Winter Farmers Markets

With all the Winter Farmers Markets going on this weekend in Leesburg or Purcellville, VA make sure to check them out along with trying out some of the great local restuarants that support them and serve locally grown food.

All the information you needed and more is right here at http://ow.ly/gwghd.    

Local Area Weekend Events 7/13/2012-7/15/2012

Come check out all of the fantastic local events going on in Loudoun County this weekend July 13th-July 15th!!! Events like Key West Fest, Cooking Classes, Concerts, Adopt a Dog Day, Positively Pastel, Bastille Day Celebration and more!

Friday July 13th

• 6:30 pm: Glenfiddich Farm Cooking Class: From the Garden
• 6-9pm: Doukenie's Bistro Nights
• 7:30-10:30pm: Sounds of Summer Concert Series

Saturday July 14th

• 10am: Patowmack Farm Cooking Class: Made in Spain
• 12-4pm: Bastille Celebration Day at Willowcraft
• 11am-6pm: Key West Fest
• 7:30pm: Bluemont Concert in Middleburg
• 6-9:30pm: 2012 Toast to the Tunes Summer Concerts at Tarara Winery
• 7-9pm: Acoustic on the Green
• 2-6pm: Adopt a Dog Day
• 5-8pm: "Positively Pastel" Special Reception at the Bryne Gallery

All Weekend Long

• National Sporting Library and Museum: Framing Animal and Sporting Art
• National Sporting Library and Museum: Endangered Species
• Pie Arts: A Chorus Line
• National Sporting Library and Museum

More information at http://ow.ly/caSGA.    

Wonderful Chef's in Loudoun!

Coming to the Loudoun County area to stay? Have a preference to a certain type of cooking? Read these local restaurants chef bios to find a restaurant perfect for your taste!

Get to know Loudoun's chefs.

		Author Clark, Jr., Grandale Farm Restaurant Grandale Farm Restaurant opened October 1, 2005 under the guidance of Culinary Institute of America graduate, Author Clark, Jr., who later became partner in the restaurant. Grandale Farm special¬izes in catered events, elegant dining, and dinner-lecture events. Chef Clark takes a serious culinary approach to the farm-to-table concept, supervising menu planning and food preparation opera¬tions. He is a certified SafeServ graduate as well as an experienced executive chef.  Grandale Farm Restaurant serves American Haute Cuisine and takes pride in the use of fresh ingredients and the “From Scratch” method.  Grandale Farm Catering is a thriving part of the operation and has become well known in many of the local venues. Chef Clark’s catering menus are available upon request and he will also work with you to customize your event.
		Christopher Edwards, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm A passionate drive and an undeniable focus on technique and flavor are what define the cuisine of Chef Christopher Edwards.  Clear presentation of the ingredients, with artistic flourish, allows the diner to experience the natural flavors reflected by the organic offerings of Patowmack Farm and its community of local growers. Attending Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC, Edwards worked his way through the kitchen at McCrady’s Restaurant under the tutelage of Michael Kramer. Beginning in the garde manger section and ending his four year tenure as Sous Chef, Edwards gained the initial experience and passion that would shape the future of his career. Leaving behind this distinguished position to work in Spain at Restaurant El Bulli with Ferran Adria, widely regarded as the world’s best chef, was a natural choice. As an apprentice in El Bulli, the equally lauded Michelin three star restaurant of worldwide notoriety, Edwards learned many of the modern techniques that have influenced today’s best chefs. An appreciation of seasonal ingredients also developed as the cooks of El Bulli foraged the hillsides for wild herbs, flowers, fruits, and other ingredients. Returning from Spain, Edwards joined Fabio Trabocchi’s team at Maestro in Mclean, VA.  During Edwards’ tenure at Maestro, Trabocchi was awarded the esteemed James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic, among many other accolades for Maestro.  Lured by Gaylord Hotels’ newest property at National Harbor, MD, Edwards, as Sous Chef to Duane Keller, opened Moon Bay, a regional seafood restaurant with a focus on local and sustainable cuisine.  Here, Christopher fine tuned his executive skills and management style with leadership and training being his utmost priority. During his time at Moon Bay the cuisine garnered many positive reviews.
		Todd Gray, Market Salamander Since opening Equinox in 1999 to universal acclaim, Todd Gray has emerged as one of the leading culinary talents in the nation's capital, as well as a tireless champion of sustainable farming and fishing practices, and a passionate promoter of local, mid-Atlantic foods. Chef Gray developed Equinox's distinctive cuisine by resurrecting historical recipes and crafting them to reflect his unique Virginia-Piedmont cuisine: a style that draws on his classical Italian training while showcasing ingredients from the Piedmont region in Virginia. His refined yet approachable style made him the perfect choice for Culinary Director of Salamander Hospitality, where he will oversee the menu development at the Salamander Resort & Spa, blending his dining concepts with the resort's vision to create a simple yet elegant menu featuring provincial Virginian accents with hints of country Italian. The 340-acre Salamander Resort & Spa is slated to open in the lush wine country of Middleburg, VA in the summer of 2013. In 2008 Equinox won the Restaurant Association Award for Best Fine Dining. Gray's cooking has earned him five nominations for the prestigious Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic award from the James Beard Foundation. He also is a five-time nominee for Chef of the Year from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Equinox has consistently been rated one of the city's top restaurants by many local publications, and has appeared on numerous "best of" lists in national epicurean magazines. Equinox has achieved Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence six years in a row, and is consistently recognized with the Award of Excellence from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa).
		William Walden, The Goodstone Inn & Restaurant Executive Chef William Walden brings years of experience and expertise to the Goodstone Inn. He has a refined approach to French cuisine keeping to traditional and classical preparations. Chef Walden draws much of his culinary knowledge from his many years working at L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, as well as owning La Fleur De Lis restaurant in Lovettsville, VA. He has a passionate and straight-forward philosophy in the kitchen, using only the freshest and finest ingredients available, mostly sourced from Goodstone's own organic herb and vegetable gardens and only the finest purveyors in the country.

