Restaurant Review of Enoteca in Charlottesville, Virginia

Located on Charlottesville's pedestrian Downtown Mall, enoteca offers an attractive setting to while away an evening with good wine and light fare. The Downtown Mall, the former Main Street of Charlottesville, has experienced a resurgence and a spate of development, concentrated on entertainment and housing. The outdoors cafe scene is alive and vibrant, and Enoteca has jumped into the scene with both feet.

Loosely described, enoteca is a wine bar that specializes in the vintner's fare of Italy ("enoteca" means wine bar in Italian) . This provides a nice variety of wines to sample -- particularly a healthy selection of robust reds. On a recent Friday night, my date and I settled in for a light repast and some wine. Friday evenings can be very busy on the Downtown Mall. A popular free summer concert series brings out big crowds for music, dining, drinking, and people-watching.

We seated ourself at an outdoor table and were quickly waited upon by a knowledgeable waitron. She had a good knowledge of wines, and after listening to our questions, suggested a Lambro. We selected some olives and a bread plate as well to get started. The food offerings at enoteca are simple and traditional -- well suited to light grazing. There's a nice selection of regional meats and cheeses, as well as seasonal produce. If you're hankering after something a bit heavier, a variety of paninis are available.

The Lambro was a good choice, and we leisurely polished off the bottle while people-watching as the evening stole in. I ordered a prosciutto panini, and my date a pair of brushiuttos. Not heavy, but satisfying. After wine we enjoyed cups of espresso to finish the repast.

While we enjoyed ourselves at the outside seating, a quick glance inside revealed an attractively streamlined, yet rustic feel. Dark woods and rich colors predominate, with one side of the interior devoted to a striking zinc bar. Cozy communal seating nooks are scattered throughout. The interior projects a stylish, functional, yet comfortable vibe. Definitely euro-inspired, but warm, never cold.

enoteca has described their mission as allowing people to "explore wines in an unintimidating atmosphere. They've succeeded in my book. The staff is well-trained and knowledgeable, and eager to share insights and suggestions without being condescending. Pair up the convivial atmosphere with an attractive setting plus good food and wine, and you've got the makings of pleasant experience. I'll be back again -- soon I hope. There's a lot more good wine to explore.