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Amber Ox
I’ll admit we visit Amber Ox, due to location convenience, but as soon as we are handed menus, my heart fills with joy. The restaurant can be described as clever, comfort, tapas.
We want everything.
How often do you see a drop biscuit board? It’s a must order, with house butter, preserves, and honeycomb. Also, if you put pulled pork on fries, it’s going in our face.
As humans who don’t think beets taste like dirt, the beet salad sounds interesting.
It consists of beet chips, smoked yogurt, pickled pistachios, with grapefruit vinaigrette. They are captivating beets.
Not quite satiated, we order the special for the night, the Smashburger, to share.
The burger comes with a beer from, The Precarious Beer Project brewery.
I choose the beer, Kung Fu Kittens, based solely on the name.
Amber Ox creates a special first-meal-of-vacation experience. If we visit Williamsburg again, we’d visit a second time.
Old City BBQ
There are several bbq restaurants in Williamsburg, Virginia. Choosing one, depends on a craving for old school, or modern/creative. Modern, casual, with a smidge of hipster, our car pulls into the lot of Old City BBQ.
Since they don’t make appearances on many menus at home, the fried green tomatoes, are ordered first.
They are scrumptious.
Like all wonderful bbq places, Old City BBQ offers meals, that combine multiple meats, with sides. Since our bbq adventure in Nashville, I’ve gained a great appreciation for ribs. My meal is completed with a little brisket, pulled meat, and my two bbq side staples, mac and cheese, and beans.
The meats are juicy and flavorful. The beans are tasty. I am often disappointed by bbq place mac and cheese, as it is usually bland, but Old City BBQ’s has plenty of flavor.
Though the desserts look tempting, we’re too full of meat and carbs. Sometimes you have to make tough choices, like getting an appetizer vs. dessert.
I can’t speak for all of the other bbq restaurants in Williamsburg, Virginia, but I can recommend a visit to Old City BBQ.
Precarious Beer Project
Precarious Beer Project wins the prize for places I would like to shrink down with a shrink ray, bring home, and then unshrink near my house, so I could visit all of the time.
So was our love for Precarious Beer Project (points also for a fun name to say), we visited twice.
It’s a hall that houses, a brewery’s bar, a taco truck, and best of all….pinball. I love pinball.
The tacos span tastes from usual, to inventive. I especially drool over the shrimp taco with Thai chili sauce. They are all drool worthy.
Chomping down freshly made tacos, followed by rounds of clinking and pinging, while mashing the buttons of pinball machines, makes for a happy day’s end.
If you are visiting during the college season, a weeknight will be less crowded than the weekend.
There is also air hockey, and other arcade games, so if you want a night of food and fun, The Precarious Beer Project is a high score.
Whitley’s Peanut Factory
Not a restaurant, I’ll add Whitley’s Peanut Factory as an honorable mention. Friends introduced us to Whitley’s, and we’ve been hooked since. Finding out a whole store full of nutty goodness, exists in Williamsburg, Virginia, becomes a quest. There are more flavors than we knew existed. We’re fortunate this is a road trip for us, so we can load the car with bags of containers. Who knew buying peanut related treats could be a trip highlight.
You shouldn’t expect a tour around the world, as far as the variety of Williamsburg, Virginia, cuisine is concerned, but you can sink your teeth into some mouth melting bbq, or other down-home cooking. With places like Amber Ox and Precarious Beer Project, adding a dash of creative whimsy, Williamsburg is a note worthy place to nosh.
If you want more ideas for Williamsburg, make sure you didn’t miss…
Eating in Williamsburg, Virginia-Part 1
Places to Stay while you’re Eating in Williamsburg, Virginia
