Virginia Travel Blog

At this time of year, one can really step into the world of Provence at our French bed and breakfast in Virginia: L’Auberge Provencale!  Just think of this list of  five things that bring you to the South of France and our bed and breakfast near Washington DC has them all:

• The beautiful scent of the lavender in full bloom in our French gardens.
• The Provence water and olive oil pottery containers with a profusion of flowers.
• The orchard with summer fruits basking in the sun and bursting with flavor.
• Our herb gardens thoughout our French bed and breakfast in Virginia with sage, thyme, rosemary, basil, scented geranium, thai basil, fennel (just  to name a few).
• Fresh L’Auberge Provencale tomatoes, hot from the garden, picked at 4:00 and served to you at 6:oo.  Is there anything fresher than that?

It is the perfect time to visit L’Auberge Provencale and experience all the delights of Provence, with no passport required. And don’t forget our wine tasting dinners. July brings us to Spain on Sunday, July 8th, from 1:00-5:00. Cavas, Tapas and Paella on a sunny afternoon Al Fresco. Look for July to transport you for an afternoon gathering of friends, food, and wine of Italy. That will take place on Sunday, August 5th. Make reservations early for these special events as seating is limited.

And when you come to dinner you will notice we have completed the change of the Peach room into our new Sun Room, with new fabrics from Provence and the Ochre from Rousillion painted faux on the walls. The warmth of the sun indoors is all here at our French bed and breakfast in Virginia.

The Before Picture of the Peach Room

Now that the planting of the gardens are done and the lawn is mowed, here at our romantic getaway in Northern Virginia, we have been embarking on transforming our Peach dining room into the new Sun Room. Starting with all new fabric from Provence we have made the curtains and tablecloths. The next step is underway with Tim, our incredible faux painter, using real ochre from Roussillon in France to finish the walls to a soft patine. We can hardly wait to set the tables for Friday, June 22nd, when all will be done.

Tim Just Starting the Faux Painting

Winey and Cheesey really will be confused as customers calling for reservations at L’Auberge Provencale often ask for the Peach Room. They will just have to get used to the new name of the Sun Room at our Northern Virginia bed and breakfast!

Sunday was a glorious day in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; sunny, fair, and fun here at L’Auberge Provencale. We re-created a day of sunny Provence at our Northern Virginia Bed and Breakfast Inn. Provencale fabrics, garden flowers, guests in country casual attire and food from the South of France. Procuring local ingredients and using ingredients from the gardens at our romantic Virginia inn, we created a French feast with Olivier from Vineyard Brands and Jason of the Country Vintner on hand to progress our wines with the cuisine of the sun.

Setting up for a Provencale Afternoon

Everyone was transported to another place, Provence, but just an hour from DC. We took a tour of the Rhone for our wine dinner afternoon, starting in the southerly part of the Southern Rhone and ending in Beaume de Venise, with stops along the way to Gigondas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Condrieu, Cote Rotie and Lirac, to name a few. Our menu featured local lamb with wild mustard sauce, braised Fields of Athenry pork belly with Lavender Glaze and compressed peaches, our own orchard cherry Clafoutis with Garden Rose Petal Ice Cream and many more side dishes with local procured ingredients, that were passed around family style. It truly was a dinner for family and friends to share great wine, great conversation, and great food.

A Typical Four Hour French Country Lunch

A magical time was had by all as we were transported to another place and time. And as crazy as this may sound, even before we finished the first course we were planning our next dinner from around the world. On July 8th we will be visiting Spain! Come join us at our romantic Virginia bed and breakfast for tapas, Rojas, and Paella. We will hopefully be able to procure a suckling pig as well and have him roasting on an open pit. Seating will be limited so plan ahead and make a reservation! The wine dinners are an afternoon affair served from 1:00-5:00. Special overnight rates are available to guests of the wine dinner. It is the least we can do.

Winey and Cheesy will be on hand to greet you. No passport is required.

