950 W. Beverley St.
Staunton, VA 24401
540-885-8885
www.anne-hathaways-cottage.com

English | $

It’s like you’ve landed in the English countryside. There is a nice deck for summer seating facing the English garden.

Everything about the place screams tea. It is nice to be able to purchase and take home the tea you have with dinner.

For tea we picked a tasty South African Rooibos that came in individual pots.

They offer a number of salad and sandwich plates that come with an endless pot of your favorite tea. My wife chose this Duo of Salad.

I picked the special, a Steak and Ale Pie. Large pieces of steak in a rich beef and ale gravy, wrapped in a light savory puff pastry. This traditional pub fare was a real treat.

For dessert we had a wonderful English Cream Lime Custard with Crystalized Honey and Lavender. The custard was perfect and the taste of lime was not over powering.

Staunton has some great restaurants but for a change of pace don’t overlook Anne Hathaway Cottage Tea Room. The service is excellent, the food and tea are great, and it is a fun experience.

The Spice Route
10945 George Mason Cir.
Manassas, VA 20109
571-428-2127
http://thespiceroutes.com/

Indian | $

The décor is comfortable with white tablecloths and cloth napkins. The owner Gopal Kapoor told me he serves traditional dishes the way he makes them at home. His focus is on flavor, saying most traditional Indian food is not spicy hot. He uses the freshest ingredients he can find to build flavor and savory dishes.

For our appetizer we chose an Indian street food known as Samosa Chaat. It is chopped samosa with chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, and chutney. Samosa Chaat is a mince meat dish that is spicy, tangy, and sweet. This is a flavorful dish easily shared.

This was not as spicy as the Samosa Chaat but had a perfect garlic taste, savory but not strong enough to linger beyond the next bite.

The naan bread was excellent.

For our entrées I had the Butter Chicken and my wife had the Lamb Bhuna.

The Butter Chicken was very good on a bed of delicious long grain basmati rice.

The Spice Route is located across the street from the Hylton Performing Arts Center on the George Mason Campus. It is an excellent stop for dinner before a performance. There is plenty of parking, so you can eat and walk across the street. We ate early so noise was not an issue. Service is attentive but not intrusive and the food is an excellent value for your dollar. They are open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. This is the best Indian food in our area.

Flint Hill Public House & Country Inn
675 Zachary Taylor Hwy
Flint Hill, VA 22627
540-675-1700
http://www.flinthillva.com

American | $$

A lovely remodeled hundred year old school is home to the restaurant and inn.

The décor is modern with the brave choice of white chairs.

My wife started with a wonderful rich Corn Chowder made with Sweet Corn, Bacon, Potatoes, Thyme, and Cream.

For her entrée she picked the House Salad with Bibb and Romaine Lettuce, Caramelized Grape Tomatoes, English Cucumber, Red Onion, and Manchego Cheese & Sherry Vinaigrette.

My entrée was the 10oz grass fed beef Flint Hill Burger with Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, Red Onion, and Mayo. The beef was flavorful and a perfect medium. Gorgonzola has a bite and is not for everyone. I would order this again but ask for a milder cheese like Swiss or Munster.

For a side I picked the Mac N Cheese with Extra Sharp Cheddar, Caramelized Shallots, and Feta. Who doesn’t love shells for their Mac N Cheese. The feta topping was a nice choice to mute some of the sharp cheddar.

Flint Hill is in the beautiful rolling Virginia countryside. It is a nice drive on a Sunday afternoon. We arrived early and were the only customers for most of our dinner so I have no idea about the noise level. The service was good but it is hard not be be attentive to your only customer. Now through mid November I would recommend reservations. The changing leaves of fall bring a lot of visitors to the area.

Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar
635 W. State St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-4136
http://maxies.com/

Cajun | $$

Maxie’s is hard to miss. It’s in a large converted single family home at the corner of S. Fulton St. and W. State St.

I started with an awesome Crab and Corn Chowder. With the large chunks of crab it was flavorful and the perfect consistency of a classic chowder.

My wife had the Maxie’s Mighty-Mighty Gumbo with Chicken, Andouille, Crawfish, and Rice.

The cornbread was like grandma made, perfect.

For her entrée my wife chose the Cracker-Crusted Oysters and loved them.

My wife added Braised Collard Greens as a side. She said they were the best she has had.

I ordered the Shrimp & Grits with a Grilled Andouille Sausage.The grits were smooth and creamy with shrimp cooked perfectly. The Andouille had a great spicy flavor. This is the best Cajun food I have had and probably the finest Cajun food found outside of New Orleans.

Service was great and the noise level was low on the Thursday night we were there. They have 30 minute call ahead in place of reservations and some covered outside seating. They have live entertainment often and a vibrant bar scene.