China King Buffet

We did it. We finally visited the Charlottesville establishment that everyone has been talking about - China King Buffet.

The Buffet is off of 29 in the same shopping center as Whole Foods. The decor is typical of a Chinese Buffet and it is hard not to stare at the ceiling that flashes little white lights like stars - classic. For $12 a piece, 4 of us tried just about everything the Buffet offered including the Mongolian BBQ which I really liked. Make sure you request "not spicy AT ALL". I requested "a little spicy" and felt like my tongue had shriveled up and disappeared. It was hot!

Charlottesville may not have the most gourmet Chinese food options. But China King Buffet is pretty fun and definitely worth checking out - especially the ceiling!

Dinner at South Street Brewery

When our friends from DC came down for a short weekend visit, I was asked to find an easy and affordable dinner spot. I decided on South Street Brewery thinking we could hang out there after dinner and make a full evening out of it. While plans changed regarding our post dinner hang out, we still headed to the brewery for our sustenance. There wasn't enough table space for us all to sit together - kind of a bummer - even though the lady on the phone told me we would all be able to fit at one table. The food was very good and the feeling there is like a way more chilled out Fridays. I had a caesar salad which had way too much garlic on it - not really recommended. Charlie tried to dig in to the massive plate of ribs which he really enjoyed and our two other friends we sat with had chicken pitas. While the food isn't the best of Charlottesville, South Street Brewery has a great vibe and good late night menu. Recommended as a bar but maybe not the best place to check out dinner.

Mono Loco

We took a big group of friends who were visiting from DC to Mono Loco for brunch. I was a little suspicious when we walked onto the patio and sat down - the patio is not the cleanest looking place. My hope - a hole in the wall (which, when they're good are my favorites). Service was a little slow but when we got our food - worth it! The breakfast burritos were delicious and huge. Everyone's food looked awesome. The chips and salsa and guacamole were definitely worth adding to the bill. While the food doesn't quite live up to the breakfasts we had in Austin (I dream about them) it is definitely going to be added into our catalogue of breakfast spots... We'll have to try another meal there in the very near future.

Maya

We took the Dinner Club to Maya for their $12 Tuesday special a couple weeks ago. I love being able to walk to these restaurants. It makes the evening so much more fun and more of an event. You aren't just hopping in a car, eating, and heading back home - there's more to it somehow when you walk (and I guess it's good for you too). Back to Maya - The $12 Tuesday menu is somewhat limited but from what I could tell, you can't go wrong with anything. Maya's menu is not Mexican or southwestern like I had imagined (good research on my part) but it is southern comfort food - delicious. I had the chicken fried chicken (I just had to) with collard greens and mac and cheese (yummmm) as my sides - definitely not a light dinner. Charlie had ribs with green beans and masked potatoes. If you know Charlie at all he is a major green bean and potato eater. Other vegetables rarely enter his repetoire. He claims the green beans were the best he has ever had and the mashed potatoes were excellent. The atmosphere of Maya is casual, relaxed, and not at all stuffy. Word is that they have great live music and delicious martinis. I think we'll be back!

Carmike Theater

I screamed "FIRE" in a movie theater. And then danced up and down the aisles.

Last Monday, Charlie and I went to see "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (yup - he takes me to chickflicks) and there was no one in the movie theater.

Carmike Theaters is past Fashion Square Mall going up 29 North. It's kind of hidden behind Albemarle Square shopping center. While it isn't the most convenient movie theater, they show movies that the other c'ville theaters don't show.

Turk Mountain

Last weekend our friend, Dao, came down to visit us from Washington DC. He had a B-school interview at Darden, so hopefully he will be joining us in Charlottesville next year. Dao is an outdorsy kind of guy (he's single too if anybody is interested!) so we decided we should take advantage of Charlottesville's close proximity to the montains, even though it was only 35 degress and cloudy.

Turk Mountain is in Shenandoah National Park. It is about 15 miles north of the south entrance to the park which is accesible by I-64 and Rt 250. A week pass for the park costs $10 and a year pass costs $30. There is a small parking area at about mile 95 for the Turk Mtn. trail. You start out across the road on the Appalacian Trail headed south, and then shortly dodge right onto the Turk Mtn. trail. The trail takes you down into a valley, and then up along a ridge to the summit of Turk Mountain. The hike is about a mile and a half to the top and is somewhat strenuous, but not too trecherous. At the summit there is a georgeous view of the Shenedoah Valley and all of the other Mountains nearby. The whole expedition took about 3 1/2 hours counting the drive from Charlottesville.

Spudnuts

309 Avon Street

. (period)






Charlie's quote of the morning "Oh-My-God". Really, these doughnuts are fabulous and I now have no remaining sadness that Krispy Kreme is no longer open on 29. Spudnuts has been around forever and clearly they have perfected the art of doughnut making.

These doughnuts are delightful!

Cocina del Sol

I love going out to dinner with a group of people. Don't get me wrong, I also love entertaining at home, but when you go out, no one has to clean up and everyone pays their own way. People are able to eat and drink whatever they want... it's mostly the clean up factor. I feel like group dinners are such a rarity that I started a monthly dinner club for Charlie's Econ friends.

Our first victim - Cocina del Sol.

I ran into it quite by accident as it's next door to a teacher's supply store - Teacher's Edition. After I saw it, I remembered that there is a Cocina del Sol in Crozet that Charlie and I had spotted when we went to a fair and the line had been out the door. The Charlottesville branch is on the corner of Hydraulic and Commonwealth (not visible from 29).

9 of us met this week (UVA's spring break helped with the low numbers) and everyone really enjoyed their food. Charlie had some pineapple adobo taco that he wolfed down. Jeff had the red snapper tacos. I think there were a couple salads ordered and I had the beef burrito. I can't vouch for the margheritas as Charlie's friends have trouble unwinding during the semester but I liked the Corona! The prices are reasonable - I think Charlie and I paid $30 for 2 dinners and drinks.

Cocina del Sol is smaller than I thought it would be but the atmosphere is fun, a little funky, and comfortable. There was only one waiter working as there weren't too many people on a Wednesday night. I would love to see if/how the place fills up on a weekend night. I'm sure it will be fun to try again.

Stay tuned for the next adventures of the Econ dinner club :)

Parking Meters

Parking in downtown Charlottesville is sometimes tough - especially on weekdays during class time for UVA students. Charlie and I usually walk to the Downtown Mall but on the seldom occasion we do drive, we like to park in the lot between Water Street and the South Street Brewery. There are parking meters all over Charlottesville and shock of all shocks (for those of you from DC especially) - one quarter grants you an hour.

It's wonderful!

If you're willing to walk, there are plenty of residential areas with parking right near the Corner or the Downtown Mall.

Verizon

Can you hear me now? Not in Charlottesville. Verizon does not have towers in Charlottesville. Alltell and AT&T are available but no such luck with Verizon. Without towers, service is a little shoddy. Phone calls don't go through without some clicking and clacking before the dial tone starts to ring and the phone usually says you are in and extended network.

Phones work but not without a couple hiccups and glitches everyday.