Owner Greg Huff wants dining at 1710 Tavern in Tappahannock to be “an experience” not just a meal. With the amount of meticulous and thoughtful restorations he’s made to the historic property on Water Lane, he has accomplished just that.
“We want to be that special place that you come to and you forget you’re in Tappahannock. And I don’t mean that in a bad way,” he said. “We want you to feel like you stepped back in time and you’re being taken care of in a way no one else offers.”
Step inside the circa 1710 building with its historical architecture and indeed, it’s like stepping back in time. With its hand-carved wooden beams, exposed original brick walls and wide-planked flooring, it’s easy to envision the tavern in its early years when it functioned as Emerson’s Ordinary. Two working fireplaces—which Huff says are lit when the exterior temperature drops below 45 degrees—flank the main dining room, which seats 40. The windows are original to the building and were restored through an arduous process. A full service bar/lounge seats 20 and a patio adds another 40 seats to accommodate a total of 100 diners.
History
Greg and his wife Jennifer, who also own the adjacent Essex Inn, celebrated the one year anniversary of 1710 Tavern on September 1. The couple bought the property in a state of disrepair a few years ago. It had been empty for 12 or more years, said Greg. The plumbing had been torn out. There was no running water or heating and cooling system.
The historic building had last been occupied in the 1990s by the Rennolds family as their home. It was purchased by an artist with hopes of remodeling it but the project reached a snag and was never completed. Enter Greg, who stared out of the Inn daily at the decaying piece of Essex history.
“As much as anything, so many people have connections to this place,” he said. “Diners come in and say, I remember this or that. I knew the Rennolds family or the Henley family.”
Brunch
I ventured across the Downing Bridge for brunch at the tavern a few Sundays ago. To my delight—then dismay—I was told by Greg that day’s brunch was the last of the season. The restaurant will resume its brunch service in the spring.
Brunch is one of my favorite meals so I was happy to be able to sample the tavern’s before it ended for the year.
Along with the traditional breakfast offerings, the tavern also had soups, salads, appetizers and select sandwiches and burgers on its brunch menu. So many things I wanted to try.
Our waiter and bar manager Mickey Slusser suggested the she crab soup as a starter. It’s one of the restaurant’s signature items, according to Greg. I had planned to take just a spoonful or two, just enough to try it, and take the rest home for dinner but that didn’t happen. The cream based soup, with just the right hint of sherry and hunks of lump crabmeat, was served with a slice of soft grilled toast. It hit the spot on a cool September morning.
Although, I’d started with a soup, I moved on to a more traditional, Southern breakfast entree—chicken and waffles. My dad, and dining partner, also went with a Southern favorite—biscuits and gravy. Both meals were hearty and too much to eat at one sitting.
My fried chicken and waffles was served with a side of bacon, home fried potatoes and a gruyere omelette, enough for two breakfasts.
I boxed up a huge portion of my entree to make room for dessert, a decadent Gran Marnier creme brulee, topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream. It was one of six dessert options that day, four of which were gluten free.
“We try to offer lots of gluten free options throughout the whole menu, about 70% of our menu is gluten free,” said Greg. “Lots of people with gluten sensitivity avoid going out to eat because the options are so limited. We’re sensitive to that.”
Greg, who was a history teacher and coach turned into an inn owner and restauranteur almost overnight, is proud to say the tavern specializes in farm- and sea-to-table—everything but the catsup is made from scratch. All the sauces, the aoli, the emulsions are made here, he said. Even the French fries are homemade and go through a 24-hour process from cutting to plating.
Because the restaurant uses fresh products the dinner menu changes seasonally. Rockfish on a lobster risotto with a buttered saffron cream sauce is a must try, he said.
But the burgers are a mainstay and Greg says he’ll “put them up against burgers from anywhere. We buy all of our meats in full loins.” After cutting the filets, ribeyes and briskets, the cooks grind up the remaining chunks to create a one-of-a-kind burger.
The restaurant offers two dining options with a more casual menu in the full service bar/lounge and outside on the patio as weather permits. After Thanksgiving and through New Year’s, the patio will be enclosed with a tent for private parties.
I can’t wait to return to sip a cocktail and enjoy another special dining experience when that fireplace is aglow. And here’s a fun fact, according to Greg, if you dine at 1710 Tavern, you can say you dined at the same place George Washington did in 1760. But I bet his meal wasn’t nearly as good.
