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Why Bizou?
“In March 1991, in a small space on a then-desolate downtown mall, two young chefs, one from France and one from West Virginia, opened a restaurant that would shape Charlottesville dining for decades. The French chef was Vincent Derquenne, the West Virginian Tim Burgess, and their restaurant was called Metropolitain. In 1995, it moved to a larger space on Water Street before closing in 2002.”
Grilled Banana Bread at Bizou “I have attempted to recreate this at home to no avail. Bizou does it best.”
Meatloaf for Four, for a Year
In Bizou’s early days, it ran a “Sorry, Mom” ad campaign, as in “Sorry, Mom, we’re going to Bizou tonight.” Win the Bizou auction, and you will be apologizing to mom all year long for choosing Bizou over her cooking. Anytime you want, you may walk into Bizou and pick up a meal-to-go featuring one of Charlottesville’s signature dishes: Bizou’s “Classic Meatloaf.”
“It’s crazy and cozy at the same time”
I recently returned to the same booth where I enjoyed those rabbit quesadillas more than 20 years ago. The place looks much the same—diner-like décor with salvaged jukeboxes in each booth. “It’s not brand new and shiny,” says Derquenne. “It’s crazy and cozy at the same time. I think sometimes that’s what we want.”
“civilians love Bizou”
With dozens of locally owned shops and eateries, the mall is always bustling. For dinner, civilians love Bizou, an old-style French cafe featuring framed movie posters, zinc-topped tables, and a comfort-food menu with creative twists.
Union Station Train Will Take You to the Best Parts of Virginia Wine Country
Cà ed Balos Dolcetto d'Alba 2016
Piedmont, Italy, $20
I found this wine entrancing from the first sip. The color is deep ruby, the aromas burst with ripe flavors of dark cherries, plums and maybe a hint of citrus peel. And the flavors would not quit. Stock up and keep this on hand for those nights when pasta, pizza and abbondanza are on the menu. But hurry: Only 150 cases were produced. Hopefully some of them will show up in more stores soon. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent.
Distributed by Simon N Cellars: Available in the District at A. Litteri, MacArthur Beverages; on the list at Bibiana, Lupo Verde. Available in Virginia at the Italian Store in Arlington, Leesburg Vintner in Leesburg, Tastings of Charlottesville and Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville; on the list at Bizou in Charlottesville.
In Charlottesville, Bizou owners Vincent Derquenne and Tim Burgess pioneered a push toward local, high-quality ingredients with Metropolitain restaurant (now Bizou) on the Downtown Mall.
New Virginia Cuisine: Though Local Food Scene Shifting Quality Remains
You can’t go wrong with the age-old combination of tomatoes and mozzarella. But you can go even more right when you combine housemade mozz with local heirloom tomatoes at the height of freshness.
And that’s just what you get with Bizou’s caprese salad special: a bed of baby arugula topped with creamy cheese and slices of heirloom varieties like Mr. Stripeys, fresh basil, oil and a balsamic reduction. “We change it up a few times during the season,” Bizou chef Brett Venditti says. “We might use garlic olive oil, sometimes a basil oil, or do a burrata.”
Just over two years later, Burgess and Derquenne (then 25 and 23 respectively) were itching to open a restaurant together. With little money to bankroll the effort, the options were limited. A dive on the Downtown Mall called Fat City Diner was one of the few sites they could actually afford, in part because it was near the site of a recent murder. “Dead and scary,” is how Burgess described the Mall at that time.
Chateau Moulinat 2015/2016
Bordeaux, France, $16
Textbook Bordeaux, offering the traditional “pencil” graphite aromas over scents of plum, cherry and blackcurrant. And the wine kept getting better over a few days, suggesting it will last for several years in your cellar, and will reward decanting if you can’t wait. Sustainably farmed, it is packaged in a traditional wooden box for a case. Since I wrote this up in April, the wine has moved to the 2016 vintage and the price has gone up a bit. That shouldn’t deter you from trying it. ABV: 13 percent.
…on the list at Alley Light and Bizou in Charlottesville, Can Can Brasserie, Cask Cafe, Saison and Rowland in Richmond.
