Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the Right...

And we’re stuck in..... Middleburg…

Not a bad place for that..…  After our sort of unsettling dinner at Goodstone, we started the next day with a good solid, all American breakfast at our B&B the Red Fox Inn..  as with most Inns of this type, breakfast is part of the deal.  It was served in the “pub” room, very comfortable and appropriate

The menu offered other choices like Eggs Benedict, but I stuck with the “Huntsman” which was a couple of eggs of choice, hash brown, bacon, biscuit or toast, and I asked for eggs over easy.  Orange juice was fresh squeezed and nicely chilled.   The plate of food arrived nicely done, the eggs were just right, yolks still runny but the whites just a bit crispy.  Bacon was locally produced (said the farm on the menu, but i forgot)

Fortified by breakfast we set out for a morning of shopping.  The town is quite up to the task with many lovely shops providing opportunities to load up the credit card.  And they seem to know their market as things carry a pretty weighty tags.  Our friend sort of left a shirt at home, and thought about replacing it, but the $250 was a bit much…

An added nicety was that one of the local churches had their yearly Christmas Bazaar, set in a large tent, there were several crafters, jewelers, artists and so on  

There was some kind of cheapy stuff, but enough good quality items that MFO was able to leave with several bags in tow.  FOJ’s should be happy… (hint, hint)

Besides the gift and clothing stores, there was an honest to gosh butcher shop.   Imagine that, real meat

Besides the meat, on the other side of the shop was a gorgeous cheese counter

that's Maytag Blue in the lower middle...

After a morning of helping the Middleburg economy (which doesn’t appear to need much help), we rested a bit and then drove out to the

Who were holding their yearly "Harvest..." (we kind of got lucky on the “yearly” front!)

Where, for a modest sum, you got a (souvenir) glass of their wine, and all the (half shell, steamed, fried) oysters (and sides) you cared to eat (with a bit of a wait)

But eventually you could settle in with the wine and the Oysters..

Note color of the the chardonnay in the glass, refreshing for a "local" wine.  Nice golden color.

Although it was a bit chilly, everyone enjoyed music and some auxiliary heating

After a lovely afternoon, meeting people and enjoying food and wine, we headed back to town, rested up a bit, and then went for dinner at the French Hound (no web site, sorry) which was within walking distance of the Inn.

As we were shopping earlier in the day, many of the store folks asked about what we were doing for dinner and for what it’s worth they all said the French Hound was a good choice.   Of course you can think what you want, but most seemed genuine.

The French Hound calls offers “French Inspired Bistro Fare in a Relaxed Country Setting”.  I would pretty much agree with that.  It is one of those places that is in what used to be somebody’s home, so there were several rooms here and there, giving a little privacy..

We were seated by an enthusiastic young man, who probably set the record for “you guys”.  “Glad YG are here!;  how’s this table for YG?;  Can I get YG some water?”  Although most readers know how much I dislike this, he was so enthusiastic and ebullient he sort of carried it off.  Went on as he was a food runner later…  “which of YG had the short ribs?; can I get YG anything more at the moment?”.  Kind of fun after a while.  Our regular server was quite good.  Very helpful, calm, and even went to a table next to us who were quite loud and obnoxious.  Mercifully they took the admonishment to heart and quieted down, and he hustled the check to them..

Despite these distractions, a nice glass of Rhone helped our attitude, and we enjoyed our meal.  Not surprisingly, the menu featured French preparations, Les Moules; Les Escargot; Steak Frites – Onglet; and Boeuf Bourguignon to name a few.   An off the menu special of Short Ribs with blue cheese polenta caught my eye, and it turned out to be a nice choice.  MFO asked if she could just have two “Les Premiers” plates, and the server said “of course!”.  No attempt at any upsell..  One of her choices was Salade Caesar which arrived warming my heart

Of COURSE there are anchovies..  and I quite enjoyed them!  If you ever get to Middleburg i would put the French Horn close to the top of the dining choices if not AT the top (sorry Goodstone - you still screwed up the drink)

So ended a full day of shopping, slurping, sipping, and supping..  and before we left for the evening meal,  we even had time to

DFD