Fine-tuning a restaurant

There is a whole lot of new in the Old Mill Room at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville.

From a new executive chef to a fresh menu inspired by local foods, the staff is fine-tuning the way to bring the best dining experience to guests. The quality service is the same, but Courtney Roane, director of food and beverage at the Boar’s Head, said past guests would notice it too has been enhanced.

“Once you walk in this door, you’re a guest in my house until you leave,” Roane said. “We’re hoping to give back to the community and continue in the tradition of Southern hospitality this we’re known for.”

The menu - which is served in three courses before the dessert - is all new, with offerings such vanilla bean-infused duck breast to she-crab soup to candied peach Smithfield Virginia ham tenderloin. It is one of four menu changes the restaurant plans to have during the year. Roane said.

The new menu includes items prepared with locally grown fruits and vegetables, poultry and seafood when available, Roane said. Chefs also are looking to find pork and beef from local vendors.

“Anything that we can use that has the integrity of the Boar’s Head, we will use,” Roane said. “Buying local foods gives back to the community and provides our guests with the freshest food possible.”

Boar’s Head Sous Chef Francisco Ayala and other kitchen staff members came up with each of the new menu items over the past few months. Each item was tasted at least three times and had guest approval before it was put on the final menu.

One of Ayala’s favorites is the charred sea scallops encased in Virginia ham and placed on a bed of polenta with a side of grilled corn succotash and a drizzle of smoked tomato coulis.

He said he created each of the menu items after tweaking what longtime diners have enjoyed and asked for.

“I have worked here 13 years, and I know what our guests like to eat,” Ayala said. “I thought about our guests when I came up with these items.”

Executive Chef Bill Justus just came on board and will oversee the kitchen staff of more than 30 who cook for the Old Mill Room and Bistro 1834, two of the four dining establishments at the Boar’s Head Inn.

Justus, who has a tradition of cooking great Southern foods, moved to Charlottesville from Calloway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. He also has worked at restaurants in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

“We believe in letting the ingredients speak for themselves,” Justus said. Justus, who was selected as the Boar’s Head executive chef after cooking a meal made from Thomas Jefferson’s favorite ingredients, said he hopes to continue to have both new and familiar items to the guests.

“We can also cook for people with specialized diets and allergies,” Justus said. “If someone wants something that isn’t on the menu and we have the ingredients in the kitchen, we’ll make it.”

The dessert menu also has been updated to include items such as the cashew banana caramel - a banana encased in phyllo with a combination of roasted cashews and caramel sauce and a side of homemade cinnamon ice cream.

“If you’ve been coming here for 20 years and they’ve taken something off the menu and you want it, just ask and we’ll make it for you if we can,” Roane said.

The restaurant serves a selection of local and nationally known wines, and staffers have information on how guests can find local wines they’re interested in.

The Old Mill Room opened when the Boar’s Head Inn opened in 1965 and has a long history of fine-dining service, said Patricia Fleshman Burnette, marketing and communication manager at the inn. The restaurant was built using beams from an old gristmill that was deconstructed and rebuilt on site.

Although the majority of the restaurants clientele are 45 and older, the staff also hopes to start attracting a younger crowd. They recently held a tasting of menu items and other special dining events to reintroduce the restaurant to new diners.

Although the hotel is about to begin a renovation, the Old Mill Room will remain mainly the same and continue to be a warm, inviting place for guests, Burnette said.

“Charlottesville is a mecca of white-tablecloth restaurants, and the competition keeps us all honest and on our toes,” Burnette said. “We want to showcase the Southern hospitality and the fundamentals that are traditional at the Old Mill Room.”