Balkan Bakery baklava

There are places aplenty to get baklava in Charlottesville if you poke around (e.g., Cafe Europa, Ariana's Grill). The Balkan Bakery has a baked-goods stand at the weekly farmers’ market and sells baklava for $5 a hand-sized square. Sure, you can eat it at room temperature, but here’s a better way to savor it: Take it home and heat it up in a toaster oven for a really special dessert. It’ll come out warm and crispy. Add a dollop of ice cream and sail away to obesity.

Farmers' market tacos

You know what makes me happy on Saturday mornings? Farmers’ market tacos. Specifically, these warm bundles of magic:

What do these taste like? Magic. What does that taste like? Chicken. And cilantro. And, of course, cheese.

The tacos themselves are $2.75 each and you have a choice of four different proteins: chicken (my favorite), steak, chorizo and al pastor. Unlike many other ready-made tacos, these come adorned with a confetti of cilantro and red onion, without being too overwhelmingly “oniony.” Sorry, there’s no lettuce to be seen here. Another unique element is the cheese. It’s not the typical grated cheese, but rather a crumbly, milder cheese that doesn’t attempt to compete with the punchy cilantro, zippy salsa, or savory meat.