The Rose & Crown Restaurant, located in Preservation Park at the beautiful county seat of historic New Kent, Virginia, features casual upscale fare with a contemporary English theme. Here you may dine indoors or on the patio, and enjoy meals of the finest and freshest ingredients prepared by Executive Chef Jim Craven, formerly of the 2300 Club in Richmond. You will be greeted by Jerry Husband, who comes to New Kent from the private 2300 Club and the AAA four-diamond Berkeley Hotel in Richmond.

Though the Rose and Crown restaurant is brand new, its vintage home is quite old. The building has been renovated by the Crump family, whose ancestors have resided in the area since the 1700s. The Rose and Crown is part of the New Kent Courthouse Village, featuring the rural village lifestyle of Maidstone and Preservation Park.

Enclosed behind a wall of cobalt blue glass blocks, Salacia, Virginia's only AAA 4-Diamond Steakhouse, offers the oceanfront's most upscale dining experience.  The restaurant is named for a mythical wife of Neptune, whose statue occupies a position of honor in the park adjacent to the hotel.

Salacia's Veranda offers outside seasonal intimate seating overlooking the Boardwalk and the ocean. Menu selections include Wagyu Kobe Beef, Prime filet mignon, veal chops, lamp porterhouse, exquisitely prepared seafood, cheese courses, tableside salad and dessert preparation and an extensive award winning wine list.

Contributed by CW Burke

Have you solved the "Murder at Irish Wake" yet? Thousands of people already have, since opening on September 25th, the new Mystery Dinner Playhouse production has been a smash success. Every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, audiences have walked away stuffed, tickled (to the funny bone!) and surprised, and the shrewdest audience-detectives walked to their cars with prizes. If you haven't seen the show yet, don't worry, it runs until March 30, 2010. Surely, your calendar has a free Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evening between now and the end of March. There's no better way to fill in that empty calendar square!

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than an Irish murder mystery? Solve this Celtic comedy murder mystery while enjoying a four course dinner.

Murder At The Irish Wake
Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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Trappist Beer Dinner Review at Richmond's Can Can Brasserie

Contributed by Brian Artis

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Trappist beer dinner at Can Can Brasserie, located at 3120 W. Cary Street in Richmond, VA. The idea behind a beer dinner is to pair beer with food in the same manner you'd pair wine with food. At this particular event, a specific type of beer was used -- Trappist beer. For the Trappist beer impaired, this type of beer is brewed under the strict control of Trappist monks. Before you jump to any conclusions, these monks brew and sell their beers to support their monasteries. All profits are used to sustain their modest way of life. Trust me when I say that we should be thankful that they brew these fine beers because they are all very delicious. These days, there are only seven breweries, six in Belgium and one in the Netherlands, authorized to label their beers with the Authentic Trappist Product logo that indicates these beers comply with various rules decreed by the International Trappist Association. Of these seven, we had the opportunity to sample beer from five. That's 71.4% if you're keeping track.

All-You-Can-Eat St. Louis Style Ribs

What makes St. Louis Style Ribs so darn good?

Many experts like the taste of the St. Louis cut of ribs better than baby back ribs and other cuts, because there is more meat between the bones, and it is better marbled. In preparation, the brisket bones are removed from the bottom of the rib rack. Slow cooking over low heat is the key to culinary success with a good, smokey grill.