spotlight on ivy road house
At the intersection of Routes 240 and 250 sits a restaurant 15 years in the making: Ivy Road House. The creation of Chef Christian Kelly — also chef and co-owner of Charlottesville staple Maya — and co-owners, opened in December. And although the debut is undoubtedly a bit different than they imagined, the tenured team is rolling with the punches.
“We’re all learning new stuff, and opening brand new, you have to be diligent about not getting complacent and letting the pandemic fatigue creep in, especially now while trying to implement really sound and safe practices,” says Ivy Road House Chef de Cuisine Malek Sudol.
Located in Ivy, Virginia, the restaurant is currently just open for takeout. Previously holding stints at Charlottesville establishments Oakhart Social and The Whiskey Jar, Sudol says this has allowed them time to hone in on everything from execution of dishes to mastering takeout.
“We’ve had really positive feedback with to go food, so I’m confident when people eat inside it will be higher level off satisfaction because it will be right out of the kitchen to the table,” he says.
The menu at Ivy Road House is reflective of American cuisine, aka, a melting pot of flavors and influences, something that has been beneficial for both the culinary team and diners.
“It leaves a lot of play for us to do cool and interesting things and test the waters,” says Sudol, an Albemarle County native. “We cater to everybody, and we want this to be an everybody place.”
Popular dishes include the house-roasted half chicken, with vegetable pearled cous cous, onion jam and maple glaze, and a braised pork shoulder with a gochujang glaze fried rice, cabbage, onion, garlic and a fried egg.
“We want it to be very approachable and look familiar to people, and we want to gain trust and get people interested,” says Sudol, who notes they Ivy Road House features an in-house bread program that will continue to flourish and grow. “But it’s also about how can I make something everyone has had before more interesting.”
An industry veteran, Sudol says he’s been using Cavalier Produce ever since entering restaurant kitchens. “I have a lot of experience with Cavalier Produce, they’re our main produce supplier.”
That familiarity has been helpful while embarking on the uncharted journey of opening a restaurant during the pandemic.
“It really makes a big difference,” he says of their relationship. “It’s definitely easier with everything that’s so new to us. With the opening it’s been nice to fall back on something familiar like Cavalier.”
Along with their normal menu, Ivy Road House is offering family meals, including a roadhouse sampler that allows diners to try a variety of things and a vegetarian-friendly option, both meant to feed four. Stay tuned for the restaurant to open for indoor dining in the near future.
Written by our guest blogger Eileen Mellon
