Ford's Fish Shack Ashburn Seafood Restaurant - Go There Now

We rarely praise a local business in effusive, sober, unsolicited terms (it's Sunday morning, after all) - but it's now time. Ford's Fish Shack restaurant and bar in Ashburn (near the Ice House) is simply amazing, spectacular and just a really well-balanced, expert delivery of everything a suburban independent themed-restaurant should be...not available in Dulles South, and sprinkled among only a few restaurants in Leesburg and Reston.

The drink menu is perfect, and just yanks you in - with only the very best beers available in our area, by far the best selection east of Fireworks Pizza (Leesburg), west of Dogfish Head Ale House (Rt. 50) and more weather-protected than the NOVA Brewfest. After a Dogfish Head 75 (very rare) and Victory Hop Wallop (just about the most perfect and local incarnation of a hoppy IPA), I wasn't able to try the local Ashburn Rhino..but next time (and it'll be real soon). Pomegranate margarita and blueberry martinis graced the other side of the table - and all was good in drinkland.

The everpresent and encyclopediac (wikipediac?) manager Wayne was constantly available with expert advice on beers, oysters, menu items, local happenings, real-time status of the specials as they ran out fast...he should simply live-blog and tweet all night ("Wayne's Lobstah World"). We had "Wayne's New England Cod", of course, loaded with lump crabmeat and basil mashed - a huge, fat piece of juicy North Atlantic fish...The Connecticut-style Lobstah Roll was absolutely perfect, with loads of real lobster and the perfect complement of slaw, sauce and a soft, not-overpowering roll.

Starting the feast with some regional oysters was a necessity for us (so long as there was some Lobstah to be had later); a couple of Providence, RI premiums and Easter Shore MD seasonals were really tasty (firm and opaque, with just enough saltiness, but not overpowering fishiness or gooiness). Just a tiny bit of lemon needed - no point in any other garnish.

Call-ahead seating was a must this rainy Saturday night - and when we got there an hour later, seating among the lobster and crab pot buoys happened within half a beer. The kid's menu looked pretty tasty, and there were some about...but it's not a real big restaurant, and larger tables would require some pre-planning. This place is truly a unique and well-represented suburban haven for classic-yet-current New England style seafood - without trying too hard. Please open another in the Chantilly area.

South Riding Festival and Vintage 51 Ushers in the Northern Virginia Brewfest Season

Celebrate South Riding is here - 15 years of community growth (25,000 residents and counting) celebrated over two days of Summer fun, Friday and Saturday June 4-5th! We've seen this event grow very quickly and professionally, and this year looks to be amazing. It's relocated, however, now to the Dulles Multipurpose Center grounds at 24950 Riding Center Drive. Here you'll find a farm-themed children's area, "Extreme Scene" rides and games for the older kids, four live bands on the main stage, and the very special "15 Year Tribute" Friday night light and laser show - capped off Saturday with the traditional South Riding fireworks finale.

Also new this year is a greatly expanded cafe' area called "Corks, Kegs and Crafters", hosted in cooperation with the Vintage 50 Restaurant Group and Vintage 51 restaurant in South Riding. Enjoy 20 different microbrews from local and regional breweries, and learn some tips from the Vintage 50 Master Chef and Brew Master. Keep the summer fun rolling over at Vintage51 in Market Square this weekend - the pet-friendly outdoor patio's open, free wireless Internet (it's our new favorite business lunch location), plasma TV's and projectors, plus of course over 14 micro/craft brews and LIVE entertainment Fridays and Saturdays (John Kaplan this Friday, 6/4).

This is a great way to kick off the Summer brewfest and craft fair season here in DC's beer country; next stop is the extremely popular Northern Virginia Summer BrewFest series, on Saturday and Sunday June 26-27 - tickets are on sale now, for seven (!) live bands, very local and interesting food options, over 70 microbrewery options to try, and even a lone, local loudoun winery to sample.

Vintage 51 South Riding - Loudoun/Dulles South's Premier Brewpub and Local Music Scene

Vintage 51 Restaurant, Brew Lounge and Live Local Music



The past 12 years here in the Rt. 50 Corridor/Dulles South exurbia area of Northern Virginia's Loudoun County have been an exercise in waiting - waiting for a real local music scene, waiting for decent restaurants, waiting for more upscale martini bars and brewpubs, waiting for the traffic, schools and economy to improve....Basically, waiting for the Dulles South region (Eastern Loudoun, Western Fairfax and Western Prince William counties) to evolve its entertainment, retail and cultural offerings in the same manner as the Dulles North area already has (i.e. Ashburn).

The wait's over, finally - at least for those in the Chantilly/South Riding area who enjoy professional and local live music, handcrafted and locally-sourced classic American meals in an "urban lounge" setting, and a spectacular selection of custom martinis, Loudoun wines and regional craft beers not seen to date this side of Rt. 15 and the Dulles Toll Road.

Vintage 51 Restaurant and Brew Lounge fully opened recently in South Riding's Market Square, at the intersection of Rt. 50 and the Loudoun County parkway. Vintage 51 is an extension of the very popular Vintage 50 Brew Lounge in Leesburg, already voted one of "Loudoun's hottest new restaurants".

Loudoun's Best Beer
While Vintage 51 in South Riding is currently unable to serve handcrafted brews created over at its own Leesburg microbrewery, it does serve an inspired selection of wines, custom martinis and cocktails, and a huge selection of great beers (in the spirit of the Northern Virginia Brewfest series) from breweries including Clipper City, Flying Dog, and Dogfish Head. We purchased our own custom "Vintage Growler" with Bell's Two-Hearted Ale for some Thanksgiving cheer...

Loudoun's Finest Wines
For the Loudoun wine lovers, the Vintage 50/51 restaurant wine bars offer over 200 wines by the glass or bottle - ranging from international to very local Loudoun winery selections including Chrysalis and Fabbioli Cellars.

Loudoun's Best Live Music
The live music scene in Loudoun County and Dulles South is dramatically improved with the addition of Vintage 51 live performers and local music events weekdays and weekends. We'll provide a lot more information on this Dulles South/Loudoun music scene shortly - last night at Vintage 51, for example, we thoroughly enjoyed the smooth, reggae-infused, heavily-improvised acoustic rock classics by Purcellville's own Miguel Aubertin, a popular favorite and regular around the Loudoun vineyard and Vintage 50 music venues. Sample his music at http://www.myspace.com/miguelandros09.

Loudoun's Hottest New Restaurant
The Vintage 50 and Vintage 51 menus are a savory collection of locally-raised beef, lamb, pork and wild fowl dinners, fresh seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and cheeses, creative seafood appetizers, and classically modern, innovative New American comfort food. The "Made in Loudoun" initiative is clearly in play here - from the delicious lunch sandwiches with local ingredients and handmade sauerkraut, to organic meat entrees made with local ingredients from Loudoun's own organic farm at the Fields of Athenry.

Check out the new Loudoun and Dulles South restaurant, brew lounge and live music scene now on a regular basis - in South Riding.