Restaurant Week tip: Reserve early for semi-annual food fandango

From January 23 to 29, Charlottesville will once again experience the hugely popular Restaurant Week, which draws eager diners from within Charlottesville and the surrounding area. The week of three-course, fixed price menus is sure to put an end to every citizen’s obligatory New Year’s Diet.

Held twice a year, the Hook-sponsored event has been in existence since the summer of 2009. It will boast some of the old favorites– Keswick Hall's Fossett's, the Old Mill Room at the Boar’s Head Inn, and The Melting Pot– but will also feature some new talent.

Da Luca, Tempo, and West Main Street's newest venue, Balkan Bistro, are just a few of the most recent additions to the line-up, with the full list of 20 participants at cvilleyum.com.

The manager and owner of Balkan Bistro, Annja Andelic, hoping to expand the reach of her Eastern European cuisine, says she's “very excited” about participating and keeping her “fingers crossed” about a possible business boom in the dreary winter month– a sentiment echoed by Anna Harrison, publisher of the Hook.

Harrison says Restaurant Week is held in January and July because these are “two of the slowest times of the year for restaurants,” so the seven days of non-stop feasting is a “good way to boost revenue and is great for the economy.”

Restaurant Week not only delights culinary adventurists, but it also benefits the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. For every meal sold, the Food Bank receives $1. Considering that there were over 10,000 meals sold last July, it adds up to a five-figure donation.

As Restaurant Week draws nearer, tables will surely become scarce; so if you are interested in trying out a new restaurant or getting a great deal at an old favorite, call immediately for a reservation.