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Hunter's Head Tavern, in the Historic Carr House on Route 50 - Upperville


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Hunters Head is an option....But after your drive head on over to The Plains Virginia. It is a short but beautiful drive from Middleburg. Make reservations at The Rail Stop. The food is more than good, the wine list sometimes surprises. The Plains is a great little destination in and of itself. They have little shops also, and great characters! You might even run into Duval himself! (It is his favorite resto.)

Hunter's Head is a fun little spot...

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Stopped in at the Hunter's Head early Saturday evening after our visit to the Beastie Bazaar. Aside from not being seated at a table, it was a very pleasant way to round out the afternoon. It is important to know the 'protocol' before walking in to the place or you might wind up angry or disappointed. Orders are placed at the window at the end of the bar. This is done as you arrive and before you are seated. You get a spoon with your number on it and will then be shown (or sent) to your table. Reservations are strongly recommended on the weekend - I feel certain we could have been given a table and vacated it before it was needed, but the hostess didn't offer that, so we sat at the bar. Same ordering protocol applies for the few seats there too. Once a ticket is open, then the folks behind the bar can get you another round or order additional items, but it all starts at the bar. If you're not a regular, don't expect any warm fuzzies from the hostess - other staff and patrons were very nice and I think we made some new friends.

On to the food - we ordered from the pub food menu (there are 2 others - the daily specials and the dinner menu - I think). All of the menus are on chalk boards in the room where you order. We started with the chicken liver pate and Stilton plate - pate was very nice, creamy and mild, and the Stilton was very nice - it got raves from the Stilton-lover :blink: and was accompanied by a nice pile of salad greens, with just the right amount of a vinaigrette dressing. Unfortunately, after a very busy day, they were out of the chicken pot pie, so we went for the shepherd's pie instead, along with the Ayrshire Beef Guiness Stew. The shepherd's pie was huge and along with the ground meat, corn and peas made up the filling found under the mashed potatoes topping. The stew was mostly beef, very tender and tasty beef, with some small pieces of carrot and onions, accompanied by mashed potatoes as well. Hearty food and generous portions were the order of the day. After seeing some other orders go by, I wished I had looked a little more closely at the other menus, lamb chops and roasted chicken were both eye-catching. I'll just have to go back and try some other items!

We rounded out the meal with the sticky toffee pudding, which was smothered in warm custard - maybe not quite traditional, but very rich and very sticky. More than half went unfinished as there just wasn't room for more after the size of the mains! Nice to note that even with all the wonderful meat choices, there are plenty of vegetarian options available. And a decent selection of draft beers - the Williamsburg AleWerks Colonial Wheat Ale was a good choice.

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Goldenticket, I think I sat next you you at the bar while I waited for my to go order :P We've been eating at the HH for over 3 years now, pretty good ambiance and you can get draft beers. 98% of the time the organic burger is spot on and a good pub choice. When the outdoor seating goes away (my guess is by December), it can get a little tight but the bar is usually open. Oh, and the Hostess is well known for her poor customer service skills, I just ignore her. :blink:

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Goldenticket, I think I sat next you you at the bar while I waited for my to go order tongue.gif We've been eating at the HH for over 3 years now, pretty good ambiance and you can get draft beers. 98% of the time the organic burger is spot on and a good pub choice. When the outdoor seating goes away (my guess is by December), it can get a little tight but the bar is usually open. Oh, and the Hostess is well known for her poor customer service skills, I just ignore her. rolleyes.gif

I knew that your face was familiar - sorry I didn't recognize you! And thanks for the burger tip smile.gif

Forgot to mention, HH is doing a Thanksgiving buffet with a couple of seatings - if some of the heritage turkey from Ayrshire Farm is on the menu, I'd be there if I wasn't going to be out of town.

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Sunday found us out Upperville way, so we stopped in for an early dinner. I got to try the chicken pot pie this time around and thoroughly enjoyed it. Served in a little pewter pot and topped with a puff pastry round, there was plenty of tender shredded white meat, sweet peas and carrots, in a creamy and slightly sweet sauce. The +1 ordered a special - venison stew - which was also enjoyed very much. I believe it was labeled as a Guinness stew, which might have explained the slightly bitter flavor of the stew. I was slightly puzzled by the response when I asked where the venison was from....New Zealand?!?

We ended with the burnt butter fig tart - a not too sweet, short tart, full of dried figs - Yum!

The only miss was our shared starter - the spinach, goat cheese, and walnut tart. I was expecting something Central-like, but this was more of a quiche. A flavorless, bland quiche with no goat cheese to be found, served atop some dry, tired mixed greens. The +1 would have much preferred the pate we enjoyed so much last time.

