Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Gather together: Historic property to offer its first Thanksgiving meal
STEPHENSON — Daniel Hayes' best-kept secret can be debated: It's either where he used to work or where he works now. Hayes, a chef who travels nationally, came to the Historic Jordan Springs Event and Cultural Centre several years ago after being the personal chef for a sports celebrity, who must remain confidential, the center's executive director Colt Nutter said. Then again, Jordan Springs as an event center itself hardly has widespread notoriety, he added.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Lost in the '50s: New Strasburg diner offers taste of nostalgia
STRASBURG — Walking through the front door of Strasburg's newest eatery, Big & Lil D's Diner, is like stepping back in time, though you would not know it from the modern, uniform brick facade of the building on Queen Street Square. Upon entering, customers are greeted by a statue depicting a Betty Boop waitress on roller skates holding a serving tray. The 1950s style restaurant, with its red booths, bar stools, black and white checkered floor, and plastic ketchup and mustard squirt bottles, looks old-fashioned, but it offers a unique and stylized menu.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Extreme eating: Japanese restaurant adds flair to food
FRONT ROYAL — A new Japanese restaurant in Front Royal will bring customers close to the action. Mikado Japanese Steak, Seafood House and Sushi Bar is set to open Nov. 12 in Riverton Commons Shopping Center off U.S. 340-522 north of Front Royal. The restaurant offers a unique Japanese dining experience with chefs cooking food right in front of the customers.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Buffet buddies: Restaurant boasts a bounty of food
STEPHENS CITY — Think you can't find fresh crab legs, honey baked ham, Western-style smoked brisket and sugar-free orange cake all in the same place? Think again. The Butcher Block Buffet in Stephens City has a unique menu to offer customers, and its three owners want everyone to know it.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Delivery by bug: J's Gourmet's Beetle gives lunch a little flair
FRONT ROYAL — If you're too busy to go out for lunch and want a little something different, J's Gourmet owner David Gedney has got you covered. Gedney, 42, and his wife, Stacy, 34, also own the dinner restaurant Apartment 2g, which is above J's Gourmet, and the more casual bistro, the Element, located at 206 S. Royal Ave.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Bringing Italian to the table: Current, former restaurateurs join forces in catering effort
BERRYVILLE — Jose and Julio Ramirez named their restaurant Focaccia Italian Grill after a type of Italian bread. Now they hope to make a little more bread — money, that is — by catering events with their Italian cuisine.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Stone survival: Northern Virginia man plans restoration of inn
WOODSTOCK — It's taken a generation for Tony Cipollina to find a way to restore a landmark rock inn to its former glory. Now, the Bronx native hopes to renovate the roughly 100-year-old two-story structure, that used to be an eatery called Dorothy's Inn, and open a restaurant there. He has yet to settle on the cuisine.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Lucky Star: Fresh food, relaxing atmosphere hallmarks of eatery
FRONT ROYAL — The owners of one new restaurant in the downtown area hope to be a breath of fresh air in the community with their healthful dishes and relaxing atmosphere. Shawn Patterson and Trevor Lipton, owners of the Lucky Star Lounge, on Main Street, have both been in the business for years, but said they wanted to try something fresh with their venture in Front Royal.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Just ducky: New Front Royal eatery hopes to fill a niche
FRONT ROYAL — Success for The Wine and Duck will be measured by the area's ability to change its attitude. Although the menu is not too duck-heavy, the restaurant's name does not hide what makes it unique to the area. For The Wine and Duck to find a niche, people will have to shed the initial scoffing at the idea of eating Donald and Daffy.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Toss in a couple of Dills and a new deli is born
WINCHESTER - At Pickles Deli, the key to a great sandwich is a couple of Dills. Gloria Dill, Pickles' sandwich master, said she and her daughter, Jamie, are business partners and run the deli together. The two Dills "got together and came up with Pickles," Dill said.