I'm a big fan of locally-sourced and organic food, and I especially love when restaurants incorporate these items into their menu. Several restaurants in Leesburg are starting to do this, including The Wine Kitchen. In addition to offering a selection of delicious Virginia wines, The Wine Kitchen has partnered with local farms and other businesses to offer fresh, local food. Their desserts come from Sweetz bakery, and you can find a variety of seasonal menu items from Ayrshire Farm, Tuscarora Co-Op, and Martin's Angus beef, among other places. The Wine Kitchen keeps their menu small and …

The Exchange is another one of those businesses that I pass by daily and have never visited. It's always intrigued me though, and every time I pass it on Market Street I look to see what new things are displayed outside: planters, a charming old bicycle, art. There's always something eye-catching. The actual store is an old house, so you can go room to room looking at all of the different offerings.The front has tons of vintage costume jewelry (the vintage clip-on earrings in particular were fun to look at), as well as some nicer pieces. You can also find handbags that range from a modern …

I first heard about Lou Lou's right after I moved back to town a couple of years ago. My friend's sister was getting married and needed a brooch for her wedding dress. The bridal shop, of course, wanted to sell her one that was ridiculously overpriced and not really what the bride had in mind. So she went straight to Lou Lou's and got something inexpensive that she loved. Stories like that are what I usually hear about Lou Lou's: someone needs a funky pair of earrings, or a fascinator for the Gold Cup, so they head straight there and generally find exactly what they need. It's not hard to see…

This week's post was inspired by a Facebook conversation that I recently had. A friend of mine was cleaning out her house and posted that she had taken five bags of clothes and shoes to a nearby Planet Aid box. While her heart was in the right place, those donated items aren't doing anyone any good. The only people that Planet Aid helps is themselves. So because I'm not afraid to be service-y, I figured I'd use this week's column to talk about my favorite place to donate: Hope's Treasures. Hope's Treasures is part of the Good Shepherd Alliance, which, according to their website, "exists to …

I'm always on the hunt for a good breakfast place. Actually, I should amend that to say I'm always on the hunt for a good, cheap breakfast place. I can make eggs, you guys. I'm not going to pay $14 for someone to do it for me. During my daily downtown Leesburg travels, I often pass by Puccio's Deli. If it's not 115 degrees outside, the front porch is always packed with folks enjoying New York-themed sandwiches like the DeNiro or the Penn Station. Puccio's was so constantly packed, in fact, that I figured I had to be missing out on something good. Luckily, they've posted their extensive menu …

I'm ashamed to admit this, but despite having first moved to Loudoun County in 1990, I had never set foot in The Loudoun Museum before this week. I never happened to have any field trips there when I was in school, and as an adult I had just never gotten around to it. However, after passing by so many times as I walk downtown, I decided that now was the time to see a little piece of Loudoun's history. The museum, located near the parking garage on Loudoun Street, is smaller than it appears. This is mainly because only the first floor in the two-story building has exhibits, with the second …

Although Mom's Apple Pies was founded in 1981, it wasn't until 1998 or so that I first tried one of their delicious pies. I was working at the Leesburg Restaurant at the time, and the owner made them our pie supplier. Initially, I was unfazed by this development, as I had always been firmly entrenched on the side of Team Cake. However, when you work in a restaurant, there are always those nights when you need to eat the last piece of pie so you can put the new one out, and it was a night like that when I fell in love. My main beef with pie is that I'm not a big fan of pie crust. It's usually …

I'm terrible at keeping my car clean. Receipts, makeup, baby clothes and who knows what else litter the inside of my car, while the outside looks as if it survived The Dust Bowl. Recently, however, I decided that enough was enough and took my car to get washed at the only place I've ever consistently returned to, Station Auto Wash. When I first moved back to Loudoun, I went to Station on a whim because I needed to get my car detailed. For about 1oo bucks, it came back to me looking as if it had just come off of the showroom floor - and that's after six months of nearly bi-weekly trips from …

One of the things that makes me glad I moved back to Leesburg after I started my family is that the town has so much more to offer now than it did when I was growing up here. Expansion obviously has its drawbacks, but as a mom, I love having a variety of activities that I can do with my son on a weekly basis. Last summer, the A.V. Symington Aquatic Center shot to the top of our list of things to do. A water park isn't something I'd ever thought I'd see in Leesburg, but here it is - and it's amazing. A.V. Symington is set up in such a way that kids of all ages (and adults) can find age-…

As someone who has worked in advertising and marketing, I always like to make a note of what works. Last Saturday, a simple sign worked for me: It advertised "The Best Breakfast in Leesburg" at Deli South. 30 minutes later, I was placing my order. I don't know why Deli South wasn't on my radar; it's been in Leesburg for years. I'm glad I rediscovered it though, because Leesburg has a real lack of inexpensive breakfast options that aren't fast food. Now, I have a new place to go every Saturday after I stop by the Farmer's Market for my Cooking Locally column. With a large amount of indoor …

