NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Seems every trip out to Warrenton nets another dining destination extraordinaire. Case in point: a leisurely visit to Claire’s—an old school train station turned fine-dining experience with plenty of polish—uncovers a brunch opportunity that ties together comfort with just a touch of the unexpected.

The adventure begins with a complimentary basket of homemade, cranberry-orange scones (blissfully sweet) accompanied by frozen (tsk! tsk!) lemon-poppy seed butter. A hearty stock brimming with country ham, chewy lentils and sliced mushrooms is warming on a blustery day, but I kept wishing for a buttermilk biscuit or cornbread muffin to appear. Flash-seared tuna slices recline on crispy wonton crackers as they wait to be dunked into a tangy soy sauce or graced with a swipe of creamy wasabi paste. Plump, cornmeal-covered oysters are fried golden brown and come accompanied by a spirited bloody Mary cocktail sauce that threatens to turn breakfast into happy hour.

A house special of fish and grits features a rotating fish selection (grilled trout is good) covered with scrambled eggs and a side of get’em-while-they’re-hot grits (as dense as mashed potatoes, but twice as cheesy). A dish of butternut squash ravioli showers the vegetable-filled noodles in a velvety fresh basil-Alfredo sauce blend.