Hey there, fellow Wahoos! No doubt you all have dined at the best places The Corner has to offer… but we’re here to encourage you to step away from the comforts of Take it Away and Boylan Heights and venture out to the best, affordable eateries in CVille. We’ll visit a new restaurant every week, eat their food, and give you rankings of the service, atmosphere, food, and price – all from a fellow student’s perspective!  Wahoowa!

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August 6th, 2012

Cafe Cubano

112 Main Street, Charlottesville, VA

Nestled within the heart of the downtown mall, Cafe Cubano offers Charlottesvillians and Wahoos alike hearty breakfast and lunch time options that are affordable and filling. Experiencing the Cafe Cubano palette for the first time I ordered the Activist- a veggie burger adorned with sautéed mushrooms, tomato, sprouts, provolone, and Russian dressing on a toasted sunflower-wheat bread. My sandwich was paired with corn tortilla chips and fresh salsa. The Activist priced at $7.00 flat was a tasty and satisfying lunch faire that I would order again.

My friend who accompanied me to Cafe Cubano ordered their signature sandwich, the Cuban sandwich, also priced at $7.00. She was pleased with her order and commented on the sandwich’s savory combination of cheese and pork.

Aside from sandwiches, Cafe Cubano serves salads and paninis and for breakfast offers several styles of eggs, breakfast paninis and lighter fare options such as granola, toast, and jam. As well, Cafe Cubano serves espresso and brewed drinks with a Cuaban twist, daily brews, and flavored coffees such as a Snickers latte- traditional latte with hazelnut, chocolate and caramel.

The atmosphere of Cafe Cuabo is quaint and inviting, with a yellow and red color scheme to create an authentic dining experience. The staff is very friendly and brings your order to your table after paying at the front counter. During the work week,employees within the Charlottesville area kick back and relax in Cafe Cuabo and sip on an espresso or cappuccino before heading back to the office.

As for students, Cafe Cubano allows Wahoos to venture outside the corner without hurting the piggybank.

Service: 4/5

Cashier very nice and friendly, waiting staff less approachable, however speedy and efficient.

Cafe Cubano speciality- Cuban Sandwich

Atmosphere: 5/5

Not too fancy, laid back. Quite, quaint. Different sections to eat. Outside seating available/shaded.

Price: 5/5

Great price, great food

Food: 4/5

Food was great no complaints, going the extra yard to get a 5/5

Author: Victoria Graham

Cafe Cubano is open Mon,Tue,Wed 6:30am-5pm Thur,Fri 6:30am-7pm Sat 7am-7pm Sun 8am-5pm

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July 23, 2012

Feast!

416 W. Main Street, Charlottesville, VA

Today’s review hails from the sustainability-conscious restaurant located in West Main Market, Feast!. If you’re from the area and you’re looking for a good gift for mom, I recommend treating her to lunch at Feast!  This Panera Bread style of restaurant is perfect for grabbing a nice lunch with your co-workers or friends.  Soups, sandwiches, and salads made from local ingredients formulate the menu. Feast! offers much more than just a lunch;  this place is actually a mini store that you can buy flavored olive oils, cheese, wines, spreads, vegetables, chocolates, meats, and so much more.  But are you ready for the best part? ….FREE samples!  That’s right – they normally have a selection of foods that you can try around the store.  Also, the staff is very nice and professional.  Can you sense that this review is going be positive?

Menu at Feast!

The Shop at Feast!

Sample of Spreads

Service: 5/5

The staff was very friendly, dressed in business casual clothing.  And like I mentioned before, the restaurant portion of Feast! is Panera-style,  so expect to just pick up your food from a counter when it’s ready.  Waiting-time at 1pm on a Monday? Five minutes.

Atmosphere: 5/5

Clean. Open. Bright. Slightly-upscale.  Perfect.  We’re UVA students; what more could we possibly need?

Price: 4/5

The food is tasty, local, and slightly unique to the average sandwich shop.  So even though the price is a little higher than what an average student would like to pay for a lunch, you have to realize that you get what you pay for.  Expect to pay around $8-$11 for lunch. But for the nicer occasions (a friend’s birthday, a treat for your girlfriend, a gift for mom), Feast! won’t break bank.

Food: 4/5  overall

Spicy Roast Beef Melt - 3/5 - Not bad, but don't be fooled by the name because it's not spicy. The side fruit salad is sitting in a sweet syrup, which was unnecessary.

