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A beautiful blog post by tango449eats
“You know you are in for a treat when dining in a beautifully restored Victorian home. We arrived a early and waited for our table in the comfortable bar. The dining rooms are elegant and spacious. …”
Joshua Wilton House Celebrates 130th Anniversary
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — The Joshua Wilton House is a well-known landmark for people who live in Harrisonburg and for many of those who visit. This year, the home is celebrating a 130-year anniversary.” —Read the full article here.
"Say Cheese" - Daily News Record
On the heels of founder Joshua Wilton’s 175th birthday on Sunday, along with recent renovations and an accolade from the Wine Spectator, the Joshua Wilton House will host its first wine and cheese tasting on Friday.
“It’s something that we are really excited about. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be an educational experience for our guests,” Daulton said. “We want to be looked at as a trustworthy source for wines so that we can make recommendations and push people a little bit outside of their box of what they drink every day and expand their knowledge of wine.”- Bill Daulton, General Manager
read the full article here
Good food, wines, art, and even a ghost in the Shenandoah Valley-Washington Times
"We dined at the Victorian Joshua Wilton House, which doubles as an inn, beginning with a glass of wine in the small bar. Dinner started with a gift from the chef — a tiny arancini, a deep-fried rice ball so light it literally melts in your mouth. Lump crab beignets, with spicy carrot slaw and a touch of lemon chervil aioli, could not have been better. Main courses of scallops, duck breast, filet mignon, and mushroom risotto are prepared with care and served with interesting side items. The kitchen is equal to anything in Washington."- August 2018
read the full article here.
Joshua Wilton House | Harrisonburg, Virginia
"One of the things I love about the Shenandoah Valley is all of the beautifully restored bed & breakfasts, inns and manor homes that flourish amid the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, even though I spent my teen years in Harrisonburg, I had never actually been in the Joshua Wilton House until Isabelle's and Collin's wedding..."
Facebook: Kara Leigh Creative
15 Best Things to Do in Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg, VA is known for its old districts, and the Joshua Wilton House aspires to remain the center of travel among the old buildings in the downtown area. The inn features fine dining and comfortable stays for anyone to enjoy. Only fresh, local food is served at this restaurant and inn, where top-rated chefs prepare every meal. The Joshua Wilton House offers catering, reservation dining, reservation stays at the inn, reservations for parties, graduations, weddings, and other private events. As the seasons change, so does the menu, so going more than once is highly recommended.
read the full article here
Best Of The Valley: Joshua Wilton Chef Takes Home Title
Shelby Mertens / DN-R May 26, 2018
Tom French, the executive chef of the Joshua Wilton House, is the Best of the Valley’s first ever Best Chef winner...
Bella Notte
by Sarah Leonhardt SEPTEMBER 5, 2017
Date night specials for a special evening out.
Harrisonburg: the Joshua Wilton House
“Date Night Tuesdays” at the Joshua Wilton House on their “Date Night Tuesdays.” features a three-course menu of chef selections, which changes seasonally and weekly to incorporate local ingredients fresh from the Shenandoah Valley. Past selections have included moules marinière with shallots, garlic, white wine, butter and herbs, as well as a Duxelles stuffed quail served with bacon beluga lentils, English peas and a foie gras compound butter. Manager Bill Daulton shares that date night “is a kind of branching out to get first timers to come out and try our restaurant. This is kind of our invitation to say, come in and see what we’re about, and try our food.” $35 per person. JoshuaWilton.com
10 Restaurants That Serve Virginia’s Fall Flavors
by Patricia Keppel | Posted: Oct 12, 2017 |
Located in downtown Harrisonburg in an historic Victorian inn, Joshua Wilton House Restaurant changes their menu daily according to the seasonal fare provided by local purveyors. They offer weekly specials like a Date Night Tuesday ($35 per person for two courses and a shared dessert) and Wilton Wednesday (any appetizer with a beverage option for $14), allowing you to sample some of the finest dining in the city without breaking your bank.
JOSHUA WILTON HOUSE RESTAURANT — HARRISONBURG
—Fall Sample Menu Items Include—
Braised pork belly with carrot orange puree, caramel apple, and turner ham prosciutto
Polyface Farms chicken chowder with corn, potatoes, chives, and bacon
Venison with vanilla parsnip puree, braised cabbage, and blueberry gastrique
Duck breast with sweet potato, bacon, kale, peanuts, brandy green peppercorn cream
Filet mignon with potato gratin, asparagus, and red wine jus
The Daily News Record July 22, 2017-
New Joshua Wilton House Head Chef's Experience Includes Cooking for the Queen of England
"Tom French, 31, was born in Essex, England. He became interested in the culinary world after chefs from a culinary school visited his high school. He received his culinary training from the Colchester Institute. French also worked at his father's restaurant, The Kingfisher Cafe.
Around a decade ago, French interned at Buckingham Palace, cooking for the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, the royal family, and their guests for two weeks. 'It was pretty amazing,' French said. 'The first day we did canapes for the Olympic reception that was being held in London.' After working at Buckingham Palace, French was moved to Windsor Castle, where the queen was spending Easter. 'We were doing like 600 to 800 staff meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then 15 royal meals, so that would be like breakfast, lunch, light tea and dinner, as well as for her and her guests and family.'
French crossed the pond to work at the Joshua Wilton House in 2009, where he has served as a sous chef for the last eight years. After his promotion, starting in February, French has been working on switching up the menu and experimenting with different cooking techniques.
