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This is probably going to be one of my most meorable meals of the year. I ABSOLUTELY loved his place. Recommended by the owners of the B&B we were staying in I liked it from when I walked in the door:
1. Jam packed - on a Thursday night in Lynchburg VA.
2. Lovely decor - great bar, several good draft beers.
3. Mr Frikkin personality CJ our server. Entertaining and fun in a way that is not a pain in the ass. I liked him a lot.
4. But the star of the show was the food.
Pork belly, polenta, scallops, the tapas we ordered were all exquisite. Some fine wines on the menu too - I had a Reisling from Idaho and a decent tawny port. Strangely not a single Virginia wine was on offer. That's a mistake.
Rounded off our meal with an excellent cheese plate which included a cheese I had never had before - epoisse - which was truly extraordinary.
Dish continues to impress and delight.
The kitchen is consistent in both quality and the handling of items on its standing menu like the green curry shrimp, spring rolls and crabcake and the chef still wows diners with enticing and eclectic specials.
A recent visit found a Thai-influenced small plate of glass (i.e., Asian cellophane) noodles tossed with sweet lump crabmeat and a spicy peanut sauce which was as attractive as it was delicious, and paired nicely with a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc during this stunning late Spring weather. Another standout was a sublime housemade gnocchi with fresh asparagus tips, pancetta and mild goat cheese - excellent!
Similarly, service remains highly pleasant and efficient with chatty and personable servers.
Dish is hitting on all cylinders - just look around and see the smiling faces appreciating the experience. Bravo!
Agree with the posters that Dish is outstanding. There's great energy and buzz here... Perhaps… Read more »
Dish is one of those places that you come to and you never want to leave. The owners, the waiters (CJ in particular... http://www.wset.com/ne... - This is classic CJ!), make this place like home away from home. I have never had so many great variations of food, wine, beer, and hysterical conversation in my life. If I ever make it back to Lynchburg, which I may do, just because I love this restaurant so much, you can guarantee at least 2 out of my 3 meals a day will be here.
- Chi-town
Great service. Great food. The best part of a tapas bar like this is that it's great for groups. Everyone can try a little of whatever they want, and there's plenty of variety for all tastes!
Definitely do the spring rolls, quail and hit up the daily specials.
Try some local virginia wine too. Dish has a good selection and will recommend one for you too.
Dish is absolutely amazing. My husband and I have been trying all the nicest places out here in Seattle, but Dish was better than most of them!
We came here with my parents, his parents, and his sister and boyfriend, so we were a party of 8. Our service was great (though the wine glass would stay empty longer than I liked), and the food? OUTSTANDING. We tried nearly every dish on the menu, and everything was fantastic. Shrimp with green curry sauce, Sea scallops, Pork belly seared and braised, Asparagus soup with sesame oil, Fried quail, Duck confit spring rolls, Gnocchi with duck, Tuna.. we talked about this place long after leaving it, and no one could pick a favorite dish- they were ALL so good.
I wasn't expecting to find such amazing food in Lynchburg VA, but WOW. It's a must-visit for every trip home for us now!!
Dish is a great little restaurant that would be at home in a much larger city. The plates are carefully prepared and extremely tasty. Duck confit spring rolls? Who knew? The cheese options are outstanding as well. The wine list isn't as extensive as neighboring Shoemakers, but there are plenty of choices and my traveling companions - several of whom are serious wine snobs - were satisfied.
What I really liked was the atmosphere and approach. If you take a group of people who don't know each other and make them share food, they will be much closer after a meal at Dish.
The staff are very helpful and friendly. Parking is better than most of downtown Lynchburg due to the farmer's market.
Dish is a good thing all the way around and should be on your list of Lynchburg visits.
UPDATE: I went to 5 stars. We went back, in force, last night and had a great time. I took the time to listen and watch and was amazed at how many happy, loud tables their were on a Wednesday. Everyone was very upbeat and enjoying themselves. After the second bottle (maybe 3rd) between 9 people, I am 95% some friends of mine may have joined the 'Dish Restroom Club'. The staff totally took it in stride and were quick to join in the conversation that followed. Definitely one of the most memorable evenings ever. I ate less, but was still kinda full. The thresher shark was very good. If you like tasty cheese, check out the Maytag Blue. It is spectacular - if you ever make a kobe beef hamburger, this is the cheese that belongs on top.
For Lynchburg, it gets five stars.
Dave, Melanie, Fletcher and staff care greatly for their guest. The best restaurant downtown. Unpretentious food, carefully prepared dishes, genius pairings...lunch? I work on Main Street...it is nice to be able to get a quality lunch. The best hand-cut fries, great roasted turkey and beef cooked to perfection on the premises. Although, my two favorites are: One, the "Moneta" burger. It is the best in town.(It is brought in from nearby Moneta.) Two, the new pulled pork sandwich with Korean chili BBQ and a side of kim chee in place of cole slaw. WOOOWEEE!!! Show you right! As for the others who recommend just the small plates, I would agree that they are great, inventive and very fun to share, however, the large plate specials change frequently and I find that after all that sharing, it is time for some "ME" time, even if it comes home in a to-go box. And Jen, I agree with you..."The more we frequent the downtown independents, the quicker our downtown area will be revitalized."
