Hamiltons' at First & Main — Restaurant in Charlottesville

After reading all the reviews I guess I had higher expectations. Came there with three friends today for brunch and the service was horrible. I'm in the business, so I don't go out of my way to write like this, so if you are the owner, its time to regroup. First, we got asked to move to the "center of walkway dining area" where hostess said that's where our servers are." That was okay, but our server took way too long to bring water, get coffee (15-20 min). Forgot my friends lemons, another 10 min. Frittata was a glorified egg souffle, obviously baked in a hotel pan, no real texture like from a saute pan. Shrimp and grits, grits were the best part, however, arugula in heat lamp too long and the few shrimp with not much sauce like you would see in the Low Country. Friend asked for sausage on side, never came, then we had to ask server again, says he'll go get it, then comes (after we finished eating completely) a side of bacon apologizing they were out of sausage. I felt embarrased for him, having a rough time today.

To top off the whole experience, we decided to complain to hostess, and what looked like a manager-he was wearing more dressy clothes, they said they were sorry for our bad experience. Thats it. No manager card, no "let's get you back in here to try us again on us or some kind of offering." We dine out every Sunday and other nights, too; I dont want to bother with the Hamilton because they obviously don't care or think they are too good. Restaurant business is too hard and competitive for this type of...

Hamiltons' on First & Main was a wonderful surprise. As first time diners, we were impressed with the attention to detail in the restaurant. The decor was beautiful. We were promptly greeted by friendly staff and taken to our seats. Our waitress (Chelsea) was exceptional. She was patient and polite as she took our orders, gave us time to go over the menu, and checked on us throughout our meal. We started with spring rolls which were presented beautifully and tasted wonderful. We also had the local mushrooms. These were not as appealing visually. However, the variety was interesting but wouldn't be a repeat experience. We ordered swordfish and crab cakes. Both presented beautifully, almost too pretty to eat. Both meals were delicious! As it was our first visit, I wanted to include a dessert for the review. We had the lemon tart with coffee, and affogato. The coffee was good. The lemon tart was bright with a strong lemon tempered with the blueberry garnish. The only note would be to have more blueberries. The affogato was a nice pick me up to round out our experience. Hamiltons'on First & Main is definitely an...

This was my second visit to Hamilton's at First & Main. The first time was a couple of years ago or so. My son was still at UVa and I had lunch there while he was in class. I had the Carolina Shrimp and Grits. It was FABULOUS! I mean, THE BEST shrimp and grits I've ever had. I took one of their cards so I wouldn't forget the name of the restaurant. Fast forward a few years (3?)...was back in C'ville with a friend. I wanted to go back to see if they were still as good or if that was a one-time meal. I am so very happy to announce that it was every bit as good as the first time! I feel kind of bad for my friend because I ooh'd and ahhh'd over almost every bite. I was just so happy that there is a constant in the culinary/restaurant universe when it comes to Shrimp and Grits. Hamilton's has the best and it's guaranteed to be just as good even 2-3 years later. Oh, and if you don't care for that particular dish (my friend can't eat shellfish) everything else we had was...