April Field Trip Friday • B.O.F.T. & Jalisco

Welcome to our new blog series, Field Trip Friday!

This series is something new and different to the blog that I hope you will enjoy.

In a recent survey, some of our subscribers mentioned that they wanted to know about the area we live in. Since we are so close to so many tourist attractions, I decided to create a blog series to highlight some of the really cool places that we visit.

David and I live overlooking the town of Front Royal, Virginia. Front Royal is located in Warren County just 70 miles west of Washington, D.C., at the northern end of the Skyline Drive and near the junction of I-66 and I-81. We love where we live and are blessed to live in an area with so many great restaurants, wineries and craft breweries. There are so many great places to choose from that we have a hard time making up our mind sometimes.

To celebrate where we live and the wonderful food and spirits, we have started what we like to call “Field Trip Fridays”. On Friday after work, we will check out local wineries, breweries, and restaurants and I’ll write a blog post each month to tell you about our adventures. Some of you may call it “Date Night”, but that’s a little too romantic for our style.

Before I begin with today’s great places, I just want to say that I’m not being compensated in any way for this post. Field Trip Friday posts are based on a good-faith, honest opinion of some of the places David and I visit.

Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse (B.O.F.T.)

One Friday afternoon on our hour commute home from the city, I looked over at David napping in the passenger seat. We were screaming down 66 west heading back to the mountain after a long week. We get off a little early on Friday’s so it wasn’t time to go eat supper quite yet. I knew we were coming up on Delaplane. Barrel Oak Winery opened up a brewery that we had not been to yet. Just on a whelm, I exited onto 17 north.

The sudden maneuver woke David up from his nap. He looked up the road in front of us:

“What are we doing?” he asked.

“I’ve kidnapped you,” I said. “We are going to go to Barrel Oak to try their beers!”

“Ok!” David said as he sat the seat back up.

As locals, David and I refer to Barrel Oak Winery as “The Zoo”. This is primarily because on the weekends this place is crawling with people from the city. Barrel Oak is also a very dog-friendly, which is great for folks with dogs. This was all of Barrel Oak’s vision. They have successfully created “a place of community” up on top of that hill. A place that a lot of people really enjoy.

For David and I, it is a little too much, as we prefer a more quaint environment with fewer people. However, Friday afternoons are a great time to visit. Especially when the weather isn’t great.

I picked a golden opportunity to go for a visit. There was melting snow on the ground and it was really cold outside. Although a glass of red wine would have been a nice choice for the weather, we were there for the beer.

Barrel Oak Winery is located on Grove Lane, between Marshall and Delaplane, Virginia. The face of the building has an old-world look with large patios and pavilions that overlook the historic John Marshall property. The facility has expansive views of the surrounding foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inside, a majestic hearth made from native stone with high-ceilings inside the wine tasting room. There is also extra space for meetings, weddings, education, and catered dinners.

Located just off of the hearth area is Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse (B.O.F.T.). This is a 7 barrel brewery and taproom serving fresh, local beer and pretzels with a really cool rustic wooden bar. There are also lots of high top tables to sit to enjoy your beer flight.

The flights come in really cool staves with drilled holes in them to hold the flight glasses. We each had 4 of the 8 beers on tap. Our flight was similar but we each had a couple of different ones that we shared so we could try them all. EXCEPT the IPA’s. David and I are not fans of IPA, but they had them on tap for those who like them.

Our BOFT Flight Section:

• Kolsch
• Belgian Wit
• Brown Ale
• Pale Ale
• Dubbel
• Tripel
• Extra Stout

All in all, I have to say that we liked what we tasted. David’s favorite was the Dubbel, while I particularly like the Kolsch. We were delighted with this beer tasting experience.

We will definitely go back. On a weekday, of course!!!

If you are in the area or planning a trip and would like more information, visit: https://www.barreloak.com/

Jalisco Mexican Restaurant

From BOFT, we left hungry and decided to go to our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Jalisco.

Jalisco Mexican Restaurant is an authentic family-owned restaurant that has been in business since 1996. For twenty-three years this really family-run enterprise has been feeding patrons authentic Mexican dishes.

David and I first stumbled across Jalisco on one of our weekend escapes from Virginia Beach. We never forgot the place and would always return. Little did we know that we would one day be living near this delicious hidden gem, in Front Royal.

There are many Mexican restaurants in the Town of Front Royal. Some are well located, but none of the great food and ambiance that Jalisco does. The food is the best tasting, with flavor and perfect portion sizes and best value for your money.

Each patron is seated promptly and served with complimentary chips, salsa, and a rather unique coleslaw. This is the place where I fell in love with slaw. Go figure!

This is definitely a great place to get a filling meal in Front Royal after hiking the trails in Shenandoah National Park.

If you are ever in Front Royal and love Mexican food, you have to go to Jalisco. You will not be sorry!

For more information, visit:
https://jaliscomexicanrestaurant-mexicanrestaurant.negocio.site/

So, there you have it. My first Field Trip Friday post! Did you enjoy hearing about the two places we visited? Do you want to hear about more places? Comment below or Subscribe to our email list, to stay informed!

Disclaimer: In no way was The Mountain Kitchen, LLC compensated in any way for promotion of these establishments. Field Trip Friday posts are written on good faith, honest opinions. Our opinions are based on our own personal opinion at the time of service.