When I think of pizza in Leesburg, I think of Giovanni's. When my family moved here in 1990, we lived close to its Market Street location, so it was a frequent dinner spot. It was much different back then; at only half the size, it was a takeout place. Sure, there were a couple of cracked vinyl booths, but people only really stayed if they were just getting a slice. Mainly you stopped in, got some food and took it home. When Giovanni's took over the unit next to them and expanded, they became a family destination. Serving delicious, authentic NY-style pizza at a reasonable price, Giovanni's …

Sometimes you just want to go into a store that smells good and sells pretty things and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you've had a stressful day at work, and that's what you're after, I highly recommend Rouge in downtown Leesburg. Stepping into Rouge is instantly relaxing. Even if you're just stopping in to pick up your favorite shampoo, it feels like a treat. Owner Anita Henry cultivates this feeling by catering to her regulars; stocking what they like, and having items ready for them. But she also is great with newcomers and is quick with a recommendation. My favorite thing…

There are few Leesburg businesses more iconic than Tally Ho Theatre. The tiny twin screen certainly isn't going to win any awards for best technology, but its charm and ambiance keeps it in business (and the great deals certainly don't hurt). Anyone who has grown up in Leesburg or Loudoun County likely has memories of this institution, and I'm no exception. My very first kiss took place in this theater, during the very, uh, romantic Nicolas Cage vehicle, Guarding Tess. In high school, many of my friends worked there, so we would always get to go to places where the general public wasn't …

I've been writing for Leesburg Patch since its launch, and in that time several people have suggested that I write about Palio in downtown Leesburg. They raved about the food, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because honestly, I had a terrible experience there. I went last summer for dinner, and after 45 minutes of sitting at our table without even a drink order being taken, I left. As a former waitress, that's not something I take lightly. I didn't want to write about Palio because I figured, if I didn't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all. Luckily, there was …

One of Market Station's newer arrivals is Jasmine Chinese Cuisine & Sushi. Located catty corner from South Street Under, Jasmine is among the best restaurants in town, with consistently high-quality food and a friendly staff. I've been going there pretty regularly since I moved back in the area about two years ago, and I've never had anything approaching a bad experience there. They have a larger menu than many Chinese food restaurants and everything always tastes fresh. In addition to their large dining room, Jasmine also has an adjacent sushi bar. If you're with folks who want to get a …

If you've ever been to Tuscarora Mill Restaurant and had the bread, you know that it's certainly among the best in town. That's why South Street Under is such a brilliant idea: it's basically a way to take the fantastic bread that the bakers at Tuskie's were already making and sell it directly to customers. Of course, while the bread is still the star, South Street Under has turned into so much more than a bakery: it's one of the hottest lunch spots for downtown workers - especially when the weather is nice. Now that it's spring, the colorful umbrellas are unfurled on South Steet's extensive …

I'll admit it: I don't really care about football. Now that we have that out of the way, I suppose I should also admit that until recently, I had no idea who Chris Cooley was. My sister mentioned that he was friends with her neighbor, but I remembered him being a hockey player for the Caps, not a football player for the Redskins. However, when I heard about The Cooley Gallery opening in downtown Leesburg, I was intrigued. I don't know of many football players who open art galleries, so I did a little research. According to the gallery's website, Cooley was an art major in college, and …

I've previously written about Ida Lee Park Recreation Center in this space, but this week I decided a second look was in order. Last time, I wrote about Ida Lee from a parenting perspective: how nice it was to have a place to go swim with my son during the long, long (oh, so long) winter months. This time, I'm going to talk about going there to work out. Ida Lee recently bought a host of brand new state-of-the-art cardio equipment that rivals any private gym. There are five new pieces of equipment: the PreCor elliptical cross-trainer, the 95T Inspire treadmill, the 95R Recumbent bike, the 95C…

Even though downtown Leesburg is chock full of antique stores, I'm not sure I've actually been in any (at least not since high school when my friend worked in one that is long gone). When I was growing up here, antique stores were basically the antithesis of fun: dusty furniture and knick-knacks that reminded me of old people and looked as though they would break if I stared at them too hard. Of course, as I've gotten older, my opinions on the matter have changed somewhat (as have my opinions on talk radio and the volume on the television). While I still don't have a deep abiding appreciation…

Who doesn't love cupcakes? They're one of my favorite desserts to make, and they're my new go-to at birthday time, especially for kids. Everything is so neat and contained. Plus, I'm a terrible cake cutter, so making cupcakes allows me to avoid getting made fun of for my poor knife skills. Lola's Cookies and Treats in Downtown Leesburg is a place I've been meaning to try for ages. I didn't know much about them except for the fact that they make cookies and cute cupcakes. But really, what more do you need? I stopped in this week with the aim of getting a taste of what they have to offer. I …