The Homestead and Sam Snead’s Tavern

I had the great fortune to spend a weekend at the Homestead, Hot Springs Virginia, with my husband and some of our great friends.  If you can manage take the drive (the roads are narrow and curvy) to the Homestead it is magnificent.

We began our stay with Skeet shooting and Target practice.  The guys Jeff and Rodney tried their hands at skeet shooting and they did great.  Marcia and I were handed a 22 gauge rifle and sent down to the range.  I looked at Marcia just a bit incredulous thinking, OMG are they expecting us to do this on our own?  We made it down to the range; put the targets up….. loaded the clips and proceeded to aim at the targets. I let Marcia load first as I was scared to death that I would load them backwards, I am sure there is little chance of that actually happening but I tend to worry about everything.  Much to my amazement we actually hit the targets and were right in the bull’s-eye.  I do have the targets to prove it.  Now I am not saying I could actually hit anything that was moving because I am pretty sure that they would move before I ever got them sighted in…. They guys finished skeet shooting and joined us on the range, being the good sports we are we let them have a turn… at the stationary targets as well,  UM, they weren’t quite as accurate as we ladies were. The homestead features many other outside activities as well such as Skiing, snowmobiling, skating and carriage rides to name just a few.  They also have an amazing spa facility which they use the hot springs mineral water for the tubs and pools.

Back to the Homestead for high tea and little finger sandwiches in the Main hall which boasts at least three crackling fires in Grand fireplaces.  My first experience with High Tea, yes I was sure to hold my pinky finger up.  They also had hot chocolate for those that did not enjoy tea.  Well, me I enjoyed both.  We then took a tour of the incredible historic hotel.  They have a bar called the Presidents Lounge aptly named for the 22 of the 45 presidents that have stayed at the Homestead.  They hang the portrait of the presidents that have stayed at the Homestead.  Very impressive and great Bloody Mary’s as well.

The weekend we were there was a bitter cold one and the nights only got colder.  Of course those of you that know me well know that practicality is not always a strong suit of mine, it is all about the fashion even when it is 10 degrees out.  I did wear those opened toes shoes because DAMN they looked amazing and I was sporting a fresh pedicure.  I never complained once that my feet were freezing.  I will say that I was happy to be able to be seated next to the crackling fireplace at Sam Snead’s Tavern for dinner. 

Dinner was no disappointment either.  We all had some sort of BEEF! I had the rib eye which was cooked exactly like I like it.  Others had Filet Mignon and I think one had a Seafood dish (it has been a while since the trip to the Homestead).  We had a great bottle of wine.  I was so proud of my husband Jeff, when we met he was not as much of a wine drinker as myself, I know again shocking.  The reason I mention this is that Rodney, Marcia and I were trying to discern what we were tasting in the wine and Jeff pops out with Vanilla.  We are all scratching our heads thinking really vanilla and wow Jeff knows that.  We gave him crap of course thinking we would know if it was vanilla but none of us came up with that.  So thank goodness for smart phones we were able to Google the wine and find out what the flavors in the wine were…… OK YES it was Vanilla.  Jeff you are my new favorite sommelier. The walk back did not get any warmer but the lobby of the hotel again boasted a crackling fire where we could warm up. 

The weekend albeit brief was great.  I recommend everything about the Homestead, well with the exception of the ride out there.   Don’t forget to try the Main dining room for Brunch, again excellent.  Also check out the two story wine cellar, yes that was two stories.  I of course did try to get in to check it out but the maitre’de was not having any of that. 

Make the time to treat yourself to a fantastic spot for R&R

360 Wine Bistro, Need I say more!!

We had the opportunity to buy a Groupon for a restaurant on route 100 S Nashville Tn., called 360 Wine Bistro.  We wanted to see what this was all about as the place is actually attached to a grocery store. We checked out their website which does a fantastic job featuring both their menu and wine selections. The menu looked fantastic so we purchased the Groupon.  When we arrived we were promptly seated on the enclosed patio.  We knew one for the wait staff so we requested that he be our waiter.  Plus he has a great knowledge of wine as well, always bonus in my book.

So the beginning of our experience consisted of a wine list that touts more than 700 wines, let's just say I was in wine heaven.  The choices were too great, thankfully Justin our waiter assisted in selecting what I would say is one of the best bottles of wine I have ever had.  The bottle was a 2007 Efeste Creighleigh, all that needs to be said is WOW!  It paired excellent with our selections.

