cVillain

Charlottesville Kitchen Killers

Ian — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:15:09 +0000

To go along with our love for any locally made movie (shorts included), especially one shot @ Escafe & The Upstairs, we wanted to share the trailer for a new film from Paul Whitehead. It tells the sad tale of two restaurants at war, and the casualties and hilarity which ensues. The all-kitchen stars include Liz Porter, Jason Burke, Shakti Sackett, Zhenya Yanovich, Dave Dupont, Jamie Dyer, Nate Tekan, Paul Whitehead, Jonny Timmerman, Demond Harris and Carlos Garr.

There will be two showings associated with the Film Festival, one @ 11:45AM - Vinegar Hill Saturday, and a secondary showing @ 8:00PM – Random Row Books, along with a special screening of another Charlottesville classic, Zeke Hoffmeyer. Both are $Free.

Weekend Preview: Party Party Party & Films Too

Ian — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:20:38 +0000

Friday:

The Paramount - A night of Chopin, at the hands of Emanuel Ax, and with a name like Ax, you know it’s good classical. @ 8:00PM – $39.50 – 54.50 [Info]
Astrolodge - Astronomers CD release party! Our very own music reviewer, Nate, along with band mates Alex & Jamie have finally completed their debut EP – ‘Think Fast’. This was originally destined for Outback Lodge, but has been moved to 2020 Pireus Row (check info for directions). @ 9:30PM - $5 [Info]
The Southern - Hosts Chick Tragic and The Roosters. First it’s the Falsies drummer, now these guys? What’s with all the chickens cropping up around Charlottesville?. @ 6:30PM – $8 [Info]
The Southern - Two events in one night? I’d like to say this venue is definitely doing it up right, especially with the Dirty Pink Polyester part in honor of John Waters, the VA Film Festival number #1 guest. Not only a noted celebrity, but this will also host a CLAW event, and the Charlottesville Derby Dames will be present. This will be a 21 and up event. @ 10:00PM – $10 [Info]

Saturday:

The Paramount – Gets up early and starts an all day Film Fest run, including Pixar Shorts, The Little Mermaid, More Than A Game, …And Justice For All, & the festivals Centerpiece, Mother And Child. @ 10:00AM-7:30PM – $Varies [Info]
Vinegar Hill Theatre – Charlottesville Kitchen Killers! A 30 minute short by local director Paul Whitehead, covering the gruesome battle between the kitchens of Escafe & The Upstairs, all to acquire the recipe to end all recipes. @ 11:45AM – $Free, second showing @ Random Row Books – 8:00PM – $Free [Info]
Culbreth Theatre – The Adrenaline Film Project, a 72 hour film challenge issued @ the beginning of the festival, written/directed/shot/edited/mixed/unmixed/unveiled. @ 10:00PM – $15, with following showing @ Regal 4 @ 10:45AM – $15 [Info]
Live Arts – AFTERGLOW! Come celebrate the 18th annual Arts Gala & Afterglow party, thrown only the way Live Arts can. Tickets get you open bar, dancing, aerialists, and plenty of midnight snacks. @ 11:00PM – $40[Info]
The X-Lounge - It’s a WRAP Film Fest after party, come enjoy the fruits of a weekend well viewed, hang out with friends, festival guests, & film makers. Enjoy the light open bar, snacks, and specially priced signature drink options. @ 10:00PM – $45 [Info]
The Southern - Harper Simon, who recently debuted his self titled album on October 13th, will be performing. @ 8:00PM – $12 [Info]

Sunday:

The Southern - Finishes off the busiest weekend since it’s opening with Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, With Middle Distance Runner and Peasant. @ 8:00PM – $8 [Info]

As always… Any corrections/substitutions/refunds? [Photo Credits]

Club Villain @ Blue Light Grill

Ian — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:41:43 +0000

Drinks
Starr Hill – Love, Northern, Amber, Jomo – $3
Premium Rails – $5

Apps
Curry Clam Chowder – $2
Smoked Trout Rillette w/Toasted Baguette - $2
Apple Cider & Cream Steamed Mussels – $5
Duck Confit Spring Rolls w/Apple Chutney – $5
Lobster & Goat Cheese Dumplings w/ Citrus Lobster Jus – $6

VA Film Fest – Reader Poll

Ian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:17:09 +0000

With the 22nd Virginia Film Festival kicking off tomorrow, and all the screenings surrounding the idea of ‘Funny Business’, we are interested in hearing which of the 80+ movies you readers are interested in watching. [Info] [Photo Credits]

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Outback Lodge – Coed Olympics?

Ian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:24:47 +0000

Details are slightly fuzzy on this one, however, we are hearing rumor that Outback Lodge is continuing it’s battle for strangest events to be thrown in C’ville on a Wednesday, with the Coed Olympic games. This is a follow up to the Girls Jello Wrestling we covered a few weeks ago, and the foam party of last week. We do have to wonder if the lack of higher proof spirits may dull the exhibitions at events such as these. Anyone planning on attending, or perhaps even competing? Is Michael Phelps in the house?

Club Villain – Cassis Wrap

Ian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:31:32 +0000

On October 22nd Cassis hosted our 4th Club Villain event, and Sean Lawford and his staff graciously offered a wide range of food and drink options to sample. One commenter below will be going back to Cassis on us.

