Maude and the Bear is in a 1926 Montgomery Ward kit house and run by Chef Ian Boden and a marvelous team.   They offer a 5 course tasting menu in the main dining rooms but hold out until you can get one of the 4 seats for the Kitchen Table (posted a couple days ago) , where you’ll enjoy 12-20 courses in a blind tasting.  The place has a full bar which also serves food, so I’ve included the menu from the regular tasting as well as the bar here.  Staunton is a small town but it had a surprising number of fun attractions a few minutes from the place and if you want to venture futher, there’s the Blue Ridge Parkway to ride.  You only can get their 3-course breakfast if you stay there (except on Sunday when there’s more).  Our first breakfast was prepared and served by Chef Boden and our second one was by Chef de Cuisine Matthew Beck.  Both were wonderful and creative compared to what you get at most B & Bs.  Boden’s wife Leslie decorated the 3 guest rooms and equips them with lots of ammenities, snacks and beverages.  The Boden’s are delightful hosts and I know you’d enjoy this as a weekend getaway, I sure did.

Set-up

 

Food

Our first breakfast started with local strawberries with camembert cheese, rhubarb, bits of spruce and beets.  The beets had been dehydrated and re-hydrated several times until they get a lovely chewy texture.  Reminded me slightly of dates, in that their flavor also got sweetened in the process.  The strawberries had the sweet to contrast with the tarter rhubarb.  A nice combination of flavors here.

 

Goat yogurt was topped with housemade granola, sourdough croutons, citrus and lemon verbena.  This was a fun mix of crunch, sweet, tart and creamy.  Good contrasts of nice flavors.

 

Matzah bread was soaked in egg and milk like a French toast then mixed with scrambled eggs and garnished with ramps and sour cream.  This one had a mild but very pleasant flavor with lots of texture.  I cleaned my bowl.

 

Our second breakfast  started with a bowl of vegetables mixed with fruit.  Included were brocolini, mandarinquats, roasted sunflower seed, garlic and duck fat schmaltz.  A very colorful bowl of food with tasty interactions of the ingredients- lots of flavor here.

 

Next was a throwback to Beck’s childhood with Mickey Mouse pancakes topped with Earl Gray meringue, dark chocolate, and roasted strawberries.  Yummy – the ricotta pancake was light and perfectly cooked.  Another dish of visual treats and fun flavors.

 

Soft scrambled eggs were mixed with white fish roe, crispy onion, whipped butternut squash, and fermented leek.  Wow, what a great combination.  This was really good.