Hazel River Inn Restaurantis located in an historical building that is listed on "The Virginia Register of Historic Places." The restaurant area used to serve as a variety of businesses. It used to be stable, a tobacco warehouse, and a restaurant. It was one of the few restaurants serving customers when we visited Culpeper on July the Fourth.
The restaurant had wood floors, exposed brick walls and wood beam ceilings that reminded me of my grandmother's house. Although the A/C cooled inside the restaurant, I noticed that the doors to the deck in front of the street were left open. Regularly, I would prefer to eat at the deck, but it was a hot, steamy Virginian summer and we were all glad to be inside this cool restaurant. Another thing I noticed about the restaurant was the antique looking dish closet put in one corner. It made the restaurant look more like a house than a business. But then there was the bar on side of the restaurant.
The fliers at the entrance stated that a Fourth of July brunch menu was available for $16 per person till 5 PM. However, although it was only 3 PM, our waitress informed us there was no more brunch available. The menu consisted of several different types of sandwiches. My husband and my friend's husband ordered venison sausage sandwich with potato salad and coleslaw as sides ($7). My friend ordered bison burger sandwich with a side of baked beans and coleslaw ($6). When my friend inquired whether there was any pork in the beans, the waitress offered a side of potato salad. Finally, I ordered barbecue chicken served with baked beans and coleslaw ($7). At first I thought it was the southern barbecue chicken, which is shredded chicken in barbecue sauce. However, it was the whole half of a chicken roasted in barbecue sauce. Our waitress was very nice and she managed to have some smoked salmon with greens be prepared for us.
We started our supper with the smoked salmon (House smoked Norwegian salmon -$7 -
served with little sandwich bread, cheese, lettuce, capers and sauce). My friend told me that her Virginia bison burger was really delicious. I tasted my husband's venison sausage and I have to confess it was the best sausage I have ever ate. The spices were not overwhelming and I would never guess that ginger was one of its main ingredients. Finally, my barbecue chicken was very delicious. The barbecue sauce reminded me of my mother's sauce. The potato salad was very delicious and home-style. My friends and husband commented on the coleslaw as well.
As we were leaving the restaurant I noticed a framed newspaper clipping on the wall. It said the chef was a former White House chef Peter Stogbuchner of Austrian origin. No wonder: the quality of the food was superb.