Dish, in my opinion, is the best restaurant in Lynchburg. Period.
I always enjoy checking out restaurants of this caliber, because I look young, and I know it is a good test as to whether or not the staff will be nice and helpful to everyone or just to the guy who parks his Porche in front of the restaurant.
Walking into Dish, you're quickly pleased with the ambiance and decor. The aesthetically-pleasing teal walls with dishes hanging on them surrounds the bar and the well-placed tables in the dining room preset with the linens, plates, glasses, and silverware. If I had one critique of the restaurant, it would be the unfortunate placement of the hostess. In my opinion, I would like to see a table placed where the hostess is as there is currently only one table that looks out the front glass over Main Street.
After ordering some drinks (only water and tea this time around), the three of us decided to order 5 small plates and share them.
1. Mediterranean plate - a wonderfully-tasting mozzarella ball, prosciutto, and a bean and olive salad (among the olives were kalamata - my personal favorite)
2. Baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto - true, we got our porsciutto fix for the night, but this dish alone was taunting my taste buds as I wanted more, but it was gone before I realized I was eating it - the proportion wasn't small, but it was so good I ate it too quickly.
3. Duck spring rolls - the spring rolls were fabulous and wanted to make me order more or them and take them home with me. If you're one for spring rolls, these are a must.
4. Coconut green-curry shrimp - If I had to pick my favorite dish at Dish, I would have to say it was this one. I am always curious to try different combinations of food, but I didn't know how the curry would fare paired with one of my favorite foods (coconut shrimp), but I was delightfully surprised. If you have one or more seafood eaters at the table, politely ration out this dish before everyone is selfishly lunging across the table for more.
5. Fois gras - as I was the only one at the table who had ever had fois gras before, I insisted that we get it. It was by far the most peculiar of the dishes, but I was glad to see the fois gras was whole, not a pt. The fois gras was laid on a crostini over a bed of greens. Garnishing the plate were fresh blackberries and a 25-year old aged balsamic vinegar.
Dessert:
I chose to have handmade, vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream was exquisitely creamy and the vanilla was so subtle it took until the end that that was what making it taste so good.
I can't speak for the wine menu at Dish. I did not have any this time around, but if I had to take a wild guess, I would lean towards a good wine menu. Unless they have tastes of wine, I don't know how easy it would be to find one wine to match all of the different foods.
I have been to several fine-dining restaurants from Aspen to New York to Los Angeles to Paris and Dish is admittedly not the best restaurant in the world, but it has no reason to hide in shame. If you're in Lynchburg wanting a great dining experience for a date or for a group, Dish should be the first priority of any resident or visitor. read more