sextons

Another source for organic meats: http://www.ayrshirefarm.com/ They sell from the farm or through their butcher shop in Middleburg: Home Farm Stores 1 East Washington St, Middleburg, VA 20117 (540) 687-8882

Sunnyside calls their beef "Virginia Kobe" -- half Black Angus, half Wagyu. Whatever it is, the burger was delicious. ← That's right .... now that you mention it I think I have seen that. Thanks for clarifying!

Sorry if I was unclear - I was agreeing with you. It's good for what it is but it's not Kobe beef.

What's even more confusing is that the Sunnyside taff will tell you that it's Wagyu beef. But then you go to Wegman's (and maybe even right behind Sunnyside's meat counter - I can't remember for sure) and it says "Kobe beef." I'm not quite sure how they can do that either. Because of living in Rappahannock all the "Kobe" steaks and meatloafs or whatever that I've eaten in the area are indeed Sunnyside's Wagyu as they distribute to every restaurant around (or did at least). So I'm sure there is a difference in taste and quality between the Kobe and Wagyu. But it's still a pretty damn good burger. I've yet to eat at Thornton River but I've heard nothing but good things about them. I'll get over there one of these nights ....

This has always been my experience as well. I feel rather fortunate that I've always managed to avoid the tourist crowds. I've also only eaten in the dining room once and have never eaten at the front bar. I like the atmosphere and generally the better availability of seats in the corner and back bars. Old Ebbits was my first oyster experience and still my favorite. Kumomotos and Raspberry Points ... I have to quit talking about them ... the cravings are getting unbearable!!

Welcome! And thanks for the tip. I also got these tips from Chowhound a couple years back. Has anyone heard of or been to any of these? Strasbourg Hotel — Strasbourg, Va. Haag’s Hotel — Sharlesville, Pa. Ridgewood Barbecue — Johnson City, Tenn. I know this isn't great help but I used to eat at Hotel Strasburg about .... 13 years ago. It was good then (but I was also 17 at the time so...). They still serve the dish I loved which I believe was called Shenandoah Chicken - chicken breast in an apple cider reduction, stuffed with ham, apples and peanuts. This months Washintonian (not the most reliable source, I know) mentions Hotel Strasburg as a good place to eat in the Valley and specifically mentions this dish.

This has to be one of my favorite spots in DC - only for the happy hour though. The oysters are almost always good (prior to my birthday a month ago it would have been ALWAYS but that night there were four bad oysters in the dozen - also my first experience with a bad oyster ....). But the happy hour prices are great, good bartenders ... Never knew it was part of Clydes until now.

In Harrisonburg you should try Luigi's pizza. Harrisonburg's about an hour from my house and I still drive there to satisfy my Luigi's cravings. Hand-tossed pizzas, endless list of toppings, great sauce, hippy/college town atmosphere, good beer selction. I also second the Southern Kitchen in New Market. I've hear good things about the BBQ place in Strasburg. I've never eaten there and can't remember the name of the place but there's a billboard for it on 81. Sorry, that's about it for that stretch - McD's, truck stops and Cracker Barrel abound ....

If you do stop by Horton you can taste all 38 of their wines .... With 38 wines there are bound to be some you won't like but if you're a red wine drinker taste the Dionysus and the Mourvedre. Grey Ghost has great wines. If you have time you could stop by Farfelu, also in Rappahannock. It's a neat little winery, very friendly staff and good wines (The Inn just picked up their entire selection).

I've never tried their iced coffee but yes they do have it on the menu.

Well it was called Pho 75 but after visiting last week they've changed the number ... Pho 90 maybe? Either way it's right off of 29 in the shopping center with Chilis (or is it Chi Chi's? all the same to me!). Great pho - good lunch special of a summer or spring roll, regular bowl of beef/chicken/tofu pho, and a soda for something like $6.50. 11211 Lee Highway Suite A, Fairfax, VA (703) 691-3010 As I said, I went last Friday night which was an equally sticky hot summer day - so while pho and summer don't go hand in hand I definitely understand your craving!

I second the vote for lunch at Barboursville's Palladio. My lunch was also fabulous. A two course meal paired with wine plus taxes and a 20% gratuity was $50. Nice atmosphere, delicious food, well paired wines. Also on the mall in C'ville we just had a great early dinner at Blue Light Grill. We had an oyster tasting and shared three appetizers (calamari, shrimp, and tuna rolls - which were excellent). I'm not sure if they're open for lunch (the bar was open when we arrived at 4pm and was serving food from the raw bar but the kitchen didn't open for dinner until 5:30).

Unfortunately I've only eaten at the recently opened Manassas location so I have no basis with which to compare the quality of food in the new locations. I thought it was good though - can't say I was in awe or anything but for what it was I enjoyed it. I have to admit I am rather thrilled to hear that we're getting one in Warrenton. For those of you who know the restaurant scene in Warrenton I'm sure you understand my excitement .... I do enjoy Fosters' burgers though so once Five Guys opens I can do a taste test and determine whether Five Guys will truly be an addition to Warrenton. If I remember correctly though, Five Guys does not serve beer which immediately gives Fosters an advantage in my book ...

In spite of the laws there are some Virginia restaurants that will allow you to bring in your own wine. Especially if you're a regular or it's a special occasion, quiet night, etc. I will never understand some of these ABC laws ...

