Five Finds on Friday: Elizabeth and Tony Smith
Photo by Jen Fariello.
On Fridays, we feature five finds from local chefs and personalities. It’s Virginia Wine Month, so today’s picks come from Elizabeth and Tony Smith, owners of Afton Mountain Vineyards. The month brings many great excuses to visit the beautiful vineyard. Every Sunday from 11-2 are Mimosa Mornings, and on Sunday October 25 and Saturday October 31, the vineyard will host the outstanding new food truck Cote-Rotie. Smith’s picks:
1) Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Thyme and Garlic Butter at Three Notch’d Grill. “Hayden’s butter sauce just begs to be sopped up with bread. The laid-back atmosphere is a perfect disguise for how great their food is.”
2) Red Pepper Soup with Crab and a House-made Pretzel from the Bavarian Chef food truck at Champion Brewing Company. “Though we both grew up here, we’d never been to the Bavarian Chef restaurant, so their food truck experience with a Shower Beer or Missile IPA from Champion is the perfect casual evening.”
3) The Vegetable Board and Mushroom Soup at The Alley Light. “It’s tough to mention this place since it’s already so acclaimed – and hard to get in – but the carrots and other veggies are just incredible. Fill up with the most flavorful mushroom soup. We were fighting over the last drop – and Tony won.”
4) The Burger at Brookville Restaurant. “Fresh-ground beef, gouda-stuffed with a bacon marmalade and Dukes mayo. Done. The perfect excuse to sneak downtown for (Saturday or Sunday) lunch.”
5) Pazo de Barrantes Albarino at MAS Tapas. “We’ve been a fan of this grape for years (the wino’s “margarita”). We found this particular wine at our Tuesday night hangout Mas, and we had the great opportunity to visit this winery on a recent trip to Spain. Our own AMV Albarino will be available next spring, so we needed to sample this grape as much as possible to develop our own style. Tough job.”