Our perennial garden at the inn

Whew…lists of things to do.  This is Virginia Garden week and we here at our bed and breakfast inn are getting ready for 900 people to descend upon us this Saturday, April 21, as L’Auberge Provencale is number 1 on the tour of houses in Clarke County.  Our maintenance staff and I have been busy (with a little help from Winey and Cheesey) getting the grounds in tip top shape.

1. Mulch Around All Trees
2. Prune the fruit trees
3. Plant the spring vegetable garden plants
4. Plant the beautiful Provencale pots and hanging baskets for our terrace and porch
5. Cut down the tulips which bloomed too early and tie up all the daffodils
6. Go on a crazy plant buying spree

Fluff all the pillows, and hope it doesn’t rain!  Of course, you know they are predicting thunderstorms for Saturday in our beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  Our chef are happily cooking with local ramps, asparagus, morels, sorrel, lovage and fresh herbs from our gardens and edible flowers as well.  It is a great time to visit Virginia, and the beauty is busting out all over.

There is the usual mess to clean up after a day of planting..but what a beautiful reward we get from all the pots planted and on the southern Virginia style porch.  Come out and enjoy the terrace for dinner at our bed and breakfast, the next time you are visiting the countryside of the Shenandoah Valley.

We are currently featuring a great list of new desserts at L’Auberge Provencale. We’ve introduced some sweet-tooth and taste-bud-pleasing winners on the Dessert Menu at our French Restaurant in Northern Virginia!

Filo Cinnamon Apple Crisp Appletini Sorbet

Dried Apple Chips, Chateau Hallet Sauterne Sauce, Maple Cream

Flight of Sorbets

Strawberry, Pineapple, Kiwi, Cornucopia Tuile

Warm Clementine Maltaise

Spanish Clementines Grand Marnier Sabayon

Chocolate French Connection

Hazelnut Mousse, Chocolate Bête Noir, Mocha Sorbet,

Chambord Pot au Crème, Grand Marnier Ganache

Trio of Banana

Banana Bread Pudding with Armagnac Anglaise,

Banana Foster on Vanilla Cheese-cake,

Banana Cream Tart

We hope to see you soon at our Romantic Virginia B&B!

Fall at the Virginia State Arboretum in the Shenandoah Valley is peaking this weekend.  It is a perfect time to visit L’Auberge Provencale.  The pumpkins are glowing and Winey and Cheesey are a little nervous of the ghosts and goblins hiding in the mists of morning.

The menu is changing with the season to reflect the bounty of the harvest from squash to mushrooms from the woods, to the smokiness of the fire.  A perfect time to start enjoying those Virginia Wines during the Virginia Wine Month.  We have been featuring some of our favorites from Linden Vinyards, Pearmund Vineyards, Delaplane Manor, Fox Meadow, Three Fox, Veramar, and one of our newest discoveries LDV vineyards.

Looks like the swallows are heading back south for the winter!  You can hear them in the air whooshing in a beautiful dance.  Our guests are cozy together in the Valley evenings by the fire pit at L’Auberge Provencale’s backyard,and enjoying the show while indulging in our harvest special along with the s’mores!

Our harvest special includes any room available Sunday thru Thursday, including dinner off our three or five course gourmet menu, a charcuterie platter and a bottle of Virginia Wine on arrival and s’mores by the fire.  All for only 395.   Not including other wine, alcohol, beverages or gratuities.

Fall is the perfect time to visit us here at our bed and breakfast inn.  We have just ordered the wild turkeys and are planning our fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.  More on that from Winey and Cheesey soon.

L’AUBERGE PROVENCALE

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

**** Vicky Starace ****

FROM: Summit, New Jersey

POSITION: Server at our Shenandoah Valley Bed and Breakfast

FAVORITE FOOD: Veal

FAVORITE COCKTAIL: Bombay and Tonic

ON DAYS OFF: Vicky loves to shop, cook, lunch with the ladies, and play with her black lab, Otto.

LIKES AND DISLIKES ABOUT VIRGINIA: “The area is so beautiful and completely different from where I grew up, but I miss the museums, theaters, and restaurants from city life.”

Pastry Chef Duane Copeland is spoiling us with this month’s sweet treat recipe from L’Auberge Provencale. Be sure to try it out and tell us what you think!

As everyone knows, Virginia had a 5.9 earthquake on Tuesday… L’Auberge Provencale made it through safe and sound! Thankfully it sounds like our fellow Virginians also had minimal damage and no injuries to report. With that comforting news I bring you our newest earthquake special…

Earthquake Shook You Up? We Won’t Shake You Down….

Stay at our Shenandoah Valley Inn September 05 through September 16, 2011 and receive $50 off any room or suite! To calm you down even further, we will include a bottle of wine in your room upon arrival.

Call now! Limited Reservations! 1.800.638.1702

Void with any other discount, not valid on weekends or with existing reservations.

Maurice, our gluttonous Guard/Office Cat, recently made acquaintances with a wandering Garbage Pig. This swindling swine stumbled upon L’Auberge Provençale one day last June and has shown no intentions of leaving since.

On a sizzling hot day this July, in desperation for shelter from the sweltering summer sun, portly Maurice made a “shady” transaction with the newfound stranger. In exchange for his well-earned table scraps (we told you not to feed him…) Maurice received a handful of “Enchanting Provencale Seeds,” that the hideous hog ensured would hide our fat cat (and his hefty belly) from the summer heat.

Fearful that Celeste would find out he’d been coercing dinner guests on the patio for provisions, Maurice concealed his recent fortune in the flowerbed outside his humble abode. As Maurice dozed off in one of his daily catnaps, the magic seeds (nestled deep in the garden plot outside his air-conditioned office) began to grow and grow… and GROW.

Chilly from the cranked up AC, Maurice awoke and decided to relocate to a warmer location outside for his routine afternoon sunbath. Much to his dismay, he found a 20-foot sunflower stalk standing taller than the office itself and obscuring the sun from his favorite resting spot.

What is to become of Maurice, the Pig and the Sunflower?

Will his stout physic be able to scale the statuesque stalk?

Is there a giant castle hidden in the sky with magic harps and golden eggs?

Or will Celeste scold him for doing business with pungent pig?

To be continued… Fee-fi-fo-fum

It’s never a quiet day here at L’Auberge Provencale, there’s always another crazy project on the books! Our latest adventure (coming soon…) has been a year-long endeavor to design a video that captures the essence of our Virginia Bed and Breakfast and the full guest experience.

Produced, directed and edited by Madame Borel, no expense was spared to portray the full vision. The shoot started in February and wrapped in June; the seasons were captured at their worst and best.

We started with food, food and more food. Shot from the garden to the dining room, the film recreates the inner workings of the kitchen, the chefs and the talent that goes behind every plate and bedroom.

It doesn’t stop there! Celeste dragged the patient videographers all over the Shenandoah Valley to capture our guests’ favorite activities. From the shops in Middleburg, the Vineyards and Wineries in Delaplane, the Old Mill in Millwood, views from Skyline Drive and even an impromptu flying lesson with Alain in his airplane We’ve got it all on film! Please enjoy a sneak peak of pictures from our shoot and stay tuned for the final production to be posted later this summer.