While the COVID-19 crisis has caused dining-room closures around the world, many restaurants are finding creative ways to continue serving their communities. Our latest Restaurant Spotlights highlight these efforts at Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners.
Fifty miles west of Washington, D.C., is first-time Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winner Field & Main Restaurant in Marshall, Va. Opened in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Neal and Star Wavra, the restaurant brings farm-to-table American cuisine to Virginia’s Piedmont region. Ever since the coronavirus swept through the nation and shut restaurant doors in its wake, Field & Main has been offering its seasonally changing menu to-go, and selling baked goods, grocery staples, cocktails and wines through a retail operation.
Neal also hosts weekly virtual blind tastings on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Guests can purchase bottles with the labels covered and then tune in to learn how to identify the wine’s varietal, region of origin and vintage. The picks are sourced from the Award of Excellence–winning wine program comprising more than 200 selections with strengths in Virginia, France and California, managed by beverage director Anthony Ruffo. Though the restaurant has reopened for on-site dining, guests can still enjoy these features. Tables are spaced apart in the dining room, but for those who are hesitant about indoor service, the team got creative and built tented platforms for each outdoor table, complete with lights and fans.
