On the evening of Tuesday, April 11, every barstool, patio chair, and indoor table is occupied. There’s a friendliness in the air—the kind in which a stranger will scoot over so that you can have your own space at the bar, and the bartenders ask how your day was before taking an order. As bustling as the taproom is, it feels more like a community’s living room, filled with the laughter and chatter that you hear during a distant family’s holiday get-together. In front of most of the patrons is a pint glass; many ordering at the bar request Arrant (Pale Fire’s newest IPA), with it’s name descending from Shakespeare’s writing. In fact, even the establishment’s name derives from one of the founder’s favorite books, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov and an excerpt of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, “[t]he moon's an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.” more
Excitement and rejuvenation fill the former Pure Eats space in the Ice House as Rocktown Kitchen gets ready to open a full-service, casual yet upscale dining restaurant in downtown. With locally sourced meats, vegetables, craft brews, wines, and décor, Rocktown Kitchen brings a farm-to-table experience to guests who will begin enjoying this new spot in May. That’s right…less than a month away! more
Many of you know Ron Copeland from way back, when he was that scrawny bearded hippie guy that ran The Little Grill (Harrisonburg’s oldest existing restaurant) from the years 1992 - 2003 – a young man with a wild vision of serving a free meal to “Anyone in the World.” Ron’s “Free Food For All” Monday soup kitchen was a fixture in the Harrisonburg community for a long time. more