The Menu: Bar Virgile in downtown Durham is designed to impress
Bar Virgile
☆☆☆☆
105 S. Mangum St., Durham
Originally reviewed by Greg Cox on 7/31/2015
The oohs and aahs started with a sampling from the bar’s cheese and charcuterie offering. Our selections – an English Stilton, a hard Croatian sheep’s milk cheese called Paski Sir, and Curemaster Reserve, a Johnston County prosciutto on a par with some of Italy’s best – arrived on a plate looking like an artist’s palette dabbed with colors ranging from the sienna of the ham to the muted green and gold hues of whole grain mustard, green tomato relish and cornichons.
Then came an even more strikingly colorful presentation: alternating wedges of local peaches and tomatoes, flanked by a snow-white slab of burrata, garnished with basil chiffonade and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar.
And it’s hard to resist the cocktails at a bar that has quickly earned a place among the area’s best at the art. Drinks are built with as much care as they are thoroughly researched, and as a bonus they’re served in distinctive – and in some cases, historically accurate – glassware.
Read the full review and others at our restaurant review archive, themenunc.com.
This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 10:30 AM with the headline "The Menu: Bar Virgile in downtown Durham is designed to impress."