Foti's Restaurant

Three years ago, Chef Frank Maragos opened the perfect restaurant in Culpeper, Virginia, of all places. Somehow he has managed to provide a dining experience that satisfies the demanding gourmand, yet does not intimidate the casual diner. The decor and service reflect this balance, with exposed brick walls, polished wood floors and a pressed tin ceiling, plus a sincere smile and warm welcome that are completely devoid of pretension. And, being within a 90-minute drive west of Washington, DC, more and more of his customers are those who have made Foti’s a culinary pilgrimage experience.

It is difficult to strike the right balance between down home folksiness and Michelin-star aspiration. At Foti’s, a chef-owned restaurant, it’s as if the staff knows that they are world class and could accomplish anything, but instead have decided to relax and take the pressure off by not going upwardly mobile. The happy result is that the guests are having a good time, and, it appears, the staff is enjoying their jobs, as well.

Here, pedigrees are impeccable. Maragos was a former executive sous chef at the Inn at Little Washington and brought several other employees with him. They make good use of ingredients gown locally, and theirs is not a menu that needs explanation or translation. And when was the last time you looked at a restaurant bill and could scarcely believe how small it was? I’m not kidding. Drive out there and see for yourself.

By the way, “Foti” is Frank’s childhood nickname.

Foti’s Restaurant (closed Mon. & Wed.)
219 East Davis Street, Culpeper, VA 540-829-8400
www.fotisrestaurant.com

Dolley Madison: widowed in "genteel poverty"

Soon after President James Madison's death, Dolley Madison had to sell Montpelier, primarily to settle the debts of her profligate son (from her former marriage). She inherited a row house (pictured above with its iron balcony) on Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, as part of Madison's estate and moved there in 1837.

Madison Place borders the east side of Washington’s famed Lafayette Square, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The Dolley Madison House, an unpretentious Federal-style structure at the northeast corner of the square (Madison Place and H Street), was built in 1818-20 by Richard Cutts, a Massachusetts congressman who was Dolley's brother-in-law (he was married to Dolley’s sister, Anna). Cutts, Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury from 1817 to 1829, had borrowed money for the construction of this house from James Madison. In 1829, after Cutts had lost most of his fortune in unsuccessful business ventures, ownership of the house reverted to Madison, although he never lived in it. Upon James Madison’s death in 1836, Dolley inherited the house and moved here to spend virtually her entire widowhood. During her residence, from 1837 until her death in 1849, she advised various First Ladies and played a prominent role in Washington society.

The house served as home of the Cosmos Club from 1886 to 1952. The historic character of the house was subsequently preserved in the 1960s through the efforts of another first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, architect John Carl Warnecke, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The restored building is painted yellow and features a distinctive 19th-century iron balcony. Now federally owned and used by the U.S. Court of Claims, it is not open to public visitation.

One of several enslaved persons who accompanied Dolley Madison from Montpelier upon her return to Washington was Paul Jennings. Like Dolley Madison, Paul Jennings had previously lived on Lafayette Square (in the White House) while James Madison served as President. In dire financial straits, Dolley Madison had to sell Paul Jennings in 1847; later that same year he was purchased by her Lafayette Square neighbor Daniel Webster.

In 1865, Paul Jennings wrote the first memoir ever written about life in the White House, titled A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison. In this work he also described what it was like to see the former First Lady living in poverty on Lafayette Square after her husband's death. He wrote: "Mrs. Madison was a remarkably fine woman. She was beloved by every body in Washington, white and colored. In the last days of her life she was in a state of absolute poverty, and I think sometimes suffered for the necessities of life. While I was a servant for Mr. Webster, he often sent me to her with a market basket full of provisions, and told me whenever I saw anything in his house I thought she was in need of, to take it to her. I often did this, and occasionally gave her small sums from my own pocket."

Elmwood at Sparks Restaurant

24 W. Main St., Orange (opposite the post office)
Lunch Mon-Sat, 11a-3p; Dinner Thu-Sat 6-9p; 540.672.0060


Considering that the restaurant in the Montpelier Visitor Center offers only pre-packaged sandwiches and soup served in styrofoam bowls, it is a delight to discover a destination-worthy restaurant just four miles away in Orange. Housed in a c. 1830 Federal style brick building, Elmwood at Sparks replaces a deli that had occupied the site since 1902.

Luncheon menus items priced from $2.50 (a cup of soup) to $12.50 (an 8-oz. rib eye steak salad); sandwiches (croissant or open face), quiches, salads, full-meal main courses (chicken cordon bleu, grilled salmon, shrimp & penna pasta). A dessert case divides the dining room from the open kitchen. Lunch prices are absurdly modest for the quality of ingredients and culinary skill of award-winning owner/chef Randy Cooper, whose menu features local products and changes seasonally. Dinner is a more serious affair (starters $7.50-$10, mains $17-$33).

