Graduation is right around the bend, and with it comes tears and goodbyes but also celebrations, parties and most importantly ... food. Graduation dinner could be one of your last meals in Charlottesville, and with Mom and Dad footing the bill, this is the opportunity to go out with a bang. In our opinion, there are few better places to do so than Palladio at the Barboursville Vineyards.
Driving out to the Barboursville ruins is like driving into a dream. The white-columned Italian-style building is surrounded by rows of grapevines and rolling hills, and it feels like stepping into a Tuscan still life.
This feeling extends to Palladio's dining room, as well. Cream colored stucco walls with vintage wine-themed artwork enhance the atmosphere of refined rusticity.
The cuisine similarly balances sophistication, comfort and creativity. Palladio serves refined Italian food with a focus on local meats and produce in a prix fixe dinner menu: $60 for a four-course meal; $84 to have a wine paired with each dish.
Upon entering the charming dining room, the graceful service made us feel immediately at ease. We read the menu while sipping complementary glasses of Pinot Grigio, which paired perfectly with the amuse-bouche of seared foie gras with apricot glaze. The tiny bite of unctuous goose liver was the perfect slice of luxury to hint at the meal to come.
We both were drawn to appetizers normally associated with expensive haute cuisine: carpaccio and frog's legs. Neither was fussy or overdone. The frog's legs were served with a deeply savory whole-grain mustard aioli that was a brilliant counterpoint to the silky meat. The carpaccio was especially impressive: Any chef knows that raw beef and parmesan cheese pair excellently, but Palladio's addition of a lively sunchoke salad and tart lemon zest knocked this dish into the stratosphere.
Although the traditional Italian secondi piatti is pasta, Ann couldn't resist the salsify and potato soup with cornmeal-crusted oysters, and she was blown away by the combination of sweet root vegetables with the briny crunch of the incredibly tender oysters. James was drawn to the roasted garlic gnocchi with porcini mushroom sauce. The pillowy potato dumplings literally melted in his mouth, balancing the meaty, earthy mushrooms.
Our appetites thoroughly whetted, we dove into our entrees. The sausage-wrapped lamb loin was simply one of the best dishes we have tasted: The sausage, stewed cabbage and red wine reduction were delicious yet understated, allowing the intensely flavorful lamb to shine. The roasted whole trout was just as remarkable, with the flakes of tender fish, cubes of house-made pancetta and tiny orbs of Israeli couscous forming the perfect bite.
For the fourth and (unfortunately) final course, neither of us could resist the cheese plate. This normally simple dish was here a work of art that brought the flavors of the cheeses to a whole new level. Around a large plate, cheese such as meltingly ripe Brie, American-made Humboldt Fog goat cheese and a crumbly bleu were interspersed with fig and cherry preserves, two types of local honey, syrupy balsamic vinegar and a compote of golden raisins. We could have sat there forever, mixing and matching the flavors and textures on the crunchy brioche toast points.
Although the wine pairing is by no means mandatory, we highly recommend it for the over-21 set. Barboursville is one of the area's best wineries, so for $24 extra, it would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to drink perfectly matched wines with your food.
Dining at Palladio is an experience with no equal in Charlottesville. The stunning setting, charming atmosphere, impeccable service and, above all, the outrageously delicious food and wine will make your graduation dinner truly unforgettable.
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