Holiday Cheer Bubbles Up With Sparkling Wine Tasting at JWH

Join Joshua Wilton House in a tasting of 10 sparkling wines from around the world, including a blind tasting of a premier Champagne. This will be a fun, casual event to get in the holiday frame of mind. Learn about sparking wine production, taste some fun bubbly and enjoy the company of other sparkling wine fans. There will be some lighter fare offered along with the sparkling wines.

Sunday, December 6, 2009
2 to 4 pm
$40 per person, all-inclusive
Reservations required

Restaurants Form Downtown Dining Alliance; 5 New Dining Establishments to Open

HARRISONBURG —Taste of Downtown, the biannual restaurant showcase, is here again.  From August 18th through the 20th, downtown restaurants will create and offer multi-course meals that show off their culinary creativity; from Ethiopian spreads to Greek samplers to all-American cuisine.  These menus offer a wide choice of budget-friendly dining options in every setting from fine dining to burger-bar.

“Originally we had nine participating restaurants, and in one year, the event has grown to twelve restaurants” says promotions manager, Alexis Morehouse.  “With four new restaurants ready to open in the coming months, we expect to see Taste of Downtown become a significant regional event over the next few years”.

Encouraged by the success of Taste of Downtown, restaurant owners of downtown Harrisonburg united to form the Downtown Dining Alliance.  This group, led by Dave Miller of Dave’s Downtown Taverna, Jeremiah Jenkins of Clementine and Sean Pugh of the Joshua Wilton House, plans to address common concerns and work together on advertising initiatives to support the dining industry within the historic downtown district.  “We are encouraged that the restaurant owners work collaboratively to promote downtown as a dining destination” stated Eddie Bumbaugh, executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, “This effort goes beyond common competitive thinking, and allows independent restaurant owners to benefit by working together”.

Menus and event details for Taste of Downtown can be found at www.downtownharrsionburg.org.

Taste of Downtown is here again. From August 18 through 20, downtown restaurants will offer multi-course meals that show off their culinary creativity, from Ethiopian spreads to Greek samplers to all-American cuisine. These menus offer a wide choice of budget-friendly dining options in every setting from fine dining to burger-bar.

“Originally we had nine participating restaurants, and in one year, the event has grown to twelve restaurants” says promotions manager Alexis Morehouse.  “With five new restaurants ready to open in the coming months [Beyond, Pennybacker's, Union Station, Local Grill and Chop House and Carribean restaurant Arepera Las Chamas] we expect to see Taste of Downtown become a significant regional event over the next few years.”

Taste of Downtown Returns August 18-20

See why downtown has earned the nickname “Restaurant Row.” Come one day (or all three!) for amazing meals at wallet-friendly prices. View the menu and prices below.

Downtown’s All A-Twitter

Here’s a running list of downtown-related businesses and organizations now using Twitter:

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance: DowntownHburg
HDR’s Twitter feed is the best way to stay informed or get reminders of events. Miss the antique milk truck exhibit? Got to Court Square Friday only to find out Fridays on the Square was moved to the Turner Pavilion? You wouldn’t have if you were following us on Twitter.

Arts Council of the Valley: HarrisonburgArt
Keep up-to-date on arts related news and events downtown, including gallery exhibits, movies and live concerts, and First Fridays.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: BBBSHR
The Harrisonburg branch of this non-profit located near on High Street is a great source for family-friendly events both downtown and beyond. Also interesting RTs on articles related to child development.

Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine: The_Blue_Nile
All locals in-the-know have Blue Nile near the top of the list of nighttime haunts, or at least they should. Unfortunately, their Twitter feed hasn’t had an update for months, but used more regularly, this would be a great place for finding info on upcoming shows.

Blue Ridge Design Studio: blueridgedesign
Randall Seitz, co-owner of this downtown architect firm, has a Twitter page that is a bit difficult to describe…much like Twitter itself. Find photos, interesting articles (some even related to architecture!) and a few random musings in the mix.

By the Side of the Road B&B: HburgVaBandB
By the Side of the Road is one of Harrisonburg’s three B&Bs, all located near downtown. Owner Janice Fitzgerald keeps her page fed with room specials tied to local events, but also tweets about the day to day trials and joys of owning a bed and breakfast.

Chaz Evans-Haywood: ClerkChaz
Follow the Rockingham County Clerk of Court as he tweets from his office in the Court House. It’s actually more interesting than it sounds; Chaz lives a busy life, from traveling to Peru to volunteer in an orphanage to kissing a cow in the name of cancer research.

