A Weekend in Williamsburg

This weekend, I've come to a realization. I travel to eat. I know, it may come as a surprise to most of you that it took me this long to have this epiphany, but alas, it has. It doesn't seem to matter where I'm going. The first thing I investigate is the kind of foods I'll be able to eat there. While this may not be the best reason for travel, it is certainly my favorite.

For the past few days, I've eaten my way through Williamsburg, Virginia. My family has always enjoyed visiting Williamsburg, as anyone with even a remote interest in history would. Traveling to Colonial Williamsburg is like stepping back in time...to the late 1700s to be exact.

If you're considering a trip here, which I think you should, you may want to ask yourself these questions. 1. Do you like US history? 1.a. Are you interested in learning more about US history? 2. Do you enjoy playing dress-up? 2.a. Do you enjoy seeing other people playing dress up? 3. Do you enjoy touring refurbished houses? 4. Do you like to eat? 4.a. Do you like to eat by candlelight?

If you've answered yes to any or all of these questions, then Williamsburg is certainly the place for you.

When I arrived on Saturday, the first thing my Mom and I did, after leaving my things at the hotel of course, was to have lunch.

We made our way to the King's Arms tavern. One of the great things about Williamsburg is that they have a number of Colonial taverns in which you can dine. Upon entering these taverns, you will be greeted by people in period costume, treating you as if you have just entered their tavern in the 1700s. It's great. Really.

The King's Arms Tavern

Mom and I were quickly seated, soaking in the beauty of the recreated space. They do an excellent job of immersing you in the Colonial era. But honestly, the two of us were so happy to see each other that we could have eaten outside on the ground and been quite content.

Our Colonial-dressed waitress arrived to take our order, happily welcoming us to the tavern.

I chose the macaroni of the day. (Don't be misled, however... It is not macaroni and cheese, but a pasta of the day. Not pasta salad, but pasta. Really, calling it the noodle dish of the day may have been more clear.... but now you know.)

Anyway, we ordered and settled in to wait for our meals.

In the mean time, we had bread!

Let me just say, I could eat bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and be a very happy girl. At Williamsburg, I often find myself thinking that I could make a meal off of just bread and dessert.

These rolls were hot and crunchy on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside. We devoured them, topped, of course, with the lightest whipped butter you've ever tasted. It was so wonderful.

My meal was slightly less than what I had expected.

Don't get me wrong, it was very good. The ravioli were filled with mushrooms and topped with tomatoes, broccoli, and more mushrooms. I do enjoy mushrooms (I think you have to like them to make it through Poland), and the noodles themselves were fine, but I think it would have been much better if the sauce had completely covered the noodles. 

The sauce itself was a cream sauce (admittedly one of my favorite kinds), but I really wanted it to be hotter. The temperature of the dish was definitely off, not so much that I didn't enjoy it, but enough that I noticed it and knew how I would have changed it. 

Regardless, I was hungry, and the flavor of the dish itself was good, so I finished the whole plate in no time. 

Dessert was the best part of the meal, hands down. Apparently some of my family had gone to the King's Arms for dinner the night before and ordered the Bread Pudding. They had raved about it, so Mom and I knew that we had to order one...for each of us.

I think I melted a little when it arrived. 

Ohmygosh this was GOOD! The bread part of the bread pudding was spongey, piping hot, and delicious. It had the perfect amount of nutmeg and sweetness. Oh, it was just awesome. That part probably could have stood alone as a fantastic dessert, but they didn't stop there. The sauce on top was a rum-cream sauce. Oh, man was this a knock-out. Words cannot appropriately describe the magnificence of this dessert. I wanted to shove my face into it and lick out the bottom of the bowl.

I am drooling thinking of it. It was that fantastic. Seriously, you cannot come here and not try it. It's a must. Even if you think you're too full to take another bite. DO IT. You will not be sorry. :)

So, after completely stuffing ourselves with bread pudding, we were ready to go.

Mom and I met up with everyone else and walked around Gloucester street. We popped into shops, took a few tours, and generally enjoyed our time together before our dinner reservation at my Mom's favorite: Christiana Campbell's.