Dish, in my opinion, is the best restaurant in Lynchburg. Period.
I always enjoy checking out restaurants of this caliber, because I look young, and I know it is a good test as to whether or not the staff will be nice and helpful to everyone or just to the guy who parks his Porche in front of the restaurant.
Walking into Dish, you're quickly pleased with the ambiance and decor. The aesthetically-pleasing teal walls with dishes hanging on them surrounds the bar and the well-placed tables in the dining room preset with the linens, plates, glasses, and silverware. If I had one critique of the restaurant, it would be the unfortunate placement of the hostess. In my opinion, I would like to see a table placed where the hostess is as there is currently only one table that looks out the front glass over Main Street.
After ordering some drinks (only water and tea this time around), the three of us decided to order 5 small plates and share them.
1. Mediterranean plate - a wonderfully-tasting mozzarella ball, prosciutto, and a bean and olive salad (among the olives were kalamata - my personal favorite)
2. Baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto - true, we got our porsciutto fix for the night, but this dish alone was taunting my taste buds as I wanted more, but it was gone before I realized I was eating it - the proportion wasn't small, but it was so good I ate it too quickly.
3. Duck spring rolls - the spring rolls were fabulous and wanted to make me order more or them and take them home with me. If you're one for spring rolls, these are a must.
4. Coconut green-curry shrimp - If I had to pick my favorite dish at Dish, I would have to say it was this one. I am always curious to try different combinations of food, but I didn't know how the curry would fare paired with one of my favorite foods (coconut shrimp), but I was delightfully surprised. If you have one or more seafood eaters at the table, politely ration out this dish before everyone is selfishly lunging across the table for more.
5. Fois gras - as I was the only one at the table who had ever had fois gras before, I insisted that we get it. It was by far the most peculiar of the dishes, but I was glad to see the fois gras was whole, not a pt. The fois gras was laid on a crostini over a bed of greens. Garnishing the plate were fresh blackberries and a 25-year old aged balsamic vinegar.
Dessert:
I chose to have handmade, vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream was exquisitely creamy and the vanilla was so subtle it took until the end that that was what making it taste so good.
I can't speak for the wine menu at Dish. I did not have any this time around, but if I had to take a wild guess, I would lean towards a good wine menu. Unless they have tastes of wine, I don't know how easy it would be to find one wine to match all of the different foods.
I have been to several fine-dining restaurants from Aspen to New York to Los Angeles to Paris and Dish is admittedly not the best restaurant in the world, but it has no reason to hide in shame. If you're in Lynchburg wanting a great dining experience for a date or for a group, Dish should be the first priority of any resident or visitor.
A fellow Yelper and one of my meger list of friends on here (6), reminded me to comment on Dish. I have eaten there a couple of times and I have found it to be consistently good. I appreciate their wine list as it differs from most of the restaurants in the city. I love whits from the Russian River Valley and Dish has em... Forget the full plate specials, go for the tapas and enjoy but make a reservation!! It is a must at this small but quaint little spot.
I was shocked the first time we tried to eat at Dish on a week night and were turned away at the door--it was booked! We made it on another night with the needed reservation and tried a number of plates. A real "big city" kind of place right in downtown Lynchburg. It's now on our list of places we always go when we are in town.
Absolutely amazing assortment of cheese to choose from for their cheese sampler, and they pair each individual cheese with a dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, etc. Incredible tamales! Oh my. Love the ambiance. I agree with others, stick with the small plate items. And share, that's the whole point! One of our favorite places, and it's an independent in the downtown district. The more we frequent the downtown independents, the quicker our downtown area will be revitalized.
Without a doubt the best restaurant in Lynchburg. I agree - skip the specialsand stick with the tapas. Mediterranean plate is outstanding. Mussels among the best I've ever had - my mouth is watering as I write about them!. Great atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff - very knowledgeable about wine and pairings. Do not go without a reservation! Plan to order a lot and share. It's the best way to enjoy the experience. Even though they call them small plates, there really is enough of every plate to let everyone have a taste. If you can bear to part with what you have! Someone else paid so I have no idea how much our dinner cost but it was worth every penny. How wonderful to be able to patronize an independent restaurant!
Lynchburg, VA
Category: Restaurants
Lynchburg, VA
Category: Sandwiches
Bedford, VA
Category: Restaurants
Lynchburg, VA
Category: American (New)
Lynchburg, VA
Category: Restaurants