Daily News-Record: DNRonline
Kudos for the local paper for joining Twitter! Though so far the DNR is only re-tweeting content from its web page, breaking news is also posted here, so there’s a possibility you may see breaking headlines first on Twitter before you check DNRonline.com.

DIGICO: ShootPostDesign
The owners of this video production company tweet about cool projects they are working on, downtown sights from their vantage point on E. Market Street, and construction updates on their future site on Water Street, next door to the Free Clinic.

The Gaines Group: G2Architecture
Architecture and design firm The Gaines Group “gets” Twitter in a way that 98% of other Twitter-ers don’t. RTs of downtown news, words of wisdom, articles on green building (the company’s specialty), and the occasional tweet on Twitter’s most fundamental question, “what are you doing?” are all there for you to follow.

hburgnews: hburgnews
The micro-blog of hburgnews, the forum for news and all things Harrisonburg, often features downtown happenings, observations, and recaps of business from the city municipal building (which is of course located downtown).

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint: JackBrownsJoint
Downtown’s newest restaurant stays jam packed almost all the time, thanks to its intimate size, reasonable prices and good food. Its tweets are much like their burgers: meaty and to the point.

Joshua Wilton House: WiltonHouse
Chef Mark Newsome’s decision to tweet from the Wilton House kitchen is what inspired this blog post. Anyone who has ever wanted to get into the mind of a chef in an upscale restaurant, or anyone who loves gourmet food from fresh ingredients, should definitely become a follower.

Kai Degner: KaiDegner
Harrisonburg’s young major is undoubtedly the most plugged-in of all time. He ran on a pro-downtown platform, and his tweets show it.

Kline’s Dairy Bar: Klines_DairyBar
Never miss another weekly flavor forecast from Kline’s! Need we say more? I think not.

Rosetta Stone: rosettastone
Rosetta Stone is practically a household name in the US, so it follows that they get way more action on their Twitter page than anyone else on this list. The company stationed in downtown Harrisonburg uses their account to respond to fans and product users from around the nation (turns out #jason_mraz is using their software to learn Spanish).

Sancar Flats/Liskey Building: SJDonuts
SJDonuts is the business name of the developer working to restore the Sancar building on West Rock and the Liskey building on South Main (the red building that houses the Harrisonburg Beauty School). It’s a personal Twitter account, but one that includes construction pictures from inside the buildings and peaks of the completed rental units.

Travel Counsellors: TCItravel
Yes, that is an acceptable spelling variant of “counselors.” I think it’s British. The TCI folks (in a new location on West Market Street) are so well travelled, it makes sense they would bring some European flair to the party. Their Twitter updates include their latest special package deals and rates, travel advice, and general greetings to their followers.

WHSV-TV3: WHSVnews
Much easier to follow than TV-3’s web page, a tweet from an hour ago from the station located off Court Square involved the increasing popularity of farmers markets. We like that.

The Yellow Button: TheYellowButton
What happens when we say the following: Shoes! Designer Handbags! Sales! Did your heart just skip a beat? Do the words “Lucky” and “Free People” conjure up images of fabulous fabrics and stylish clothes rather than leprechauns and the Revolutionary War? If so, get thee to The Yellow Button, re-tweeting entries from their blog on a regular basis.

Bison in the ‘Burg (and They’re Darn Good Eatin’)

Here are this weekend’s food updates from Chef Mark:

**While it lasts, we have local bison

**Wild Rockfish and Softshell Crabs

**locally grown asparagus, peas, spinach, strawberries, lettuces and bamboo onions are being used in the preparations of the menu items*

 

Just got this weekend’s food updates from Chef Mark Newsome at Joshua Wilton House:

“While it lasts, we have local bison

Wild Rockfish and Softshell Crabs

Locally grown asparagus, peas, spinach, strawberries, lettuces and bamboo onions are being used in the preparations of the menu items”

Downtown Dominates DNR “Best of the Valley” Awards

Once again, Daily News-Record readers have shown their overwhelming support of downtown Harrisonburg shops, restaurants and other businesses with their votes in the annual “Best of the Valley” survey. Running away with the most honors is Clementine with EIGHT awards, including best renovation and best place to be seen. Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market made its first appearance on the list as the best place to take visitors, likely aided by its new location under the Turner pavilion constructed since the last poll.

Some favorites, like the Little Grill Collective, James McHone Jewelry, and Jess’ Quick Lunch, retained their titles as best vegetarian/breakfast, jeweler, and cheap eats, respectively, while the Artful Dodger showed its expanding versatility by winning the best dancing and best karaoke titles. Downtown services also got a shout out on this year’s list, with the Studio winning best salon and the Beauty Spa taking best day spa. Congratulations to other downtown businesses listed below – 16 in total!

