"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Matthew Fitzsimmons The Chefs Behind Three of Virginia’s Popular Winery Restaurants Julia Child once said, “Wine is meant to be with food – that’s the point of it!” Nobody will argue that wine isn’t wonderful on its own. But if you really want to elevate your experience, it is crucial that you pair your […]
Let’ Eat! By Charles Oppman Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crabs Now that soft shell crab season is upon us we should be thinking about frying up a few of these fabulous crustaceans. The soft shell crab is one of the South’s greatest contributions to American cuisine. Soft shells are a delicacy in every sense of the […]
Dining Out By The Gastronomes To Brunch or to Dine? Ask Mom! This is the question that I posed to all of my Facebook friends out there who are Mothers. While we were pondering about what eating establishment we should feature in this column this month and keep with the Mother’s Day theme we decided […]
Exploring VA Wine By Doug Fabbioli Rosé in 2021 When I was a kid growing up in Upstate New York in the early 70’s, my parents didn’t really drink much wine. There was always a Gallo Hearty Burgundy in the cabinet for the spaghetti sauce, but they would buy a bottle of Mateus when guests […]
By the Gastronomes Kingfishers Seafood, Bar & Grill Solomons Island, Maryland This month’s Dining Out took us to one of our favorite places in the DMV – Solomons Island, Maryland – and our favorite drinking and dining establishment on the island, Kingfishers Seafood, Bar and Grill. It was nice to have a bit of a […]
By Matt Fitzsimmons Virginia’s Exploding Micro Meadery Scene This past February, Silver Hand Meadery was awarded 6 gold medals during the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition, tying for the 2nd highest gold medal tally of any winery, cidery, or meadery in the state. While this haul surprised many in the wine industry, in retrospect […]
By Charles Oppman A Rite of Spring – Pasta Primavera Now that spring is in full swing we’re likely to see the seasonal springtime dish pasta primavera on Italian restaurant menus across America. It just makes sense―the word primavera means “spring” in Italian. But what is pasta primavera exactly, and what’s its culinary history? Let’s […]
By Doug Fabbioli Get Out of the Cab Once in a While This winter we had a bit more snow than usual, and the snow removal process is something that we get to do ourselves out on the farm. I heard the comment from somebody, and I cannot remember who, that “the plow driver does […]
By the Gastronomes Erin Go Braugh! This month’s column is going to take on a little different vent. March is the month of all things Irish in the USA and Old Town used to do their part with one of the best St. Patrick’s Day parades along the east coast. Alas, the “Rona” has put […]
By Matt Fitzsimmons The Winegrowers of Horton and Early Mountain Vineyards “Great wine is made in the vineyard” is a common cliché in the wine industry. Yet no matter how repetitive this statement seems, that doesn’t make it any less accurate. While winemakers are often the public face for most wineries, the vineyard managers who […]
