C&O

For restaurant week this time around, we decided on going to C&O and Fossett's at Keswick Hall.  Keswick is still to come (tomorrow, yay!) but we started at C&O.  I've been to this restaurant only once in the past, also for restaurant week, but the menu was pretty different from the last time. 

By the way, I apologize in advance for the image quality of the coming photos - I forgot my camera at home and so had to make do with my cell phone.

Open for business since 1976, C&O boasts a really beautiful interior and ambience - portions of the restaurant are constructed from wood from an old Albemarle barn that was torn down in the '70s.  The lighting is low and romantic, but not so dark that you can't see your food.  There are 6 separate areas for dining:  the Mezzanine is what lies in front of you when you first walk in, the covered Patio is just past that, the Bistro is downstairs by the bar, the Upstairs which is more formal and geared towards events, the Terrace, and the Gallery which is usually used for private events.  Unfortunately, there was a private party out on the covered patio, so we ended up sitting in the mezzanine, which was still private and comfortable.  The staff was attentive, pleasant, and well-informed.

The bread basket that we started with was nothing special. I usually eat the bread because I'm so hungry during the wait, but I didn't finish mine.  They were just soft and texture-less, with no flavor.

I started with PEI mussels with roasted garlic, leeks steamed in pilsner-preserved lemon broth.  It came with two small crispy crostinis that were rubbed with oil and some herbs.  This appetizer was great, they gave me a spoon, so of course I drank all the broth.  Mm!!

T had the gazpacho with basil granita and cucumber.  It was definitely smoother in texture than what I typically think of gazpacho as being but in a good way, with just a few chunks of cucumber.  Light, refreshing, summery.  Also good!

Keep reading for the rest of the nomz!

For our entrees, we ordered the bistro steak with agro dolce, which was served with creamy whipped mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus, and the pan-roasted mahi-mahi with salsa verde, which was served with white rice and also a side of asparagus. Agro dolce sauce is like an Italian sweet and sour sauce.  It was a nice accompaniment to the medium-rare steak which was cooked to perfection, and also went well with the mashed potatoes.  In my opinion, mashed potatoes are always delicious (and these were no exception!).  The asparagus was tender and fresh.

The mahi-mahi was very good.  It's a flaky and firm white fish that I think is less dry than swordfish and less buttery than, say, cod.  The salsa verde was not a salsa verde in the sense of Mexican sauce - it was probably more akin to a chimichurri.  Italian salsa verde is a cold blended sauce that's heavy on the parsley, with vinegar and garlic.  Delicious.  The asparagus pairing with my fish was also good, although I didn't really understand why they chose plain white rice as their carbohydrate option.  Even though it was long grain (Basmati? Jasmine?) it was served absolutely plain.

For dessert, we ordered a chocolate praline torte, and a pavlova with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.  A torte is just a cake with layers that alternates with jams, buttercreams, or other fillings.  I really enjoyed this dessert.  It was rich and chocolate-y, but not dense (it was almost mousse-like) and it had one really fun filling layer of somethign crunchy.  I have no idea what the crunchy part was fun but it lent a great texture to the whole bite of cake.  Perhaps this layer was the praline?  It was also served with some raspberry sauce, which I love.  

A pavlova is like a big meringue with a soft interior.  Meringue is made of primarily egg whites and sugar, which are beaten until fluffy and then baked in low heat until they basically dry out and become crisp.  It was a little more light than the chocolate torte and the whipped cream was great.  I enjoyed this dessert, but given the innate sweetness of pavlovas, I couldn't finish it.  Which was probably a good thing.

Overall, we were more impressed by the appetizers and desserts than by the entrees.  The entrees, while good, were honestly nothing that I didn't feel comfortable making at home by myself, and didn't wow me with either creativity, presentation, or taste.  The identical use of vegetables in our entrees seemed a little nothing short of lazy, and I still am somewhat baffled by the use of plain white rice with my fish.

In summary, I'd give this meal a 6.5/10.  I would definitely recommend C&O as a place to go for some appetizers or snacks and drinks, but for a meal, I think you could find more innovative and tasty food for the same price (or even cheaper!)