The entrance is very cute. You walk down a pathway from the main street to the restaurant. When we walked in, it was a tiny bit chaotic... but in a good way! It looks like I wasn't the only one who wanted to go there that day! Inside, there are brick arches and you can imagine the room being a part of historic Fredericksburg. There are a couple of sofa chairs and a few tables. There is also a long community table with stools instead of chairs. There isn't a lot of seating so if you are going at a really busy time, you might have to wait for somewhere to sit!
View from the community table
I ordered the chicken quesadillas and my husband, a true Texan, couldn't resist ordering the brisket. I was a little nervous that he would be disappointed with the restaurant because it wouldn't live up to his brisket standards.
We went in around lunch time. Even though it has only been around for four weeks, it is already popular and the tables were full. We sat down at the community table, but then we pulled the high chair up to the table. Oops! The community table is higher than the rest of the tables so it was at my daughter's forehead level! Luckily, the people at one of the tables near us were almost done, so we quickly moved our stuff over there.
The kitchen is one floor above the restaurant and is connected via an outdoor staircase. Once an order is ready, someone brings it downstairs, comes through the front door, and calls out the name on the order. I watched this while our order was being prepared and I wondered what they do when the weather is bad.
When our food arrived, I realized that I was actually nervous! You know when you build something up so much in your head? All I had been thinking about all week was about how they pride themselves on quality local ingredients.... how the chef had worked with Kevin Gillespie (who I am only slightly obsessed with)... how I couldn't WAIT to try the food!! I was thinking about it so much that I actually had a dream about it where I went and the food was terrible and it was so disappointing!
Well, ladies and gentleman. I did not have to worry.
My husband's brisket came as a large sandwich. Did it taste like Texas brisket? No... but in a good way! It wasn't trying to be something that it isn't. I've been to many barbecue places that claim to have "Texas Barbecue," but what you end up with is what the chef thinks Texas barbecue should taste like and you get a very artificial and overpowering kind of flavoring. This was FOODE brisket. Cooked perfectly so it was extremely tender and moist. Seasoned really well and just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat. It was very very good. There was potato salad on the side which was really yummy, too!
A brisket sandwich that satisfies even a Texan's hunger.
Sorry for the low picture quality! The picture doesn't do the sandwich justice.
My chicken quesadillas did not let me down, either. There were juicy chunks of white chicken meat, beans, and the perfect amount of cheese. The bread was really fresh and yummy too and the sauce on top complimented everything perfectly. Honestly, I wasn't as big a fan of the rice and tomato relish on the side. It's not that it tasted bad with the whole meal, but I just didn't need it. I enjoyed my quesadillas the way they were!
There was also a small size with 3 pieces, but my husband wanted to try some so I got the large!
Finally, it was time for me to order dessert. They had several choices that I wanted but I really wanted to try the hot cocoa most of all. I am a sucker for good quality hot chocolate and/or cocoa. The best I've ever had was in a small cafe in Venice, Italy. Here in the good 'ol US of A, the best I've had is at the aptly named Hot Chocolate in Chicago. The best around here? It must be FOODE.
Please hold my calls...
They cook it on the stove so order it a little bit earlier than you normally would for a dessert. It comes with cinnamon whipped cream, which at first was a little worrisome for me. Cinnamon can make desserts really sing, but sometimes people add too much or use low quality cinnamon and it starts to taste pretty bad. Not the case here. The whipped cream is as rich as frosting and has the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar. It complements the rich cocoa perfectly and melts slowly into it like a marshmallow. I would come back here just to have it again. And again. And again. I can't stop thinking about it.
My husband tried some and then entertained my daughter while I enjoyed the rest. And by "enjoyed" I mean tuned out everyone and everything else around me and had a special moment with my mug of cocoa.
Oh... FOODE... I'll be back.