Chef Cooper and staff at work in the kitchen.

Grounds at James Madison’s Montpelier

Today Montpelier has 2,700 acres of pastures, lawns, gardens and woods at the foot of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. The estate, located just outside Orange, VA, began as a working plantation, home to three generations of Madisons. It included tobacco fields, a farm complex, slave quarters, a blacksmith shop, barns and other outbuildings – everything a self-sufficient estate would have required.

The layout changed over the years, and the latest private owners, the duPonts, added a formal garden, ornamental trees and various outbuildings, including farm houses, a laundry, a greenhouse and a bowling alley. The last major addition to the landscape was the flat racing track and steeplechase race course, built in the late 1920s.

Today, visitors can stand in the neo-classical Temple where James Madison contemplated the republic, stroll the Annie duPont formal garden, hike the old-growth James Madison Landmark Forest, visit the Madison family and slave cemeteries or walk to the Civil War trail – all within Montpelier’s grounds.

President Madison added a round neo-classical Temple on the site where his father’s blacksmith shop had stood. This new structure (circa 1810) covered an ice house below. Mary Cutts, Dolly Madison's niece: "A short walk from the house was a beautiful temple. It was built over the icehouse, which made it very cool; close to it was an immense mulberry tree. This building was intended, but never used, for the President's study."

The 200 acres of trees found in the James Madison Landmark Forest have been virtually undisturbed by man. Trees include oaks, tulip trees and hickories, and understory plants include dogwoods, redbuds, spicebush, virginia creeper, honeysuckle, and grapevines. A few of the oaks, poplars, and hickories are between 200-300 years old. The soil is Davidson, among the best hardwood forest soils in Virginia. This 15-mile wide band of soil extends from Charlottesville to Culpeper. Due to the rich soil, tulip trees at 50 years can reach a height of 120 feet, and red oaks, 95 feet (nearly twice the height attained under average conditions). This forest is open to the public during regular visitor hours, with nearly two miles of self-guided trails through the forest.


President James Madison enjoyed a garden of nearly four acres, including the site of the present two-acre Annie duPont formal garden. Following the fashion of the era, the Madison garden contained a mixture of vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, and ornamental shrubs.
The garden was designed by the Madison's French gardener, Bizet, who was paid the substantial salary of $700 a year. A number of President Madison's slaves were trained as assistant gardeners. One of the slaves eventually took over as head gardener when Bizet returned home to France.
From Mary Cutts, Dolley Madison's niece: "At some distance from the house was the garden laid off in the shape of a horseshoe by an experienced French gardener, who lived many years on the place; his name was Bizet; he and his wife came to Virginia at the time of the French Revolution and left Mr. Madison shortly before his death to return to La belle France. They were great favorites with the negroes, some of whom they taught to speak French. "


Following Montpelier's acquisition by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1984, the plantings of the Annie duPont formal garden were carefully identified and catalogued. Restoration of the garden began in October 1990, and was funded by The Garden Club of Virginia.

Montpelier Hunt Races

It has been more than two decades since the death of Marion duPont Scott, but her spirit will be honored on November 1, 2008, when the Montpelier Hunt Races celebrate the seventy-fourth running on the grounds of the Montpelier estate where she lived.

Marion duPont Scott, a horsewoman through and through, was most notably a successful breeder of race horses. One of the greatest of those is buried at Montpelier – Battleship, who was the diminutive son of Man o' War. Battleship became the first American horse to win England's Grand National Steeplechase. A month later, when Battleship returned to New York City aboard a ship, mayor LaGuardia welcomed him along with actor Randolph Scott (Marion’s husband), who interrupted filming a movie in Hollywood to join the celebration. Mrs. Scott promised if Battleship won the Grand National he would never race again, and she was true to her word. He retired to stud at Montpelier and is buried there. Guests can visit his grave, alongside two of Mrs. Scott’s other famous horses, Annapolis and Accura.

Regarded by many as America's First Lady of Racing, Marion duPont Scott generously supported the equine industry throughout her life. She donated funds to construct Virginia's leading equine medical center in Leesburg, which is named in her honor. Her legacy continues with the running of the Montpelier Races, a premier event on the national Steeplechase Association's circuit, which is always held on the first Saturday in November.

When the Noel Laing Handicap Stakes is run, some remember the Virginia-born jockey and Mrs. Scott's Trouble Maker, Laing's winning mount in the l932 Maryland Hunt Cup. In the l935 running, Trouble Maker had a fatal fall at the seventeenth fence. Laing was heartbroken and stayed at the fence until his mount was buried. When Mrs. Scott returned to Montpelier, she tore down all her timber fences and ordered that no horse of hers would ever race over timber again.

