Leah Deskins ‘21
Professor Liaison Editor
Pearl Island Catering and Cafe
While working alone from my apartment this summer, tucked away from the rest of society, I discovered Pearl Island Catering and Cafe, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.[1] They offer an array of “platters” featuring a meat or vegan protein, kale salad, rice, pigeon peas, plantains, and pikliz (basically Haitian coleslaw). There are also a few other options, but I haven’t tried them yet, so per the Honor Code rules, I won’t make up a review of them here. The platters are reasonably priced, between $7 and $15, and can fuel you for between one to two-and-a-half meals. You can either drive to Pearl Island to pick up your order or have it delivered through a third-party app. I’ve only tried jerk chicken as the protein in the platters I’ve ordered, because why change after you’ve found perfection? It’s filling and flavorful (though I’m pretty sure it gives me heartburn). However, my favorite aspect of each platter is, by far, the plantains. I’d previously never liked plantains, but Pearl Island’s are the perfect mix of crunchy, chewy, and salty, and they taste incredible with the cafe’s aioli. A summer associate classmate commented that she could tell they were good based on how I was eating them, and she made that observation over a WebEx lunch, friends. They’re that good. All in all, I’d give Pearl Island a 9.5/10 (the heartburn, man), and I’d highly recommend it as a fix for your takeout craving.
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Michael Berdan ‘22
Staff Editor
Szechuan Restaurant - 2006 Holiday Dr.
While I am known to be a fairly adventurous—even snobby—eater, I’ll admit that General Tso’s Chicken[2] is my habitual guilty pleasure at Chinese restaurants. Not out of pickiness—I love to go with others and try new dishes—but simply because I find it fun to judge and compare among restaurants. At Szechuan Restaurant, tucked to the side of 29, I get the General Tso’s Chicken extra spicy. The chicken isn’t overbreaded, and it always comes out fresh and blazing hot (the three main criteria for good General Tso’s Chicken). At lunch time, it comes with peppers and onions in a container bursting at the seams accompanied by fried rice and an egg roll, for only $8 and change.
Ann Yu’s parents have owned and operated the restaurant—working twelve-to-fourteen-hour days, seven days a week—for over thirty years. Ann recently ran a campaign for community support through gift certificates during their pandemic closure—that’s how I found them. They’re now open again for take-out. So call ahead, and Ann’s mom will bring your food out and take payment when you arrive. You might even catch Ann’s dad picking squash or other vegetables from the garden out front to make some of the dishes. He will likely greet you with a big smile.
Pictured: Szechuan Restaurant is a family-owned institution. Photo Courtesy of Ann Yu via Charlottesville29.
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lcd4ew@virginia.edu
mwb4pk@virginia.edu
[1] Except for the heartburn aspect. I do not recommend that.
[2] Brought to the United States in the 1970s by famous chef T.T. Wang, GSC is a variation on a dish invented in China decades earlier. When the dish’s original creator, Peng Chang-kuei (former banquet chef for the Chinese government prior to the Communitst Revolution) came to NYC and opened his own restaurant, he was angry, because everyone thought he had stolen the name from Wang, and customers were disappointed at how different the dish was (the original is not deep-fried, and its sauce is not sweet). Eventually he caved and started making Wang’s version.