30 years ago we opened L’Auberge Provencale, our bed and breakfast in the Shenandoah Valley. The very first year we were here we had an enormous garden, raised our own piglets and rabbits, and planted our first orchard trees at our Northern Virginia country inn. We bought as much locally as possible, lamb, eggs, and chickens at the time. The local farming community raised feed corn and Black Angus steers, as well as great horses in the Virginia Hunt Country.

Now here we are, 30 years later. Little did we know we should have capitalized on our support for local products and farmers. L’Auberge Provencale has been a farm-to-table restaurant before the name was coined. We are so happy that restaurants now are following our lead in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The support for the local farming community has grown exponentially. You now can buy turkeys, fowl, poultry, pork, veal, beef, and lamb. Local farms are producing honey, fruits, herbs, vegetables, amazing cheese and dairy products.

Not to mention some world class wines from the state of Virginia. We utilize the bounty of our own vegetable and herb gardens, our own edible flowers and our 78 fruit trees provide us with, not just fresh fruit in season, but jams, chutneys, oils, pickled fruits and various sundries for our winter larder. The cherries at our Shenandoah B&B are bursting on the trees and will be harvested this week.

We are serving super fresh lamb and pork belly from Fields of Athenry. We are working on a new Lavender glazed pork belly dish with compressed peaches and Asian spices for the Toast of the Town, where we will be featured on June 22 at the National Building museum in conjunction with The Wine Enthusiast and 200 wineries. We are using all local products for the tasting and want to promote farm-to-table cuisine and our local farmers of the Shenandoah Valley. Hope to see you there!

Bursting with Cherries-Waiting to be baked in a Pie

Everything is blooming far sooner than most years here at our Shenandoah Valley bed and breakfast. Winey and Cheesey were discussing the upcoming recipes that may be coming from the kitchen at our Virginia bed and breakfast inn.

The roses are in full bloom and it is a banner year. They are incredibly prolific and fragrant. Aside from bringing them inside to enjoy their wonderful perfume, here is one of our perennial favorites on our menu. The rose petal ice cream is easy to make and so French country! You might want to try it with just some fresh raspberries or here at the inn we like to serve it with Lavender Pound Cake. The lavender is just about to burst as well in our gardens here at our Shenandoah bed and breakfast.

If you have an ice cream machine, this too, can become a favorite of your family. A little touch of Provence in the Shenandoah Valley, for Mother’s day this weekend will feature this delicious and fragrant dessert.

Rose Petal Ice Cream

Ingredients: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

• 16 egg yolks
• 14 oz. sugar
• 4 oz. rose water
• 1 qt. heavy cream
• 1 cup of fragrant rose petals, chopped (not too fine)

Directions:

• Whip egg yolks on medium speed until it forms a ribbon
• Simmer milk and rose water (do not boil)
• Add milk mixture to yolk mixture until well blended
• Pour into a stainless steel pot and stir over low heat until slightly thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon
• Remove from stove and strain
• Add cream and completely cool (you can do this in an ice bath)
• Freeze according to your ice cream machine (let it remain slightly soft)
• After the ice cream is removed from the machine, gently fold in rose petals and put in the freezer until serving

Come out to our romantic Virginia restaurant to celebrate the one who means the most…your MOM! We will be serving brunch and dinner on Sunday, May 13th at our Virginia Wine Country bed and breakfast inn.

Brunch will be served from 11:30-2:30; Dinner 2:30-8:00 pm. The Mother’s Day Menu will feature local produce, local procured meats and seasonal ingredients. What a time of year to feast on Fresh foraged greens, Morels, Asparagus, Rhubarb, French radishes, and great greens and herbs from our own gardens and farms of the Shenandoah Valley. And don’t forget our secret house-made Bloody Mary Mix served with Peppered Vodka or perhaps a Provence Royal…Rose Petal Champagne.  For Dad, we have a great selection of microbrewery beers and 98 Scotches and Bourbons.

