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Keswick Hall
By Michael Hepworth
Keswick Hall in Charlottesville is a country club/resort/golf club that just happens to have a restaurant called Fossett’s that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson’s (1734-1826) personal chef Edith Fossett (1787-1845) during his retirement years at Monticello. This African American women must have been really good, because her creations are still available at the classy restaurant, and her portrait adorns the dining room looming over the proceedings. She learned the art of French cooking from Honore Julien, the Head Chef in the White House during Jefferson’s presidential years.
Reminding me a lot of an English Country House Hotel, Keswick Hall is about a 20 minute taxi ride from Charlottesville, but a must visit if you are in the area. It is a favorite spot for the celebrities that live in the area such as Sissy Spaceck, John Grisham and Howie Long, as well as visiting entertainers and luminaries to the Charlottesville area. The three sided floor to ceiling windows offer an expansive view of the Virginia landscape, including the Arnold Palmer designed championship golf course.
We started out with a Green Fried Tomato topped with spring garlic prawns, a very popular morsel in this part of the world, and no doubt a staple at the Jefferson dining table. By all accounts the president was a great fan of macaroni, so next up came a dish of macaroni & cheese topped with soft shell crabs.
What made this an interesting tasting experience was the addition of a wild leek or onion known as ramps’ giving a touch of tartness and bitterness to the meal. This is a vegetable in high demand with chefs everywhere, and with only one farm in the world growing it in West Virginia; chefs in the immediate area also have to rely on foragers who roam the local forests.
The Monticello Salad dating back to Edith Fossett is a local bibb tossed with pecan oil and fleur de sil grilled apples, pecans and Caramont chevre apple vinaigrette.
One of the main signature dishes at Keswick is the Rack of Lamb, crusted with the estates own herbs and cracked mustard boulangere potatoes and a spring spinach smoked tomato glace. An exquisite presentation by chef Craig Hartman who is adamant about using local farms and suppliers and really has no desire to move his skills to a bigger environment.
Follett’s is a classy and elegant restaurant with a multitude of interesting and unique food pairings, and the knowledge of the servers and waiters is very impressive. Next visit I will have to go for either the Pan Fried Rainbow Trout and Candied Pork Belly or the Ramp Butter Basted Chop of Polyface Farms Pork.
Virginia is the birthplace of the American wine industry thanks to Jefferson, and it is still thriving. Follett’s is a strong supporter of the wineries, that usually are restricted to between 4,000-8,000 cases a year. We tried a 2007 Petit Verdot from the Jefferson Winery, which in a way is a substitute for Pinot-Noir, which unfortunately does not grow in Virginia, and found it a perfect complement for the gamy taste of the lamb. This is a strong and powerful fruity wine with heavy tannins that is making a slight comeback amongst wine producers. Thomas Jefferson would no doubt enjoy the fact that his namesake winery is cultivating the grape in its experimental plantings.
Keswick Hall in Charlottesville is a country club/resort/golf club that just happens to have a restaurant called Fossett’s that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson’s (1734-1826) personal chef Edith Fossett (1787-1845) during his retirement years at Monticello. This African American women must have been really good, because her creations are still available at the classy restaurant, and her portrait adorns the dining room looming over the proceedings. She learned the art of French cooking from Honore Julien, the Head Chef in the White House during Jefferson’s presidential years.
Reminding me a lot of an English Country House Hotel, Keswick Hall is about a 20 minute taxi ride from Charlottesville, but a must visit if you are in the area. It is a favorite spot for the celebrities that live in the area such as Sissy Spaceck, John Grisham and Howie Long, as well as visiting entertainers and luminaries to the Charlottesville area. The three sided floor to ceiling windows offer an expansive view of the Virginia landscape, including the Arnold Palmer designed championship golf course.
We started out with a Green Fried Tomato topped with spring garlic prawns, a very popular morsel in this part of the world, and no doubt a staple at the Jefferson dining table. By all accounts the president was a great fan of macaroni, so next up came a dish of macaroni & cheese topped with soft shell crabs.
What made this an interesting tasting experience was the addition of a wild leek or onion known as ramps’ giving a touch of tartness and bitterness to the meal. This is a vegetable in high demand with chefs everywhere, and with only one farm in the world growing it in West Virginia; chefs in the immediate area also have to rely on foragers who roam the local forests.
The Monticello Salad dating back to Edith Fossett is a local bibb tossed with pecan oil and fleur de sil grilled apples, pecans and Caramont chevre apple vinaigrette.
One of the main signature dishes at Keswick is the Rack of Lamb, crusted with the estates own herbs and cracked mustard boulangere potatoes and a spring spinach smoked tomato glace. An exquisite presentation by chef Craig Hartman who is adamant about using local farms and suppliers and really has no desire to move his skills to a bigger environment.
Follett’s is a classy and elegant restaurant with a multitude of interesting and unique food pairings, and the knowledge of the servers and waiters is very impressive. Next visit I will have to go for either the Pan Fried Rainbow Trout and Candied Pork Belly or the Ramp Butter Basted Chop of Polyface Farms Pork.
Virginia is the birthplace of the American wine industry thanks to Jefferson, and it is still thriving. Follett’s is a strong supporter of the wineries, that usually are restricted to between 4,000-8,000 cases a year. We tried a 2007 Petit Verdot from the Jefferson Winery, which in a way is a substitute for Pinot-Noir, which unfortunately does not grow in Virginia, and found it a perfect complement for the gamy taste of the lamb. This is a strong and powerful fruity wine with heavy tannins that is making a slight comeback amongst wine producers. Thomas Jefferson would no doubt enjoy the fact that his namesake winery is cultivating the grape in its experimental plantings.
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The restaurant also features signature cocktails including the spectacular Lighthouse, (Mandarin Vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and blood orange).
Monticello itself is the major tourist attraction in the area, and even on a rainy midweek day it was pretty crowded with a 2 hour wait to get onto the tour of the house and grounds. There is enough to see in the main museum area however, starting out with a 20 minute film describing Jefferson’s luxurious but extremely productive lifestyle at his house.
Jefferson was an architect amongst his many other accomplishments, and designed and built the house over a 40 year period based on the drawings of famed Italian architect Andrea Palladio.The house remains one of the top 25 tourist attractions in America, and for a more comprehensive view of the nations third president this is the place to go.
701 Club Drive, Keswick, Virginia 22947
434-979-3440
www.keswick.com
Monticello itself is the major tourist attraction in the area, and even on a rainy midweek day it was pretty crowded with a 2 hour wait to get onto the tour of the house and grounds. There is enough to see in the main museum area however, starting out with a 20 minute film describing Jefferson’s luxurious but extremely productive lifestyle at his house.
Jefferson was an architect amongst his many other accomplishments, and designed and built the house over a 40 year period based on the drawings of famed Italian architect Andrea Palladio.The house remains one of the top 25 tourist attractions in America, and for a more comprehensive view of the nations third president this is the place to go.
701 Club Drive, Keswick, Virginia 22947
434-979-3440
www.keswick.com