Click here for the chef bios and pictures!        

87th Virginia Gold Cup Races

May is the month of the Triple Crown! Although the nearest opportunity to be a part of this huge event is the Preakness in Baltimore on May 19th, that doesnt mean you cant get into the racing fever in the local area!

This Saturday May 5th are the 87th Virginia Gold Cup Races. One of the nation's largest steeplechase races celebrates its 87th anniversary this year. Approximately 50,000 people will gather at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia to watch some of the finest horses in the world compete over the lush green course. The Virginia Gold Cup enjoys a spectacular setting in the heart of Virginia horse country with the Blue Ridge Mountains serving as the backdrop. Race day features six hurdle and timber horse races, Jack Russell Terrier races, contests, and over 30 vendor booths for shopping.

Can't attend this event but want to check out Loudoun County's Horse Country? No problem just check out these local horse tracks for local horse racing track. For more information please go to http://ow.ly/aEIRP.

Eat Like a Local in Loudoun County

20 Local Dining Favorites

The restaurants included in this list are places that the locals prefer for that certain something - a particular dish, the atmosphere, the service, and for some, their favorite drink or dessert.

1. Hunter's Head Tavern Upperville Traditional English pub fare featuring meats and produce sourced directly from their organic Loudoun farm: Bangers & Mash, Guinness Beef Stew, or Chicken Pot Pie.
2. American Flatbread Ashburn Features the best of local products in their unique but delicious wood-burning oven baked flatbreads.
3. Clyde’s at Willow Creek Farm Broadlands Atmosphere galore: four historic buildings house seven dining rooms and four bars plus a gorgeous outdoor dining area.
4. Ford's Fish Shack Ashburn New England style seafood including crab cakes, lobster rolls, and fish & chips. Be sure to save room for their banana pudding!
5. The French Hound Middleburg Traditional French bistro fare from a French trained chef plus a fabulous, evolving wine list sourced from the restaurant’s wine shop, The Wine Cellar.
6. Vintage 50 Restaurant & Brew Lounge Leesburg On premise brewery makes very tasty beers to pair with Chef Aaron’s creative, locally sourced cuisine.
7. Little Apple Pastry Shop Aldie Thanksgiving sandwich, incredible pies, cakes, baby cakes and cinnamon rolls.
8. Hill High Country Store Round Hill Any one of 37 pies (although we’re partial to the Caramel Apple Walnut!)
9. Leesburg Restaurant Leesburg All your diner favorites plus creamy, old fashion milkshakes and pies from Mom’s.
10. Mello Out Middleburg Homemade marshmallows, cosmic cupcakes, coffees and imaginative paninis like The Flying Pig.
11. South Street Under Leesburg House-made ciabatta bread, sandwiches on the ciabatta bread, soups with the ciabatta bread…!
12. Rangoli Indian Restaurant Leesburg Consistently ranked one of the best Indian restaurants in Northern Virginia.
13. B’z BBQ at Paeonian Grocery & Gourmet Paeonian Springs Some of Loudoun’s best barbecue plus the market has a vast, diverse beer selection.
