C&O: still cool after all these years
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In Charlottesville, restaurants open and close so frequently these days that it’s hard to keep track of them. Not so with the C& O Restaurant. The landmark bar and fine dining establishment celebrates its 30th anniversary this week and gets a big, copiously illustrated feature in today’s Daily Progress. For old-timers, and relative old-timers, the C&O has been more than a restaurant—it’s been an unchanging island of cool in a sea of change.
From the very beginning, when co-founders Sandy McAdams and Philip Stafford managed to garner their first review from legendary critic Craig Claiborne (who happened to be visiting the writer Peter Taylor and his wife at the time), there’s been something magical about the place. So, Happy Anniversary C&O, owner Dave Simpson, and his excellent staff! Here’s to 30 more years…
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An “unchanging island of cool in a sea of change”? That place has changed a lot. For one thing, prices are much lower now than they were in the 1970s. Another thing is that parts of the restaurant are actually non-smoking. And I’m told there’s even a patio of sorts out back. One thing that hasn’t changed is the world’s smallest bathroom. Tucked under the stairs in the bistro/bar area, it does not offer enough headroom for tall guys to fully extend. Their neck that is.