This tavern has legendary status in our family as the place with the good muffins.... sweet potato muffins to be exact. Ever since we started planning our trip to Williamsburg, my Mom has been talking about the muffins at Christiana Campbell's. Since it's been at least 10 years since our last visit, I had long since forgotten about how good the muffins were, and was greatly looking forward to being able to experience them.

Thankfully, our waitress, Candy, brought them right out.

For some reason, the kind people at Christiana Campbell's feel the need to bring dinner rolls as well. Should you have the good fortune to dine here, ignore the dinner rolls. They are a mere distraction. Do not be tempted. Do not pass go. Reach straight for the sweet potato muffins. 

These are some of the most wonderful muffins ever. They're sweet and spicy, with just the right amount of nuts on the inside and sugar on the top. As soon as you bite into the dense deliciousness that is the sweet-potato muffin, you will wish you could eat them for your meal. The insanely light whipped butter may have something to do with it, but only the slightest bit. You could eat these muffins morning or night, with or without butter, and be perfectly happy.

With dinner, they served cole slaw.

I am not a cole slaw person. I try to be, but I'm not. Those at the table who do like cole slaw, however, said it was very good. But, onto more important things.

Since neither Mom nor I were very hungry (remember the big lunch we just ate?) we decided to split an appetizer and entree.

The appetizer we chose was a Mushroom Fricassy. (I realize that doesn't seem to be spelled right, but I know they spelled it with a 'y'.)

Anyway, it claimed to be some kind of mushroom and puff pastry dish, which sounded good to us! I just realized that it was a very mushroomy day. But like I said, I'm a mushroom person!

When the dish arrived, it looked a little questionable.

It's not a pretty dish, but it doesn't need to be pretty. It was pretty darn delicious.

The mushrooms were cooked in a creamy, buttery, wine sauce and then generously ladled over a puff pastry shell. It was the best of all worlds. Mom and I agreed that we could have made a meal off of that alone.

But, alas, we had ordered the fish of the day as well.

How is one person supposed to eat all of that?

The catch of the day turned out to be mahi mahi and a crab cake. These were served with grilled veggies and a mysterious mustard sauce that neither of us needed, but both of us tried. It was good. Coming from Maryland, we tend to have high expectations for crab cakes, and this one was not disappointing. It was definitely different from what we're used to, but it was still tasty. It was pan-seared instead of broiled, but I actually liked the change.

My least favorite part of the meal was the fish. It was a thick fish and I would have wanted it to either be juicier, or to have more sauce. Not that it was unpleasant, just not my favorite.

One of the foods that was  my favorite was the Spoon Bread. I've never heard of Spoon Bread before, so I was really excited when Candy approached the table with a number of little silver pans. She proceeded to go around basically every empty bread dish, and spoon out a healthy serving of this foreign commodity.

The consistency is a cross between cornbread and custard. It jiggles when you poke it, but is still somewhat firm. I've never had anything quite like it before.

Taste wise, it's somewhat custardy. There's definitely an eggy presence in the bread, and a slight sweetness as well.

Basically, you have to try it and see for yourself. Everyone at our table really enjoyed it. And I was, yet again, possessed with the notion to lick the crumbs off of my plate at the end. I restrained myself.

The next morning, we had leftover muffins for breakfast. They were fantastic. We savored every bite.

Our first stop of the day was the Coffeehouse. After a nice tour of the building, given by a Colonial woman, of course, we were offered a sample of tea, coffee, or chocolate.

You should not be surprised by what I went for.

So adorable.....

Hot chocolate, of course! Many of you know my issue with hot chocolate. It has to be super chocolatey and super thick to pass inspection. Most hot chocolates around here fall flat. Thus, I was really excited to see what the Colonists had been drinking. 

I am happy to say, they know their hot chocolate. This drinking chocolate was flavored with a couple different spices, was very rich, and very thick. I was in love.

Thankfully, the kind Colonists directed us to a shop down the road where we could purchase some of this chocolate to take home with us.

When my aunt asked if you make it with milk or water, the answer was only water. Apparently using milk makes it too thick. But, really, can hot chocolate ever be too thick? I think not.

Since we had a lot that we wanted to see, we decided to do a fast lunch. Thus, we went to the outside eating area of Chowning's Tavern.

Mom and I decided to split the portobello mushroom sandwich.

