Lovely Dinner Date the Bebedero Leaves Impression
One lovely evening my boyfriend Roger and I decided to visit the Bebedero, a restaurant in downtown Charlottesville. Let me just say, it was a wonderful experience! We were greeted by our host and quickly seated at a booth.
The first thing that caught my eye was the design and artistry inside the restaurant. A full length bar with a huge selection of Mezcal and other spirits was positioned to the right of us. Exquisite art hung on the walls and the restaurant had dim lighting and deep hip hop played in the background. We ordered our food before the drinks and were welcomed by an old friend of ours, Alex, who used to work at Kama before they closed. He told us about the place and said the art on the walls and the chalk signs were all designed and painted by the owner himself, who also had a clothing brand and clearly loved visuals and aesthetics.
The owner, River Hawkins, moved to this location in March. He has been an expert of Mezcal (a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave, similar to Tequila) for twenty plus years, having been in Mexico at a resort as a barkeep, and then moving to the United States to pursue the restaurant business. He teaches classes on the rich history, processes, and includes tastings of the liquor they sell. On Friday nights especially, I have observed live music and a lively scene. It seemed to be a popular restaurant, so Roger and I chose to view the scene on a less busy night to get a true experience of the food and drinks they had to offer.
We ordered food first; the drink list was so vast we had to pore over it for several minutes. We were given multicolored chips and salsa as a starter and ordered guacamole in addition. For the main course we had the Enchilada Suizas with chicken; it was divine. The chicken was tender and very flavorful .The cheese was hand grated, you could tell by its texture. The tortillas were homemade, and the pairing of spice and sweet was on point. The guacamole ($16) was also lovely, although incredibly expensive for about two avocado’s worth.
The drinks were cheaper than the guacamole. We ordered a drink each; Roger ordered a Sangria, and I ordered a guava cocktail with Tanqueray called “The Floor is Guava.” The Sangria was mixed with red wine, cinnamon, bourbon, apples, and lime juice. The flavor profile was exceptional, the spices were notable, and the bourbon was flavorful but did not embitter the drink. The price was $12 which is not bad for a cocktail. My drink was fantastic. The guava juice was fresh and the mint added a refreshing zing to the drink, and the gin was barely noticeable. I chose Tanqueray because it is a classic London dry, a strong but botanical gin, in between a Hendricks and a Bombay Sapphire. It is not too sweet and is a good gin to mix with fruity and bright flavors like guava and mint. There were also hints of orange and lime; the citrus was more of a back of the throat flavor.
The menu was filled with humor; the drinks and food were accompanied on the menu with quips and sarcasm. The menus were made out of hand-dyed images on front and back, and made out of leather.
Overall, this experience was absolutely lovely. I am returning to purchase the beautiful painting that hung on the wall above our table. The price of the meal was around $70 before tax, which we didn’t argue as the food and drinks were exceptional. We will definitely be returning on Friday night to see what’s happening with the crowd and bumping club music. It was a lovely experience, I do suggest.