14. Fireworks Wood-Fired Pizza Leesburg Pizza & beer: locally sourced, quality toppings on a great wood-fired crust plus an incredible beer selection.
15. Windy City Red Hots Leesburg/Ashburn Stop by this hot dog stand in the Belmont Nursery parking lot for spicy hot Chicago style dogs.
16. Döner Bistro Leesburg Döners (Turkish-German version of a Greek gyro), traditional German fare & great beers.
17. Blue Ridge Grill Leesburg/Brambleton Consistently good American fare in a casual dining environment .
18. Savoir Fare Restaurant & Wine Bar Round Hill Seasonal menu highlights fresh food, creatively prepared.
19. Lowry’s Crab Shack Hamilton Seafood, seafood and more seafood!
20. Sweetwater Tavern Sterling Fresh beer on tap right from the onsite brewery, great American cuisine

Holidays in Loudoun!

Want to mix up your Holiday Traditions a bit this year? You can catch a movie at Fox Stadium 16 & IMAX or head to the Winter Christmas Weekend Festival.

Several movies are opening on Christmas day from children feel-good movies to horror, whatever you feel like you are in the mood for head to the Fox Stadium 16 & IMAX in Ashburn, VA to satify your movie taste. Some movies that are playing are Arthur Christmas, We Bought a Zoo, Darkest Hour, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and War Horse.

Or...

Head to the Winter Christmas Weekend Festival! The Winter Christmas Weekend Festival includes hayrides to the white pine fields where you can pick out your Christmas tree and enjoy access to all of our farm attractions. Depending on the weather, it can be a winter wonderland with snow, or just another outdoor time at the farm exploring the nature. Our fire pits are inviting to keep you warm and make some s’ mores or roast your hot dogs. Since our family farm started its early days as a Christmas tree farm destination 50 years ago, this is a very special season for us. You can also visit our farm market to pick up bundles of firewood, local honey, pine cones, wreaths, fresh garland roping, greens, holly, tree bags, and other gift items as they become available.

Other events include Christmas at Oatlands, and Holiday Tours at Morven Park.

Featured Packages of the Week: Shopping!

Our featured package of the week are (drum roll please)...

The holiday season is coming up so you know what that means, shopping lots and lots of shopping. Why not treat yourself to the Embassy and Homewood Suites Dulles North shopping packages. These packages allow for your Holiday Season shopping to be stress free and relaxing, even with all the hustle and bustle around you.


Homewood and Embassy Suites Dulles North Shop Til You Drop Package

Includes:

• Spacious suite
• A $25 Visa^® gift card
• A coupon booklet for the Leesburg Premium Outlets^®
• Late check-out of 2 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday shuttle schedule to Leesburg Premium Outlets: times may vary slightly, please verify the schedule with the Front Desk at check-in and share your departure and return times.
• Shuttle departs the hotel at 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.
• Shuttle departs Outlets (near Coach Store) to return to the hotel at 1:15 p.m. or 6 p.m.

For more details check out the Homewood Suites Dulles North Shop Til You Drop package and Embassy Suites Shop Til You Drop Package.