Season’s Bounty
Up On The Roof Vivify Upgrade...Sky Bar revamp
the three a’s
By Clint Manning
The City of Fredericksburg's first rooftop restaurant and bar, Vivify Burger & Lounge, (above) is planning upgrades to ensure the elements no longer determine whether their upper level remains open. Aby Bethem - co-owner of the downtown establishment with her husband, Blake - will install a new roof structure over a section of Vivify's roof deck. Bethem said that currently, the slightest drizzle forces them to close the rooftop as they are unable to properly cover the point-of-sale computers and devices at the bar without interrupting service. Patrons need not fear losing sight of the sky, however, because the proposed structure will predominantly cover the bar area to allow service to continue in the presence of light sprinkles. In addition to providing this shelter, Bethem said the construction of the roof structure should also allow them to install heaters for use during the cooler
days of Spring and Autumn, translating into almost year-round use of the popular space at 314 William Street. The Bethems are no strangers to downtown dining establishments, as they owned and operated Bistro Bethem across the street at 309 William for many years. They sold that business last year to local chef Jacqueline Hartman, who now runs The Confident Rabbit from that location. Spring has finally arrived in downtown Fredericksburg, and people can celebrate the long-overdue occurrence at two William Street rooftop restaurants/bars.
This will be the first full season for Luigi Castiglia's rooftop venture, which is called Sky Bar (above) and can comfortably seat 150 patrons. The bar took a winter hiatus and allowed Castiglia to improve the space and find a new team in the kitchen. In this regard, following a hiatus of his own, Sky Bar's head chef, James Zitz, returned to his hometown of Fredericksburg after a stint of a few years working in the Florida Keys. Zitz says the menu will feature tapas-style options that patrons can share at their tables. So pay a visit to these two destinations and the many others available in downtown Fredericksburg.. Vivify Burger & Lounge 314 William Street Castiglia Sky Bar 324 William Street Clint Manning is the Tourism Product & Event Developer for the City of Fxbg Photos courtesy of FXBG Dept of Tourism
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June 2018
Front porch fredericksburg
By vanessa moncure
Olde Towne BUTCHER Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor
What would spring/summer be without the three A’s: artichokes , asparagus & avocados? I've been tapping into the spring/summer bounty in the farmer's market - . FRESH ARTICHOKE Prepare the thistle whole - have a pan ¼ filled with water and a lemon half simmering on the stove (lemon is needed as artichokes darken quickly when cut. If you'd rather steam, rub cut edges with the lemon). Cut about 1-1 ½ inches off the top of the artichoke, then cut off the stem end. Cut the sharp tips off the thistle, then place in the water and cover. Bring to a medium boil and cook until the stem end can be pierced easily with a knife, about 20 minutes. Remove from water and place stem-side up in a colander to drain. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. You can also stuff them with a variety of fillings after removing the fuzzy choke. Peel back the center of the leaves until you can see the fuzzy center - use a long-handled spoon to scoop it out, then whole artichoke is ready to be served. Place upright on a plate, with another for the remaining bits of leaves. Starting at the bottom, pull off a leaf and run it through your teeth to eat the tender bit at the base. Keep eating until you reach your goal - the artichoke heart - which is all edible and delicious! Make a dipping sauce - like this one, which is similar to a shrimp bang-bang sauce - or dip warm veg in melted butter. DIPPING SAUCE - one part mayonnaise to one part chili sauce, with as much Sriracha sauce as desired. FRESH ASPARAGUS Green, white and purple varieties are all grown, but green is most available in the market. Wash them, then snap or cut them at the natural edge between woody and tender. Place them in a large saute pan with water to just cover, bring to a boil and boil no longer than two minutes - may be 30 seconds for the tiny
pencil asparagus. Remove from heat, drain the water and either add butter to serve hot, or plunge them into ice water to chill them and set the green color for salads or appetizers. ASPARAGUS SALAD Place chilled asparagus salad over a bed of spring salad greens. Mix together in a bowl 1 c. quartered artichoke hearts, drained and sliced 12 oz. can of hearts of palm, 1 pound of asparagus cut on the diagonal into 2" slices and ½ c. diced sweet red peppers along with enough fresh vinaigrette salad dressing to lightly cover. Can be made a day ahead of serving. AVOCADO Salad I know everyone has a version of guacamole, but I love mine garlick-y and spicy, so try this on your chips next time. MOCK GUAC Halve two avocados, remove the seed and roughly dice them in their skin before turning the avocado into a bowl. Sprinkle with several teaspoonsful of lime juice and about ½ tsp. sea salt. Then add about ¼ c. or more to taste tomatillo salsa and one or two large grated garlic cloves. Fold this into the avocados until well mixed but still chunky. Sometimes I add spring onions or some finely chopped cilantro to the mix. SEAFOOD SALAD Chop ½lb cooked shrimp (Gulf shrimp are worth the extra price - so much more flavor than farmed) and the meat of one whole 1-pound to 1 1/2pound cooked lobster, or equivalent in cooked lobster tails. Reserve ½lb jumbo lump crabmeat and set aside. Mix together one cup mayonnaise, 1 T. dijon mustard, ¼ c. ketchup, 1 tsp. Dried tarragon or 1 T. fresh, 2 tsp. Lemon juice, dash of salt, white pepper and dried mustard, 1-2 T. capers and 2 T. finely chopped green onions along with ¼ c. minced celery and ¼ c. minced sweet red peppers. Add just enough of the mayonnaise mixture to the shrimp and lobster to coat, then gently fold in the crabmeat so the lumps will remain whole. Serve seafood salad over fresh lettuces in an avocado half, garnishing with finely minced fresh parsley or a sprig of fresh tarragon. Fold everything together right before serving . Enjoy!
Vanessa is full of wonderful recipies
WELCOME TO OUR GREAT OUTDOORS It’s Beautiful ~ Night and Day!
The Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St. Fredericksburg, VA
Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm Sun 11am - 9pm Bar open until 2am everyday
Locally Owned Irish Pub and Restaurant
Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food and Something More!! Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-6pm
Phone: 540-899-0969 soupntaco@yahoo.com
200 Hanover St. ~ 373-0738 front porch fredericksburg
June 2018
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