Restaurant Week At Heirloom

Restaurant Week is always a good time in Charlottesville, and you locals still have time to make a reservation this weekend! There are three levels of pricing: $19, $29 and $39, depending on the restaurant, and all proceeds benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

I was invited by Heirloom, the swanky restaurant and bar at the top of the new Graduate Hotel by the University of Virginia, to enjoy their restaurant week menu and share my experience on KERF.

I’ve been meaning to go to Heirloom since it opened earlier this year, and my friends have been buzzing about how awesome the view from the terrace is. We don’t have many skyscrapers in our little town, so it’s not everyday you can see Main Street like this:

On a mild winter day the heaters were on, and with a coat we could have had a drink outside, but that was pushing it a bit with temps dropping : ) I cannot wait to go back on a warm spring day and sip wine looking at that view!

Back inside, I ordered a glass of the Prince Michel Merlot and we picked our dishes for the evening.

In respect for the other diners, I didn’t take any interior photos, but this is what the space looks like in the daylight as shown on the website. Very pretty with a vintage-rustic feel!

To start we shared the Roast Shrimp stuffed with horseradish, wrapped in bacon, and served with a whiskey apple BBQ sauce. The bacon was deliciously smokey : )

And the Arugula and Pear Salad served with McLaurin Cheddar, roasted pears and a honey lemon vinaigrette. The pears totally made the salad great!

I ordered the salmon for my entree, which came with saffron butter, pearl couscous, and roasted cauliflower and carrots. I love this style of couscous, and the salmon was great dipped in that yummy saffron sauce

And T had the duck with a clover honey glaze and apple chutney. Thumbs up for the sweet savory combo of chutney and roasted veggies.

My favorite course was dessert, naturally, and we tried one of each of the offerings:

An Heirloom Apple Pie served in its own little cast-iron skillet and topped with whipped cream.

And Bourbon Bread Pudding : ) Loved the caramelized top of the bread pudding.

On a regular night, Heirloom has a ton of tapas-style plates to share, so I think it would make a great spot for happy hour or al fresco dinner with friends!

Thanks for having me in, friends!