Heirloom, a farm-to-table restaurant and bar on the ninth floor of the Graduate Hotel Charlottesville, is schedule to open soon.
“We don’t want to be just a hotel restaurant,” said GM of food and beverage Andrew Koerper, who spent the last four-and-a-half years managing the food and beverage operations at the Omni hotel. “It’s very hyper-local, and I really love the concept.”
Heirloom’s concept—entrées and small plates composed of as much locally sourced meat and produce as possible—was created with sharing in mind. Koerper said to expect menu items like charred oysters, sous vide steak, macaroni and cheese and pork belly donuts.
The bar will be stocked with Virginia beer, wine and cider, and bar manager Ben Quade—whose food-and-drink résumé includes C&O, Revolutionary Soup, The Whiskey Jar and most recently Firefly—has been meticulously crafting a list of house cocktails featuring as many local ingredients as he can get his hands on.
Getting spoiled @graduatecharlottesville#amazingservice pic.twitter.com/lrpdUJkVwR
— Lisa Martin (@BDAZLM) May 12, 2016
Built on top of what used to be the roof of the old hotel, the patio, with tables, chairs and couches, overlooks the entire city. Koerper said he hopes the location, the menu and the unbeatable view will make Heirloom the new go-to spot for a cross-section of people in Charlottesville.
“The Graduate Hotel is very much about community, and I think that the restaurant itself will definitely appeal to the community and the locals,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of push to kind of merge the Downtown Mall and the Corner, and I think this is a really great bridge for that.”