Tom Tom Announces Farm To Table Restaurant Week
April 13 – 19, Charlottesville’s Best Restaurants Spotlight Local Ingredients
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (February 12, 2015) – Tom Tom Founders Festival today announced the first round of participating restaurants in its 2nd annual Farm To Table Restaurant Week. Participating restaurants will all be spotlighting local ingredients through prix fixe menus during the week of Tom Tom Fest, April 13 – 19. The program invites diners to explore Charlottesville’s rich culture of farms, sustainability, and culinary craftsmanship through outstanding dinners.
Charlottesville is a national leader in the slow food and locavore movements. This reputation derives from many years of work and dedication on the part of its farmers and restaurateurs. The Farm-To-Table Restaurant Week is an effort to spread the word about Charlottesville’s bounty to food enthusiasts across Virginia and D.C.
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ABOUT THE RESTAURANTS
The Clifton Inn
One of only 50 restaurants in the United States listed in the Relais & Chateaux guide to luxury travel alongside gems such as The Inn at Little Washington and California’s French Laundry, The Clifton Inn offers haute cuisine without pretension. The culinary team has a reputation for employing innovative techniques in preparation of delicately fresh and decidedly local dishes. A few diners each night get up close to the action at Clifton’s chef’s counter, a front row seat to the restaurant’s open kitchen.
Brookville
Upscale, down home, and very Charlottesville, Brookville sources over 90% of its menu from local small farms, foragers, and the chef’s own garden. Due to the seasonality of the kitchen’s ingredients, this restaurant’s menu changes almost every day, but the results are always passionately well-executed. Having graduated from the French Culinary Institute and kitchens such as London’s famously decadent The Fat Duck, Head Chef and Cville local Harrison Keevil brings international aplomb to classic Virginian comfort food.
Ivy Inn
Gloriously old school French technique brings out the flavor in local ingredients like Rag Mountain Trout, Wade’s Mill stone ground grits, and a proudly American wine list. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Head Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos has made Ivy Inn a Charlottesville favorite through his remarkable cooking, but also through his widely beloved sense of hospitality. Every Easter, for example, Vangelopolous hosts a traditional Greek lamb roast for his staff, a gathering that has now expanded to include 250 area chefs and gourmands. This sense of familial generosity manifests in the restaurant’s superb service and warm atmosphere.
C&O Restaurant
A Charlottesville institution since 1976, the C&O’s menu is rich with unexpected delights as it showcases country French fare and an extensive wine list . The C&O (“Can Do” to locals) is the restaurant of choice for those looking to celebrate a special occasion, enjoy an intimate romantic dinner, or grab a drink (or two) with friends in the familiar, rustic setting of the downstairs bar. In the capable hands of native Dean Maupin, who took the reigns in 2013, the restaurant continues to deliver in inimitable style.
Mas
Mas was born of a mission and has become perhaps the most spirited dinner spot in town. Frustrated by uninspired dining franchises, Head Chef Tomas Rahal launched Mas as a radical antidote. With its buzzy atmosphere and roots in urban gardening, Mas features premier local ingredients and an addictive bevy of tapas and wines.
Hamiltons’ at First & Main
Located in the heart of Charlottesville’s Downtown district, Hamiltons’ is the perfect spot for a delicious afternoon lunch or a romantic evening dinner. Paired with a cheerful, cozy atmosphere and attentive service, chef Curtis Shaver’s exciting, nuanced New American dishes, that often feature locally-sourced ingredients, ensure for an outstanding dining experience. Seasonal outdoor seating also provides the perfect opportunity to soak up warmer weather nights and indulge in watching the endless stream of people walk by.
Citizen Burger Bar
Their vision is simple: good food, cold drinks, and common ground. Located in the heart of Charlottesville’s downtown mall, this lively neighborhood sports bar prides itself on delivering the best locally-sourced, high-quality burgers in town, with a extensive craft beer and cocktail list to boot. Whether you pick one of their deliciously-crafted burgers or choose to create your own, a meal at this inviting eatery will be sure to make you feel at home!
The Whiskey Jar
Everything on the The Whiskey Jar’s menu has a story- made and produced by farmers and providers steeped in tradition. If not sourced from these local producers or expertly-foraged from the surrounding Piedmont region, the fresh, seasonal ingredients showcased in each classic Southern dish can also be traced back to chef/owner Will Richey’s own organic Red Row Farm. Pair your meal with one of their 125 whiskeys, and you’ll find yourself experiencing one of the best home-cooked Southern meals in town.
Oakhart Social
Charlottesville’s new kid on the block, Oakhart Social offers a creative tapas-style take on seasonal Atlantic coast cuisine. Featuring wood-fired pizzas, fun dishes like sweet and crispy pork belly salad, and nightly whimsical drink specials, this mid-town eatery brings people together over hearty, comforting food in a down-to-earth moody setting.
Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar
Located in Main Street Market on West Main, Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar offers a locally-sourced Mediterranean menu and wine list that fuses the culinary and viticultural traditions of Italy, Greece, Spain, and the South of France – all while in a chic, romantic setting. Inspired by the extensive travels of owners Ken and Charles, the restaurant and wine bar endeavors to pay tribute to the charming people and beautiful cultures for whom food, wine and entertaining is a way of life.
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ABOUT TOM TOM FOUNDERS FESTIVAL
Tom Tom Founders Festival is a 501c3 nonprofit that hosts dozens of free events every year in Charlottesville, VA. Its mission is to celebrate and empower founders, visionaries who build creative, civic, and entrepreneurial ventures. In 2014, Tom Tom had attendance of over 22,600, showcased 381 community organizations, and had an economic impact of $843,000 on the community of Charlottesville.