DanielS

If you have seen the latest Chef's Table BBQ with Lennox Hastie, who only cooks with fire, but cant make it to Australia, take a trip to Field and Main! Highlights: Lets start with the Hearth. Unlike most places, they arent afraid to put some serious char on bread, veggies, steak, etc and the results are amazing. Speaking of the house made bread with a huge smear of butter, corn, peanuts, etc. trust me just go ahead and order two, its that good. Corn, Corn, Corn and Tomatoes - Corn on the cob, corn on the bread plate, corn cake, corn bread pudding, even corn ice cream! Exactly what I would want to see at this time of the year on a restaurants menu. Outdoor Cabanas - From the moment Neil's emails mentioned reopening these seem to be a hot ticket. It took us a few weeks out to get a weekend reservation. They are awesome, totally private, large spaces. From now on I want all my meals in a cabana. We take Coronavirus very seriously, and we didnt have a moment where we didnt feel totally safe. The service is wonderful, everyone in masks, paper menus, even expandable sanitizing towels on the table, beware they look like mints. I might have played a joke on my wife. Thanks to Neil and the staff at Field and Main. I am sure like many restaurants, especially those owned by individuals, the last few months have been incredibly stressful, frustrating, and depressing. Its great to see you back on your feet, and just want to let you know as a guest, it is great to be able to have a beautiful night out in a restaurant again. Daniel S

Glad you posted this, we live up in Winchester and had not heard of it. Menu looks great and very affordable. We will try to get down there this weekend! Daniel

Out here is the "country" the co-owner of Fireworks, Patrick Dihn, opened Oak Stone Pizza in Winchester. It is a wonderful addition to the city. with of course great pizza, and surprisingly good wings. Hopefully its success with encourage other restaurateurs from NoVa to make their way out here.

Costco in Winchester sells Prime whole briskets, 2.99 a pound. Maybe call Costco's around there.

Don, I will say this, I cant say at anytime during the meal I thought, "this is alot of heavy food." That being said when looking over what we ate, it could be described that way. Most of the items do have some form of cheese, croutons, sauces, etc. We did actually substitute the hearth baked skillet cookies and ice cream dessert for corn ice cream sandwiches and basil cakes, thinking we would be too full. We were told to start thinking of boxing food as the dinner progressed, of course all that was left was a small piece of ribeye to take home. Granted we did order the Feast, and that is what we literally got. I believe these were full size versions of what is on the menu. Let me expand briefly on the high-wire act going on that is so impressive. The location of the restaurant lends itself to many different levels of income/backgrounds. I know i read in an interview Mr. Wavra mentioned to the effect of wanting to open a place where a farmer could sit down and feel comfortable to eat. With its proximity to horse country there is a lot of money, at the same time, many of these people do still think of themselves as simple farmers if you will. The food and the environment lend themselves perfectly to this. Lastly, and probably most importantly, Mr. Wavra standing at the door at 5pm on a Sunday evening greeting new and obviously many frequent guests.

Figured I would bump this up since we had such a great meal here on Sunday. First let me say, we live in Winchester, and have never been to Marshall, even though we had eaten at Ashby Inn and followed this thread. The area where the restaurant is located looks as if the food gods decided to drop a bunch of culinary treats in the middle of nowhere, no offense to Marshall. Basically on one block sits Red Truck Bakery, Gentle Harvest, the Whole Ox, Cordial Coffee, and Field and Main, my apologies if I missed anyone. After going over too many items on the menu to decide on, we settled on The Feast. At 69 dollars, this was a great way to try a large portion of the menu, and in my opinion a great value. Standouts: The buffalo pigs ears, the roasted cauliflower and pickled vegetable plate, piquillo stuffed pepper, and crispy potatoes. For an extra 10p/p we upgraded to the ribeye, and it was worth every penny, and a large piece of meat. At the end of the meal, with my wife glancing to the kitchen, Mr. Warva was kind enough to literally take us in the kitchen to see the setup of the hearth, its incredible. We also joked about Don's attempts to go "incognito" while dining at Mr. Wavra's restaurants. For a early Sunday night I was surprised how busy it was. I will give Mr. Wavra credit, the fine line he pulls off between fancy/downhome food, price, and environment is quite an accomplishment. Daniel S.

La Cheeserie!

Stopped in Albany for the night while traveling and ate at Hong Kong Bakery and Bistro, it was great. The Salt and Pepper Short Ribs w/Chili were amazing. They have dim sum during the day but we missed that. The bakery area looked quite nice as well. I live out in Winchester, so good Chinese is a rarity, so I would kill to have a place like this near us. Hong Kong Bakery & Bistro | 8 Wolf Road | Albany, New York 12205 | (518) 431-6520

Winchester Winchester has come a long way in the last 10 years. One sign of that is the upcoming http://hopblossom.com/ on June 8th. We had the first Alamo Drafthouse outside of Texas, and are getting a Carmike 12 Screen "BIGD" theater soon. The walking mall was recently redone before Apple Blossom, and looks great. In the summer they hold movies, concerts, etc on the mall. While One Block West might not be considered "appreciated" by the locals, it has been in business for many years, probably 6 or 7 since Chef Ed took over and has slowly allowed him to really expand his dishes, many of which you would have never imagined in Winchester ten years ago. He should be given a lot of credit for pushing the boundaries of what the town will eat.

Funny reading this 4 years later and Triangle Diner still isnt open. It was purchased and the sign was put up, but from the looks of it, still the same. If you havent been, the walking mall in old town is really quaint. Violino and Thai Winchester are both family owned and very good. Village Square and One Block West are both good, but can be hit or miss. The Union Jack and V2 Lounge and both nice for a drink. A small drive will get you to both the Ashby Inn and L'Auberge Provencale, both are excellent. There is a new little market Bonnie Blue, close to old town, doing very good smoked chicken and pork, everything is made in house, not really a place for sit down, but if you want to pick up some stuff its worth stopping at. Haute Dogs and Market Burger in Purceville are worth a short drive for that type of food.

Never had Q, but I like Fever Tree. There is a really good deal on Amazon right now for it. You get 24 bottles for 30 bucks with a 15% coupon BROBRI55 plus free shipping and no tax. They also have Ginger Beer and Bitter Lemon. I used to drink tonic water straight as a kid and loved it, I think my parents thought I was nuts.

My wife and I ate here on Saturday night for the first time, lemme just say wow! Think Minibar/Volt in a country inn setting. We made a meal of the snacks, appetizers, cheese course, and desserts. Throw in some great bread and butter, a palate cleanser, and some treats at the end of the meal and we left stuffed. You could go crazy on the "snacks" alone. I could eat a bowl of the pretzel gourgeres filled with cheddar/beer. I will agree with Dan, the roasted chestnut soup was the star of the meal. Bacon cream, mmmm. Service was great, the setting is very comfortable, nothing stuffy at all. Cant wait to return. Daniel S.

Been eating at "Tuskies" for years, they have really stepped up their game. Ate there last week for lunch and their menu and execusion is really phenomenal. Plus walk up the road to Moms Apple Pie and you have your local "pies made by sweet neighborhood lady"

Having a craving for Ginger Scallion Lobster or Crab. Anyone have any recommendations? Preferably a place with live tanks. Thanks! Daniel

Ok this might be blasphemous, but I am looking for a good Sunday Buffet Brunch. I have a few young picky eaters, so I am looking for something with made to order eggs/omelets/waffles, carving station, fruits, desserts, etc. Is there anywhere out there that isnt just industrial style cafeteria? Coming into the city from Winchester, VA. Thanks in advance for any suggestions, Daniel