TidBits

small bites of local News

Goodwill Store and Donation Center opening in City Rappahannock

By Bill Freehling

Goodwill creations, such as the Chimichurri Steak Sandwich and Rita's Reuben. Now, Always Flavored has another gourmet item to specialize about: their revered homemade sauces recently won two awards at the 2023 Scovie Awards. Follow them on Facebook.

Industries this week will open a new store and donation center in the City of Fredericksburg. The location is at 2010 Lafayette Boulevard near Paul's Bakery. That was the former site of a Salvation Army Thrift Store, which recently moved to FXBG's Eagle Village shopping center.

Carl's Re-OOpened

Who needs Punxsutawney Phil when you have Carl's ice cream? In an annual sign that Spring can't be too far off, Carl's is re-opened after being closed for the winter. Carl's is located at 2200 Princess Anne Street.

Lewis Store Renovation

A renovation was recently completed on the historic Lewis Store property owned by Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. (HFFI); it now provides a glimpse of what retail was like in the 18th century. In this week's edition, Bill talks with Shannon Lee, HFFI's director of operations, about the historic items you will see when you visit the Lewis Store at 1200 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg.

Raising Cane's Project

Starting in Central Park

Construction work is getting started on a project to bring a popular chicken-finger restaurant to Fxbg. Raising Cane's is planning to build a roughly 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 3071 Plank Road near the main entrance of Central Park. A former Pier 1 Imports building that is at that location will be torn down for the project.

Always Flavored Wins Two Awards at 2023 Scovie Awards

1711 Princess Anne St

Recently opened in the Canal Quarter District, the new restaurant Always Flavored specializes in gourmet

Ownership changing at Sammy T's

810 Caroline St

Iconic downtown restaurant Sammy T's will soon have a new owner. Jeff Small is purchasing the business March 1. Small is Clerk of Fredericksburg Circuit Court and an entrepreneur who has run car-wash businesses.

Civil Rights Trail

Civil Rights Trail: "Freedom, a Work in Progress " The three-mile walking trail guides participants through post-Civil War history, drawing together the stories - one never-before-heard testimony at a time - of Fredericksburg-area people and places that have helped shape the civil rights narrative. Years long in the making, the trail brings to light Black people's struggle for justice and equality in a city that played a pivotal role in the Civil War.

Spring is the most fleeting of the seasons - fragile snowdrops push their way out of the warming ground, tulips and daffodils follow with a riot of color, impressionistic waves of forsythia and cherry blossoms color the awakening landscape - and the garden! shovels, spades and garden hoes turn over the loamy soil, seeds are planted in narrow rows or widely broadcast and the annual miracle of germination and growth begins anew. We are the fortunate denizens of spring renewal, especially in the kitchen. After the warming soups and stews made to sustain us during our winter’s hibernation, we crave freshness and lightness as reflected in longer warming days of the new season. Because we now import so many fruits and vegetables, the lines between seasons have begun to blurexcept for the price and the freshness. I would rather wait for fresh local asparagus at the farmer’s market rather than an older, woody Andean crop jetted in chilled containers to grocery distribution centers. A convenience, yesbut no comparison in taste. Try these recipes with fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market - a seasonal revelation.

Buttercrisp Asparagus

Rinse one pound of green asparagus and trim off woody ends. In a 12” frying pan with lid, melt 4 T. butter over mediumlow heat. Place asparagus in one layer in pan, cover and cook for about 8-12 minutes, or until asparagus is crisptender. Arrange cooked asparagus on platter and pour pan juices over - drizzle with the juice of one lemon (more or less, to taste), then generously place shaved Parmesan cheese over the asparagus - you shouldn’t need any salt as the cheese is salty.

