City Spotlight: Charlottesville

City Spotlight: Charlottesville

Charlottesville brings to mind three things: Thomas Jefferson, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and GOOD FOOD! Seriously though, the folks in Charlottesville are doing locally sourced RIGHT. C-Ville is smack-dab in the middle of an agricultural hotspot and the local produce served in restaurants, markets, and cafés is majorly yummy. Charlottesville is a college town, sure, but has a vibrant social scene and the local restaurant scene has exploded in the last few years, making it a must-visit spot for foodies all over the Commonwealth.

Strawberry Linzertorte Cookies

Strawberry Linzertorte Cookies

These linzertorte cookies, especially in their original heart-shaped incarnation, are the perfect bake sale cookie. What makes the perfect bake sale cookie? Let’s not mince words: Looks matter. Of course, taste matters, too. But it’s a lot less likely that the 8-year-old coming out of the supermarket is going to insist that her parents buy a sandwich bag of lumpy, homely oatmeal cookies than a neatly wrapped cellophane package of crisp, jewel-like, enticingly heart-shaped biscuits. These cookies are not only beautiful, however, they’re also legitimately delicious.

VA Spirits Month Recipe: Sazerac

VA Spirits Month Recipe: Sazerac

We’re rounding out our VA Spirits Month Recipe with a classic: The Sazerac. The Sazerac is widely regarded as the oldest known American cocktail, and seeing as Virginia is America’s oldest state–we thought it was a good fit for this project. Sazeracs are usually made with rye whiskey, but when we laid our eyes on Lost Whiskey’s High Rye Bourbon, we knew it would be just right.

Barbecue: Old Dominion Style

Barbecue: Old Dominion Style

You can be forgiven for being unfamiliar with, even skeptical of, the term “Virginia barbecue.” When most people think barbecue epicenters, they probably think North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Kansas City—but not necessarily the Old Dominion. And while you’ve long been able to enjoy fantastic American barbecue in the state of multiple styles, homegrown Virginian preparations are enjoying a smokin’-hot, finger-lickin’-good revival well worth celebrating.