Zombie Pub Crawl Photo Set

Ian — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:06:04 +0000

The 2009 ZPC was a putrid, rotting, beer spattered event, which collected around 100LBS of miscellaneous non-perishable food items for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network. Thanks to CYP & WNRN for their assistance. We will be back in March for the St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl, don’t you worry.

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Pad Thai Restaurant Review

John M — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:54:22 +0000

I was sitting at Beer Run’s bar about two weeks ago when some friends of mine wondered if I’d decided upon the next restaurant I wanted to review. After I told them, “No,” they said, “Well, have you been to the Thai place next door?”

“Sure,” I said. “A couple of times.”

“Then you’ve got to go back,” one of them said. “You’ve got to try the chicken wings.”

“Chicken wings?”

“Yeah, chicken wings,” the other said. “They’re not on the menu, but they’re awesome. Just tell Santi we sent you.”

Unable to refuse a secret off-menu dish, my wife and I went to Pad Thai the following week. My friends really must have been in on some kind of secret, because our young waiter had no idea what I was talking about. After he left with a puzzled expression, Santi, the head cook/owner, came over personally to double-check our order. I was worried for a second because he too didn’t seem to recognize the names I was told to drop. Soon, however, after a little shmoozing, he began to nod and smile proudly, and a few minutes later I understood why. The chicken wings, while maybe not traditionally Thai, were the biggest chicken wings I’d ever seen, and they were really frickin’ good. Plump, juicy, and deep fried in a light crunchy batter, they were served with a more-sweet-than-spicy sauce and a few bites of kim chee-esque pickled cabbage. If it were up to me, they’d definitely be on the regular menu.

For her main course, my wife ordered my favorite dish (and hers now as well): the drunken noodles. Made of rice noodles, Thai chiles, fried basil, and large chunks of stir-fried fresh vegetables, a plate of drunken noodles isn’t for anyone with a capsaicin-sensitive tongue, but oh was it good. The vegetables lent just enough sweetness to break through and compliment the spiciness, and the basil rounded out the dish nicely.

Having ordered the drunken noodles twice before, I chose the restaurant’s namesake for my dinner. It was a well put together dish; the noodles were soft, the lime a bit sour, and the bean sprouts and peanuts fresh and crunchy, but its combined flavors just couldn’t stand up to those of the drunken noodles. A little post-dinner research told me that traditional pad Thai is also supposed to contain tamarind, but I did not taste any. It was good though, so I would suggest this dish to those who wanted to try Thai food for the first time.

In contrast to the many flavors of traditional Thai fare, Pad Thai is a relatively simple place. It’s not hip, trendy, or high-end—quite the opposite really: it has a small dining room, few adornments, and a drink cooler near the door. I recently heard someone describe the ambiance there as “sterile,” but I think that’s missing the point. True, the inside doesn’t magically transport me to the back street cafés of Thailand, nor does it tempt me to linger through the evening, but I don’t think it means to. I think the magic lies in the food.

I’ll admit, I’ve never even been close to Thailand. Geographically, the nearest I’ve ever been is Las Vegas in one direction and St. George’s, Bermuda, in the other. Culinarily, however, I believe that Santi is as authentic an Asian cook as any in the area, and his drunken noodles make Thailand seem a whole lot closer, and that, plus the secret chicken wings, are reasons enough for me to keep going.

Note to self: Next time, save room for the mango sticky rice. It sounded awesome.

(Reviewer’s notes: We arrived at Pad Thai shortly after 7pm without reservations, though I’m not sure if they’re accepted. The final bill, including a 20% tip, was $36. Including the above-described visit, I have now eaten at Pad Thai three times.)

Charlottesville Myths – Pavilion Acoustics

Ian — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:58:50 +0000

After attending the Thievery Corporation show, and discussing the audio quality of various performances there, the old myth that the Pavilion suffers from inferior acoustics was brought up again. This rumor has been floating around since the building was constructed, and the C-Ville covered this question back in 2005, also noting the proposed correction, namely installation of the fabric baffles hanging under the outer shell, which prevent reverberation.

Additionally, a study earlier this year showed the decline in audio fidelity discernible by incoming first years at Stanford, indicating that the inherent quality issues within MP3s has actually become the standard by which those in their late teens are judging all audio sources by. So even if the quality was there, many could conceivable misjudge the details due to a lack of audio knowledge.

So, can we collectively call this issue dead, or are there a few audiophiles out there who would still consider it a sub-optimal listening stage?

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Thievery Corporation Photo Set

Ian — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:27:24 +0000

Unbelievable concert last Thursday, they covered everything a fan could wish to hear, including ‘The Heart’s A Lonely Hunter’, which was originally performed with David Byrne of Talking Heads fame. Exceptional performances from each of the band members, combined with beautiful vocals and pounding bass lines mad it easily the best show we’ve seen at the Pavilion. Afterwards, the band easily convinced to try out Ventana, where everyone spent the rest of the evening sampling Michaels tequila wall, and Rob Garza proved to be a fan of the Mayor Anejo. Unfortunately his partner, Eric Hilton, was unable to attend the performance.

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