Tricolor Asparagus Salad

Wash and cut woody ends off 1 lb. asparagus - purple, white and green. Blanch each color separately until tender, then cool immediately in ice water to retain color. Drain and pat dry. Drizzle with an herb vinaigrette - Mix together 1/3 c. prepared herb mustard, ½ tsp. crushed green peppercorns, 1/3 c. champagne vinegar, 2 T. finely chopped parsley and 2c. olive oil. S&P.

Spring Greens With Green Goddess Dressing

The original Green Goddess dressing was created at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in the 1920s in honor of a hit play “Green Goddess”. I’ve updated it with some watercress - and made the original anchovies optional. Serves 8.

Toss together 6 cups of spring mix salad, one head of Boston lettuce and one bunch of frisee lettuce in a salad bowl. Separate two heads of Belgian endive and add leaves to the salad mix. Set aside while you make the dressing - 2 whole anchovies, mashed (optional), 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed, ½ c. each Italian parsley leaves and watercress, ½ c. fresh tarragon, 2 T. each chopped chives and lemon juice, ½ tsp. kosher salt and ground pepper to taste, 1 ¼ c. mayonnaise and ¾ c. thick sour cream. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of blender as needed. Drizzle over salad and toss. Any extra salad dressing can be refrigerated for up to a week.

SPRING 3-PPEA SALAD

Lightly blanch and chill one cup each of shelled spring peas, snow pea pods and sugar snap peas. Mix together a dressing of ¼ c. lemon juice, slivers of lemon zest, 2 T. white balsamic vinegar, 1 T. dijon mustard, 1 c. fruity olive oil, freshly ground pepper. Drizzle over pea mixture (there should be some left over). Thinly slice a head of fresh radicchio onto a platter, then place pea mixture atop. Garnish with fresh pea shoots .

STRAWBERRY

And Rhubarb Crisp

The crisp mixture can be made ahead and stored in the freezer, to be used as needed. It’s great for apple, pear and peach crisps in other seasons. Mix together until crumbly 1 ½ sticks butter, 1 c. flour, 3 c. whole rolled oats (not quick cooking), 1 c. light brown sugar, 1 T. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. salt. Set aside. Toss together 6 c. diced fresh rhubarb (never use the leaves, only stems) and 4 c. sliced fresh strawberries with ¾ c. sugar, 3 T. cornstarch, 2 tsp. grated orange zest and ½ c. orange juice. Bake in 9”x13” glass baking dish at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and topping is browned. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Spring is sprung!

Vanessa serves up yummy recipes for every season

by Mary Lynn Powers

People who love food, better known as "foodies" these days have always been attracted to the cuisine of France. Fredericksburg is fortunate to have a quaint brasserie-style French restaurant.

La Petite Auberge is a fine dining establishment that opened in 1981 under Chef Christian Renault Chef ran a tight ship for many years, and gradually groomed his son Raymond Renault to take the helm. Raymond is now the head chef, though he works integrally with a faithful kitchen staff. When I talked with Raymond he stated that he follows his father's lead in that he is very much a hands-oon restauranteur. Most often he will be found in the kitchen cooking and overseeing the operation.

Raymond referred to the style of their restaurant as "bouchon", which referred to a small inn that came into existence in the 17th century and specialized in Lyonaisse cuisine. At that time, the fare was traditional and hearty; designed for the working class. In keeping with the present time La Petite Auberge has incorporated local fresh produce and seafood when available. Some of their best dishes include, Rockfish with Spinach Risotto and Hollandaise Sauce and Surf and Turf with Bearnaise Sauce. Now that they are back in full swing after a couple of hard years, Raymond said they are looking at some changes down the road. Their menu will still have many of the old favorites, but Raymond wants to breathe some fresh air into the popular eatery. He recently added a Tuna Tartare appetizer which was a nice success.

We talked a little about the effects of the pandemic, and commented on the fact that most of Fredericksburg's restaurants were able to bounce back. During those crazy times, all the shops went to carry-out, and it took an incredible toll on how they operated their businesses. Raymond said at times he was the only one in the kitchen with just one other person handling the front side of the house. He stated that they were fortunate to maintain much of their staff as they went back to normal operations. Since then with rising costs in food and utilities, LaPetite has increased wages as well. Raymond commented that this will help maintain consistency in the workplace, allowing for the employees to withstand the increasing cost of living.

