In the midst of last week’s snow-tastrophe, my date and I braved the icy roads in his trusty 2007 Camry so we could eat our way through a Charlottesville Restaurant Week menu. Yes, one of those twice-a-year, three-course, $35 meal deals. Seeing as this was my last Restaurant Week of college, and I don’t yet have a big-girl job with a big-girl salary, no amount of snow was going to come between me and a budget-friendly tasting menu.
That night, we weathered the 10-minute drive from Grounds to the west end of the Downtown Mall and sat down at The Whiskey Jar, a Southern restaurant and whiskey bar known for their nightly live music. For all its talk of simplicity, the rustic saloon far surpassed my expectations. What initially appeared to be another run-of-the-mill bar, I found, was truly a love letter to Virginia, with quality, locally-sourced food on the table, merry locals by the bar and live music in the air.
A few hours before dinner, I perused The Whiskey Jar’s website, where I read a bit about the restaurant’s mission. According to Will Richey, the restaurant’s first owner, the idea for the bar stemmed from a passion for “place.” He wanted to pay homage to Virginia’s Piedmont region through traditional Virginia food and drink. Hence, everything on their regular menu — which changes seasonally — embodies local cuisine, from classic, homestyle fried chicken to simply prepared local vegetables…