With the second restaurant week preparing to fire up on the 25th of this month, many of the eighteen participating locations are already starting to accept reservations, and a few have released their prix fixe menus for the event. This round has more than doubled the number of choices from 8 to 18, and some owners are wondering if this may be too many.
“The idea has always been to turn people onto restaurants they may not have experienced before, and try to build repeat customers,” one participating owner informed us (off the record), “but with this many places, it’s quite a bit less selective, and we didn’t know there would be this many involved when we signed up.”
Chris Straker, restaurant manager for The Pointe, offered another take on the increased number of choices.
With the overall success of the first event last July, and with as many restaurants which were forced to tell people they were booked solid, it’s a great idea to open it up further. We have already had a significant response, and accepted roughly 10 reservations just after releasing our menu selections, with more calling in every day.
The $26 per person will grant you a special menu, typically consisting of an appetizer, entrée, & desert course of your choice. Another change this year is an included $1 donation to the Blue Ridge Food Bank, so not only can you try out new locations at a discount, you can help support those in need. Are you planning to attending this, and if so, what location has you excited your appetite the most? [Info]
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Would also go for Camino, C&O, Blue Light and Boar’s Head…Letoile should be full!
C&O was the weakest restaurant i went to last year.
i’ll elaborate: it’s weak to 1) serve regular menu items, esp those that are meh, 2) take half an hour to find a bottle of wine the waiter has recommended, 3 have a waiter who can’t pronounce beaujolais, & 4) have a waiter who takes an empty wine bottle when a table isn’t even done with their entrees & doesn’t ask if they want another (although, i suppose if it had taken him another 30 minutes, we would have been done by then). although the walls do smell nice there, & the bread is good.
Duh! Restaurant Week has nothing to do with promoting restaurants – this is the brainchild of THE HOOK who have only one mission in mind – generate alternativce revenue. They charge each restaurant $800 to be listed so there is no advantage to them to keep it limited. The porn lovin’ publisher fantasized this while in NYC one time during Restaurant Week. Brilliant!
“many of the eighteen participating locations are already starting to accept reservations”
they opened up reservations like three weeks ago.
if people are stupid enough to pay $26 for a meal at aberdeen barn, Brasserie Montiel, carmello’s, H&H, the boat house, melting pot, the pointe, or vivace, they deserve to eat there. discerning people will eat at the same restaurants as last year (except, obvi, the boat house & H&H).
Anyone who did both the country club restaurants – fossets and boar’s head – last go round got an opinion on which was better?
fossett’s, definitely. though boar’s head was good. if i knew how to do things with photos on the interwebs i’d show you what we had.
i’d say fossett’s > l’etoile > boar’s head > cassis >>> C&O.
Thanks! I went to l’etoile last time and we’re going again, but I wanted to try another restaurant too.
boar’s head was amaaaaazing this year. i didn’t go last year, though. i’d say definitely go if you can.
Fossett’s was quite good this year; try the bass chowder as the first course.
has anyone ever been to Brasserie Montiel? I haven’t heard anything about that place.
its sister restaurant, the mexican place downstairs, is v meh. when i went (for a dumb chick’s bday) it was full of HS prom dates, if that’s any indicator, and it is. my steak was overcooked ridiculously, & ended up not being worth the wait to get it cooked properly: i should have just returned it & eaten somewhere else.
are you talking about Cocina del Sol or Brasserie Montiel?
the former.
which would be helpful if I asked about Cocina del Sol
they’re owned by the same person so i conclude they’re both meh. why are you being cunty?
does anyone else think that’s hilarious? I do.
La Cocina del Sol in Crozet = delicious
Me too. Using the word cunty is ridiculous
i think it’s pretty cunty of orchid to steal sarah silverman’s catchphrase like that
actually, i took it from belmont yo.
I’ve been to both restaurants, I actually used to work at both. I’m sorry orchid had a “meh” time, obviously bad choice on prom date night…just imagine being one chef cooking for all those little DB’s. Anyway the food is usually great, and upstairs, Brasserie Montiel is fantastic. During the day they serve “the best breakfast in town” (as I used to be told by customers) until 3 everyday. From tuesday through saturday nights the lights go down and a finer French-Cajun inspired menu is offered, everything is delicious, particularly the jambalaya , the spinach and goat cheese salad, the salmon and the free range chicken breast. All the desserts are fab, pick something that sounds like your fave and it will be. At night, if your waiter seems to be a tall handsome spanish man, he’s the owner…say some nice things and he’ll probably give you a present…oh and the Brasserie also has a full coffee bar with specialty coffees…but don’t ask to see a list, there isn’t one, get creative they have a good selection of flavors.
