This past January marked my last Cville restaurant week (at least for awhile). I started going the summer before my second year with my good foodie buddy Anna, found out there was a summer AND winter restaurant week, and haven't stopped eating since. Highlights from this year's foodventures were definitely Maya's inventive and perfectly proportioned sweet potato poutine with sausage gravy and goat cheese (really though, they had me at goat cheese) -- not too much cheese and just the right amount of heat in the sausage -- and The Shebeen's lamb with apricots, because lamb, and because the apricots mixed with the beans and the rice on the side made for a terrifically sweet and meaty combination.
All this consumption has led to the amassing of a base of pro-tips of sorts, which is not to say I consider myself a pro but rather someone who really likes to eat and who is also somewhat miserly and therefore invested in producing the greatest flavor-to-cash spent ratio out of any meal. Anyway the tips are below and the link to the January 2014 restaurant week is here.
All this consumption has led to the amassing of a base of pro-tips of sorts, which is not to say I consider myself a pro but rather someone who really likes to eat and who is also somewhat miserly and therefore invested in producing the greatest flavor-to-cash spent ratio out of any meal. Anyway the tips are below and the link to the January 2014 restaurant week is here.
-The first question, the one I most often hear UVa students ponder, is whether or not restaurant week is actually a good deal. Is $26 (or $36, if we're going full out-bougie) worth it for a meal? After a few years of trying out different places I say yes, especially if the place puts a little extra effort into the dessert. $26 tends to only be a few dollars more than you'd pay for an entree at most of these places anyway. And frequently lackluster desserts aside, the appetizers can get pretty crazy (shrimp! pork belly! foie gras! gold bars! etc.) which make that three course deal worthwhile.
-The second thing I think it's important to consider is whether or not you're going to get screwed over if you're a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes. Most of the menus feature some kind of salad as their vegetarian option, although Petit Pois had a cold pea puree that I still dream about, and the vegetarian entrees tend generally to be less inspired than the meat ones. Cauliflower steak? Bleh. And even options that are mostly vegetarian often feature a key, rapture-inducing meat ingredient. In a related vein I feel like eating vegan would be pretty difficult too, though having never examined the menus with an eye towards veganism I'm not sure if this is the case.
-Thirdly, things to generally avoid: making a reservation the day or even two days before because you won't get a space; desserts with fruit in the winter (unless it's in some kind of preserved form, like a jam); entrees with chicken breasts because c'mon it's a friggin chicken breast; salads because don't do anything with lettuce when there's pork belly or bacon wrapped dates on the appetizer menu; restaurants that don't have good reviews, which sounds stupid, but it's going to be a waste of your $26 and there's so many good ones to try. It'd just be a shame.
-Fourthly, things to always go for/try: expensive meats or fishes -- when's the next time you're going to be able to order a whole branzino?; odd desserts because as good as the flourless chocolate cakes usually are, they taste pretty similar, and branching out a little can reward you with strange surprises like Horse and Hound's plum and black pepper crumble; a beer or glass of wine with your meal if you're of age because dammit if you're already pretending to be an adult with disposable income by going to this restaurant at which you made a reservation (bolded because it indicates forethought and possible signs of burgeoning maturity) you should drink in moderation like one, and because Charlottesville's got some sweet/indie beer and wine selections.
So go forth and eat this summer, and next winter, and the summer after that. Manipulate the living daylights out of these deals. Make your stomachs and wallets happy.
-The second thing I think it's important to consider is whether or not you're going to get screwed over if you're a vegetarian. Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes. Most of the menus feature some kind of salad as their vegetarian option, although Petit Pois had a cold pea puree that I still dream about, and the vegetarian entrees tend generally to be less inspired than the meat ones. Cauliflower steak? Bleh. And even options that are mostly vegetarian often feature a key, rapture-inducing meat ingredient. In a related vein I feel like eating vegan would be pretty difficult too, though having never examined the menus with an eye towards veganism I'm not sure if this is the case.
-Thirdly, things to generally avoid: making a reservation the day or even two days before because you won't get a space; desserts with fruit in the winter (unless it's in some kind of preserved form, like a jam); entrees with chicken breasts because c'mon it's a friggin chicken breast; salads because don't do anything with lettuce when there's pork belly or bacon wrapped dates on the appetizer menu; restaurants that don't have good reviews, which sounds stupid, but it's going to be a waste of your $26 and there's so many good ones to try. It'd just be a shame.
-Fourthly, things to always go for/try: expensive meats or fishes -- when's the next time you're going to be able to order a whole branzino?; odd desserts because as good as the flourless chocolate cakes usually are, they taste pretty similar, and branching out a little can reward you with strange surprises like Horse and Hound's plum and black pepper crumble; a beer or glass of wine with your meal if you're of age because dammit if you're already pretending to be an adult with disposable income by going to this restaurant at which you made a reservation (bolded because it indicates forethought and possible signs of burgeoning maturity) you should drink in moderation like one, and because Charlottesville's got some sweet/indie beer and wine selections.
So go forth and eat this summer, and next winter, and the summer after that. Manipulate the living daylights out of these deals. Make your stomachs and wallets happy.
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