Our hosts were peacefully rocking on the front porch when we arrived, and after a well received Mimosa and cheese interlude we toured the house. I normally hate the word “charming” and maybe words like “tasteful” or “harmonious” would be better, but it probably applies here in all its good senses. With some of the interior walls removed, it’s quite open and light, and each room shows a deft touch at decoration and attention to color and detail. Lovely antiques, along with appropriate fabrics all coordinate into a nice home. They can be proud of their efforts. A sample of the interiors:
Refreshed by the Mimosas and tour, we adjourned to the car and headed for Culpeper proper. The “old” section of town is given over to many restaurants, gift shops and other upscale venues. After a short tour of the historic stuff we retired to “It’s about Thyme” a favorite of our hosts. It features “European Country Cuisine” and is situated on the busy main street. The area was one large rooms, with what I guess might be “European Country Scenes” painted on the walls, a tin ceiling which provided for a rather noisy room. We were seated at a table near the rear, which not only reduced the noise a bit but also an excellent place to see the operations. The bar was next to us, and our hosts pointed out the clever painting on the wall that made it look like it was recessed. Probably more so after a couple of cocktails. Anyway, our hosts being “regulars” we were soon approached by the owner/manager, and learned that he was a restaurateur for many years, starting in Delaware. Our server (no name games) right up front announced that some of the luncheon specials were no longer available (it was 1:45 by now), but said alternatives were available. For instance the lunch special poached salmon salad was gone, but chef could prepare an alternative with smoked salmon or grilled tuna. One feature which I would urge other venues to adopt was there was a little slip in the menu listing the day’s specials so he doesn’t have to recite and us immediately forget.
The menu itself offered several alternatives, soups and salads, sandwiches, pastas, and main courses, all with reasonable prices (most <12 bucks for anything). Each had a tidy description of the dish without listing which farm the green beans came from or unnecessary adjectives. For instance the Roasted Chicken (main course) was: "chicken stuffed with fresh herbs and garlic roasted and served with a greek salad". Not: "a slow roasted succulent free range, organic chicken with an assortment of carefully selected local Momma's garden fresh herbs and succulent garlic".. Ham sandwich? “Country bread topped with ham, swiss cheese, tomato and bacon; warmed in the oven & served with béchamel sauce and a house salad. Budda bing, budda bang. And, since one of us had that sandwich, the description was exactly what appeared on the plate (the sandwich, not the description). Other orders were the poachless salmon salad with the tuna option, a roasted pork/au gratin potatoes, and after a longing look at the Salad Nicoise, I chose the smoked salmon version of the salmon salad as being somewhat lighter.
Service was prompt and attentive, although the service staff seemed driven to keep your iced tea/water glass full to the brim. Sip – fill. Sip – fill. Sip – fill, which resulted in a lot of arms thrust at the table, but that’s kind of a nit (I always notice nits). The manager was not just there to gain accolades, he circulated and observed. “bread on 12”. “Check for table 8” I like that. He knows what to do. Our food arrived, and portions were generous and nicely plated. I had four rolls of pepper crusted smoked salmon that was delicious. It wasn’t that bright pinky stuff you see, just a nice pale pastel that had just the right amount of smoke. The greens underneath were good, although probably a little late for local, but maybe. What must have been local was chunks of tomato that (I’m sorry, trite time) "exploded in your mouth". Boy they were good, and had me rooting among the greens for them. Also a nice touch was that chef added some red onion and capers (smoked salmon – right?). Perfect. All the others enjoyed their food as well. Passing dishes revealed portions are indeed hearty here. Service remained bustling (sip – pour) but several eyes fell on your table as each passed and things were cleared properly, or sugar papers neatly picked up. What a concept.
Given the hour, we eschewed dessert, but looked at the tray anyway. These "presentation" situations are always awkward for both presenter and presentee, but I really think it would have gone better if she didn’t just point and say “Right here we have…..” and then went around the rest of the tray by rote, with eyes looking everywhere but at us. Maybe she knew it was futile. Anyway, it was a great lunch in a great little town. Worth a visit. We also visited a little gourmet shop that had some nice wines and cheese. There were several other restaurants, one of which “Foti’s” which is sort of an outpost of the Inn at Little Washington. Perhaps on another visit.
After that, we visited “the Graffiti house” a house dating from the Civil War that was discovered to have walls “signed” by various soldiers of mostly the Confederates. The docent had a story for almost every signature and drawing. Fascinating stuff.
Even on the road,
DFD
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