The appetizers; pork belly and the other one were hen of the woods mushrooms.... both excellent but I show favorites to the pork belly.  While I can say that is not typically in my food groupings, it was excellent, crispy yet tender where it should have been.  Next, the main course beef tenderloin for me, mine over mini carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. They asked me how I wanted my beef cooked and I said just barely medium, that is if there is such a thing.  My point is not really medium but not rare either.  Let's say it was more medium, still good.  Jeff had the New York Strip over garlic mashed potatoes.  He said it was excellent.  For dessert we had what they called a hot skillet brownie, which you must order at the beginning of the meal as all of made to order.   As most probably know brownies are my favorite thing. With that being said the Brownie and the wine were the highlights for me!!  Shocking I know!!!!!

The place is very quaint and the food was really very good, I will know next time to make my order of tenderloin rare but other than that the prices were very good for the quality and quantity of the meal. 

The wine list was expansive but after checking out prices of the wines listed at the bistro compared to those same fines sold in a wine shop, I felt we were fairly charged.  I never like felling like I have spent 4 times the cost of the retail price of wine in a restaurant, UGH right!

This is the sort of place that you could easily find yourself sitting at the bar asking for a wine recommendation and being amazed by both the wine itself and the price.  I recommend this place to everyone and anyone that wants a nice dining experience without breaking the bank.   Oh and ask for Justin, you won't go wrong.   

I am looking forward to our next experience.   And hopefully taking some of our Charlottesville friends too,,,,, uhem you know who you are.  Just in case you are wondering Marcia and Rodney we might be taking about you.  Though I do know that Tricia and Bob were just here as well, I hope they made time for the recommendation.

Pomme…… EVERYTHING French

It is the little touches in life that make you smile and that make this place amazing.  This is a little French bistro tucked away in, of all places, Gordonsville, VA.  It is in the historical section of Main street and you could possibly miss if you weren't looking for it.  You must be on the look out for the Big Yellow Apple that says its name Pomme :)

I have been there four times now and have never been disappointed.  I think you could actually pluck this place right out of a picture from a little French bistro in France’s country side. 

My husband asked me where I wanted to dine for my birthday this past December and I said someplace French.  We had been to most of the French restaurants in Charlottesville area recently so we thought of POMME in Gordonsville.  It was an evening of calamities; we had to change the reservation from 7:30pm to 8:15pm, when I made the call for the change they indicated they were waiting for us right then, which gave me pause, since it was only 7:00.  The Maitre d’ informed me that he needed to ask the Chef! Thankfully they are able to accommodate our change.  I might add that it was due to a hair cut that ran late and me getting home to change that made me change the time.  Which alone can easily stress me out.  My husband was beginning to worry as I had not called to let him know I was running late because at that point I didn’t even realize.  When I did actually get home my husband had a bouquet of flowers waiting for me for my birthday and off we went to Pomme.  When we got there, to our surprise, we were the only ones in the restaurant (which actually makes me a bit nervous, which if you really know me you will know that I was worrying to death about that). I was worried that we would feel rushed.  I could not have been more wrong. I felt like we were in our own little part of France enjoying an amazing dinner together.  

This is a father / son operation.  They were great! I never felt pressured or rushed.  The Chef (and father) came out to check on our meals, which were incidentally AMAZING.   We had the rib eye with fresh vegetables with fun potatoes.  The picture is actually our meal and NO, I was not able to finish it.  As an appetizer we had this crab crepe, and WOW is all I can say. Dessert was this double chocolate mousse with a chocolate crush.  I am a chocolate lover so this was absolutely divine. The son and Maitre d’ is also a sommelier which made the experience even more fun for me.  The wine selection was excellent and prices were excellent as well.  It was a perfect birthday both company and food.  I will say this is not a place for someone on a diet as these dishes were not light on the calories.  Every now and then though you should indulge yourself and eat what ever you want and when that time is at hand I recommend Pomme.  This also may not be the French cuisine most are familiar with.  This is French country cooking rather than nouvel cuisine, by which I mean that you do not go home and have another meal because what was on your plate was just not enough to make a dent in your hunger. 

The last time I was there was New Year’s Eve and it was still decorated for the holidays (beautiful).  There was a fire in the fire place and luckily we were seated very close to it as NYE here was very cold.  The great thing about this place was when I called for the NYE reservation he remembered me; of course that could be because we were the only ones there on our last visit!  At any rate he asked me what I like to eat and of course I told him Rib Eye steak and then he went on to describe the meal for the evening which would be Filet Migon and the Champagne.  Well, the end to this story is that there this is an amazing place to dine, probably one of the best places I have EVER eaten in and it doesn’t break the bank.

 But of course, I do love everything French and am currently planning a trip to France in the Fall of 2011. While that will give me true country experience to compare to this little gem in Virginia, I suspect I will still feel as strongly about Pomme.