GO to the BRASSERIE you won’t be disappointed…it does get very busy on Sundays, any other day it should be quiet and intimate. The Eggs Benedict is wonderful, as are the omelets!
thanks
Oh no, our secret’s out, now we will never get a table. We love the Brasserie. We live west of 29 and have eaten here often – the owner is charming and a wonderful chef, wish he did the cooking more often, but I think he enjoys working out front more these days. My guess is he will be in the kitchen during ‘Restaurant Week’ – that’s quite an ambitious menu he’s offering, but he is totally capable of pulling it off. Give it a try – oh, and there is plenty of free parking, big plus.
I will be serving Ramen Especial at Rancho Notso Grande. An affordable dish, attractively presented by a friendly limping waitstaff. Paired with cheap sake, it makes for a briny, yet satisfying dining experience.
I still have plenty of reservations left, so…
no official participation from “us” in resto week but i did bring in some nice juicy pork ribs which i smoked all day (throat very sore from last hit,) ginormous sea scallopssss the size of vulvas, blood sausage to help with the scallops, oysters, stone crab claws, veal cheeks, brick-oven pizzas, and a few other nice things to warm you up on a cold, noisy belmont evening. u get the picture. salty. scintillating. sassy. saucy.
I’m headed in, save me a seat.
just what I’m looking for in sea scallops. comparable in size to lady parts.
Just walked back from Mas (last time walking for three weeks damnit!) and all i have to say is big ass fatty scallops = mouthgasm. Jesus. Just wow. Also recommended: the prickly pear margarita. Best cocktail I have had in, like, forever. Also, whomever was shooting off fire works in the snow… you rock.
/b yo out. see u in a few, if i live.
how’s the peg leg mate-ee?
Just got upgraded from 2 crutches to 1 by my PT today. Should be hobbling manually by Sunday. Stitches come out next wed. Then who knows? My main drag is that my car is a manual, so I aint gots no whip, yo. Seeing as I just ate my last box of 4 year old rice-a-roni, I’ll be seeing you as soon as possible.
/i really should get an eyepatch… arrrr
tomas I love that you metaphored those scallops with lady parts. also love that you have veal cheeks. do you ever do any other weird cuts/organ meats? i would like to do some huevos de torro or something else weird like you see on that Travel channel show.
sorry to answer so late Dr.,. yes, when the local livestock folks carve ‘em up there’s always some “huevos”, sweetbreads, livers, kidneys, oh my. my faves are the lamb sweetbreads from DoubleH or Caromont Farms, the rabbit livers from Green Fence Farm, and the pig heads from either Double H or any other pig harvester. we actually made some kick-ass headcheese not too long ago. we try not to waste anything and i’ll cook it all from asshole to appetite.
please please please have lots of bunny & duck items this weekend, tomas. duck-bunny soup was one of the highlights of my winter.
done and done. manana, duck-bunny luv. also cream of morel soup, more vulva scallops, and veal cheeks, short ribs braised in coconut, ginger, chilis and basil – and oh, a new pizza we just started w/ saffron leeks, cheese, custard – ti’s like a yummy onion quiche in a crust
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
i’d love to recommend you do some sicilian style coniglio al chocolat (rabbit with chocolate sauce).
can do. we already make a duck confit w/ amarga (bitter Venezuelan chocolate) and ancho chili glaze – coniglio would work too – maybe saturday this week look fer it – wabbits just arrived w/ quackers. i’ll confit both manana. also rabbit livers came in – it seems every v-day we are skewering or grilling or stuffing a soft, cuddly animal. just finished duck-bunny stew (caserola de cazadores) – perfect for windy days w/ a good red w/big shoulders like Letras or Prima or a hefty beer like chimay, b lue mountain nitro porter
sweet baby jesus, this the first time i’ve agreed with you, dr. rotinaj.
tomas, i’ll be there saturday for sure!
