Scott Mahar grew up in Boston (he wears a Red Sox cap instead of a chef’s hat) and Portland, Maine, and inherited his love of cooking and garden-fresh produce from his Italian grandfather. At 10, he got his first Pasta Queen machine. Now in his own kitchen, Scott makes fresh pasta daily (spaghettini and tagliatelle), not to mention focaccia and just about every sauce, stock and dessert on the menu. He fries his own cannoli shells and fills them with the best ricotta cream—mine came drizzled with honey and candied pecans—I’ve tasted outside of Palermo.
Though Ingrid’s from California (it shows in her wine list—only Italian and California labels), she and Scott met in New Hampshire, where they owned a pub together. After culinary school for Scott (Le Cordon Bleu) and several years in New York and D.C., they decided to settle with their young children in more tranquil Fredericksburg. “We absolutely hated not working together,” says Ingrid of their years in D.C. (she was at the Ritz Carlton, he at the Poste-Moderne Brasserie). “There was no one to bounce ideas off of, no safety net of creativity.”
From the hospitality to the service to the food and wine, it’s evident that the Mahars pour their heart, soul and talent into their Fredericksburg restaurant. Our dinner felt both familiar and surprisingly new: a plate of Italian artisanal cheeses accompanied by crostini and Scott’s trio of jams and chutneys (citrus, caramelized onion, roasted garlic), tagliatelle with a slightly spicy wild boar ragù, fresh and flaky pan-seared cod and the chef’s take on surf ’n’ turf: boneless short ribs braised with a clever Chianti-blueberry barbecue sauce and seared sea scallops on a mound of rustic Parmesan polenta.
We washed it all down, leisurely, with Ingrid’s favorite Italian red (now one of ours)—a Chianti Classico Riserva from Savignola Paolina. No Enomatic card required: This wine, like Mahar’s food, is best hand-poured and enjoyed with friends and family—the slow, Italian way.
Kybecca Wine Bar & Shop
400 William Street, 540.373.3338 or KybeccaWineBar.com
Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen
1000 Charles Street, 540.373.2035 or CiaoPoppyHill.com
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