America Eats Tavern is kicking off their inaugural Virginia Festival today, Wednesday, June 17th through Tuesday, June 30th.  This delightful event  delivers a special menu celebrating the best ingredients, wines and spirits that the state of Virginia has to offer. From Virginia peanuts of the land to Virginia oysters of the sea.

Growing up in Virginia for most of my life, I never even began to imagine all of the culinary wonders that this state actually had to offer, and America Eats Tavern offers it all in one menu experience for only $65 per person.

When I have a yearning for oysters, I tend to go for oysters harvested from the New England area. l I never knew the freshness of the oysters right in our backyard.  Raw or fried – The Virginia Festival has it, and it’s delicious. Two things comes to mind when you think of Virginia foods: peanuts and ham.  America Tavern has a Virginia Peanut Soup that they garnish with celery and blackberries. I never knew that peanuts could be turned into a soup, so it was quite the experience for me. It tasted like soupy peanut butter with a nice hint of sweetness from the added blackberries.

All of their dishes including the vegetable sides contained so many wonderful earthy flavors that you could taste what is meant by “farm to  table.” Although, I will have to guiltily admit that my favorite dish was the Virginia ham served on mini biscuits with pepper jelly. I believe that I destroyed at least 5 before calling it quits.

So if you’re looking for something to do this summer, and are looking to stay local, check out America Eats Tavern’s Virginia Festival and explore the great things that Virginia has to offer!

-ADT