It was a beautiful day with lots of great summer festivals....Blues music in Sedalia, Horse and Hound Wine Festival at Johnson's Farm and the Orchards were full of fresh peaches and berries.
A Perfect Afternoon to take a ride after leaving work, to go riding in the country and enjoy the beautiful scenic roads of Bedford County. The only thing missing was the convertible. Of course, this would include a great place to stop for dinner and maybe a glass of wine. Then I began to think about the last time I had been to one of my favorite little "foodie" places, "The Millstone Tearoom", located in the Sedalia area of Bedford County. Last time I visited the Millstone Tearoom, my husband ordered their Farmer Brown's Buttermilk Fried Chicken. This came with a Freshly made "delish" Cole Slaw and Homemade Mac and Cheese. My Husband began to brag so much about this delicious looking plate of crispy chicken that he insisted that I try a piece. He was right, it was so crispy, seasoned perfectly and wonderfully hot and juicy. I told him it was the Best Chicken I had eaten anywhere.
As I drove through the little back country roads, I was hoping that the "Crispy Buttermilk" Chicken would be on the menu this evening. The Tearoom has many items on their menu that I dearly love including their perfectly prepared, Shrimp and Grits, Red Angus Steaks, and fresh trout and let's not forget probably one of my favorites, their Pan cooked Mussel appetizer with more mussels than you would ever want, swimming in a beautiful broth of wine, herbs and garlic. The broth alone with some crusty bread would make your day.
I could feel myself smiling from ear to ear, as I approached the long straight away just before you catch a glimpse of the charmingly converted 1939 storefront that now houses the Tearoom.
A big bold stream on the right, catches your eye as it meanders through a beautiful cattle farm that says WYOMING on a large stone sign. The Majestic Blue Ridge Mountain Range sprawls across in front of this beautiful farm with its grazing cattle on the green bottomland. The Stately home sits back up off of the farm on a rising knoll with these stunning mountain views and lush green fields. Could not help but day dream a little, of what it would be like to live surrounded by the breath taking views and also be within walking distance to the Tearoom.
As I approached the Tearoom, A previous remanant of times gone by, bought back to life as this charming culinary delight, I can see that some additions have been added. A new deck with several tables and umbrellas have been added to the rear overlooking the gardens. The exterior has been painted or new siding added to give it a freshened look. The wraparound porch has several tables set up for outdoor dining and the breeze is kicking up and the air is cooling, so the thought enters my mind that maybe we should consider an outdoor table, but I soon feel the coolness of the air conditioner inside and those thoughts are quickly erased as we are greeted very quickly by the host.
The inside has not changed much, copper topped tables and the wood framed window between the front dining area and side dining areas are still the same. The cheerfully painted yellow walls with their black and white framed photos were familiar. It was early so there were only a couple of tables seated, although there are probably only 10 tables inside total, but that is part of the charm of the Tearoom and why one never arrives without calling first for availibility. The activity would soon change and most of the tables would begin to fill quickly.
The Freshly printed menus were placed in front of us. I quickly scanned through the menu, stopping briefly to note some of my favorites and a few new additions. Located near the bottom was the "Farmer Brown's Buttermilk Fried Chicken" with cole slaw and mac and cheese. My wishes had come true. My husband who was one of my threesome, decided that he had the chicken last time, so he was going for the Red Angus Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans. But in the back of his mind, he knew he could sneek a piece of my chicken. My other accomplice, decided that she would go with my choice and have this famous chicken.
We started out with the Mussels and there was certainly no dissapointment there. Still plump and juicy with the wonderful aromas of herbs and garlic served with freshly baked crusty bread. These tastie little morsels were quickly devoured by the three of us along with a glass of 2008 Stuhlmuller Chardonnay, which paired perfectly. The next course was a wonderfully refreshing Gazpacho topped with a slice of egg, fresh cucumber and crisp croutons.
So far so good, everything was perfectly meeting our expectations. Then my bubble was burst, the plate that was placed in front of me resembled, yes yes, it was chicken but
it was not the golden crispy chicken that my husband had weeks prior. It seemed to be more of a tempura batter. The slaw and mac and cheese were there and they looked the same but the Chicken...Where was my golden brown crispy chicken? My other partner in this Chicken event had notably received two pieces of chicken that resembled the Crispy Buttermilk Chicken that had been so delightful. But I noticed, hidden beneath her two Crispy pieces was one piece of the "disappointing tempura-style chicken". My husband was completely absorbed in the delivery of his Ribeye, which arrived without flaw, beautiful grilled, thick with a perfect hot pink interior.
The Disappointment had to be glaring from my face now, as I tried to
eat this Farmer Brown,impersonator. My other two companions, eagerly began to eat, although my co partner stirred away from the conspicuous third piece of chicken.
When our server came over to see if we needed anything, I could not help but ask why there was such a difference in the two dishes? There seemed to be a moment of, "What" is there a difference? Surely anyone could see the difference between a Crispy Fried piece of succulent chicken and this dull colored tempura battered impersonator. I took a few bites but the chicken was not crispy, maybe even a little soggy from the thick tempura type batter and there seemed to be some areas that were a little under cooked.
I finally gave up and decided to enjoy the great slaw along with the homemade mac and cheese. The earlier pre courses had been quite adequate and I could certainly afford to miss a few bites of chicken.
Our Trio ended up sharing the Tearoom's famous Bread Pudding with Pecans and Cinnamon Ice Cream with carmel sprays. This certainly help to ease my unfulfilled palate.
I am sure I will make this trip again to this special culinary place in the Village of Sedalia, but perhaps I will stick to my regulars or treat myself to one of their new
seasonal additions.
