appreciated. […]

Peter Chang sneaks back into town to say ‘thank you’

Very few things about prize-winning Szechuan chef Peter Chang are absolutely clear. He has a Wikipedia page, for instance, but it doesn’t list a birthday. Stanley Tucci is reportedly making a film about his life, but until it comes out, every story about him will likely continue to contain words like ‘elusive.’ In the meantime, […]

Five Finds on Friday: Michael McCarthy of Dr. Ho’s

On Fridays, we and The Charlottesville 29 feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  This week’s picks come from Michael McCarthy, chef/owner of Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie.  McCarthy’s picks: 1)  Hot Sicilian sandwich at Durty Nelly’s Wayside Deli.  “Rye bread makes life better, plain and simple.” 2)  Fried Chicken at GOCO on […]

Pizza, pizza! Top slices, personal pies, and surprises around town

The New York pizza slice, for years the pizza gold standard, inspired a lot of wasted effort and money, what with people trying to reproduce NYC pizza parlors, replete with transported ovens, in places like Kansas or Albuquerque or (gack) San Francisco. Pizza everywhere was measured against some non-specific New York City pie. If you […]