We’ve lost a lot of good restaurants in Charlottesville over the years. The Gaslight, The Caravan, Barnaby’s, Lord Hardwicks, Tony’s Tavern, Happy Clam – they come and go. One of our favorite restaurants in the early years was Le Snail at 320 W. Main Street, beside what was the old Greyhound Bus Station. It opened the mid-70’s as memory serves. Nancy, knowing I had an affinity for French cuisine, especially Escargot, treated me to Le Snail for a special occasion and we were hooked.
The food was served in miniscule proportions – as in all French Restaurants – but it was outstanding. The Chef, Thidy Brazeem, was in charge of the kitchen and his wife, Judy, saw to it that everything was just perfect.
We were aways impressed with their service and attentiveness with each patron. I always ordered Escargot for an appetizer and often chose a Veal dish as an entrée. I recall that their desserts served with ice cream were scrumptious.
Le Snail had a nice run until the early 90’s, then shuttered its doors. Each time I drive by the old location, I think back to many wonderful meals and occasions we enjoyed at what was then Charlottesville’s first French Restaurant.
