Recently, Heather and I attended my 10-year reunion at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, VA. We decided to stay in Charlottesville, VA with friends at an Air B&B. Charlottesville is a quaint college town, much like Chapel Hill, that offers a great food scene. When we arrived in Charlottesville, we met friends at a burger joint, Citizen Burger, located at the Downtown Mall. This place came highly recommended from a friend who lives in the area. We chose to sit outside to enjoy their expansive outdoor seating area and soak up the beautiful weather. We skipped the appetizer and went straight for the entrees. Honestly, it was a tough choice as the menu of burgers is very impressive! Heather picked the Little Bleu which is a "griddle-smashed grass-fed mini Angus" burger topped with buttermilk bleu cheese dressing, onion straws, Duke’s mayo, BBQ sauce sandwiched in a grilled potato roll. I decided to order the Citizen burger which is their house burger that is a 100% grass-fed beef topped with McClure swiss cheese, black onion, garlic aioli, iceberg lettuce, tomato sandwiched in a brioche and served with a fried pickle. We both ordered a side of fries which are house made from fresh potatoes (YUM!). The thing that you could really taste the difference in was the meat which is from local farmers and it is never frozen. It literally was one of the best burgers we had ever had! Go by there if you are in the area.
As the weekend progressed, we had events on the Woodberry campus so we dined there several times except for Sunday when we were heading back home. Some of our friends from New York City who attended the University of Virginia wanted to reminisce and have breakfast at the popular, Bodo's Bagels. This is a local favorite that offers three locations in the Charlottesville area. We immediately recognized what a favorite it is when we pulled up and the line was wrapped around the building. Luckily the line did move quickly, and it is well worth the wait! As you can see from the picture, they make excellent bagel sandwiches and have just about everything you would want to put on a bagel. There is something for everyone there. One thing that really stood out was the fact that the bagels are made by a "traditional all-natural recipe" which includes no fats, preservatives, dairy or soy and they only use "unbleached, unbromated flours." Also, along with the bagels, there are salads and sides for every taste! Bodo's Bagels is a must stop for breakfast or a snack if you are in the area. We look forward to having the opportunity to go back to Charlottesville to try more places!