The Dish
Whiskey Jar: Streamlined Southern fare unveiled Feb 6  Previous story Southern, uncapped: Whiskey Jar strips down walls... and recipes When we wrote about the impending opening of The Whiskey Jar restaurant back in January, we left out the part...read more Feb 22nd, 2012
The Chang re-effect: New place, new movie, and taking NYC by stormThe Year of the Dragon is turning out to be a special one for chef Peter Chang and his partners Gen Lee and his wife, Mary, who opened Peter Chang's China Grill in the Barracks Road Shopping Center...read more Feb 14th, 2012
The rodeo: Forest Lakes Mex stakes claim on MainIt's name means "the Rodeo," but El Jaripeo kicked up precious little dust when it quietly unveiled a new look in October for the Main Street building last known as 12th Street Taphouse. It turns out...read more Feb 13th, 2012
Two Parrots: Lazy for BBQ joins Lazy for wingsWhen the Lazy Parrot Grill folks took over the former Brix Café space at the Pantops Shopping Center earlier this year, owner Kevin Kirby worried that some people might think the Lazy Parrot Grill,...read more Feb 3rd, 2012
Chow Bella: Rome-inspired restaurant to open in MarchWhat does the man who created Charlottesville's Wild Wing Café do for an encore? He builds another restaurant on West Main Street– only this time it's not a television-laden sports bar, but...read more Feb 2nd, 2012
Vigil held for St. Maarten Café In what may be the first evening vigil for a Charlottesville restaurant, a small group gathered outside St. Maarten Café on the Corner to pay their respects January 31. As the Dish reported a day...read more Jan 31st, 2012
After 26 years, St. Maarten Café closesNews about the sudden closing of St. Maarten Café on the Corner, the place with the Buffett vibe (Jimmy, not Warren) long before Cheeseburger in Paradise, spread like wildfire on social media...read more Jan 30th, 2012
Southern, uncapped: Whiskey Jar strips down walls... and recipes"It's been a long time dream of mine," says Will Richey, while lying on his back with a wet paintbrush in hand, "to do a Southern restaurant." That dream may come true next month when the 35-year-old...read more Jan 19th, 2012
Restaurant Week tip: Reserve early for semi-annual food fandangoFrom January 23 to 29, Charlottesville will once again experience the hugely popular Restaurant Week, which draws eager diners from within Charlottesville and the surrounding area. The week of three-...read more Jan 12th, 2012
Monsoon, switched: Friends season Market Street with SiamHow did two Thai art students wind up taking over Monsoon, Charlottesville's oldest Asian fusion restaurant? Well, to hear 31-year-old "Kitty" Ashi tell the story, it began in Bangkok. Kitty hails...read more Jan 11th, 2012
Escafé readies: Grand reopening before month's endEscafé's coming back, baby. As first reported in the Hook, the venerable Downtown Mall restaurant with the hip nightlife recently packed its bags from its longtime home in the shadow of the Omni...read more Jan 11th, 2012
Rapture: Rare & Ancient Ale Dinner Rapture on the Downtown Mall pairs up with Maryland-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to bring you a dinner highlighting the brewery's Rare Ales (rare because of their extremely small production...read more Jan 9th, 2012
Healthy Chinese: Song Song's Zhou & BingRight across from the "Skybar" on 5th Street NE, you may or may not have noticed that a placed called Song Song's Zhou & Bing opened on the Downtown Mall with little fanfare around the first of...read more Jan 9th, 2012
Cook-Out: Popular fastfoodery heading to CharlottesvilleA drive-through franchise that speedily serves up grilled barbecue meats and more than 40 kinds of milkshakes is coming to Charlottesville. It's a fast-growing fastfoodery from North Carolina called...read more Jan 9th, 2012
Third cidery planned for Central VirginiaIf you've recently taken the tour at Monticello, you've learned that it was hard cider– not beer, wine, or water– that was most likely accompanying Mr. Jefferson's meals. Back in 2009, it...read more Jan 6th, 2012
Concrete move: Market Annex work begins on Main St.Workers ready the former site of C&R Auto, whose painted signs used to grace 513 West Main Street with promises of "specializing in automatic transmissions," for an expansion of the purple-hued...read more Jan 5th, 2012
Expansion: Peter Chang readies for RichmondAmerica's most sought-after Chinese chef is moving forward on a plan to open a restaurant near Richmond in the Short Pump area. "We've already started construction," says Gen Lee, business partner to...read more Jan 4th, 2012
No more Long John Silver's in CharlottesvilleFried fish aficionados have one fewer place to dock their appetites in the new year, as Charlottesville's Long John Silver's has gone out of business. The signs were painted over before the last day...read more Jan 3rd, 2012
Shoppers exodus: China King moves to Hibachi GrillThe gigantic China King Buffet is the latest tenant to vacate the increasingly empty store-fronted Shoppers World, moving down the road to the Hibachi Grill on Seminole Trail. China King owner Gui...read more Jan 3rd, 2012
Hungry for stories: The 2011 food round-upThe past year was a rough one economically, but that didn't stop some brave souls from opening up restaurants and eateries. We counted 28 new places that opened this past year, while 15 places closed...read more Dec 18th, 2011