Mrs. Scott, who had started The Montpelier Hunt Races in 1924, thus developed a hurdle course featuring the only live brush jumps in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

October: Virginia Wine Month

For twenty years our state has designated October as "Virginia Wine Month." Bruce Schoenfeld, wine editor of Travel & Leisure magazine and contributor to Wine Spectator magazine, includes Virginia among five destinations he recommends for those passionate about wine, food and unique travel experiences. His article, titled Wine-Lover’s Guide: Five Wine Regions to Visit Now, features Chile, Virginia, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Virginia is home to 130 wineries, ranking it fifth in the nation for the number of wine producers.

Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, home to the internationally acclaimed Prince Michel and Rapidan River wines, was established in 1982. Although one of the east coast’s largest wineries, their commitment to hospitality and great wine make a visit welcoming and memorable. Beautifully situated among acres of vineyards in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the winery offers wine tastings and tours of the production area with visual and auditory aids.

Prince Michel wines have obtained internationally acclaimed status due to the efforts of renowned winemaker Brad Hansen, who joined the winery in 1999. Under his direction Prince Michel wines have won more than 400 awards. Hanson is sought after as a judge for international wine competitions and as a consultant for winery design and production (photo below).

Montpelier

Circa 1825 floor plan and appearance restored to the time of the Madisons.

Montpelier, the Virginia home of James and Dolley Madison, has been returned to its circa 1825 appearance, following a five year $24 million restoration. The completion of the project was celebrated on September 17, 2008, Constitution Day. James Madison, our fourth president (1809-1817) was known as the Father of the Constitution, since he was the principal author of the document. The most astonishing thing about the restoration of this house is that it was hiding in plain sight for over a hundred years, sitting behind and beneath enormous additions and alterations, which have been removed.

Montpelier was built around 1760 by Madison’s father, enlarged in 1797 after Madison retired from Congress, and expanded again in 1809 immediately after his election as president of the United States. After Madison’s death, his widow, Dolley, kept Montpelier until 1844. The property bounced from owner to owner until it was bought by William duPont in 1901.


Montpelier as it appeared in 1993.

The duPont family added 33 rooms (20,000 sq. ft) to the extant 22-room mansion (13,000 sq. ft. at the time of Madison's death), raising the height of the wings on either side, for a cozy total of 33,000 sq. ft. Amazingly, they did not demolish any of the president's original home but covered it up with layers of additions and alterations. The original brick was masked by a fleshy pink stucco that unified the old and new structures. A few interior photographs taken prior to 1901 allowed preservationists to return the mansion to its early 19th century floor plan and appearance.

Photo above: rear of house in 2002

Photo below: 2007. The vertical line on the bricks clearly shows where the rear duPont wings were removed.

When Marion duPont Scott, William’s daughter, died in 1983, she bequeathed the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, dictating that it be restored to its condition when James and Dolley Madison lived there in the years immediately following his presidency.

Her Art-Deco "trophy room" that paid homage to her equestrian interests was dismantled and reinstalled in the visitor center, so that a bit of the duPont legacy can be enjoyed by today's visitors.


Mustard Seed Master Builders helped to set the historical record straight by bringing Montpelier’s original 12,000-sq.-ft. form back from 160 years of remodeling and decay. Proprietor Scott McBride has taken part in some important historic restorations, but nothing quite like this. As McBride explains: “When I initially met with Mark Wenger (the project’s architectural historian), he said to me, ‘This is the most important house you or I will ever work on.’ And so it was.” Adding to the complexity of the restoration was the fact that the house remained open to visitors throughout remodeling, and any and all original material that was in usable condition had to be incorporated into the project. The photo below shoes the drawing room during restoration:


A recent photo shows the same room after reproduction wallpaper and draperies were installed:

Part of the original house, these arches (shown in the photo below) were removed during remodeling in the 20th century. The duPont family saved and labeled each piece for future re-use, knowing that they were altering a historic residence.

Montpelier (Orange, Va.)
9:30-5:30 pm daily Apr-Oct; until 4:30 Nov-Mar
$14 entry fee.
http://www.montpelier.org
540.672.2728

Take Rt. 15 south from Culpeper. At Orange, take a right at the second stoplight onto Route 20 south. Go 4 miles to the Montpelier entrance on the left.

The four portico columns, crafted of brick, are shown here during restoration with a coating of stucco, which was later painted white to give the appearance of painted wood. Compare to the photo at top of post, showing original color green shutters reinstalled.