By Kiltie Tompkins
Wednesday night's “Sample of the City,” drew a crowd to Lexington to taste favorite menu items from five downtown restaurants.
The Southern Inn, Bistro on Main, the
Sheridan Livery, Tuscany, and Christopher’s hosted the event for more
than 200 diners, restaurant owners estimated. The Lexington/Rockbridge
County Chamber of Commerce sold 150 tickets before the event, but
at-the-door ticket sales caused lines out the door as people waited to
get a taste.
Diners sampled duck cotif, scallops, pasta, crab cakes, and crawfish, among other things. Restaurant owners were surprised by the crowds, and many found themselves overwhelmed trying to keep up. Christopher’s was the only one of the five that was not open for regular business in addition to the event.
Chamber of Commerce Director Sammy Moore said the goal of the event was to promote dining in Lexington during what is typically a slow season for downtown. Co-owner of Christopher's Karen O'Neill said she thinks the event will increase her customer base. Christopher's moved into its Washington Street location in October.
Moore called the event a success and said he hopes it will become a biennial tradition.
Kiltie Tompkins, Stacey
Grijalva, and Jessica Hopper report on the event
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd