Petit Pois

http://www.petitpoisrestaurant.com/

Wandering in the historic downtown open mall all morning, Charlottesville's charm really grew on us. Soon after we started our search for a lunch spot, in this urban promenade.

APPEARANCE
Petit Pois patio is right by large sculptural fountain. Neat tables with white napkins, and small pots of lemon grass give the place a sense of simplicity and sophistication.
We walked to a small table right by the entrance to get a glance of their menu. Everything was very well organized and branded with a memorable pea illustration. The hostess accommodated us in no time, unlike numerous other restaurants.

NOSE
I was torn between ordering a glass of their local Petite Manseng, or a Georgian Rkatsiteli. The waitress offered to give me a taste of both. Lovingston's Petit Manseng was the winner - off dry, with addictive balance of sweet crispiness. Cheri chose a bottle of Virginia's local Devil's Backbone brewery IPA - dark and rich.

SWIRL
As we listened to the water dance, we indulged in our appetizer - thinly cut fries with herb de provance. We sat under a canopy of dancing shadows and light breeze.

PALATE
We first had their Jambon de Virginia - a curly pasta dish topped with pieces of bacon-like ham, refreshing peas, smooth shiitake mushrooms and parmesan. All this goodness was swimming in a creamy and smoky sauce. It was a rather simple dish, but delicious. We were a bit disappointed that the dish was not that centered on the jambon (like its name). The Trout Amadine raised the bar even higher - served with a pile of toasted almonds, the thin slice of trout was lying on a pile of grilled green beans. The fish had great crispy skin and all around the the dish were dashes of a buttery sauce. Both dishes were not too large and very flavorful.

FINISH
On top of it all, we were pleasantly surprised by their reasonable prices. We really indulged in this experience - still a warm memory in my mind.