Food is expensive in Virginia, more than any state in America. One out of every eight people in Virginia struggles with hunger. This year nearly 50 million Americans will receive food from one of the 58,000 pantries, meal service programs, or food charities working to fight hunger in America. Many are children and seniors. You can make a difference during this busy Christmas season by making a donation. Please remember to give to a food bank near you so your community can work to end hunger.
Gainesville United Methodist
13710 Milestone Ct.,
Gainesville, VA. 20155
http://www.gumchurch.com/
Yearly Harvest Dinner
Each year church members gather for an autumn tradition, the Harvest Dinner. This year volunteers worked in teams of 10 for about 12 hours to create and serve the meal to approximately 125 people. The team prepared 140 pounds of roast beef, 100 pounds of potatoes, and 2 ½ cases of fresh green beans.
First stop was the salad.
The green beans were steamed nicely.
Great mashed potatoes.
The hot roast beef just kept coming.
The brown gravy was wonderful, tasty with a nice firm consistency.
The traditional old-fashioned bread stuffing is a real favorite. Since it was not stuffed in a turkey it’s probably best called dressing here.
Classic dinner rolls for those who have to have bread with dinner.
The finished product.
A selection of apple and pumpkin pies were available and the pie ladies were generous with the Cool Whip.
You need not be a member of Gainesville United Methodist Church to enjoy the Harvest Dinner, everyone is welcome. Tickets this year were $12. Check the web page or look for announcements on the Linton Hall Rd church sign next year. You don’t want to miss such an excellent home cooked meal.
Saveur Magazine is out with their Culinary Travel Awards 2014. Locally the Inn at Little Washington made the list as Outstanding in the Best Hotel Restaurant Fewer than 100 Rooms category. Washington, DC is listed as Notable in the Best Culinary Destination, Small Domestic category.
feast!
416 West Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434-244-7800
www.feastvirginia.com
Grocery | $
In Charlottesville for a meeting we stopped into feast! on West Main Street after a local friend recommended it. They offer an assortment of fresh made soups, salads, and sandwiches.
The deli section had a nice array of meats.
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The large cheese selection is wonderful and almost too many from which to choose. There are also interesting offerings like Water Buffalo, Jowl Bacon, and Mousse de Canard Au Foie Gras.
A small selection of organic produce.
There is a good selection of specialty foods to give you ideas for dinner. In business for about 12 years feast! has a loyal following and was busy while we were there. They also do local catering and custom gift boxes. Part of the Main Street Market, you will find a butcher, wine bar, and The Spice Diva at the same location. Stop in when you have a chance, you should be able to find something you need.
Dizzy Pig BBQ
8763 Virginia Meadows Drive
Manassas, VA 20109
703-273-3580
http://dizzypigbbq.com
Semi-annually for the last 3 years the team at Dizzy Pig BBQ has put on DizzyFest, a gathering of Big Green Egg enthusiasts who come to compete and showcase their recipes and cooking talent. We were invited by Dizzy Pig owner Chris Capell to set up our Serve Our Willing Warriors display to let people know about the Bull Run Warrior Retreat and our Visiting Chef Program. Dizzy Pig is a donating vendor to the Visiting Chef Program and will have their line of incredible seasonings in the kitchen when the retreat opens this fall.
The June 6th DizzyFest attracted nearly 75 cooks on 25 teams who came to compete and offer samples of their favorite dishes, all prepared on their Big Green Eggs. It’s best to purchase tickets before hand at the Dizzy Pig web page. This DizzyFest was sold out and capped at 350 attendees. Tasting tickets were $35 for an individual and $55 for a couple. The next DizzyFest is November 8, 2014.
If you’re like me you are only vaguely familiar with the Big Green Egg. They come in a variety of sizes, can grill, smoke, or bake, and are easy to use. What I saw first-hand is that you can cook anything on them. I saw ribs, chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, fried rice and pizza on Big Green Eggs during the day.
In the booth next to us Dave Semovoski and his family started the day making shrimp and grits, then an incredible Beef, Pork, and Veal meatball mixed with Cheese and Jalapenos. He ended the day using his Big Green Egg to melt chocolate to make Grand Marnier S’mores, a hit with everyone.
Ribs were everywhere.
Just about everything was wrapped in bacon one time or another. Including this hand-made smoked sausage.
This team offered Dr. Assburn’s Fire Roasted Habanero sauce with their samples but it looked like no one was brave enough to open it.
Dizzy Pig owner Chris Capell competed in the DizzyFest Throwdown but lost to Mike and Karen Beer who took first place for their Chilean Sea Bass with grit cakes and mustard sauce dish.
Joel and Erin Matteson with the Pepper Monkey BBQ team created amazing meatballs for us.
If you love BBQ and are going to be within a 100 miles of Manassas, Virginia Saturday November 8th don’t miss Dizzy Fest, it’s a real treat.
