Gotta Go Aqui Es Mexico

Fabio's New York Style Deliciousness!

Whenever we hear anyone say that they just can't get a truly great slice of pizza in Charlottesville, we tell them about Fabio's. It's very popular amongst the locals, and in the world of food, that loyalty speaks loudly!

We won't let anyone say a word about Cville pizza until they've found this hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop treasure five minutes off the downtown mall.

One of the owners, Jason, confirmed today that they make their own dough in house, their own marinara, and their own Italian House dressing. All phenomenal.

Below is a picture of their Pizza Roll Calzone (Pepperoni, Mozzarella):




Their Veggie Sub (grilled fresh mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, black olives with a touch of italian dressing and topped with melted provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo):



Onion Rings:



House Tossed Salad (crisp iceberg lettuce, red onions, red cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, green peppers and tomatoes) served with their awesome Homemade House Italian Dressing:



...And we decided not to put the picture of the vegan eggplant parmigiana hot sub up, because it- without the aesthetic appeal of the bubbly mozzarella- in no way gave the amazing dish justice. If you've gone vegan- GO here and order this! Deep fried with outstanding, fresh marinara sauce on their light, delicious sub rolls. PHENOMENAL! We did not even miss the cheese!

Closest to NYC taste and presentation you will get here in our city. Get yourselves their asap! Very pizza-ri-a-esque atmosphere.

Buon Appetito!

Free Medium Pie with the purchase of another one when you use your Attractions Coupon! You'll be able to get the 2011 edition directly from us next month!

Love Affair with the Omni

Do you remember how Audrey Hepburn's character, Holly, would go to Tiffany's when she had the blues or the mean reds in Breakfast @ Tiffany's? The Omni is my Tiffany's. The palm trees, high ceilings, beautiful fountain, world class service, and phenomenal food inspire memories of Bermuda- all 5 minutes away from our home in the University Area.

What could this beautiful hotel have to do with living it up in Charlottesville on a mere Shoestring, you wonder?

It is the very embodiment of the concept. Like Hepburn with her Cracker Jack ring going into Tiffany's for an engravement, you can take the free trolley from the University and get dropped off directly in front of the hotel. For the same price as an easily forgotten meal on the Corner, you can instead bring that $10 bill here and order any one of the many innovative wonders from their lunch menu in an atmosphere that will relax, inspire, and invigorate you.

We love to end our time on the festive downtown mall in this magnificent, air-conditioned oasis.

Executive Chef, Morgan Oliver, stopped by our table with steaming fresh coffee & a plate of croissants while we sat under the palm trees waiting for the lunch shift to start after our jaunt @ the farmer's market across the street.

Passionate about both food & service, Oliver shared with us his commitment to using 40% local ingredients in his menu- including the Polyface Farm chicken that we ordered on Foccacia bread with sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and basil mayonnaise.

I had never had their lump crab cake topped with aoili, perfectly accompanied by the lightest, butteri-est challah bread that I have ever had:



Why any work-wary local would spend their lunch break at any other spot in town is beyond me! My husband faithfully orders their bacon cheeseburger, which is a hard burger to compete with.

There's just something about wiping ketchup from your lips with a starched, white cloth napkin. It can inspire gratitude to replace even the meanest of reds.

Be Well!
~A & L

Note: the Attractions book has a couple of buy one, get one free coupons to this find, so grab a book & go with a companion. Before tip, the two of you will have lunch for $5 each!

Starting in August, you will be able to buy the 2011 directly from our site!

Soul Food at Eppie's

Can you believe it? Eppies provides great food at a great price!! A fun time for the whole family.

Cavalier Diner

Anwar came home late, and asked if I would go watch him eat, since I had just finished dinner. I had two of the best onion rings I've had in CVille, a delicious, hot french fry, a bite of a pickle, several sips of fountain diet pepsi, and a bite of Anwar's bacon cheeseburger. I say- YUM! GO!!! based on these samplings.

Aside from the onion rings, my highest praises go to Christina, who is quite possibly one of the most pleasant, capable, helpful servers we've ever had in Charlottesville. She was discreet, tidy, upbeat, happily chatted through Anwar's extensive questions. "What are your favorite dishes?" "Are you sure this soda isn't flat?" (She ran the fountain for a second, and it came back fizzy and delicious). "How many free refills do I get?" "How much are the desserts?" "What's the thriftiest way to go for an appetizer?" (We are "Charlottesville on a SHOESTRING", after all!) She was efficient, looked to be helpful, was confident, and really invited us into a wonderful, comfortable place to relax and catch up on what happened during the day.



The atmosphere is American diner. Clean, bright, delicious, affordable food. You can get breakfast all day. Pizza, Gyro & Souvlaki, Calzones, etc. Think diner good. I'd like to go back and give the Stromboli a whirl. Nice, fresh date spot. A place to remember when you're flying down 29, hungry, don't plan to spend too much on dinner, and are making the intelligent choice of avoiding fast "food", while supporting a local, family owned spot- and hope to do so without hardly any wait. The $2.10 order of the phenomenal onion rings is a very good way to have a little sampling with the family while they put your dinner together.

Will go back again and again.

Be Well!
-A & L

1403 Emmet Street
6 am - 12 Midnight, Fri & Sat
6 am -10 pm, Sun-Thur
977.1619

We've Got the Millmont Grille Blues

Thankful for the Attractions book for taking us on another adventure, on a considerable shoestring! We won't be going back for dinner, maybe well give the lunch menu a shot, but you know what's best for you!