I grew up in Manassas, Va., and still feel a lingering drowsiness when I think of the Civil War and the Virginia towns that are saturated in its history. We never moved much beyond it in class at Stonewall Jackson High School and those battlefield grey images colored my thoughts when a friend suggested Warrenton, a small Virginia town a little bit southwest of Manassas, as a good spot to meet.
I quieted my Civil War resistance to consider that we could time our driveway departures—mine from Silver Spring, Md., and hers from Charlottesville, Va.—and meet for tea within an hour or so. Besides, I could clearly see when I checked out the Warrenton tourism websites that there was more going on than just a town living in the past and romanticizing the “Grey Ghost,” or those glory years under the Confederate flag.
The Red Truck Bakery, for example.
Beautifully fitted into the renovated space of a 1921 Esso filling station with gleaming, glass-fronted cases showcasing muffins and breads.
A long wooden table in the dining room between the store front and kitchen offers an inviting spot to eat while you look out of the former garage doors and enjoy the sight of a 1954 Ford truck, shiny and red-hot—the inspiration, of course, for the bakery’s name. (But here, the war-between-the-states insinuates itself again: The table was made “from beams from a Clarke County barn that was torched by General Philip Sheridan as he marched through the Shenandoah Valley.”)
I recommend the sweet potato soup with coconut milk and curry, but the offering changes daily. I feel sure that every day’s option, made from local ingredients, will be as scrumptious and fragrant.
I left with a buttery piece of cinnamon-laced coffee cake, which I ate at first gingerly, and then voraciously, in the car while I drove home. On a subsequent visit, homemade sandwiches were gone by 1:30 p.m., but the cute girl working there told me that if I had my “heart set on one,” next time I should call ahead and they’ll save it for me.
The bakery’s owner, Brian Noyes, left his big-city life as art director for Smithsonian and, later, Preservation and House and Garden magazines and moved to the country, using his classical training as a chef and baker to make us delicious soups and breads—so go!
A few steps up Main Street toward the handsome courthouse, I found a perfect spot to pause and consider the contributions of John Marshall, the longest serving Chief Justice in U.S. history.
Because there he is, sitting on a giant, imposing chair in his judge’s robe thinking about Marbury v. Madison.
He practiced law in Warrenton as a warm-up to his years on the Supreme Court.
Just past the Chief Justice, step into Jimmie’s Market. Susan Feeley has owned the building for 35 years and told me she updates the interior every 35 years “whether it needs it or not.” So, I found it just recently updated with an eye toward its evolution from market to coffee shop.
The walls are covered with shelves holding antique curiosities and gourmet teas and jams. The eating area (officially called The Madison Tea House) is a former barbershop, the first business owned by an African American after the Civil War.
Mirrors that once reflected caped shoulders and newly shorn heads still line the walls. The mug-shaped shaving brush holders unearthed during a basement renovation line a shelf with other barbershop mementos.
Jimmie’s has a full coffee bar and separate menus for lunch and tea. It’s absolutely filled with charm, character and delicate antique cups. Ask Mrs. Feeley to tell you the story about the freezer.
Further on: art galleries, boutiques, a martini bar, a jazz club (!), some well-regarded restaurants (check out The Iron Bridge Wine Company and Claire’s at the Depot), antique dealers, and places to get things for your horse.
Everyone I spoke with was as kind as the bakery girl at Red Truck. Drive down one day and be charmed by Warrenton.
