OT: Williamsburg, Va looking for some great restaurants

[sisofmamasue]

HI, BB my DB and I are heading to Williamsburg, Va in October. We are looking for a few nice restaurants with a great wine list. I will take any suggestions you may have. Thanks:)

[Mamasue]

Well hello darling sister! :D Ellen and Bert have been there a couple of times and I believe are either there now or going soon. :) Can I come?

[Vanessa]

Hi. We went to Williamsburg before Xmas and it was great! I suggest you try the taverns: Christinana Campbells, King's Arm, Shields..theres a 4th one but it was packed. Lines are long so I suggest you make reservations . I think if you go online there are some special deals you can enjoy. Outside the area theres other restaurants. On Sunday theres a buffet breakfast in a lodge (sorry cannot recall the name). Our cousins arranged hotel reservations and dinning reservations by phone. We got the 3 day pass so we could enjoy Williamsburg at our leasure.
Lots of shops and we had a great time going back in time at Xmas it was really beautifully decorated too.

[Gail]

First off, let me refer you to an old thread with some suggestions:http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=4134&highlight=williamsburg

When we were in Williamsburg a few months ago, I opted to go back to The King's Arms Tavern, more for the ambience than the food. Since we had our 11-year-old present and were looking for something he'd really remember, it seemed to me that the idea of dining in the 18th century would be a fun thing to do. We ate by candlelight, served by a waitress who at all times remained in character. We were "forced" to sing for our supper by one of the British soldiers, tasted foods reminiscent of Colonial times and thoroughly enjoyed the step backward in time. Dinner was good (not necessarily outstanding, but certainly good) and we opted to try one of the local wines from the Thomas Jefferson Winery. My feeling was, heck I'm a Californian. I have good California wine all the time-- but Virginia wine is something we just don't see out this way...

Just my two cents, for what it's worth.

Have fun!

[masimmons]

The Trellis Restaurant. It is run by the man who wrote Death by Chocolate (Marcelle something) and has had numerous cooking shows on PBS. Everyone I know who has eaten there raves. Probably need reservations.

[sisofmamasue]

Thank your for all your feedback on Williamsburg....Gail I want to thank you for the link it was a wealth of information also....
Marianne

[Beth Y]

Sis, if you looked at the former post, you probably saw my previous reply. I lived in Bburg for three years for grad school. I did want to add though, that I agree with Gail (can you imagine?) about Kings Arms. Having hung around some of the CW waitstaff (which has an alumni association, believe it or not, called the Order of the Golden Napkin, or something odd like that) I know that Kings Arms was considered by them to be the best.

I also forgot, I think, in my previous post, to mention the Chickahominy House. It is on the road to Jamestown (aka, Jamestown Road) on the Right. It is great for lunch and you can get a VERY Virginia lunch of country ham biscuits, brunswick stew, etc. and, the reason I used to go there....buttermilk pie for dessert...it was heavenly.

Another good brunch for Sunday is out at Kingsmill resort. It is a bit out of town, but just ask as it is not far off the Colonial Parkway. They have a nice view of the James.

October is a great time to be there! Have fun!:)

[sisofmamasue]

Hi Beth, thanks for your reply yes, I saw your post and appreciate all your feedback. Unfortunately, I will not be there for a Sunday my DB and I are there for 4 days and 3 nights. We are probably going to extend one more evening and are staying at the Marriott. He has 4 rounds of golf paid for. So we will be golfing 2 fo the mornings or afternoons while we are there...He had this paid for before he met little ol' me..ha ha...so this is why I am asking for the best of the best to go for dinners and lunches. I'm looking forward to this trip. I understand I will probably be back there again...ha ha. Thanks again and if you think of any other places let me know.
Sis (Marianne):D

[mcraig13]

I went to college in Williamsburg--a while ago--and now live only an hour away. The Colonial Williamsburg taverns are fun--from a historical perspective--but the food is not always the best and my experience is that they rush you--it is, nevertheless, a tourist attraction. If you do opt for a tavern, my recommendation would be Campbell's.