'I changed the whole menu within a few weeks of taking over,' he said. 'He's great about using Valley-sourced local products in the French style,' co-owner Jeff Hill said. 'We're excited about the growth at the helm in the kitchen, Tom's a tremendous talent. He's rare in a sense that most of the time with executive chefs, you'll get people who are very extroverted, very outspoken and a lot of times their talent is not near as good as how they brag. Tom's rare in that he has much more talent than he says.'
Along with the release of new menus to change with the seasons, French also plans to create a new chef's tasting menu starting in the fall. French is looking forward to bringing new ideas to the Valley's culinary scene."
"100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America, According to Open Table" - Town & Country Magazine
February 1, 2017
read the full list/article here
The Culture Trip: 4 December 2016
Varia Fedko-Blake
10 Best Local Eats In Harrisonburg, Virginia
Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Harrisonburg is a wonderful city with an abundance of memorable places to eat in. From establishments serving five-star cuisine to hip foodie joints, if you love a good culinary adventure, Harrisonburg will not disappoint. Here are the top places to eat in the area.
Joshua Wilton House
Located in an elegant Late Victorian house built in 1890, the grand Joshua Wilton Houserestaurant can be found right in the historic old town of downtown Harrisonburg, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For those wishing to experience the refined tastes of Virginia, the creative menu will surely deliver.
Joshua Wilton House, 412 S Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA, USA, +1 540 434 4464
Homemade In Harrisonburg
Rooted In Local Flavor And Growing With Homespun Flair, This City In The Shenandoah Valley Is Flowing With Delightful Eats, Drinks And Enjoyment
BY ANGELA BLUE - November 2016
Early on a cool Saturday morning, the Harrisonburg Farmers Market is bustling. Local farmers happily peddle fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, asparagus and black walnuts as patrons browse homemade soaps, baked goods, honey and an array of plants ready for home gardeners to stick in the ground. Although the local vibe is rooted in events such as these, Harrisonburg’s homemade and homegrown movement has flourished to nearly every facet of this colorful and cordial college town in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
At a nearby stand, Brian Bogan, executive chef for the Joshua Wilton House, is preparing crostinis with asparagus, arugula and watercress pesto, topped with goat cheese and grated, cured egg yolk. He demonstrates to a group of fascinated onlookers how to prepare the dish, then offers samples and a recipe at the end.
The Joshua Wilton House has been a staple in Harrisonburg for many years (it was the first house in Harrisonburg to have electricity, if that’s any indication). A classically-restored Victorian home-turned restaurant and inn, it’s a favorite place for visitors and locals alike. Their fabulous restaurant offers a seasonally-focused menu, with approximately 90 percent of their ingredients sourced in the Shenandoah Valley. The feel here is Southern with a French influence, which can be seen (and tasted) in menu items like their all-natural duck breast served over hickory-roasted delicata squash and red onion with French lentils and concord grape gastrique.
The theme can also be found in their heavenly pastries from extraordinary Pastry Chef Elizabeth Stover, who refers to her baked goods as “edible love.” When you try one of her pastries, you’ll wholeheartedly agree. Stover shares the Joshua Wilton House vision of supporting local farms to offer the best ingredients, noting that it’s always important to be a good steward of the products that you serve.
“Food is so much about community, and I think that is why what is happening here in the Valley is so incredibly special because it’s so community-based—the love of it, the production of it, the promotion of it,” she says. “There’s such a beautiful relationship between food and agriculture and the preservation of both of those.”
The Washington Post April 2016 -
3 road trips from D.C. that promise great food and a good night’s sleep
"Be thankful you don’t handle the books for this Victorian mansion-turned-B&B. “We work with over 60 local farmers,” says general manager Brad Reese. “It makes bookkeeping a nightmare, but it’s worth it.” The diverse, near-obsessive sourcing means only top-notch meat and produce hits your plate, including pork from Autumn Olive Farms and organic poultry from Polyface Farms. Run by chef Brian Bogan, the kitchen serves Southern classics with a French twist, such as duck breast served with lentils, country ham and a duck confit bon bon.
Upstairs, you’ll find five inn rooms decorated with country chic details like floral wallpaper and carved wooden bed frames. Each has views of Harrisonburg, Va. — the city at the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and the home to James Madison University. Explore around the historic campus and you’ll find independently owned boutiques, cafes and breweries. More outdoorsy types can head to a handful of hiking trails (or the Appalachian Trail 18 miles away, if you’re feeling adventurous), ski slopes at the nearby Massanutten Resort or tours of local farms, where you might recognize some ingredients from Joshua Wilton’s menu."
Flights & Bites at Brothers Craft Brewing April 2016 -
“Why wouldn’t you come to this?” one of my dining companions asked partially through our Flights and Bites meal at Brothers Craft Brewing on April 20th. It’s true. For $40 and two hours on a Wednesday night, we enjoyed six courses of beautifully crafted food carefully paired with beers from Brothers Craft Brewing. Chef Brian Bogan of the Joshua Wilton House and Chef Jakob Napotnik of the Local Chop and Grill House teamed up to create a menu that highlighted both local ingredients and local beer. Adam Shifflett, managing partner at Brothers and both chefs introduced each food and beer course while we lucky ones shared tables with strangers who quickly became friends.
An incredible event by three true craftsmen of food and beer. If you ever find the opportunity to attend a pairing dinner by any of the chefs or breweries who call Downtown Harrisonburg home, you must go."