You may want to stop by Blandy Farm, the State Arboretum, for the Mother’s Day Plant Sale and Garden Fair. The weather is supposed to be beautiful on Sunday and a stroll through the Arboretum and perhaps purchasing an indigenous plant from our great state of Virginia makes the day complete.

Give us a call and we will be happy to secure your reservation! We will have Al Fresco dining available that day, weather permitting. Experience a day in France just minutes away. If the kids aren’t in town we still have a few rooms left. Why not rekindle the romance and enjoy at getaway with the love of your family life at our Virginia Wine Country inn!

Art at the Mill Open Now Until May 13th

The first week in May, is a busy one in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It is the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, the Gold Cup Races at Great Meadows in the Plains Virginia and the beginning of the Art at the Mill Show in Millwood, Virginia. All of these events are just minutes from our Shenandoah Valley bed and breakfast. So come out this weekend; there is plenty to see and do, or just kick off your shoes in the backyard of the inn and enjoy the summer-like weather.

The firemen’s parade is this Friday to kick off the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester! If you haven’t attended this parade it has the most fire trucks of any Firemen’s parade in the country.

Our celebrities that will be out and about this year are Mario Lopez, of MTV’s America’s Dance Crew and author of Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness and the beautiful Jazz Dorset, daughter of legendary sports figure with the University of Pittsburgh and the Dallas Cowboys.

The circus is in town and the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday will be a “Salute to Our Troops” with our local Virginia Girl, “Wounded Warrior” Capt. Leslie Smith, as the Grand Marshall. There are parties, sports breakfasts, dances, dinners, 10K race, the carnival, circus and much more. It is a local event the whole family can enjoy! A small town event at it’s finest.

It is the 87th running of the Virginia Gold Cup and there are still some tickets for spaces left if you go to their website. This is a fun-filled day of steeplechase racing and tailgate picnics! The festive atmosphere and the thrill of the chase make this a must for any city folks. Bring a beautiful hat and let us pack you a picnic to take.

Every Spring and Fall, the Burwell Morgan Mill in the quaint village of Millwood, Virginia becomes an extraordinary art gallery. Over 300 judges artist display their pottery, sculpture, fine woodwork and all types of paintings. There is truly something for every taste and budget. This show runs through May 13 and is a must see for the art lover in this 18th century working mill. When the art show closes the mill resumes grinding of fresh flour for the year. You can stop in this summer and pick up fresh whole wheat, corn, blue corn, and general all purpose flours, just to name a few. Buying local comes to new heights.

So grab your gal and come out to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and enjoy all the countryside has to offer. And don’t forget Mother on the 13th of May, the plant sale at the Virginia State Arboretum, Bland Farm and brunch here at L’Auberge Provencale from 11:30-2:30 and Mother’s Day Dinner 2:30-7:00. Treat your mom to the best that is offered in the Valley at our Shenandoah bed and breakfast!

Art at the Mill

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.

Due to popular demand, our Cooking Classes have now been extended until June 14th 2012, including a one night stay in any available room or suite #1 thru #8 at our romantic Virginia wine country bed and breakfast. The classes start at noon; followed by a wine and cheese social; ending with a gourmet breakfast for two the following morning. Dinner can be arranged but is not included with this special.

A $650.00 VALUE

This Special only $399.00

Call for Available Dates

540-837-1375

Plan to attend our next wine dinner & tasting Sunday May 6th, 1PM – 5PM!

After a very successful Bordeaux Wine Dinner this past Sunday March 4th.We are offering the next event onSunday May 6th featuring Rhone’s.

CELEBRATE WITH your friends at the Rhone Wine Dinner and Tasting, Sunday May 6th 2012 1PM until 5PM. Enjoy a lovely 5 course dinner with wine pairings. A Blind tasting to win special door prize. Enjoy dinner at our world renowned French Restaurant in Northern Virginia!