Dinner at Kybecca in Fredericksburg

We celebrated my birthday right properly while on our getaway last weekend. For us, celebrating always means good food and we took to the streets of Fredericksburg to find a delicious meal. We strolled into Kybecca in the afternoon hoping for a warming libation and were quickly talked into returning later for their three course restaurant week menu.
Kybecca has an excellent bar program with one of the widest arrays of liquors I’ve seen in a while, creative cocktails and affordable wines by the bottle. Staying true to ourselves, we went with the latter choosing this wonderful bottle of 6 Sombreros Tempranillo from 2006. Because of the vintage, we had it decanted, which automatically raises the celebratory levels a few notches.
It’s hard to pick a wine that will be versatile enough for a multi-course meal but this was and excellent pairing for almost every dish. I highly recommend checking it out if you see it at your local wine store or on a wine list.
We’d already decided on what to order during our visit earlier in the day so the food started rolling out quickly.
I opted for the moo shoo pork with fried moo shoo pancake, ginger braised pork, cabbage, hoisin and peanuts. There was a ton of flavor in this dish and the pork was cooked perfectly, but the moo shoo pancake was chewier than I would have preferred.
Tom chose the pimento cheese fritters with roasted pepper jam and parmesan.
So good. I mean, fried cheese is one of the world’s greatest accomplishments but fried pimento cheese is even better. These had a hint of spice, balanced by the sweetness of the pepper jam and the pea shoots on top added just a touch of earthiness that took it to a whole other level. I’m kicking myself for only having half of one instead of pulling the birthday card and eating the whole plate.
The salad I was interested in for our second course had sold out, so both Tom and I had the potato leek puree with Edwards ham. We were still cold from wandering around in the 20 degree weather all day so this was certainly soup for the soul, thick and creamy and oh so decadent.
For my entrée I chose the 24 hour pork with butternut puree, arugula, brown mustard vinaigrette and raspberry gel. It was a good dish, but the ingredients felt a bit disjointed.
As so often happens, I preferred Tom’s choice, the 36 hour chuck roast with Yukon mash, snow peas and a tamarind demi glace.
Some of the chuck was a little fattier than either of us would prefer, but the sides were a lot more cohesive than my dish. As much as I love vegetarian fare and exotic food, I must admit that at heart I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I am from Oklahoma after all.
We were definitely full by this point, but a birthday dessert had to happen. This nutella pot de creme was perfectly indulgent and a great way to celebrate turning 30.
With the two feet of snow we’re predicted to get in DC this weekend, I find myself wishing I had a refrigerator full of these little beauties in which to drown my cold weather, snowed in sorrows. But it’s probably for the best that I do not, since the gym is closed all weekend. And looking back at this meal, I realize I could probably use a salad or two stat.
Overindulgence aside, Kybecca was a great choice for a celebratory meal but without the special occasion price. Restaurant week in Fredericksburg is an excellent deal running at $20.16 for three course dinners (compared to $35 in DC). As you can see, it’s a LOT of food for a low price. The deal runs through the 25th if you’re in the area and Kybecca is extending their restaurant week specials through the 29th!