We just came back from a wonderful overnight trip to Charlottesville, Virginia. I went to college at the University of Virginia in the late 1980’s and have remained sentimental about the former small town, now small city, ever since.
Bodo's, a sign of good traditional bagels
My friend, Callie, still lives there and still works at UVA (You go girl!) So it was great catching up with her. Hegui and I planned a visit to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s famous home on the outskirts of town. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the building represented on the back of the nickel. This place is a must-see! We took the house tour which was great. But we particularly enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage and gardens around the property.
Callie and me on the UVA Lawn with the Rotunda in the background
On the morning of our visit to Mr. Jefferson’s we went for breakie at Bodo’s. This place first opened on Emmet Street (route 29) just around the time I finished college and moved to Texas. These days, there’s one on the Corner near the University and on Preston by the Omni Hotel on the Downtown Mall, where we stayed.
It’s a bagel place, obviously. What makes it head-and-shoulders better than the competition is the quality of the bagels as well as the pleasing atmosphere, reasonable prices and efficiency and cheeriness of the staff. These bagels are all made on site and have that perfect combination of chewy crust and wonderful dense interior that I always associate with the best bagel shops in New York.
I had the sesame bagel with their homemade honey pecan cream cheese. Callie went for the traditional plain bagel with lox and cream cheese. Hegui had the plain with fried egg and cheese. They were so good that Hegui and I split a second plain bagel with butter. This came right out of the oven, just like my sesame bagel, so it was piping hot and delicious.
To give you an idea of how much we love this place, the last time we came to C-ville was about nine years ago. We have been talking about Bodo’s ever since. If you’re ever visiting Monticello or UVA then you must stop by this charming little place for amazing homemade bagels.
Bodo's street scene
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like a fantastic trip! Beautiful fall colours, Monticello is wonderful…and, of course, Bodo’s is the best! Glad you got to catch up with Callie, too! Hope I can join the three of you next time…
Thanks, Stevie. So glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit!
It was great having you both down here in Charlottesville! (and thank you for bringing down a wonderful sunny day with you when you came
)
I love bagels and you make Bodo’s sound worth visiting!