Margherita Panini - 4/5 - I really loved this panini, especially the mozzarella. It lost a point on the white bean salad. It just wasn't my favorite flavor

Chicken, Chedder, and Fig Panini - 5/5 - If you like a touch of sweetness to a sandwich like I do, you'll love this. The fig jam was a perfect touch. I got this with a side of white bean soup - a solid 4/5 - liked it, didn't love it.

Chicken Salad Melt - 3/5 - It was ok, but rather bland. The spicy pickle as a side was something I've never had before...very interesting.

Written and Compiled by: Stephanie Faires and Elizabeth White

Feast! cafe hours are M-Sa, 11am-3pm.  Store hours are M-F, 1am-7pm;  Sa, 9am-6pm

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July 18, 2012

The Continental Divide

811 W. Main Street, Charlottesville, VA

Happy Humpday, fellow Wahoos!  We at WUVA realize that we broke our “weekly” review promise to you all, and we give our greatest apologies.  I hate making excuses, but with summer session final exams, family vacations, and the craziness of July 4th, visiting a restaurant took the back burner last week. Even Steinbeck said, “the best laid plans often go awry around the Fourth of July” … or something like that.   But fear not!  I now present you our review for The Continental Divide off of West Main across from the Amtrak station.

Continental Divide restaurant-front.

First, I have to mention that if you don’t know exactly where this place is, it’s very hard to find.  The reason is simple: there’s no sign.  So when you get to the small strip of venues with awnings across from Amtrak, go into the place that is marked with a sign that says “Get In Here,” rather than the restaurant name.

Continental Divide is a small-scale (more like itty bitty-scale) Mexican restaurant with a limited menu of about 10 dinner options.  We recommend going here for a night out with friends, especially if you’re able to order a margarita – we hear they’re the best in town!  I personally recommend going here only if you actually enjoy Mexican food.  If you’re like me and would rather eat almost any other type of ethnic food, or if you have a zero tolerance for spicy food, you’re options are severely limited at Continental Divide.  It’s not like at Mono Loco where you can pick from a variety of non-spicy, savory burritos.  So seeing no other option, I had to put on my big girl pants when ordering my quesadilla.  But this is also good news for those of you who are always up for a good Mexican restaurant – my compadres were very excited about the menu choices.   Just depends on who you are, I guess.

Service: 4.25/5

¡Muy rápido!  Our water glasses were always filled and even though the place was moderately full on a Saturday afternoon, we got our food in good time.  The only problem was I can’t recall our waitress ever smiling, which can be a nice touch, you know?

Atmosphere: 3/5

“Too Small. Too Noisy. Too Crowded. Too Bad.” – Their words, not ours, but it kind of hits the nail on the head. One exception: we’ll also add “Too Dark.”

Price: 4.5/5

You won’t pay less than $10 for a meal, but you won’t pay much more than that either, unless of course you start ordering from the drinks menu.  It’s not as cheap as going to Baja Bean, but still reasonable for the “off the corner” experience.

Food: 5/5:

Truth is, we got some pretty great food.  Even I enjoyed it!

Ret Hot Blues - 5/5 - Homemade nachos with goat cheese, red onion, and homemade salsa. A delicious twist to a classic Mexican dish!

Santa Fe Enchilada - 5/5 - There's a good spicy kick to this one. Huge portion - this one made my friend fuller than a stuffed jalapeño pepper! Rice and beans were a great added touch, too.

Written and Compiled by: Stephanie Faires and Elizabeth White

The Continental Divide is open M-Tu: 5pm-12am;  W: 2pm-9pm;  Th-Su 5pm-11pm.

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July 3, 2012

Bluegrass Grill and Bakery

313 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA

Nestled next to the X-Lounge near the Downtown Mall lies a quaint venue that serves a mean omelette.  Bluegrass reminds small town folk like myself of their local country kitchen with a family friendly atmosphere and waitresses that are standing by to top off your morning cup of coffee.   The extensive breakfast menu is almost overwhelming, only because everything sounds delicious.  Go to Bluegrass if your family is in town for the weekend or need some comforting, hearty breakfast food to ease that killer hangover.  It’s a great place for a college student who wants and good quality morning meal at an affordable price.

***Please note, WUVA visited this local favorite on a Tuesday morning with no wait.  On weekends be prepared for long wait times (up to 2 hours) as this place is VERY small with only 10-12 tables.

Menu: https://hungryhoo.com/restaurants/the-bluegrass-grill/menu/

Service: 5/5

It took less than 15 minutes for our party of 5 to get our food, and our coffee cups were always full.  For a bunch of hungry, sleepy college students, that’s about all you need.

Atmosphere: 4/5

Homey and comfortable, Bluegrass on a sunny, Tuesday more was a delightful experience. However, it’s a small space and can get cramped.

