I’ve been to two new restaurants lately – both were so delicious! Here are the recaps.
First up is Moe’s Original BBQ. Just over 6 weeks old, this new BBQ restaurant exceeded all expectations. We were invited in for dinner in exchange for a blog post.
We met owners Ashleigh and Mike over dinner. They are super nice, and we have so much in common. Moe’s is a franchise much like Great Harvest founded on made-from-scratch food and few rules for owners. Each location is independently owned and the owners put their own stamp on things. Mike runs the back of the house, and Ashleigh oversees the front and the catering. We talked about having dinner again soon because we had a lot to talk about!
MY OTHER RECIPES
Mazen was pumped there was mac and cheese on the menu!
We ordered two different platters off the menu – ribs for Matt and fried catfish for me. Each platter comes with your choice of two sides – tough decision! Matt chose the squash casserole and mac and cheese, and I went with fried green tomatoes and collard greens. Plus each dinner came with cornbread!
I was blown away by the fried catfish, which Mike told us was local from the Rappahannock River. The fried green tomatoes are local too – delicious! Loved the collards – bits of pork inside. Mine also came with two hushpuppies that melted in my mouth. And the cornbread – it had chilis inside and was lightly grilled. SO good.
Picky Mazen even tried the catfish and liked it.
We didn’t taste the BBQ on this visit, but Matt’s ribs were very good, and the squash casserole and mac and cheese both tasted homemade. The mac was really buttery!
There were two dessert options, which you could get as one of your sides or a la carte. We tried both the Banana Pudding and the Mississippi Mud Pie – they were whipped like mousse and the best I’ve had. Loved the cookie crusts!
We left totally full and happy. Thanks to Ashleigh and Mike for their hospitality!
The next day I met Jenée Libby of The Diner of Cville and Edacious podcast for lunch! We had lots to chat about about food, blogging and podcasts, and our restaurant of choice was the new Nude Fude.
Ken and his wife Danielle opened Nude Fude in May located across from Albemarle High School. While it’s not in my ideal location, it’s definitely got my ideal menu!
All of the food is fresh and local, and the menu had me debating between 5 different things – a sign I need to come back to try more!
Ken brought us some of the chilled corn chowder he was testing for an upcoming festival to taste test! I’d never had chilled corn soup, but this was so refreshing, and the bits of bacon hit the spot.
As I mentioned above, I had a really hard time deciding what to order! Jenée and I split the green flatbread with roasted carrots, pesto, chorizo and chevre on top – soooo good!
I decided on the egg salad sandwich with red pepper jelly – as a salad! You can make any of the sandwiches into a salad, which I loved. Sandwiches come with one side, so I chose the chickpeas and cauliflower. Delicious! Loved the raisins.
Ken surprised us with the peach & herb bread pudding topped with a dollop of freshly whipped cream! The bread pudding was almost savory with the rosemary, and the whipped cream the perfect sweet balance.
Nude Fude is open for dinner too. A great spot for healthy gourmet food! For a lot more fun, listen to Jenée’s interview with Danielle and Ken!
Mazen is too cute!!! Love his smile 🙂
I love Moe’s! I vacation in Vail, Colorado with my in-laws every year and our first stop after getting off the plane or after a day skiing is Moe’s!
I love BBQ- Moe’s looks right up my alley. The catfish really does look good!
Oh man, Moe’s looks so good!! I looove a good mac n cheese and cornbread! I’ll have to try it next time I’m in Cville 🙂
As someone who isn’t local I was wondering what is not ideal about the location?
It’s just a bit off the beaten path from the downtown area
Re the locations of Nude Fude: my take is the opposite of yours: I appreciate Ken and Danielle’s choice to locate off 29 North where alternatives for fresh and healthy dining are otherwise limited! Downtown has a wealth of yummy lunch options. I say Bravo! for giving me somewhere besides Whole Foods to grab a great lunch when I am out and about doing errands, or traversing 29 showing clients around…also nice for dinner before a movie at Stonefield!
I’m sure it’s a great location for many! Just not for me as I’m rarely over in that part of town. That’s all I meant!
Kath, that pink top is super cute on you! Is it a StitchFix find? It really brings out your summatime tan. I’m not sure Mazen qualifies as picky if he will try catfish, though! ; )
I live in Mobile, AL but have a sister in Charlottesville. I’m excited to know there is a Moe’s in Charlottesville. The collard’s and cornbread are two of my favorites. Unfortunately, here in Mobile the greens are a special and not on the menu everyday. We went there last night and I had the squash casserole. I don’t know if you are fans of chicken wings, I’m not the biggest myself, but their dry rub wings are the best!!! They are served with a white barbecue sauce, amazing!
The Nude Fude sounds (and looks) delicious!! I love finding new restaurants where I live, what an awesome discovery!
oooh, that flatbread sounds and looks delicious!
Whoa the cornbread looks killer! Like desert island food good. And the flavor profile-bending bread pudding is right up my alley. Looks like you’ve got some fantastic new spots!
We love Moe’s! There is one right outside Charlotte and they have the best smoked turkey! I love the cornbread too!
Hi! I’m not from anywhere near where you live, so I was wondering why the second restaurant is not in your ideal location?
It’s just a bit far from a lot of other things. But not so far we wouldn’t drive over.
Hope we can try them both on upcoming visits! I hope you’re looking for fun ladies room doors for my blog. Thanks!
How fun that you met another young business owning couple! The food looks so good. Would you consider jumping into catering at great harvest?
We do have catering! It’s been great lately.
Oh this sounds delicious! I’d love to go!
I had no idea that Moe’s was a chain! We have one in my hometown and I love it. I don’t think ours has fried green tomatoes though. Yum! This has me craving some good Southern food now!
Hey what’s catfish taste like?
Wow, both of those places look amazing!
Ate at Moe’s/Charlottesville for the first time tonight. My favorite all time BBQ is King’s in Petersburg, VA. Moe’s is as close as I’ve ever come to King’s. Since we have moved to Charlottesville, I intend to take many meals at Moe’s. Excellent Southern food!!!