STRASBURG -- Saturday mornings have brought a new hustle and bustle to downtown Strasburg in recent weeks, with local residents turning the quiet Town Hall lot into a marketplace of local produce and goods.
Strawberries and bananas have more in common with chocolate and licorice than you might think. Along with a tendency to appear in shopping baskets around the globe, they share a reputation. Along with countless other foods, the four are often included in lists of snacks that double as aphrodisiacs, which are foods or drugs that excite sexual desire.
FRONT ROYAL -- A new store in Front Royal offers up everything you didn't know you needed for your kitchen -- from an apple-peeler-like device to "french" green beans to a reusable nonstick baking sheet liner called SILPAT.
WOODSTOCK -- If patronage on any given evening is a sign of success in the restaurant business, then Joe's Steakhouse is already a hit -- even before its official grand opening.
FRONT ROYAL -- They've gone hand in hand with family celebrations for generations. Whether little Isaac is turning 1, or great aunt June is turning 100; whether you're a starry-eyed bride-to-be at your wedding shower or doing the fox-trot at your 50th wedding anniversary, there's always one present.
STEPHENSON -- The scene is set for a romantic dinner for two. Red roses add a splash of color to the dining room table. Candlelight creates a warm glow in the room, and a bottle of merlot waits to be opened. There's just one thing missing: the Italian dinner.
FRONT ROYAL -- Step inside the latest addition to the cluster of shops called Main Street Passage in Front Royal and the gastronomic possibilities abound.
WINCHESTER -- So who exactly is Jian Lu? "People call me all kinds of names," he said, laughing. "Dishwasher, too." But actually, the co-operator of Mimosa Asian Fusion Restaurant in Winchester is a man with great passion for his up-and-coming Asian-American eatery, sandwiching the duties of an owner enthusiastically with the less-glamorous roles of table waiting and dishwashing.
SPERRYVILLE -- Rich, creamy, decadent chocolate cake melts in the mouth like a piece of chocolate perfection. The moist taste of a morsel of a carrot cupcake slathered with cream cheese icing is wondrous. The cream filling overflows the edges of a profiterole, while the chocolate ganache topping drips on the plate.
WINCHESTER -- Good news for chocoholics of the Northern Shenandoah Valley: Chocolate can be a part of a main course, no longer reserved for dessert. At least that's how Adam Policinski, executive chef at Le Papillon Day Resort in Winchester, sees it.
WINCHESTER -- Whether because of its heft, unique maintenance or aversion to water, cast-iron cookware can be somewhat intimidating to first time users.
Thinking about having a nonalcoholic holiday?
Whether you are hosting a group of teenagers at your house this New Year's Eve or simply prefer to ring in the new year without the ringing in your ears the next morning, there's no reason to restrict your drink table to soda. From sparkling cider to virgin daiquiris, a number of choices are available for celebrants young and old.
Visiting various stores around the area, shoppers are sure to notice the practice of making peppermint bark at the holidays has become very popular. They can find the chocolaty candy in almost any direction they turn.
Certain smells and tastes seem to be synonymous with the holidays. Maple, citrus, cinnamon and hazelnut are a few scents that people might associate with early winter celebrations, but nothing seems to say "Merry Christmas" like peppermint.