Thomas Jefferson often boasted of the bounty from his garden and once joked of his extreme love of vegetables by saying, “I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetables which constitute my principal diet.” For that reason—we think he would wholeheartedly support the decision to expand the menus at our historic taverns!
We know that when you’re on vacation, one of the toughest decisions is settling on where to eat. With so many different palates, preferences, and in some cases dietary restrictions—finding a restaurant that accommodates the whole family can be a challenge. Our tavern chefs say—challenge accepted! Chefs from Chowning’s, King’s Arms, Shields, and Christiana Campbell’s are busy working to add fresh new vegetarian options to the historic area just in time for our busiest season.
Executive Chef of Colonial Williamsburg Rhys Lewis wants to get out the message: Colonial Williamsburg has dining options for everyone! That’s why he has personally challenged the chefs and managers at each tavern to experiment with fresh ingredients and develop satisfying vegetarian and gluten-free dishes that are packed with complex flavors. Lucky for us, we were included in one of their recent culinary brainstorming sessions.
From the moment we walked into the kitchen, it felt like an episode of Top Chef. An array of soups, salads, and entrees was spread out in front of us as all of the chefs lined up to explain the ingredients and inspiration behind their dishes. While my affinity for fresh herbs and vegetables has grown over the years, I am admittedly more of a steak and potatoes kind of girl. Therefore, big flavor moments for me tend to happen whenever bacon and scallops are involved. But I was honestly blown away by the intense flavor combinations our chefs showcased! From the hummus croquette to the stuffed collard greens to the butternut squash soup, each dish impressed us in a different way.
However, in our minds, there was definitely a clear front-runner. The above “veggie stack” included slices of eggplant, red tomato, crispy butternut squash, green tomato, and a bottom layer of Basmati rice. An amazing goat cheese spread was the glue that held this masterpiece together. Other fresh ingredients included celeriac root, garlic, purple rainbow carrots, and red lentils (for texture and protein). The heat from the vegetables melted through to give flavor with each bite and you could definitely catch the Indian influence with spices like turmeric and cumin. It was topped off with a tomato spinach sauce that added a nice pop of color to the final presentation.
While all of our taverns currently offer some vegetarian options, each will start offering weekly specials like these, starting April 1. Here’s a mouth-watering slideshow of all the dishes we sampled. I hope some of them make the cut so you get to try them too!
Tell us, would you like more vegetarian options on our tavern menus? What’s your favorite item to order when you visit us?
Please more Gluten Free. Unlike vegetarian or vegan, Celiac’s is not a lifestyle choice. It truly makes travel very hard. I have found that you already use some cornstarch in some of your soups and chowders and have found selections I can eat-no breads, too bad there are some good ones out there and a Lady in Kansas makes the best possible gluten free pizza crusts-for sale; since both of her children have Celiac’s.
Our forefathers would not have wasted wheat flour on soup or sauces, they used corn starch or let it cook down! So PLEASE more Gluten Free.
My grandparents have been coming to the Taverns around Christmastime every year they have been married (50 years!) When the grandchildren were old enough, they took us as well. Going to the tavern each year is the highlight of my holiday and I look forward to it every year. This year, I went vegan, and no longer eat meat, dairy, or eggs. I’m excited to find this article and would like to hear back as to wether these dishes are available as vegan options and will they be served by december? Would it be appropriate and polite of me to call in advance and speak to someone about my dietary preferences? Thank you in advance!
Rachael - We definitely recommend that you call in advance! Our chefs would be more than happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
John Hansen says
ike more vegetarian options on our tavern menus? Yes but I do not see them on the menus on your web site. Try for Vegan!!! I have not been going to the taverns because of all meat dishes.
Nice of you to think of the veggie population. My issue is LACTOSE, and y’all in my experience fumbled around any time I appeared. If you have that fixed, I would like to hear. If not, what’s the plan folks? Mine is a much more REAL problem.
Tee, I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences in the past. Our tavern chefs consider any and every dietary restriction a priority and our staff will be more than happy to accommodate. If you know which tavern you’ll be visiting, you may also want to call ahead to make them aware of your lactose intolerance. We also have all of our tavern menus posted online at http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com if you’d like to check them in advance.
I eat very low carb no sugar no starch for health reasons. Perhaps you could also add that option as a possibility. It wouldn’t be that difficult but would leave out many of the vegetables you’re using in the recipes shown above. There are many of us who follow this way of eating, and I’m certain it would be cost effective for you and delicious for us!
Thank you.
Oscar, our chefs, both in the Historic Area and in our hotels would be happy to accommodate your special dietary needs. I will pass along your suggestion and in the meantime, if you don’t see an option on the menu that works for you, please pass along the request to your server who will notify the chef!
Thanks!! We love the taverns but stopped eating in them when we went plant based two years ago. Looks like dinner will be back on property with atmosphere we love!!!!! Bravo!!!
Yes, Charlie! Not only do they have vegetarian options on their current menus, there will be a NEW weekly special offered at each tavern to keep up with what’s in season, Please, let us know what you think after your next visit.
More vegetarian options? Absolutely! When restaurants make the effort to create and serve really good vegetarian options everyone will enjoy them. The ones shown here look delightful- would love to try them all. As a vegetarian of many years I really wish to thank you for making this effort!
Thank you for sharing your feedback Carroll. We hope you enjoy the dishes as much as we did!
Wonderful! And Mr. Jefferson was certainly ahead of his time when it came to food, as with most things! 😉
Indeed he was! I love that he was also such a wine connoisseur. 🙂
Our oldest daughter, a teen, is gluten and dairy intolerant. We visited this summer and did okay, but little options for both issues. Making the effort to help those with food issues is appreciated!
Danelle, we hope you’ll come back to visit and let us know what you think of the new offerings!
I have always been delighted that every tavern always seems to have a vegetarian option for my kind, especially since such options are often hard to come by in other places, but I am delighted by the news that you are actively pursuing new dishes to delight our senses. I will forever be a Williamsburg lover and frequent visitor, so please keep up the awesome! Btw, I enjoy Shields, but King’s Arms is my favorite, so please add something fabulous to their menu…preferably before mid April…just saying…thanks 😉
Abigail - I’m told all of the taverns are likely moving toward these new weekly specials!
My sister & I have driven from Michigan to Williamsburg at least once (sometimes twice) a year for the past 55 years. It is different each time & we never run out of thingsto do, new treasures to be seen or places to eat. Just made our reservation for Oct. Love your webcams. Also love your blog. They’re the next best thing to being there.
Gail - we hope you get to see us again soon. If you haven’t been in the spring, you’d love the gardens and our adorable lambs. Thank you for reading and supporting our blog!
Thank You! I am gluten free (for medical reasons) and my friend is vegetarian, so eating out can be a challenge. Thank you for offering delicious entrees that we can both enjoy.
You’re welcome, Mary. Our tavern chefs are so talented and I have a feeling these new additions are going to be a big hit. If you visit, please let us know what you think!