Middleburg, VA - The Red Fox Inn

On chilly Sunday mornings like this one, there is nothing I enjoy more than a drawn out and relaxed (and sometimes boozy) brunch; a place that is warm and cozy where you can linger long enough to make it your only Sunday activity. I'm hard pressed to find a cozier place than The Red Fox Inn in Middleburg, Virginia. With its original stone fireplaces, dark wood beamed ceilings and stone walls, you feel as if you are walking into a British pub. And because Middleburg is known as horse and hunt country, you certainly feel that influence as well ... here is the little fox that stared down at me during my lunch:

Specials include Virginia Peanut Soup and Red Fox Crab Cakes, though when I was there last time at lunch I had a wonderful pulled pork sandwich special washed down with a cold Yeungling beer (I'm obsessed with Yeungling only because those Pottsville, PA buggers won't distribute in Massachusetts, so I can never get my hands on any). The Red Fox Inn serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Incidentally, as the name indicates, they also run a small bed & breakfast upstairs.

The drive from Washington, DC is about an hour, and is quite beautiful as you pass all of the rolling acres of horse farms. Make sure after you eat you shop the quaint main street that The Red Fox sits on (East and West Washington St.) as there are lovely little home and clothing boutiques and antique shops. Middleburg is also known as wine country, so you could take a local winery tour as well. Middleburg is the perfect place to pass the day in a truly beautiful setting.