I am a huge fan of mushrooms instead of burgers. Portobello mushrooms still provide all the meatiness and umph that you get in an actual burger, but are much better for you. 

This one was topped with pepper, onions, and provolone cheese. It was very good for "fast" food. (This is about as fast as you're gonna get at Williamsburg.) And if I was in a hurry, I would definitely order it again.

The ambiance of the eating area was also very nice. 

Please note the grown man in modern clothes and a Colonial hat.

See how cute this place was? Who doesn't want to eat under a roof of vines? The only thing that wasn't so cute was the insane number of bees swarming our root beers. It became something of a game to try and drink your beverage before another bee could get to it. But hey, think of what the Colonists had to endure!

We also shared a Dark Chocolate Pecan Myrtle at lunch.

Earlier in the day, Mom and I had walked up to the newer part of town and popped into the candy store. This place smells delectable. Literally, you'll want to eat everything inside! After careful consideration, we chose the myrtle. I'd never had one before and it seemed like a good time to start.

Evidently, a myrtle is a candy made of pecans, covered with caramel and chocolate. It was so delicious, tasting like a mix of a praline and something else.... This was definitely a good choice. I could have eaten the whole thing by myself (easily!), but we shared it with the rest of our family so everyone could enjoy.

That afternoon, Mom and I went to the Raleigh tavern bakery. We ended up buying an apple turnover for each of us, with plans to go back the next day to buy some for the road. (AKA to stock my fridge back at school.)

The apple turnovers have always been yummy. Although there are some things I don't remember from past visits to Williamsburg, I have always remembered these.

What you should do is take this to a microwave, heat it up, and stuff yourself with the warm, deliciousness that is the apple turnover. It's so worth the extra effort of finding a microwave in the Colonial era. :)

For dinner that evening we had planned to go to Shields, only to realize that they're closed on Sundays and Mondays. But, never fear! We simply made our way down to the King's Arms Tavern, which was happy to seat us.

The room was candlelit, casting shadows on the dark walls and illuminating the faces of our fellow diners. The lack of electricity made it feel all the more authentic, as we were approached by another Colonial-ly clad gentleman.

Since we felt like being fancy, Mom and I both ordered the Berry Shrub. Okay, it sounds a little sketchy (or, at the very least, prickly), but it was fantastic!

The Berry Shrub is cranberry juice with a scoop of berry sorbet floating inside. It's like any float you may have had before, but much better because a) it's called a 'Shrub' and b) you're drinking it in Williamsburg.

Dinner by candlelight

After we'd placed our orders, our waiter brought a little dish of accoutrements to the table.

Going from left to right, we have corn relish, pickled watermelon rind, and pork. (I'm not positive about that last one because I didn't eat it, but I think that's what it was.)

The corn relish and the pickled watermelon were both great. The corn was sweet, the epitome of summer, and the pickled watermelon was really exciting!

Have you ever eaten pickled watermelon before? If not, you must try it. It tasted like... chicken! Haha, no. Actually it tasted like bread and butter pickles. So if you like pickles, you'd like this. Plus it's just really fun to see how transparent the rind is after all of that pickling. If you didn't know it was watermelon, you probably wouldn't be able to guess. The consistency is much softer than raw watermelon rind. It kind of blew my mind.

Next, came the Sally Lunn bread.

You know how I am with bread. And this bread was particularly good. It was possibly the lightest, airy-est bread I've ever tasted. Literally, you could squeeze it (gently, of course) together and it would unfold itself. It was awesome! (I'm sure the whipped butter didn't hurt, either.) If this was the only thing I'd been able to eat all evening, I would not have complained. And did I mention that it was warm when it came to the table? Nothing better than warm bread!

After all of this deliciousness, we musn't forget about the main course!

I ordered both the 'Apple Salet' and the 'Peanut Soup.' Salad isn't exactly what you think of when you think "Colonial," but all of the heavy foods we'd been eating lately had started to feel a bit excessive.

Generally, I'm not a huge salad person. I mean, I'm growing to like them more. I recognize that they can be good for you, provided you top them with the right 'fixings.' (Had to throw that southern word in there!) And this one claimed to have caramelized onions on it. (YES!) So I figured it was a safe bet.