Raymond and his wife, Jessica, operate one of the most successful family businesses in our town It certainly can't be easy working and living together. Additionally, Jessica homeschools their two daughters, as well as handling most of the administrative work for the restaurant. It's the old adage, the more you do, the more you can do. La Petite Auberge has a lovely website, lapetiteaubergefred.com and social media presence if you would like to preview their fare. They are located in the heart of Fredericksburg at 311 William Street. Stop in and check out their simple philosophy of "serving the best quality food and wine " since 1981

Wine and a Movie

So, the groundhog saw his shadow a while back, and you know what that meant: Six more weeks of winter! While we here in the 'Burg don't get the hellacious nor'easters they get up north, we do get sick and tired of the cold and the snow. I like a good move-whether it's classic oldy, or a current hit. Give me a good flick, a comfy seat, and … a bottle of wine.

My new thing is watching movies that involve wine in the plot somehow. For your viewing enjoyment, I offer here three that I've watched (in no particular order):

Take 2004's "Sideways " In it two men-Miles Raymond and Jack Colereaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.

During the film, Miles speaks fondly of the red wine varietal pinot noir, while denigrating merlot. After the film's U.S. release in October 2004, merlot sales dropped two percent, while pinot noir sales increased 16 percent in the Western United States. The film's main effect on the U.S. wine industry was a rise in the sales volume and price of pinot noir and in overall wine consumption.

Grab up a bottle of 2016 Chateau St Thomas Pinot Noir from Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, boot up your streaming device, and do a search for "Sideways." This pinot noir is sure to showcase the beauty of the wine! And if you want the perfect snack to go with the wine, I think you should spend a little time making some stuffed mushrooms, then curl up and have a nice, warm evening at home.

Another movie you may want to stream is "Terroir," from 2014. Wealthy wine maker Jonathan Bragg hires Tuscan wine detective Victor Borgo to find the source of a mysterious bottle of wine, the "Oroboros." The film is set in the underworld of the Tuscan wine business. With references to Brunellopoli, the great Italian wine scandal of 2008, and with cameo appearances from real-world winemakers such as Salvatore Ferragamo and Luca Sanjust, the film brings a level of

by Rita Allan

authenticity when it comes to the wine business.

We suggest grabbing up a bottle of 2017 Montemorli Chianti Riserva DOCG from Tuscany, Italy for this movie and pair it with some pecorino cheese and salami.

One more suggestion I would make for your streaming pleasure is A Walk in the Clouds " This 1995 romantic drama is regarded by some as one of the best wine movies ever made.

"A Walk in the Clouds" is set in Napa Valley, California, shortly after the end of World War II. It sees soldier Paul Sutton return home to his wife, Betty, as he tries to forget the horrors of war. But his marriage to Betty becomes increasingly strained. So, where does the wine come in? Well, with his marriage collapsing, Paul heads off to Sacramento, in search of work, only to meet Victoria, a graduate student whose family owns a vineyard in Napa County. Learning that Victoria is pregnant by her university professor, Paul offers to pose as her husband to stave off her domineering, oldworld father's anger.

I won't spoil the rest of A Walk in the Clouds too much, but suffice to say, if you like love stories, family drama and the beautiful Napa Valley, this is the film for you to enjoy a bottle with. For this one grab a bottle of 2019 Precision Wine Co Octopoda Wines Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, California and a nice charcuterie board.

These are just three of the many movies that involve wine. Do an internet search and you'll find more, then search City Vino's shelves for the perfect with to pair with your movie-of-choice.

City Vino is located at 810 Caroline St. You can find owner Rita Allan on-site to provide answers to all your wine questions.