Price: 5/5

Most of the omelets have a price tag higher than $8, but there are plenty of cheaper options.  We all left with very full bellies, but forked out no more than $10.

Food: 4.25/5

We walked in expecting satisfying breakfast food, and that’s exactly what we got.  The food wasn’t at all fancy or world class, but nothing tasted bad at all.  Here are some photos:

Bluegrass in one word: Quaint.

Each of us were sure to get their signature side, a homemade biscuit - 4.5/5 - Not you're typical biscuit and a tad crumbly...but still very good and original.

Homemade Granola with Yogurt and Strawberries - 5/5 - Loved the homemade granola!

Joan Marie's Special Omelet - 5/5 - Cream cheese was delicious, and the veggies seemed very fresh!

Belgian Waffle with Biscuit - 4/5 - Waffle was a bit overcooked but had a great taste.

Written and Compiled by: Stephanie Faires and Elizabeth White

Bluegrass Grill and Bakery is open Tu-Fri: 7am-2pm;  Sat: 7am-8:30pm;  Sun:8:30am-8:30pm.  Again, be prepared for long waits on weekend mornings.

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June 28, 2012

Citizen Burger Bar

212 E. Main Street, Charlottesville, VA

Located at the Downtown Mall, Citizen Burger Bar is a brand new, upscale sports bar. They have a unique focus on creating their menu items from fresh produce and local meats, cheeses, and bread (the house brioche buns are delicious!). Their menu has specialty burgers, salads, a make-your-own burger option, and other sandwiches. If you’re looking for a good place to bring a date or casually watch a sports game, then Citizen Burger is a good place for you!
Here’s the menu: http://citizenburgerbar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Citizen-Burger-Bar-Food-Menu.pdf

Service: 4/5
The waitress was very nice and helpful. However, it took longer than expected to get our food (roughly 25 minutes).

Atmosphere: 5/5
The lighting was dim, and rock music played softly in the background. It’s an upscale sports bar where people are dressed in nicer, casual attire and politely drink at the television-lined bar. Laid back, open atmosphere.

Price: 3.5/5
The specialty burgers average about $13. We thought the price was a little high, but not unexpected for a Downtown Mall restaurant.

Food: 4/5 Overall

The Southern - 4/5 - Juicy burger, pimento cheese was a nice change from the typical cheddar.

Lobster BLT - 3/5 - Too much bread, not enough meat. But still not bad

Citizen Burger - 4/5 - The Brioche Bun and fried pickle made this an excellent dish! We recommend substituting the sweet potato fries as a side dish.

The overall inside of the restaurant. There's also a seating area outside.

CB has an open kitchen.

Sport's Bar (We watched the first round of the NBA draft from our table)

Citizen Burger Bar "brands" their Citizen Burger

We got one of those fancy bottles of water.

Author: Stephanie Faires, Emily Caldwell, Elizabeth White

Citizen Burger Bar 11-9pm for lunch and dinner. On weekends it is open from 8-11am for breakfast and serves lunch and dinner until 9:00.

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June 18, 2012

Zazus Fresh Grille

2214 Ivy Rd. #111, Charlottesville, VA

On Friday morning, my roommate and I drove over to Zazus Fresh Grille off of Ivy Road. I had long heard about their delicious breakfast burritos but had never tried one for myself. I always thought that breakfast and a burrito were two things that shouldn’t be put together. Despite my reservations, I thought I would give it a try.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the kitchen was busy with the employees preparing the day’s food. Everything at Zazus is made fresh daily in the restaurant. The menu for breakfast is small, but there are tons of ways to customize each burrito. I opted for a chorizo, egg, and cheese burrito with black beans and salsa. My order totaled to $3.43, a fine price on a college budget. Not to mention, the burrito was stuffed full and twice the size I expected it to be.

As we ate, Christine and I didn’t talk to each other. It may have been a combination of how tired we were (we got there right as the restaurant was opening) and how good the burrito was, but I quickly dismissed any notion that you I shouldn’t have a breakfast that includes black beans and salsa. The service was quick and friendly, the food was delicious, and for just under $4.00, the burrito filled me up until lunch. Zazus is a perfect place to stop for a healthy and delicious breakfast on a budget.

Author: Elizabeth White

Menu: http://www.zazusfreshgrille.com/menu/

Zazus Fresh Grille is located at 2214 Ivy Road #111, just minutes away from UVa grounds. It is open Monday through Friday from 7-10am for breakfast and 11-9pm for lunch and dinner. On weekends it is open from 8-11am for breakfast and serves lunch and dinner until 9:00.