And the hostess was charming and kind - took the time to explain the menu and ordering system (even though we know the drill) and chatted with us for quite a while. Guess it depends on the crowd, how busy they are (not at all on Sunday), etc.

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We took in a nice lunch in their garden on Saturday. There isn't much to reiterate about their quality pub fare; portions were generous, and the cod and chips looked particularly good. The pub greens salad was perky and properly dressed with vinaigrette. My only real disappointments were that they serve no cask beer, and my Welsh rarebit was quite strange - not very cheddary at all, rather thin in consistency, and surprisingly alcoholic - as if they were using kirsch instead of beer.

Desserts were a win. Yes, the sticky toffee pudding was smothered in custard sauce, but it was heavenly. My banana bread with local vanilla ice cream was moist and rich with ripe banana.

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Ok..it's been a while since I've posted and swear that I've posted before about Hunters Head, but the search function doesnt bring up the restaurant..so I'm starting it again. Went to HH after returning from 2 days on Skyline drive and Luray caverns. I had made 7 Pm reservations and requested my usual table. I miss living in Middleburg so very much and I love this place. My GF and I had drinks earlier at my favorite biker hangout- The Red Horse INN...took a back road to show her our old house and looped around to Upperville. Walked in to a crowded restaurant and even the courtyard was half full..hot, but not unbearable. Happily, my fav table is inside. We started with goat cheese salad and a wedge salad- delicious!!!!! Mains were fish and chips for her and Pork Tenderloin for me. I also ordered the Bubble and Sqeak...mash potatoe pie baked with fresh veggies..corn, broccoli, onion, and peas....AMAZING AS ALWAYS :) The pork tenderloin was perfect with spices and a mustard / apple glaze. The freshly baked bread and farm fresh butter are pretty much unbeatable...and I love eating of of pewter plates. I rank HH as one of my all time favorite< romantic, consistent and top 10 places for meals

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We had an absolutely delightful lunch on the patio at Hunters Head Tavern today. It could not have been a more perfect day for dining outdoors and Hunters Head's patio is a really lovely spot. I started with the soup of the day, tomato cream with sorrel which was very flavorful and a very generous serving. Husband had the crab vichyssoise -- we did not trade bites, so I can't comment on the quality or taste -- he said it was very good; it appeared to be very thick, almost the texture of ice cream. For my entree I ordered the smoked porkloin sandwich with garlic aioli and microgreens which was served on toasted wheat bread. This sandwich was very good -- the pork was very thinly sliced and there was easily a 1/2 inch stack, the greens and the bread were very fresh. The sandwich was served with possibly the best french fries I've ever had. I don't tend to eat french fries, but I cleaned the plate today. These had a glorious crunch on the outside, a soft inside and were not greasy at all. These did not even require ketchup. Husband had an open-face beef sandwich which was covered in gravy and served with pureed potatoes and broccoli. He said he enjoyed it. We were having such a good time that we decided to order dessert. There were 5 items on the dessert menu and 3 of them seemed more appropriate for fall or winter. Two were summer-friendly: I had the blackberry panna cotta and husband had the peach and vanilla bean ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the panna cotta (worth the calories) and husband reported that the ice cream was very good.

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Just had lunch at HH - the descriptions above match the experience. Excellent food:

My tasty chicken pot pie had a phyllo biscuit on top while the mushroom and barley soup tasted very fresh (no mushiness) and blessedly salt free or nearly so. My wife's turkey burger was excellent with goat cheese and a sweet tomato sauce. The kids had mac and cheese (good for m&c, baked and generous) and country fried steak (pretty good but that particular serving was a bit tough.)

Neat place, looking forward to another visit.

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I've been to Hunter's Head five or six times, and it never quite lives up to its promise.  Never anything bad, just not quite as good as it sounds or looks, so I had almost crossed it off my mental list.  Then yesterday a friend picked it as a meet-up place, so there we were.  He liked his pot roast but didn't rave about it.  Mr P liked his burger but didn't rave about it.  But I had the pork tenderloin, and wow! was it ever good.  Perfectly pink and juicy inside, the cider glaze adding just a touch of appley sweetness; it was perfectly balanced by tangy, long-cooked greens and a cornbread dressing*.

The coconut rice pudding was dense and, I dunno, not quite unpleasant, but not right, either.  But our friend had the orange chocolate sorbet and insisted we try it.  That was one of the best sorbets I've ever had.  The chocolate was deep, dark and a little bitter, the orange notes pronounced but not overwhelming, the texture perfectly smooth.  Fantastic.