I tried to eat at Cosi once (only get to DC every couple of months and usually go to the same places ... ) but I was so put off by the hostess we left. As we had never been there when we walked in it looked like an order-at-the-counter kind of joint. So we slowly started towards the counter when this woman runs up, swings her host stand around to block our route, and points to the sign hanging off of it "Please Wait to Be Seated." As I said, she swung the stand around, so it hadn't been at an angle for us to see the sign or note that it was indeed a hostess stand. I had scanned the menu outside and it just didn't seem worth it after that incident ....

ABC law 4.1-315 "prohibits anyone from possessing alcohol on a licensed premises except that alcohol owned by the licensee and purchased under the owner's license. The only exception is for private parties conducted by legitimate groups in private rooms not accessible to the public. Only then may the licensee allow the group to possess and consume their own lawfully acquired alcohol. The practice of charging a customer a "corkage fee" for personally owned alcohol in not allowed in Virginia." Bringing alcohol into a private room is not as simple as it may sound here. We discussed this with an ABC agent and the problem with allowing a private party to bring in their own alcohol is that at no time can their alcohol come anywhere near the restaurant's alcohol. So say a private group brings their own wine in they can't order any other alcoholic beverages through us - no appertifs, after dinner drinks, etc. Very strange law ....

As far as I know it still is. Granted I haven't stopped in since last summer but I've heard nothing of it closing again.

I didn't even realize until we had already sat down that they did not ask for a temperature on the burger. Burgers are the only meat I don't mind being medium which is about the temperature this one came out as. So unfortunately I'm not sure if you could get the burger cooked less than medium. I plan on going back though so I'll try to find out next time. Yes, this is in Sperryville. If you're at all familiar with Sperryville it's the old Emporium/Faith Mountain space. They opened this space about ... 6 months ago. There's a retail section, groceries, meats, ice cream counter, coffee shop, sandwich shop and now the burger barn.

So the hubby and I decided to check out the local scene this weekend which eventually led us to Sunnyside's Burger Barn. We had heard local grumbling of $11 burgers and decided it was worth investigating. They've turned part of the expansive Emporium space into this little burger cafe. There's outdoor seating or wooden stools and booths indoors. You order from the counter and contrary to the local gossip the most expensive item on the menu is The Hitchhiker at $9.95. The Hitchhiker consists of an eight ounce burger (all burgers are of course Kobe beef), two sides and a drink. We split an eight ounce burger ($6.50) with blue cheese ($.50 extra), and a side of coleslaw ($1.25 for 4oz). The food is served on a Sunnyside frisbee ("Hey - a burger, two drinks, and a dog toy for under $12!"). I have to say it was a very tasty burger. Now this is the first Kobe burger I've had so I don't know how much the burgers can vary ... It was flamebroiled and came standard with lettuce, tomato and onion. The coleslaw was fine - nothing special. The menu is rather limited. I don't remember any sanwiches other than burgers. Side dishes consists of potato salad, coleslaw and Route 11 chips (there may have been one other side but I can't remember what). All in all I'd have to say I'm pretty pleased to have the addition to the limited Rappahannock scene.

In the Loudoun/Middleburg I would stay at either The Goodstone Inn & Estate (beautiful, definitely a great experience and may be in your price range depending on the night of the week and the season - but the rooms can reach the $400 range during peak season), The Red Fox Inn, and as mentioned The Ashby Inn in Paris. There's also Poplar Springs (inn, restaurant & spa) in Warrenton - I have yet to go there but hear good things about the food. For food I agree with 4&20 Blackbirds, Ashby, L'Auberge & Palladio. I haven't been to The Public House in about a year and half. The food was good then but I've heard mixed reviews since. One thing to note: If you end up in Rappahannock DO NOT STAY at The Blue Rock Inn. They're website is VERY out of date and there have been absolute horror stories coming out of that place over the past year.

I'm not sure if she has sold them all off yet. When we first heard this news a couple of weeks ago she had not yet sold them. I also know she had something like 75 babies born this past winter so it could be possible that they haven't all sold yet. I mentioned in another thread that right before she made the announcement to quit making her cheese she won two awards (sorry - not sure in what competition) that placed her cheese 10th in the world and 3rd in the nation. What better time to get out than when you're on top? But man will her cheese be missed .... :(

For those of you who haven't heard, Heidi from Rucker Farm is retiring from the goat cheese business .... She'll still be dealing with the cattle but she's selling off her goats and there is officially no more goat cheese. Sad, sad news.

VA ABC law prohibits BYOW and corkage fees. The only time you can bring your own is "for private parties conducted by legitimate groups in private rooms not accessible to the public. Only then may the licensee allow the group to possess and consume their own lawfully acquired alcohol." Legitimate groups .... Anyway, there are restaurants in VA that will still do it - especially for special/regular customers. I've even been in a restaurant where they allowed a customer to bring in their homemade beer to drink with dinner. I'm sure it helped that they offered the owner/manager a glass - always appropriate.

In case you haven't been by E-Cow lately, they have a nice selection of the Goat Hill plants for sale. A little one-stop shopping ... I also just heard that Heidi's cheese recently took 3rd in the nation and 10th in the world in some cheese competitions (sorry I don't know which competitions and can't seem to find anything on google).

I had thought about Coyote Ugly - seems like it would be a fun place to go. I just haven't talked to anyone or bothered to read any reviews of the place since it opened so I wasn't sure. I'll definitely look into it though! Thank you!