A Fresh Finale

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 18th, 2010

After a day of wine tasting and balloon searching at the Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival at Historic Long Branch this weekend, it was time to find some good food.  I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see even one hot air balloon, but word was that it was too windy for the balloons to take flight.

We did get to try a delicious Johnsonville Bratwurst from the “World’s Largest Grill” at the festival for lunch, but all the walking around lead us to want something more substantial as dinnertime approached.

We decided to head to Hunter’s Head Tavern in Upperville.  Hunter’s Head Tavern serves local organic meats and produce from nearby Ayrshire Farm.  This is where the real eating began.  This was my first time at Hunter’s Head and we sat outside on the patio complete with a tent and heaters for the outdoor chill.  A basket of fresh bread was too good for words and we took our time with our wine before getting up to order.

I sat there waiting to be handed a menu, until I was informed that you had to go inside where the menu was displayed on blackboards to view the dinner menu and order from there.  Then, when the food was ready, it would be brought out to your table number which was displayed on a wooden spoon.

Everything sounded good, but I finally chose the Skinny Apple Cider Chicken.  My dinner companions chose the Shepherd’s Pie, the Ayrshire Guinness Beef Stew and the Dry-Aged Burger with Chips.  We all ate in silence because the food was so good and there was no room for chatting.

My chicken was unlike any chicken I had ever had.  It came falling off the bone and was tender and juicy.  There was a definite hint of cider in the meat and it was surrounded by dried pears, wild rice and sweet baby carrots.

Of course, none of us were still hungry, but we just had to have dessert.  The homemade German Chocolate Cake was moist and big enough for four of us to get our share.  I am certain that I will be back for the Fish and Chips in the near future.  I am also interested in checking out the Home Farm Store which is a gourmet retail shop that sells fresh meats and produce from Ayrshire Farm and other local farms.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Ayrshire Farm has their organic turkeys for sale.  If their turkey is anything like their chicken, I suggest you order one now.

-Liz Stevenson

Tags: Ayrshire Farm, Gut Check, Hunter's Head Tavern, Liz Stevenson, local, organic, Virginia farm