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Dining In Fredericksburg


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Hello all!

I've been lurking here for some time, but I've been a bit shy about posting. smile.gif

My husband and I, and another couple are taking the short trip to Fredericksburg for the long weekend next week. We've heard that we can't miss Carl's for ice cream, but know little else about the dining scene.

We are most likely looking to do one "nice" dinner, and several less expenisve meals. All cuisines are up for grabs. Does anyone have any suggestions for places that shouldn't be missed? Or places that should be avoided? We are staying in the historical district, but can/will travel a bit for a good meal.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Ann-Marie

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[The following posts have been split into separate threads:

Allman's Pit Cooked Bar-B-Q (Joe H)
Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen (darkstar965)]

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Thanks everybody! Sounds like there are some good eats to be had in Fredericksburg. I'm looking forward to sampling at as many of the places you've recommended as we can fit in this weekend. :lol:

I'll report on where we end up sometime next week... I'm happy to keep adding to the list, if anyone has more suggestions.

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Hi everyone,

We are moving from DC to Fredericksburg this fall. I have seen plenty of chain restaurants down in that area, but are there any good places to eat? We will, of course, be coming back to DC every now and then for supplies (!), but would love to find some good places. The catch- we are both vegetarian. Thanks!

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I went to college in Fredericksburg, and the one restaurant I have to visit every time I'm in town is Sammy T's. The chicken (or tempeh) stir-fry with rice is outstanding; the peanut sauce used in the stir-fry is like crack. Further, Sammy T's has the best falafel anywhere within an hour's drive of D.C. I will take the Pepsi challenge on that. And, finally, the fries are always fresh-cut and freshly fried (but are intentionally "soggy," as opposed to crisp).

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Heading off to the Kenmore Inn in Fredericksburg, Va for the weekend....does anyone have an outstanding place they like for dinner and breakfast?????

I can always tell when someone works at a restaurant when they say "what are you going to do this weekend," and it's Saturday night at 7 PM. My response is usually something like, umm ... it's half over? :)

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I can always tell when someone works at a restaurant when they say "what are you going to do this weekend," and it's Saturday night at 7 PM. My response is usually something like, umm ... it's half over? :)

Funny... I just asked a customer that and they said well its almost over now... :)

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Had a chance this past weekend to visit a farm-to-table place that has received some real acclaim in recent years called Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen.

Borned and riased in and moved back to F'burg in 2007. Unfortunately Poppy Hill has been hit or miss the last year or so, not sure what is going on. Our last meal there was good, but the previous two were lacking. I always have a good meal at Bistro Bethem, they have an excellent wine program also. The small plates at Kybecca Wine Bar are also very good. The newish Bavarian Chef is very good as well. If you are lloking for something a little more simple, Soup & Taco is awesome (and definately my favorite restaurant for the money in F'burg) and for a great burger go to Old Towne Grill (open 830-5, closed Sundays). I personally hate Sammy T's, had terrible food and service when we moved back in 07' and haven't been there since.

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Borned and riased in and moved back to F'burg in 2007. Unfortunately Poppy Hill has been hit or miss the last year or so, not sure what is going on. Our last meal there was good, but the previous two were lacking. 

Poppy Hill has just announced they are closing up shop to explore more catering opportunities.

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Going to Fredericksburg in a couple of weeks, any suggestions on where to have lunch?

Bistro Bethem - varied menu that changes constantly with a heavy emphasis on house made, also do pizza in their brick oven for lunch

Foode - hearty fare with a southern spin from Top Chef competitor Joy Crump (she is also a partner in Mercantile around the corner from Foode)

Sunken Well - upscale bar food done well

Eileen's Bakery Cafe - creative sandwiches in an interesting old church building- I eat here the most because it is a faster option and I am always in a rush doing deliveries when down there.

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Bistro Bethem - varied menu that changes constantly with a heavy emphasis on house made, also do pizza in their brick oven for lunch

Foode - hearty fare with a southern spin from Top Chef competitor Joy Crump (she is also a partner in Mercantile around the corner from Foode)

Sunken Well - upscale bar food done well

Eileen's Bakery Cafe - creative sandwiches in an interesting old church building- I eat here the most because it is a faster option and I am always in a rush doing deliveries when down there.

That's what I thought. It seems that all of those places only serve sandwiches/salads for lunch; which is a shame given that some of their dinner menus seem far more interesting. If that is the only option though, do you have a personal favorite? (Besides Eileen's, as I won't be in a huge rush).