If you like old buildings and pub-type ambiance, you can't beat Hunter's Head.  The outdoor patio area is charming when the weather's fine.  It's a good choice for hanging out with friends who aren't as food-oriented as we are.  But the food?  Sometimes great, more often acceptable-to-good.

I don't mean to be damning it with faint praise.  I really like the place overall; I just wish they'd bring the food up a notch or two.

*or stuffing, I forget what they called it; somehow "dressing" seems right in this context

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The pork tenderloin was perfect with spices and a mustard / apple glaze. 

I had the pork tenderloin, and wow! was it ever good.  Perfectly pink and juicy inside, the cider glaze adding just a touch of appley sweetness; it was perfectly balanced by tangy, long-cooked greens and a cornbread dressing*.

Between the two of you, you may have come up with an ordering strategy.

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I've been to Hunter's Head five or six times, and it never quite lives up to its promise.  Never anything bad, just not quite as good as it sounds or looks, so I had almost crossed it off my mental list.  Then yesterday a friend picked it as a meet-up place, so there we were.  He liked his pot roast but didn't rave about it.  Mr P liked his burger but didn't rave about it.  But I had the pork tenderloin, and wow! was it ever good.  Perfectly pink and juicy inside, the cider glaze adding just a touch of appley sweetness; it was perfectly balanced by tangy, long-cooked greens and a cornbread dressing*.

The coconut rice pudding was dense and, I dunno, not quite unpleasant, but not right, either.  But our friend had the orange chocolate sorbet and insisted we try it.  That was one of the best sorbets I've ever had.  The chocolate was deep, dark and a little bitter, the orange notes pronounced but not overwhelming, the texture perfectly smooth.  Fantastic.

If you like old buildings and pub-type ambiance, you can't beat Hunter's Head.  The outdoor patio area is charming when the weather's fine.  It's a good choice for hanging out with friends who aren't as food-oriented as we are.  But the food?  Sometimes great, more often acceptable-to-good.

I don't mean to be damning it with faint praise.  I really like the place overall; I just wish they'd bring the food up a notch or two.

*or stuffing, I forget what they called it; somehow "dressing" seems right in this context

As someone who eats at Hunter's Head often (and has a house account there), I think that there is a vast difference in the experience on a weekday vs a week-end, particularly in Spring and Fall. On Spring/Fall weekends the restaurant is just mobbed from open - close, and I don't think that they are adept at handling the crowds. Maybe some of it has to do with the ordering system? That said, I always enjoy the veal chops when offered, and think that they and the other specials are usually excellent values.

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Hunter's Head remains one of my favorite spots for a bit of comfort food in cozy surroundings. We stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner on Saturday after some apple picking in the area.  All the seats at the bar were occupied, but as a result we were able to enjoy the lovely day on the covered patio. Chicken pot pie and Guinness beef stew went down nicely, as they always do. Lots of white meat, fresh veggies, and a hint of tarragon in the pot pie. The stew was full of fork tender beef from Ayrshire Farm, with the Guinness flavor very present - a great accompaniment to the mashed potatoes.  If you don't need the full dinner menu, 4:30 or so may be the perfect time to arrive; tables started to fill right around 5:00.

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Hunter's Head is in serious decline. While I have enjoyed going there for years, we now head to HH due to proximity as opposed to the expectation of a good meal. Consider this past Friday - of our group, two entrees were sent back - a lukewarm pot roast and a severely undercooked Rib Eye (blue as opposed to medium). While I have praised HH previously and repeatedly as a value and as a good dining option I can't do so any longer. Maybe ownership is distracted by Gentle Harvest's opening and eventual expansion, but Hunter's Head will be off our radar for at least a while now. Caveat emptor.

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18 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Hunter's Head is in serious decline. While I have enjoyed going there for years, we now head to HH due to proximity as opposed to the expectation of a good meal. Consider this past Friday - of our group, two entrees were sent back - a lukewarm pot roast and a severely undercooked Rib Eye (blue as opposed to medium). While I have praised HH previously and repeatedly as a value and as a good dining option I can't do so any longer. Maybe ownership is distracted by Gentle Harvest's opening and eventual expansion, but Hunter's Head will be off our radar for at least a while now. Caveat emptor.

That's too bad. It's such a unique place in a great location.

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2 minutes ago, twj410 said:

That's too bad. It's such a unique place in a great location.

Agreed. Right now the *only* things on the menu executed with any degree of consistency are the shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie and superfood salad. Any meat cooked to temperature is a challenge.

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On 2/6/2017 at 3:07 PM, Keithstg said:

Maybe ownership is distracted by Gentle Harvest's opening and eventual expansion, but Hunter's Head will be off our radar for at least a while now. Caveat emptor.

What's the relationship between the two places?

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