Similar to last year, downtown as a whole won both accolades and criticism, with voters choosing downtown revitalization as the best use of taxpayer money and listing downtown among their favorite part of Harrisonburg, while displaying a lack of fondness for our new blue and yellow wayfinding signs as their least favorite part about the ‘burg.

DNR’s “Best of the Valley” Winners: Downtown Highlights

Cheap Eats
Jess’ Quick Lunch

Vegetarian
The Little Grill Collective

French fries
Dave’s

Late-night eats
Dave’s

Coffee
Shank’s

Drink specials
Clementine Café

Best atmosphere
Clementine Café

Place to take your family
Clementine Café

Place to be seen
Clementine Café

Place to sit and read
Earth and Tea Café

Outdoor dining
Dave’s

Place to blow your diet
Kline’s Dairy Bar

Place to take a date
Clementine Café

Downtown restaurant
Clementine Café

Best appetizers
Clementine Café

Best breakfast
The Little Grill Collective

Salon
The Studio

Day Spa
The Beauty Spa

Wine shop
Downtown Wine & Gourmet

Jeweler
James McHone

Best dancing
Artful Dodger

Best entertainment value
Court Square Theater

Best cheap date
Kline’s Dairy Bar

Karaoke
Artful Dodger

Museum
Harrisonburg Children’s Museum

Best place to take visitors
Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market

Best renovation
Clementine Café

Best use of taxpayer money
Downtown revitalization

Best way to spend a Saturday morning
Farmer’s market (Dayton, Shenandoah and Harrisonburg)

Best place to propose
Joshua Wilton House

Blue Mountain Beer Dinner at Joshua Wilton House

Joshua Wilton House is hosting a beer-maker dinner featuring Blue Mountain Brewery. Join them on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30pm for a six-course treat. Special guests will be Taylor and Mandi Smack, owners of the brewery in Afton, Virginia. Taylor is also the brewery’s beer maker and will be bringing some of his most recent brews that are generally only available at the brewery.

The dinner is $75 all-inclusive, and a vegetarian menu is even available with advance notice. For more information, visit: www.joshuawilton.com.

“Taste of Downtown” Offers Major Discounts to Favorite Restaurants

THE week to eat out is next Tuesday through Thursday, August 12-14.  The first-ever “Taste of Downtown”  showcases Harrisonburg’s favorite restaurants with reduced prices on prix fixe dinners.  Complete menus are available at downtownharrisonburg.org.

All these great dinners are offered only in the evening and no reservations are required (unless otherwise noted). Please note that taxes and tips are not included.

The Artful Dodger
Choose one of three summer special entrées, dessert and signature cocktail. ($15)

Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine
Entrée, dessert, and one alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage. ($15)

Cally’s Restaurant and Brewing Co.
Sampler meal of appetizer, entrée items, desserts, and microbrews. ($25)

Clementine
“Chef select” appetizer, entrée, and glass of wine. ($20)

Dave’s Downtown Taverna
Salad, Greek sampler entrée, and dessert. ($14.75)

Downtown 56
Appetizer, entrée, and dessert. (Vegetarian option $27.56, regular menu $42.56)

Finnigan’s Cove
Seafood appetizer and entrée with dessert. ($19.99)

Joshua Wilton House
3-course meal featuring locally-grown produce and glass of wine. (reservations requested; $35)

Mrs. Hardesty’s Tea Room
(3:00 to 5:00pm only)
Afternoon Tea. ($10)

For more information, contact Alexis at 540.432.8922, or alexism@harrisonburgva.gov

Eightyone Readers Heap Praise on Downtown Restaurants (March 2008)

Dear Eddie: Why are downtown Harrisonburg restaurants so popular?

EB: The simple answer is because local people and tourists like what the downtown restaurants have to offer. Our restaurants have unique menus, interesting architecture, great service, local ownership and outstanding food. Eightyone magazine readers rated The Joshua Wilton House – the Best Fine Dining, Downtown 56 – tied for Best Rookie, The Little Grill Collective – the Best Breakfast, Cally’s Restaurant & Brewing Co. – the Best Bar, Earth & Tea Cafe – the Best Cozy Cafe, The Artful Dodger – the Best Coffee Shop, Dave’s Downtown Taverna – the Best French Fries, Jess’ Lunch – the Best Hot Dog, L&S Diner – the Best Diner, Shank’s Bakery – the Best Bakery, and Downtown Wine & Gourmet – the Best Wine Shop. Several restaurants received multiple awards (not mentioned here). The competition included the remainder of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Augusta County, Waynesboro and Staunton. Congratulations to the winners!