#162: Trinity House Cafe

Date Visited: 15 August 2015

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Looking for an alternative to your tired old corporate chain coffee shop? Check out Trinity House Cafe! From their Mission statement: “Trinity House Café, on the corner of Church and Market Streets in the heart of historic Leesburg, VA, is an outreach of the John Paul II Fellowship, a Christian non-profit dedicated to renewing community and culture.”

On this visit, I ordered the Notre Dame breakfast (“warm croissant with butter & jam, seasonal fruits & yogurt”) and a regular coffee. The croissant (baked there) was as one should be, light and flaky. The fruit was a cup of grapes, and the yogurt was vanilla. A nicely balanced array of flavors. Wendy ordered the Breakfast Sandwich (“mini omelet with cheddar cheese in a toasted bagel”) and added a slice of ham. She also tried the C.S. Lewis Latte (“Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, cardamom, almond syrup”). Unique!

Trinity House Cafe is about more than just food. It’s about hospitality, and they host “a variety of community and culture-renewing events such as art classes, talks, concerts, theatrical performances, movie nights, craft circles, and children’s programs.” The cafe occupies the George Head House, a building from Revolutionary times, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Leesburg Historic District. Trinity House Cafe is a warm, cozy, relaxing, inviting place to spend time with good food, good friends, and/or good books! Come on in and support a local business!

Location: 101 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176, 703-727-3721

Website: http://trinityhousecafe.com/

Total bill: $20.26

#161: Yummy Pig

Date Visited: 14 August 2015

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Leesburg has another new Barbeque restaurant: Yummy Pig! It occupies the empty space that was The Q Company, so now Leesburg has three barbeque specialty restaurants: Yummy Pig, Smokehouse Live, and Red Hot & Blue (barely qualifies). Yummy Pig had their soft opening on 20 May, and is now fully open for business.

On this visit, we both decided on the “Pig Heaven Platter” (2 meats, 2 sides, and cornbread or chips). I chose Beef Brisket, Bratwurst, Yummy Slaw, Bacon-Blue Cheese Potato Salad, and the Cornbread. Wendy chose Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork, Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon, Cucumber-Onion Salad, and the Cornbread (see menu for details).

The meats come with no sauces applied, so you can do it yourself. Yummy Pig provides four house-made specialty sauces: Sweet Bourbon, Chipotle BBQ, Tequila Mustard, and 4-Pepper Vinegar; they also have a variety of commercial hot sauces. Unlike some barbeque places, the meats are served cut up into bite-size pieces. The brisket was cut into thin strips, the brat was cut into bite-size slices, and the pulled pork was of course already falling apart (as it should be). I think we both liked the Beef Brisket best - cooked till almost falling apart with a smoky, almost-crispy, flavorful crust. It seemed best with the Sweet Bourbon sauce. I thought the Bratwurst was also cooked exceptionally well - smoky, crispy crust, and tender inside. It seemed best with the Tequila Mustard. I didn’t get to try Wendy’s Pulled Pork because she ate it all before I was ready for a taste; I guess it was good! We also liked the brisket dipped in the 4-Pepper Vinegar, which added a nice “pop” and wasn’t too spicy. The sides were interesting too; the Yummy Slaw is a somewhat delicate creation using finely shaved Savoy Cabbage, and the Bacon-Blue Cheese Potato Salad was uniquely creamy delicious!

Yummy Pig also offers Ribs, Street Tacos, Chili, Barbeque Salad, and a bunch of other sides that we’re looking forward to trying next time. Since it wasn’t too busy and it was getting near closing time, owner and chef Jim Thompson came over to talk with us. Very friendly and appreciative of our visit (he didn’t know I was reviewing the place), he talked about the origins of the restaurant, his catering business (largely supported by weddings!), how the food is made (large smoker inside inherited from The Q Company, small smoker out front to draw people in), and plans for new menu items (more appetizers, bratwurst sandwiches, chili sliders, crab cakes - yum!) Nothing at Yummy Pig is ordinary; every item seems to have a slightly unique, flavorful twist. I’m sure it has something to do with everything being made in-house. Come on in, enjoy the food, and support a local business!

Location: 17 Catoctin Cir. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-629-8669

Website: http://yummypig.com/

Total bill: $39.42