Charlottesville 365: Devil’s Backbone Brewing Co.

In our world of busyness it is often times difficult to spend real quality time with the ones you love. As a new Mom, who works a 9-5 job outside of the home, I hardly ever have non-working time that is without a scheduled obligation, grocery store trip, or general housecleaning/yard work. That’s why I made it my goal that on my husband’s first Father’s Day, we would forego any normal weekend ritual to take a day and celebrate our new family doing some of the things he truly enjoys. No easy task, given the fact that Father’s Day fell in a short 36 hour window we had to ourselves between Summer family visits.

My husband grew up in northern New York State, about an hour outside of the Adirondack Park. He spent his childhood in the midst of the outdoors, hunting, fishing and camping in the mountains. Thankfully, our piece of Central Virginia has some fabulous areas that if you close your eyes for just a minute – probably in the Summer- you could be in either place.

Part 2 – my “sure thing” – a return trip to Devil’s Backbone Brewery. (for part 1, see post, here) We turned left out of Chile’s Peach Orchard and traveled through Greenwood, and drove 151 to Devil’s Backbone. Vistas galore, beautiful homes and Zac Brown on the radio created the perfect setting. Summer in Central Virginia is here. We arrived to a full parking lot at Devil’s Backbone; no big surprise there. The building is reminiscent of a Colorado Ski Lodge with grand stone pillars adorning the entrance, a large wrap patio and stone fireplaces. There are seating areas with booths and tables to the left and right of the hostess stand, and of course, the bar to the back with bistro tables. They have recently updated their menu and of course, offer tasty microbrews to sample on-site or take home in a growler. There was a nice breeze so we opted for outside seating. There are some awesome new additions to the menu, so it was difficult to make a decision. Standouts include Baja Fish Tacos, Grilled Cheese Mo’Different, Chicken Rustica Sandwich, and Espresso Bistro Steak – to name a few.

After some contemplation, we decided to start with the Nachos and our beer selections were Eight and Ten Point IPA’s, respectively. The nachos were great – piled high with cheese, black beans and peppers and accompanied by a sides of guacamole, salsa  and sour cream – you couldn’t beat it for $8. Honestly, after that we were full, but the entrees sounded too tasty to pass up so he selected the Baja Fish Tacos, while I chose the Veggie Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. Now, I’m a red meat kind of girl, but being that I just gobbled the Peach Sundae an hour before, I thought I would try something lighter, and different. It was my first experience with a Veggie Burger, and I admit that I might be hooked. It was a patty of rice, black beans and corn and came with a southwest mayo, tomato, lettuce and onion. The sweet potato fries were also tasty. My husband’s Baja Fish Tacos were double wrapped and came with a medium fruit salsa which was pineapple based. Also, super tasty. Awesome all around! While we didn’t need it, I do want to note that they have a kid’s menu with items reasonably priced at $3.95. I would advise anyone to check their website as well – they ALWAYS have cool things going on including live music and many food / drink specials.

As we traveled home to Ruckersville, we waved goodbye to the mountains. My husband was happy and relaxed. I declared the day a complete success. Our family was able to spend father’s day “really” together. I feel fortunate to live in an area with so much to offer, even a close getaway to a place that resembles roots for my husband and I. I hope you enjoy the Summer and are able to take a trip to the mountains at some point- Enjoy!

Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company on the Internet;
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