The Wool Factory

We went on our first date night out to Charlottesville’s newest destination: The Wool Factory! Here’s what we thought. Also check out my review of Broadcloth!

First Date Night Out At The Wool Factory

We went on our first date night this past weekend. While we’ve had multiple date night ins, we hadn’t actually be to a restaurant since we went to the Alley Light in early March. During that dinner we commented: “This might be our last night for a while.” Boy were we right. It’s been a long few months.

It had also been months since I’d had my hair highlighted (or not in a ponytail or curled or put on a nice shirt and real bra …. ) and I had a hair appt that afternoon with Holly. The timing was great!

As I’ve mentioned before, we’re drawing the safety line at outdoor activities right now, so we made a reservation at a spot on the courtyard. We wore our masks any time we weren’t seated at the table.

Look who has picked up on our modeling behavior!

What’s The Wool Factory?

The Wool Factory recently opened as a new destination on the eastern side of the city in the Historic Woolen Mill buildings which used to house a 19th century textile mill. At the complex there is a brewery, a nice restaurant, a coffee + wine shop, and event space.

The Rivanna River is nearby, and I believe this is Moores Creek that goes right by the building.

It breaks my heart a little that they didn’t get the big splashy opening that most restaurants do. But nevertheless, it was top of our list to visit and support! We went to Selvedge Brewing, which is open for reservations.

Dinner at Selvedge Brewing

We sat in the open-air courtyard (with plenty of space between tables). Ordering happened through a QR code and website, so everything was touch free.

We tried three of the in-house beers: Seerksucker, Herringbone, Merino. Dontcha love those names?! They were great!

Our dinner was out-of-this-world-delicious.

We shared:

• Pretzel rolls with cheese sauce and beer mustard
• Peruvian chicken with green sauce, aioli, cilantro, limes and hand-made tortillas
• Grilled summer squashes with fresh herbs
• Corn with a miso-butter

We picked the perfect sharable amount, and the flavors were totally outstanding.

Those tortillas!! The sauces!! I kept saying “this is the best thing I’ve eaten all year” and I’m not 100% sure if it was the quarantine talking or Chef Tucker Yoder is really that good. I think both!

After dinner we walked around to tour the property, stopped into the [empty at the time] wine shop called The Workshop, where I was offered a rosé tasting.

Fun fact: Thomas’s brother Clay made the cabinets in The Workshop and Selvedge!

Times have changed, but it was a great as ever to have my husband’s undivided attention over a relaxing meal. I can’t wait for the day in the (near? distant?) future when we can go with a group and have a merry time.

Photo credit Thomas 🙂

I’ve added The Wool Factory to this round-up post: Best Restaurants For Dinner In Charlottesville. Check it out for more food, beer, and dining recommendations.

And check out the sister restaurant, Broadcloth, and our visit there!