The Italian South
Sarah and I decided to meet for lunch in Charlottesville. She asked where I wanted to go, and I informed her there was only one choice for me: The Expresso Italian Villa.
I discovered the Expresso Italian Villa last year during the weekend that Sarah and Brent were married. My friend Ted and I decided the morning before the wedding to grab some breakfast, so we proceeded to the local IHOP, that bastion of batter and blueberry syrup. We were remiss, though, in showing up to IHOP on a Saturday morning without having called ahead to make a reservation with the maitre'd. When we were informed that there would be a forty-five minute wait just to be seated, we decided to proceed elsewhere.
As we drove south along Highway 29, we discovered a small, non-descript restaurant building with window signage that informed us we could order not only gyros, pizza, and spaghetti, but also barbecue and pancakes. For two simple guys like Ted and me who always seek ways to become more cultured, it was a no-brainer that we should stop in and experience a little taste of Italy, for nothing screams "Buen Provecho!" like pulled-pork barbecue and maple walnut pancakes.
As a side note, I find it amusing that the Villa is named "EXpresso" instead of "ESpresso," so as not to confuse any fellow culturemongers who might stop in for a tasty macchiato only to be told that, "No sir, we do not sell macchi-autos, or any other autos for that matter."
The Expresso Italian Villa also plays all 80's music, all the time, and why wouldn't it? There is no doubt that 80's pop music played an integral part in the development of Italian cuisine during that decade. Forget Pavarotti or Domingo; nothing aids digestion of a spare ribs gyro topped with Cool Whip and strawberries like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." If only I'd remembered to wear my parachute pants!
Well, back to the story at hand. I arrived for lunch at the restaurant before Sarah did. When I ordered a Diet Coke, my waitress, Sherry (real sweet girl), informed me that they only served Pepsi products. As she ran down the list of alternative beverages that I could order instead, she apparently saw my forehead wrinkle as I considered ordering the sweet tea.
Now, you must understand that I am nothing short of a sweet tea snob. If I order sweet tea at a restaurant and it doesn't measure up to my standards of syrupy consistency, I will send it back and order another beverage. Well, Sherry, being the Southern soul sister that she is, read my mind and quickly said, "Oh, it's GOOD sweet tea! I'll bring you some, and you can tell me how it is."
Well, sure enough, Sherry delivered me a large, ice cold glass of sweet tea and waited for my response as I gave it the old taste test. The tea was good; not phenomenal, but good. And being the true Southerner I am, I minded my manners and exclaimed to her, "Oh, my . . . it's delicious," exaggerating the truth for the sake of chivalry.
A large grin sprawled across Sherry's face, and God love her, she did what any Southern woman would be obliged to do: she gave me the lowdown on where else to find good sweet tea in Charlottesville. As it turns out, there's only one other eating establishment with tea worthy of being mentioned in that college town: McDonald's. And, said Sherry, their sweet tea is currently on sale for only 99 cents!
I did not have the time to venture to McDonald's in Charlottesville during my short stay there, but I'll just have to take Sherry's word for it that old Ronald McDonald's sweet tea is fit for a Southern gent. I just hope it's not as fruity as he is.
I discovered the Expresso Italian Villa last year during the weekend that Sarah and Brent were married. My friend Ted and I decided the morning before the wedding to grab some breakfast, so we proceeded to the local IHOP, that bastion of batter and blueberry syrup. We were remiss, though, in showing up to IHOP on a Saturday morning without having called ahead to make a reservation with the maitre'd. When we were informed that there would be a forty-five minute wait just to be seated, we decided to proceed elsewhere.
As we drove south along Highway 29, we discovered a small, non-descript restaurant building with window signage that informed us we could order not only gyros, pizza, and spaghetti, but also barbecue and pancakes. For two simple guys like Ted and me who always seek ways to become more cultured, it was a no-brainer that we should stop in and experience a little taste of Italy, for nothing screams "Buen Provecho!" like pulled-pork barbecue and maple walnut pancakes.
As a side note, I find it amusing that the Villa is named "EXpresso" instead of "ESpresso," so as not to confuse any fellow culturemongers who might stop in for a tasty macchiato only to be told that, "No sir, we do not sell macchi-autos, or any other autos for that matter."
The Expresso Italian Villa also plays all 80's music, all the time, and why wouldn't it? There is no doubt that 80's pop music played an integral part in the development of Italian cuisine during that decade. Forget Pavarotti or Domingo; nothing aids digestion of a spare ribs gyro topped with Cool Whip and strawberries like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." If only I'd remembered to wear my parachute pants!
Well, back to the story at hand. I arrived for lunch at the restaurant before Sarah did. When I ordered a Diet Coke, my waitress, Sherry (real sweet girl), informed me that they only served Pepsi products. As she ran down the list of alternative beverages that I could order instead, she apparently saw my forehead wrinkle as I considered ordering the sweet tea.
Now, you must understand that I am nothing short of a sweet tea snob. If I order sweet tea at a restaurant and it doesn't measure up to my standards of syrupy consistency, I will send it back and order another beverage. Well, Sherry, being the Southern soul sister that she is, read my mind and quickly said, "Oh, it's GOOD sweet tea! I'll bring you some, and you can tell me how it is."
Well, sure enough, Sherry delivered me a large, ice cold glass of sweet tea and waited for my response as I gave it the old taste test. The tea was good; not phenomenal, but good. And being the true Southerner I am, I minded my manners and exclaimed to her, "Oh, my . . . it's delicious," exaggerating the truth for the sake of chivalry.
A large grin sprawled across Sherry's face, and God love her, she did what any Southern woman would be obliged to do: she gave me the lowdown on where else to find good sweet tea in Charlottesville. As it turns out, there's only one other eating establishment with tea worthy of being mentioned in that college town: McDonald's. And, said Sherry, their sweet tea is currently on sale for only 99 cents!
I did not have the time to venture to McDonald's in Charlottesville during my short stay there, but I'll just have to take Sherry's word for it that old Ronald McDonald's sweet tea is fit for a Southern gent. I just hope it's not as fruity as he is.
posted by Ritchie Miller at 12:42 PM
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