As a dedicated local foodie, special occasions always prompt me to find the best of the best for a splurge I won’t soon forget.
So when I was on the hunt for my 6th anniversary dinner in advance of my stay in Fredericksburg, I was visiting every local restaurant website, reading everything on it, asking around, and then utilized all that to go with my gut about what I thought would be a wonderful night of wining and dining.
Fortunately I’ve gotten pretty good at this and when I found Kybecca Craft Bar and Restaurant, I knew it had the earmarks of a perfect choice.
One of the big motivators for me was that the chef, Wade Truong, was profiled on the website (always a good move in this marketer’s eyes). This put the human touch on things. I learned what he valued — local, seasonal, organic foods — and learned something even edgier about him:
My passion for food is only paralleled by my obsession with hunting and fishing. I believe that there is no better way to understand and respect food that to go out and harvest it yourself.
That really told me something about his character, motivations, lifestyle and most importantly, his relationship to the world of plants and animals. Coupling all this with the fact that Truong puts a global spin on American dishes (I love the whole Southern-inspired comfort foods thing, but it’s becoming the only thing out there), my excitement grew and grew about our anniversary reservations at Kybecca.
Dinner
So, okay, the reservations were booked at my granny hour (I like to eat at 5:30, go figure), which, as it turned out, was actually their happy hour, too, so — woo hoo, we got a huge break on drink prices ($5 beer and wine). Not a bad win-win.
The down side of our arrival was that we had been tooling around the Virginia countryside all afternoon, including a jaunt into Louisa County (see my review of Floozie’s Pie Shop in Louisa), and by the time we got to dinner we were starvingo! This lead to the unusual move (for us) of ordering a raft of appetizers before the main shebang.
Hubby was hot for some French Fries, Patek Philippe replica and I couldn’t pass up a Pork Belly if my life depended upon it. So, there we were, first round of drinks ordered (I had an excellent Rosé, hubby a beer from their extensive list), and a table full of grub (these apps were large!) and we dove into it all like a couple of lost desert dwellers relishing a long-sought oasis.
And it all tasted fabulous!
Nonetheless, I still felt inclined to order the serrano ham, sage brown butter, red wine pickled pears, arugula, and mustard vinaigrette. This was perfection on a plate but I sadly couldn’t finish it. Sadder still, I put it in the mini fridge at Braehead Manor where we stayed and then forgot it (sorry Karen, I hope you’ve found it by now). Man, I wanted that thing as leftovers — what a loss!
Hubby had the special that night, a Seafood Paella $26 I think), which was very uniquely conceived, presented, and spiced. It retained traditional elements, but clearly had the chef’s own mark.
Hubby was sold on the dish by the loving and detailed description provided by our excellent waiter (who, I might add, hadn’t been working there very long but could describe each dish we asked about in great detail. And he totes looks like Ryan Gosling!). We were given attentive but unintrusive service which is the perfect combo for me.
Our food was beautifully prepared, tasty beyond our wildest imaginations, amply proportioned, and served with aplomb.
The only problem with it all is that we got stuffed and couldn’t finish it and didn’t have room for dessert. No dessert on an anniversary night? Total bummer!
Total cost was, I believe, roughly $85 with tip.*
The setting
The Kybecca interior offers a very lively place to have a meal or drinks in a warm setting that has modern, urban flair. There are a variety of seating options — cozy booths, high bar tables, a lounge, two bar areas, and private party settings.
In our case, I had requested a romantic spot in my reservations and we were most happily put at a fabulous corner booth by a window — out of the way of foot traffic and with a great view on the modern, open space, brick walls, and unique lighting.
Without a doubt I’d go back here in a heartbeat only this time eat all my entree and get some dessert!
— Lindsay Curren, Girl Goes Virginia
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