Bluegrass Grill & Bakery

After four years at UVA, I thought I had exhausted all the breakfast/brunch options of Charlottesville. Wafflehouse and Italian Villa are flat out disgusting while the greasiness of the Tavern is probably only good after a night of heavy drinking. We took a trip all the way to Staunton to check out Mrs. Rowe's--despite the excellent service we were all disappointed by the mediocre food (review coming soon). Sadly, it looked like IHOP had surpassed all the rest, especially with half-off night on Thursdays for college students.

But word of a hidden local treasure, the Bluegrass Grill & Bakery, revitalized my search for brunch and I knew it was time for a visit.

We set out before class on a quiet Thursday morning and the place was not too busy. Located next to the X-Lounge downtown, you'd never guess this humble establishment could serve up such deliciousness.

I had the spanankopita omelet that had spinach, feta, and mozzarella cheese accompanied by a fresh honey wheat biscuit and home fries.

Nothing fancy or out of the ordinary, but the home fries were the best ones I've had in Charlottesville. My omelet was quite tasty but I liked my friend's mushroom omelet more. My fellow diners had praise for the pancakes.

It was a little pricey ($7.95) and a heavy way to start the day, but it was overall a pleasant experience and is now the front-runner on my list of local breakfast/brunch places. It is definitely not the cleanest place, but that seems to be a trend I've noticed in most of the restaurants in Charlottesville.

I'd be willing to return maybe one more time before graduation, but I am quite partial to homemade breakfast.

Riverside Lunch

The name is rather deceptive as we ate at this hole-in-the wall at 9PM and did not see a river nearby. Regardless, if you're in the mood for something greasy and are willing to loosen your standards for proper food handling, Riverside Lunch is the place to go. They claim they serve the "Best Burger" in Charlottesville, and I'd say they beat out Five Guys.

Service was attentive and friendly, but they do allow customers to smoke which can become an issue when the place gets crowded.
Despite the large portions, the fries were bland and tasteless.

I ordered a cheeseburger with tomato, lettuce, grilled onions, and grilled mushrooms. I may have been super hungry, but this burger was delicious and dripping with grease. It was also pretty cheap for a local restaurant at $3 for my burger.

This restaurant falls into the category of "one-timers", places that were delicious at the time but were too greasy to return. As a temporary resident of Charlottesville, this is the sort of place that I'd like to go once just to try and say that I've eaten there.