Red Apron Butcher
8298 Glass Alley (Merrifield)
Fairfax, VA 22031
703-676-3550
http://www.redapronbutchery.com/
The first location in Virginia for the popular DC based Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s charcuterie deli and butcher shop is worth a stop when you are in Merrifield.
Butcher Nate Anda has done a great job of getting only the highest quality meats, fresh pasta, and prepared meals.
They offer an array of breakfast and made to order sandwiches. Check out the menu here.
My wife and I split the incredible Porkstami sandwich, made of Pastrami Style Pork, Mustard Aioli, Bacon Braised Sauerkraut, on a Baguette. I am not a big sauerkraut fan but this was the best I have had. Not overly sourer as some can be. We were not hungry enough to order fries but I understand the Nate’s Fries cooked in aged beef fat are awesome.
Even if you don’t grill or do much cooking it is worth stopping at any of the 3 Red Apron Butcher locations for a splendid lunch.
My wife and I were invited to an amazing event last weekend as part of nearly 100 friends and family who watched Christina and Devin tie the knot. The light rain on our drive to Madison, VA broke on queue just before the beautiful ceremony. My blog title may seem a little farfetched but this truly was a one-of-a-kind experience. Everything was hand-crafted, created, or repurposed right down to the officiant who was Christina’s 3rd grade teacher and now a vice principal at a local high school. The best part is it wasn’t a gimmick. It’s how Christina and Devin live their lives, a huge impact on those who love them and minimal impact on their environment.
Sure the band used some electricity and there were twinkly lights strung around the tents so no one would hang themselves on guide wires. Other than that everything could be repurposed or recycled.
Attendees sat on hay bales covered with linens the bride’s mother handmade.
All the plates, napkins, utensils, and cups were 100% biodegradable. Tablecloths were made of book pages and old topographical maps.
Guests were asked to bring a covered dish and the response was wonderful. We dropped off our dish in the kitchen when we arrived and everything was arranged with no worries. When it was time to leave we stopped by the kitchen and found our dish washed and ready. Luckily Christina and Devin have many friends and family who are wonderful cooks and foodies.
Round One! Each table had fresh cut flowers from friends and family gardens and the table runners were made by Christina’s mother Bonny from Goodwill linens.
Just to be clear this wasn’t some vegetarians only get together.
Christina made this wonderful lemon wedding cake.
Having any event with near zero environmental impact is hard work and not for everyone. It’s the reason weddings are a 40 billion dollar a year industry. Its easier for most people to just buy stuff. We’re blessed to have friends not like everyone and who worked so hard to make this a special day for Christina and Devin and all who joined them.
I am very excited to announce that Chef Chris Edwards, Chef de Cuisine at Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA has volunteered to be the Honorary Head Chef for the Bull Run Warrior Retreat’s Visiting Chef Program. A graduate of culinary arts from Johnson and Wales in Charleston, SC, Chef Edwards trained in Spain at El Bulli and El Raco de Can Fabes, both three Michelin Star restaurants. He has worked at such notable restaurants as Maestro in Tysons Corner and Fiamma in New York. Before taking the helm at Salamander Resort he was Chef at the highly acclaimed Restaurant at Patowmack Farm.
We look forward to working with Chef Edwards and all our visiting chefs as we welcome our recovering warriors and their families to the Bull Run Warrior Retreat and work to make their stay memorable.
As we gather for what will be a glorious Easter Feast let us remember those who are less fortunate. Each time you shop please grab a few extra cans of something good and drop it at your local food bank. Every little bit helps. Happy Easter.
The Whole Ox
6364 Stuart Street
The Plains, VA 20198
540-724-1650
www.thewholeox.com
A Local Artisanal Butcher
Friends have been telling me to stop in at The Whole Ox butcher for some time now. They promised it would be worth the trip. About a block off of Main St. (Rt. 55) in downtown The Plains, the shop is housed in a wonderful old railroad station.
Drawing from the best farms in the region they offer a large selection of high quality antibiotic and hormone free meats, fresh fish, cheese, produce, beer, and wines.
Their ready-to-cook meals are prepared in-house by Head Butcher and Chef Derek Luhowiak who along with his wife Amanda are owners. My eyes were immediately drawn to this sumptuous looking Mac & Cheese dish. I know it is a little strange to walk into a butcher shop and walk out with macaroni but it looked so good.
Packaged in its own wooden cooking pan it was simple to prepare. Into the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I did it with minimal supervision.
When I removed the wrapper I noticed the label said “House Made With Love By The Whole Ox” and knew it just had to be good.
The handwritten list of ingredients on the label offered a hint of how the cheese turned out so smooth. Cheese, butter, flour, milk, and cream all contributed to the roux like sauce smothering the rigatoni. It was so good it will be hard not to be distracted by it on my next visit. But I am already thinking about some sausage for the grill.
If you are anywhere near The Plains you owe it to yourself to stop in and find something special for dinner. If your looking for a nice afternoon drive on the weekend go on Saturday when they are open from 10ish until 5ish. They are closed Sunday and Monday.
tango449eats 