What a great place that begins a few feet before you get to the door and the staff have opened it…read morefor you. When dining here, I enjoy the superbly prepared food, a very high level of attention and a cozy, classy and quaint atmosphere. The restaurant is small but the food taste is large. Before I describe my courses, there were many bonus bites, starting with an amuse bouche and then other small and wonderful taste surprises between the courses. Had the small, bite-size food gifts been a full course, I would have been quite content. For example, one plate of small tasty delights had 5 items to enjoy. That little dishes included quail egg, beet, steak tartar, stuffed corn cakes, avocado mousse and corn jam and some creamy pistachio. There was also the delicate and frothy egg yolk with a ginger and carrot salad. I was also given a surprise small portion of delectable soup, which was root vegetable-based with a truffle cream dollop on top. I enjoyed the carrot and rich parsnip flavors in that soup. Of course, there was some fresh warm bread with a yummy, garlicky butter. i had a glass of champagne whcih had a light, clean grassy taste with an nice acidic bitterness. My three courses on the Prix Fixe menu started with the Tagliatelle aux fruits de mer parfumee a la truffle. This seafood pasta dish, with a truffle accent, was a wonderful balance between the earthy flavor and the slightly sweet and perfectly-seared scallops. The next course was a Bourride de fruits de mer. This dish is a seafood stew in a tomato soup. As usual, the flavor combination is so sublime and so interesting on the tongue. The soup arrived with a slice of flavorful garlic bread, perched above the bowl which was holding fresh seafood on the surface. The final course was La bombe au chocolat. This is a rich dark chocolate and raspberry mousse in a deep hot chocolate sauce. Of course, the chef was so kind in sending out another bonus dish with a type of of kouign-amann, a wonderfully tasty lime tart and yummy chocolate truffles in the center. What a spectacular experience!

Upscale french restaurant with an intimate vibe + great service…read more I came here for valentines day with my fiance, and they had a 3 course pre-fix menu for $135. This menu also included a few in-between bite size dishes as well The food was all solid, but nothing really blew us away. Solid cocktail list as well They forgot to give my fiance her leftovers to bring home, which was upsetting as she had a ton of food she was hoping to bring back

We randomly came upon this restaurant late at night after a Friday night concert. Only to realize…read morethe place was closing in 30 ish minutes. Upon learning that information we decided not to order any entrees, just desserts. The food was okay. The pricing of this place is insane. Service certainly didn't dictate this level of ambiance. But I would try it again. Hard to give it a full 5 stars when the food was just okay. But the drinks were excellent.

Tonight we had a party of 4 and they squeezed us in. We started with the Caesar salad , onion soup…read moreand calamari. All were excellent. For supper we had the salmon chicken and squash risotto. The chicken Marsala was great the salmon was good. The risotto was meh. Then we had the fried banana bread and vanilla ice cream. Wow get this!! Crem brûlée and raspberry mouse all good banana bread was outstanding. For a place that was established in 1996 I have to hand it to them for doing so well.

Some friends and I did a day trip to Charlottesville. While walking along the main shopping area,…read morewe noticed this restaurant which had a nice tree covered outdoor patio. We sat outside and each ordered lunch and a beverage. The lunch menu was full of varied offerings so we were each able to find something we liked. I opted for the house cheeseburger and frites. The burger was everything you'd want it to be, flavorful and juicy, and the seasoned frites were thin and tasty. The salad was just a pile of greens with no dressing, so wasn't a big fan of that. I got a Kronenbourg 1664 French lager with my lunch and it was really tasty. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I'd definitely eat here again, especially on a nice day in their patio.

Absolutely phenomenal service, dinner and drinks! Every bite was mouthwatering. You could 100%…read moretaste the French influence.

My Girlfriend and I booked a res back in early January for 2/13/26 dinner. We were ten minutes…read moreearly, and once seated the waiter seemed contempt with us at our drink order; an old Fashioned and a cocktail already on the menu. Once we ordered our drinks and ordered our appetizer, we realized that the menu had changed from only hours before. Though only two replacement items replaced what we thought would be "house dishes", we ordered accordingly and waited 35+ minutes for the food. Once our entrees were served, my girlfriend's chicken in place of duck was unseasoned and bland. The Cassoulet I ordered featured undercooked beans and maybe three pieces of chewy and rubbery sausage. As a place heralded for their cocktails and cuisine, we were both grossly underwhelmed and disappointed by the service and food. The atmosphere could work as an upscale cocktail lounge, but the food was abysmal. Wouldn't recommend this spot at all.

Friends of mine have been raving about here for years. I finally had the chance to stop by and it…read moredidn't disappoint. I sat in the outdoor area on a nice day, with live music playing down the street. My server was quick to chat me up and give recommendations. I went with the mussels and a glass of happy hour wine. The wine was OK, but the mussels (and that broth!) were great. I'd have given it 4 stars, if not for the very attentive server. Totally worth a revisit.

