Fine Dining Meets the Shenandoah Valley: Vault & Cellar

The Shenandoah Valley is a 150-mile-long, 20-mile-wide stretch of land nestled in north west Virginia between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains. It’s home to farmland, caves, rivers, stunning mountainscapes, and quaint towns speckled with some surprisingly top notch restaurants.

Vault & Cellar is one of said restaurants.

It’s a “New Appalachian” restaurant and bourbon bar with a whiskey list that’ll take longer to read than the phonebook in the town it’s located: Middletown, Virginia. Chef Kari wanted to create an establishment “that balances the elegance of sophistication of a fine-dining experience, while retaining the whimsy and approachability of a food truck.” And she did just that. I swung by for a Sunday brunch, and it did not disappoint.

Let’s dive into a Vault & Cellar Review!

The Appetizers

Candied Bacon

I’m rarely sad when eating bacon, and the candied bacon at Vault & Cellar did not disappoint. A little bit salty and a little bit sweet with a delightful crunch.

Scotch Eggs

A Scotch egg is a boiled egg that’s wrapped in a meat, coated in breadcrumbs, then deep fried. The appetizer from Vault & Cellar put a fine dining meets down home twist on the dish by using a quail eggs, then wrapping it in in scrapple and coating it with pork rind. I could have eaten 2 servings all to myself. The yolk was perfectly runny and the coating was just crunchy enough a lip smacking fatty/saltiness.

Biscuits

If you go to a brunch in Virginia and don’t get buttermilk biscuits, did you even go to brunch? One order comes with two big biscuits and a generous side of whipped butter drizzled with honey. I enjoy light and flakey biscuits, but these were dense and fairly heavy. They were by no means wowing, and for $9, I’d say skip em and get another app instead.

Appalachian Egg Rolls

If you thought Chinese and southern flavors don’t mesh, think again! These egg rolls are filled with pickled collard greens, Virginia ham, carrot, and spring onion with a dill and bourbon honey mustard sauce.

The Mains

Brunch Burger

I’ve recently been on a smashed patty kick, but this brunch burger reminded me that I should order more thick patty burgers. This entree consisted of a juicy patty topped with a fried egg, pickled red onion, pepper jack cheese, and roasted poblano mayo. Despite all the different flavors, the patty shined through. My only qualm was that the bun was too dry– luckily there was plenty of sauce, cheese, and juice to balance it out!

Omelet and Eggs Benedict

The omelet was filled with oyster mushroom, Virginia ham, roasted poblano peppers, pepperjack cheese, and red onions. A rockstar ingredient list that delivered in flavor. If you like eggs Benedict, then you’ll love the one from Cellar & Vault. The eggs were poached to perfection and the hollandaise sauce was rich in flavor and light in texture.

Shrimp and Grits

Cousin Chad ordered this lovely portion of shrimp and grits. I didn’t try said dish, but it looked gorgeous and I heard no qualms.

Wrapping Up This Vault & Cellar Review

Small towns in the Shenandoah Valley are speckled with hidden gems that just take a little bit of digging to find. Vault & Cellar is one of said restaurants that delivers big city concepts with fresh, local ingredients and small town hospitality.

It might not be frugal, but it’s certainly worth it!