I love being married, but man I really loved going out to dinner as I did all the damn time when I was in my 20’s and 30’s…
My wife is a chiseler and we just don’t eat out very often anymore. Maybe three or four times a year now? I miss Mas, Duners, and The Clifton Inn the most…
I think the next time I have a certificate to give away you will have two shots at it. Did you not even get to try something for restaurant week?
Thanks! No, no res. week for me. I did cook a couple of awesome meals, though. In my next life I’m going to to culinary school, and becoming a less snarky, not as skiny version of Tony Bourdain.
L’etoile was beyond belief incredible. All food tasted like cardboard in comparison for the next two days.
i’m glad!
I’ll revise my earlier statement: duck bunny soup is the best food ever!! Hope there will be some left on Monday. Loved the duck empanada & conejito also!
liv & luv to rok your palate!
Spanish tapas is so 1994, although I acknowledge its only come to Charlottesville in recent years with the opening of Mas and the now defunct Si Tapas. I want to know what the next big food craze will be. Any guesses?
We’ve seen fusion, simple dishes done with organic/top-notch/local ingredients, small plates, deep-fried anything, gastronomy, gastropubs, offul, macrobiotic and mini-food. Hell, Melting Pot brought fondue back and Cosi dusted off the old campfire traditions of S’mores with sterno pots.
What’s next? Tomas, would you care to answer?
i think it is the time of the latino-fusion with anything. ate at some truck vendors in the big cities and it will split two ways: eco-conscious with safe, vegan local tidbits for a lotta dough for the Prius/and or socially responsible crowd, or insanely tasty korean-mex with bbq shortribs tacos and such for the Belmont Yo in everyone. witness the response to taste of china, aqui es mexico. i think truck or cart food will replace dated brick and mortar spots like MAS because how many chichi light fixtures can you take? the irony is these tweeter trucks or carts are so popular, people are still so hungry for authentic, unpretentious food they still end up waiting in lines that reach around the block. but the key is the social networking. it trumps print ads and tv like they’re standing still. wait, they are!
this may sound crazy to those who know i’ve made alot of baconliciousdishes but we do need a good, really good veggie venue. it’s all about the materials and strongest materials round these parts are veggies, some stone fruits and berries, and cheeses. goats are coming on locally but are we ready for a “goats r us” outlet?
truthfully it’s all been done already. even the latest “catch and cook” trend has got people behaving like early jamestown. the science-lab food experiments continue in very high-end venues, but they are just deconstructing what was fine before. i think we’ve all had it with that kind of cheekiness. the truth is flavor wise, preparation-wise it’s back to farms (not foams) for a rebuilding of people’s palates because we’ve forgotten how a ripe strawberry tastes, or fresh fish, or just raw milk. the beauty of ethnic diversity is that these simple traditional preparations bring that unvarnished presentation right to you without the versimiltude of corporate transmogrification for world-wide distribution. but i am a dinosaur and soon i too will be part of the food chain. solyent green anyone?
holy shit a catch and serve party was in tonight and they are really serious about the concept of killing and preparing your own game/food. they’re not ted nugentish either but cool folks from brooklyn, imagine my surprise
interesting. thanks.
Hopefully, cannabilism. This whole mother fucking town and all the mother fucking people in it are so full of themselves that thousands of years from now when the Flinstones again roam the earth or maybe George Jetson there should be a teeny tiny shrine to this place above all others for myopic weirdness. I’m not even sure how to quantify it. I’m stuck in the vortex. I’ve spent the greater part of the last year in a junior high school malaise. W/ 10 Years After. Somewhat apart and yet wanting to hang w/ the cool kids who are morons w/ questionable ethics. There should be some kind of deprogramming. It’s Jim Jones on mushrooms. I get 80 miles from here and no one even knows this town exists. Maybe it doesn’t. One Way Out. Might be your man..I don’t know.
Mmmm Jonestown. What more could you ask for.
I kid, I kid.
why don’t you pack you bags and leave, kiddo?
I want either some deep intellectual conversion or the trolls and flame wars Ian speaks of. I have no time for the whiny Ima-gonna-crash-my-plane-into-your-IRS-building-cause-capitalism-sucks-and-no-one-likes-me kind of crap.
is this you who used to work C& O?
who me?
sorry, no taliesin