Actually, I just noticed that Foode does brunch on the weekends. I might try one of their dishes there then, or would you recommend something else?

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That's what I thought. It seems that all of those places only serve sandwiches/salads for lunch; which is a shame given that some of their dinner menus seem far more interesting. If that is the only option though, do you have a personal favorite? (Besides Eileen's, as I won't be in a huge rush).

Actually, I just noticed that Foode does brunch on the weekends. I might try one of their dishes there then, or would you recommend something else?

It would be inappropriate for me to choose one as better than the others as I sell to all of them with the exception of Eileen's.

I am not a "bruncher" and my weekend mornings are often occupied with farmer's markets so I have no real first hand experience to offer there. I do know that Foode's brunch is enormously popular.

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A few weeks ago the bartender at Trummer's on Main overheard our discussion about passing through Fredericksburg and needing a place for lunch.  He recommended FoodE.  It is located in the National Bank Building at 900 Princess Anne Street, complete with vault and all.  We enjoyed a fine lunch at the bar.  I have not had an egg salad sandwich in about twenty years, but I really enjoyed their take on it on sun-dried tomato bread.  We also enjoyed the chicken hummus plate, which was a little busy in presentation but tasted A-OK.  There is a lot going on in the menus, so it probably deserves a return trip the next time we are making our way down south.

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On 6/1/2016 at 8:10 PM, cajcaj said:

I've looked at Bistro Bethem's site

Former owner Blake Bethem is taking part in a charity bike ride.  Fredericksburg chef to take part in 300-mile bike ride to end hunger, by Cathy Jett, The Free Lance Star, September 17, 2018, on fredericksburg.com.  The donation deadline is Friday, September 21, 2018, if you are so inclined.

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On 4/6/2016 at 8:43 AM, farmer john said:

Bistro Bethem - varied menu that changes constantly with a heavy emphasis on house made, also do pizza in their brick oven for lunch

Foode - hearty fare with a southern spin from Top Chef competitor Joy Crump (she is also a partner in Mercantile around the corner from Foode)

Sunken Well - upscale bar food done well

Eileen's Bakery Cafe - creative sandwiches in an interesting old church building- I eat here the most because it is a faster option and I am always in a rush doing deliveries when down there.

Heading to Fredericksburg with LadyKN on Friday or Saturday, July 5-6. Any updates to this list?

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We were downtown -- which, by the way, is quaint and nice -- and it was around 2:00pm. We noted that Foode closes at 3:00pm and re-opens at 4:00pm, so not wanting to intrude on family meal or transition to dinner service, we ended up at Peter Chang. It was a solid meal, led off by delicious scallion puff cakes and dry-fried eggplant.

(I'm not a fan of the Dining Guide clumping all the Peter Chang restaurants into Multiple Locations, while restaurants like GARG get broken out separately....)

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3 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

(I'm not a fan of the Dining Guide clumping all the Peter Chang restaurants into Multiple Locations, while restaurants like GARG get broken out separately....)

[We have a volunteer! Each restaurant in the Multiple Locations Dining Guide with an asterisk is to be split up into neighborhoods - gonna help me with this, Kibbee?

PS - The format of the Dining Guides is being customized: Expect a change for the better in the next few weeks.]

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1 hour ago, ktmoomau said:

It's been at least a year, but we had brunch at FoodE and enjoyed it.  We also enjoyed burgers at Vivify.  Sadly the little whole in the wall Italian restaurant we really liked closed. 

This little gem caught our eye -- Benny Vitali's -- packed on a Friday mid-afternoon, with large and luscious-looking pizzas being consumed with abandon. Home of the "Virginia Slice." It's a mid-Atlantic chain, but the crowd was worth noticing. And because each Benny's location has its own name, like Benny Vitali's in Fredericksburg and Benny Marzanos' in Blacksburg, each location can be listed separately in the Dining Guide!

I'm thinking Fredericksburg as a whole needs a refresh in the Dining Guide.

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On 7/5/2019 at 7:03 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

We were downtown -- which, by the way, is quaint and nice -- and it was around 2:00pm. We noted that Foode closes at 3:00pm and re-opens at 4:00pm, so not wanting to intrude on family meal or transition to dinner service, we ended up at Peter Chang. It was a solid meal, led off by delicious scallion puff cakes and dry-fried eggplant.

Starting last week, Foode no longer closes between 3pm and 4pm.  They stay open during that hour serving a limited menu. Their website does not yet reflect this change. 

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