There was nothing particularly wrong with this salad. I think I just got tired of it after a while. And I had difficulty locating the caramelized onions. I was, however, very glad I'd ordered it, because I could not have eaten all of the food that came with the main meals.

The peanut soup, however, did not disappoint. Actually, let me rephrase that. I had no idea what to expect from the peanut soup. The first time we ate here, I'd avoided it because it sounded sketchy. Thick, brown soup? No, thank you. But it's a house speciality and it's authentic to the time period. I felt that, as a food blogger, I could not leave without trying something apparently so famous. So, I took a risk...

and loved it! The soup was thick and very peanutty. It even had chopped peanuts inside of it. Taste wise, it reminded me a lot of a chicken satay recipe we used to make, probably because of the use of peanut butter in both recipes.

So, if you like peanut-butter (or chicken satays) then, you'll really love this! I was skeptical at first, but it only took one bite to convince me. There's a reason it's a house specialty. If that's not enough to convince you, where else are you going to get peanut soup? You might as well give it a go.

Because there clearly wasn't enough food on the table already, our waiter proceeded to bring bowls of creamed spinach for the table. And, now that I think about it, I'm sensing  a theme. Christiana Campbell's gave us spoon bread, King's Arms gave us creamed spinach.... they will not let you leave hungry!

If anything has 'cream' in the description, I'm usually there. This was no different. I probably could have made a meal off of this, too. It was creamy, without being really heavy. The sprinkle of cheese on top was a nice addition, too. I ended up finishing the bowl for my section of the table. Either everyone else was full, or I just have a really awesome family. (Probably both.)

But wait! There's more! We were not about to leave dinner without ordering dessert. If you recall, the King's Arms has a delicious bread pudding. But, as Mom and I had just finished our bread pudding for breakfast that morning (along with the muffins), we thought we'd try something a little different.

Mom ended up ordering some kind of meringue with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. I wish I had a picture to show you. (Somehow that slipped through the cracks!) But it was light and summery and delicious! Everyone at the table thoroughly enjoyed it.

I ordered the pecan pie. You see, I love pecan pie. It's one of my favorites, yet, we never have it at home. (The reason for which I am still unclear.) So, you can imagine that I jumped at the opportunity to have a slice...topped with ice cream, of course!

Ah, warm pecan pie. It's the greatest. You get the nuts and the sweet, gelatinous layer above the crust, and then the cool slurp of the ice cream. It was so good. I was so happy. I ate it all.

Thus, our meal at the King's Arms came to an end. We were all stuffed, all happy, and all ready to return to the hotel for the night.

The next day we feasted on the remaining Christiana Cambpell's muffins for breakfast, before hitting the town. There were a few more places we wanted to visit before it was time to leave. So, we made our last walk up and down Gloucester street, spent a last few dollars, and then made our way to The Trellis restaurant.

See the trellis?

Mom and I had never been here before, so we were excited to see what they had in store. We had, however, heard rave reviews from my aunt, who had eaten here many times while visiting my cousin at William and Mary. 

One of the reasons we hadn't eaten here before was that it's in the new half of Gloucester street. Mom and I had always stuck to the old part for our dining excursions. But it seemed as good a time as any to try something new. 

The inside was very bright and clean, erring a bit on the woodsy-whimsical side with a swirly floor pattern and big, light, wooden tables. The waitstaff were all dressed in black pants and vests with white shirts and a pop of color in their ties. Our waitress was very friendly, pouring us water from big glass bottles as soon as she approached. 

As this was my last big hurrah before returning to college food, I decided there was no holding back. I began with a chocolate milkshake. 

Words cannot describe how amazingly chocolatey this was. It was rich, chocolatey, smooth, creamy... Pretty much any positive description could be applied to this drink. It wanted to dive into it and drink my way out. But really.

It was decidedly more difficult to choose what to order for lunch. Although I went back and forth for a while, I ultimately decided on the soft shell crab sandwich. It came down to the fact that I never get soft shell crab sandwiches and did not want to miss my only opportunity. And boy am I glad that I did!

Gooey cheese? Yes, please!

Can we just take a moment to soak in the beauty of that sandwich. Every aspect was perfect. The bread was toasty and buttered. The swiss cheese was melty and wonderful. And the crab, well, that was most certainly the star! (As it should be, I suppose.) 