My favorite restaurant is The Trellis. You really can't go wrong with this. Someone mentioned The Chickahominy House--a great place for lunch--Brunswick stew, ham biscuits, and buttermilk pie. Another idea--take Rt. 5 to the Jamestown ferry--take the ferry across the river to Surry and eat at the Surry House. It doesn't look like much, but the crabcakes, apple fritters, and peanut-raisin pie are to die for--and 20 years ago it fit very easily into a college student's date budget.

Hope you enjoy the Burg.

[masimmons]

Another place besides the Trellis that is wonderful is Pierce's Barbecue. It is on the outskirts of town - not hard to find - and has WONDERFUL barbecue (pork). It is not at all fancy and almost always packed. They also have good Brunswick stew. This is our favorite place to eat in the Williamsburg area.

[sisofmamasue]

Thank you everyone for all your great suggestions. We are looking forward to our visit at the Taverns and trying "The Trellis". I now have one of my DB's friends interested in the information you provide for his trip also. Take care
:D

[amcleod]

I was in Williamsburg about a month ago. I live in Washington DC and am a bit of a restaurant snob, so that colors my view...

Anyways, we went to Kings Arms b/c we had a gift certificate. The whole dinner (appy, entree, dessert) w/ wine was about $130 (including tax and tip)! It was definitely not worth that amount of money. I can go to an exceptional restaurant in DC for that amount. I mean, the food was fine, but definitely was not worth the price.

All of those taverns are owned and operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation...so it is all mass-produced, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for you since we only had that one dinner while there, but hopefully this will help.

[Gail]

Originally posted by amcleod
I was in Williamsburg about a month ago. I live in Washington DC and am a bit of a restaurant snob, so that colors my view...

Anyways, we went to Kings Arms b/c we had a gift certificate. The whole dinner (appy, entree, dessert) w/ wine was about $130 (including tax and tip)! It was definitely not worth that amount of money. I can go to an exceptional restaurant in DC for that amount. I mean, the food was fine, but definitely was not worth the price.

All of those taverns are owned and operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation...so it is all mass-produced, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions for you since we only had that one dinner while there, but hopefully this will help.

To further comment on this, certainly you do need to be aware that prices may be somewhat inflated (though I didn't feel them to be THAT bad-- and I'm taking into consideration that we got a free dessert and free bottle of chardonnay because we waited patiently some 40 minutes past the time of our reservation. That little gesture, by the way, I think speaks highly of the establishment.) BUT-- dining at the taverns isn't nearly as much about food as it is about the experience. It's about immersing oneself in another time and era, the next best thing to a time machine. I think also that the taverns are trying to prepare colonial fare which simulates what was served in the eighteenth century, while adapting it to modern tastebuds. So yes-- if you're going, expecting epicurean treats, you're bound to feel cheated, I'm sure. And there is unequivacably better food to be found within DC at lower prices.

As for me, the way I looked at it was that I came to Williamsburg to give my kid a fun look back in history. Eating at one of the taverns was part of the overall experience-- and for that alone, I felt it was worth the price.

Oops! Almost forgot to mention that although it was closed for renovation during my visit and I didn't think to try it on any of my earlier visits-- the restaurant at the Williamsburg Inn is also thought of highly.

Have fun! Eat well and have a glass of wine for me!

[amcleod]

Gail, I totally agree with you...it is more about atmosphere than food. And I definitely think it is a great choice for kids. I just was chiming in b/c our bill was quite a lot and if one is going to spend that much money on dinner, I think it should be outstanding.

We did go to "Gambols" which is a "night-spot" - Chowning's tavern turns into this place at 9pm. They have entertainment and you just drink beer, eat peanuts (boy were those some good peanuts!) and throw the shells on the floor. I would recommend that for sure (but didn't mention it before because they have like 3 items on the menu so it isn't a place you go for dinner unless you ate a late lunch.)

anyways, have fun in williamsburg!