We went on a Friday night in July with a 7pm reservation. It was moderately busy but I think this…read moreplace should have been packed. Probably will be when the students come back. What a treat for an elevated meal out. We liked that it was fish forward and very well prepared. It has other option though if the sea is not your thing. The service was friendly and prompt and the vibe was French farmhouse. Loved the banquette seating with cushions. Probably the most comfortable I've ever been in a restaurant. The wooden chairs could probably use a pad though. We started out with a cocktail, a beer and an iced tea with its own little cut carafe of simple syrup. The cocktail was the Madam George and it was just as described: Complex, bitter and sweet. Loves that they had descriptions under each cocktail. So helpful! My husband really enjoyed his dark beer from Von Trapp. It was smooth and lighter than most dark beers so perfect for a summer night. To start the meal we received a complimentary amuse bouche of crab salad. It was a delightful briny and citrus bite. For apps we got the burrata and seafood board and both were great openers for our meal. The burrata had a lovely smooth and creamy texture and the tomato and sauce were a nice complement. Needed a tad bit more crostini but we used some that came on the seafood board which was full of tasty and unique seafood delights: the tea smoked scallops with ponzu were my favorite! For entrees we got the bacon wrapped trout, the branzino and the halibut. All three were delicious! Seriously couldn't decide what we liked the best because they were all so good. The trout had a depth of flavor unusual for fish because of the slight smokiness and creamy texture of the fish contrasting with the crispness of the bacon.. The branzino was light and fluffy with a nice tang from the yogurt sauce. The halibut was perfectly cooked with a creamy coconut risotto and a lovely ginger tomato sauce with a nice kick. The mango salsa with a perfect complement to give it an island feel. And to top it off there was a complimentary dessert bite that was a shortbread with caramel and chocolate ganache and a touch of salt. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. Even the bathrooms were nice Can't wait to go back!

Sad.. they were my favorite new find and I wanted to go back immediately. To find thwybjad shit…read moredown. I cannot understand how such a great place went out of business...

A cute place to hang out as a family, friends, on a date. I enjoyed a yummy vegan chocolate bar…read morefrom Mulberry and Spring and some hot tea. please give this business some love as it deserves.

This is our favorite place to be on a nice day and spend sometime relaxing at one of their outdoor…read moretables. We usually get their big board (charcuterie) and pair it with one of their wines. Never been disappointed by the food quality or amazing service. Has been and will continue to be our favorite place in Charlottesville's Downtown Mall.

Went over the summer, sat outside. Other than the occasional loud car going by, it was a great…read moreexperience. Food was good, waitress was helpful with all aspects of the meal.

Orzo was heaven to me. I had the salmon dish and it was cooked perfectly. Well seasoned, each bite…read moremelted in my mouth. My companions had the bolognese and the grilled New York steak and there was not a single complaint. They had a wonderful wine menu and a decent beer selection. Our server Stephen was phenomenal, extremely personable and attentive to our needs. It's a fairly dark restaurant, not loud, comfortable vibe.

As a four-time visitor, I've found that while the food here is consistently flavorful and…read moreinventive, the value proposition remains a mixed bag. This is particularly true for the wine program; for a venue with such a massive retail selection, the curated menu feels surprisingly stingy. I had high hopes for their Cheese Board, but unfortunately, it mirrored my general experience here: great flavors, questionable value. The Highlights: The presentation on the bamboo board is lovely. The bread was exceptionally fresh and flavorful, and the fruit accompaniments; Persimmon, guava, grapes, and strawberry, offered a bright, acidic contrast that paired well with the selections. The Letdowns: Zero Transparency: The cheeses weren't listed on the menu, and the server didn't offer any information on what was being served. Half the joy of a professional board is the "story" knowing the origins and profiles. We were left entirely in the dark. The "Bread-to-Cheese" Ratio: Most of the selections were hard cheeses, and the two soft cheeses provided were literally the size of a quarter. Every sample was sliced remarkably thin. While the bread portion was generous, there wasn't nearly enough cheese or fruit to sustain it. It felt less like a cheese service and more like a bread board with a cheese garnish. Bottom Line: The Crush Pad clearly has access to great ingredients, but the portions should be more than "tastes." I want to love this place, but the value for the price just isn't quite there.

There is elegance and comfort to be found in Crush Pad Wines, in the downtown mall in…read moreCharlottesville. They have an excellent wine selection with a knowledgeable staff to back up any questions you ask. I did not expect there to be a full kitchen, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food we ordered. The Mushroom Crostinis in particular played into the refined vibe the entire bar was giving off. A fun stop for a quick glass of wine, or a seated meal that will be accompanied by excellent taste.