I'm not a huge crab person. (As in I don't enjoy picking crabs because it takes too long and you get too little meat.) But I am a HUGE soft shell crab person. This particular soft shell crab was so fresh tasting. It almost had a sweetness to it. I can't even accurately describe it's pure perfection. This sandwich may have been my favorite food of the whole trip. It was all just so fresh and wonderful. If only I could have one every day....

The sandwich also came with shoestring french fries. 

First, look at the adorable presentation! You can serve me food in a miniature frying basket any time and I will fall in love! But, in all truth, the french fries were pretty darn good. They were definitely up there on my 'good-fry' meter. (Nina still makes the best, but these were a good try at second.) They really didn't even need ketchup, either (always a sign of a good fry) but I still used it.

Throughout the meal, I'd seen countless slices of chocolate cake leaving the kitchen. It wasn't just any chocolate cake, either. It was called 'Death by Chocolate.' As a side note, how many times have we heard that as a dessert name? It's losing it's intimidation factor....

This deadly good chocolate cake is very popular at The Trellis. It is also, apparently, very hard to finish by yourself. But of course, that's why there were four of us! We ordered a slice and four forks and prepared for one final indulgence.

Let me preface this by saying that it was a challenging cake to eat. There were seven layers, plus ice cream- that's a whole lotta chocolate! Each of the layers were different and delicious. One of my favorite layers was one with a light, whipped sort of chocolate and little crunchies. It would have helped if the cake had been slightly warmer (the first few bites were a bit hard to obtain), but all in all, it was a fantastic way to end our meals in Williamsburg!

As far as the "Death" part of the name goes, perhaps they mean death from heartbreak after realizing all of the cake is gone. I could relate. I was so sad and so full when we had finished. But I will definitely come back and dine at The Trellis again.

In a strange twist of indulgent irony, as soon as we finished lunch, Mom and I went across the street to The Cheese Shop to buy a sandwich that I could take on the plane with me.

I felt quite piggish buying food right after finishing food, but it was pretty much the only option if I wanted a guaranteed meal later that evening. (A 45 minute layover doesn't exactly give you much time to grab a bite to eat.)

My cousin at William and Mary spoke very highly of The Cheese Shop, which, as you may have guessed, serves more than just cheese.

It's a bustling place at lunch time, which tends to speak well of the finished products. Mom and I joined the line and waited to place an order.

By the time we arrived at the front, I'd decided that I would get the Veggie Sandwich. There was no description of what it was, but it should be kind of obvious. The only change I made was to ask for house dressing instead of the pesto they would have put on. My cousin said the house dressing is the best, so I had to try it!

After purchasing the sandwich, it was time to go. It was kind of a tease to spend such a great weekend with my family, only to have to turn around and leave. We'd enjoyed the time together so much that it was hard to say goodbye again.

I boarded the plane with my sandwich, my Williamsburg goodies, and many memories from the weekend.

Later that evening, while I was waiting for my plane to get the 'okay' to fly, (there was a storm in Charlotte that had delayed us) I unwrapped my sandwich.

Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. Perhaps I'd waited too long to eat it, or perhaps I'd had unattainable expectations. But whatever the reason, I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be.

Mostly I think it was because I could have made a sandwich like that, or better at home. The sandwich was basically one of those sandwich thins topped with lettuce, Edam cheese, and sprouts. (There was a hint of a tomato somewhere, but it didn't have much presence.)

If I had wanted a sprout sandwich, I would have ordered that. A few more veggie varieties would have been great. Maybe a turkey sandwich would have been a better bet. And as for the house dressing? It was good, but I could have used a bit more. It was apparently a mix of mayo, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. (I thought I tasted a bit of garlic, too.)

I realize it sounds a bit whiny, but don't get the wrong idea... the sandwich was fine! And I would go back, if only to see what else they have there. This place is always packed, so it has to be good. My experience just wasn't the best.

All in all, it was a very delicious weekend in Williamsburg! I am so glad I got a chance to get away, relax with my family, and enjoy some good food. It was a much needed break from the craziness that is  college. I'm already looking forward to the next long weekend. But, until then, I wish you happy hearts and full bellies.