The new farm-to-table tasting room and market Oak & Ember has opened in Aldie. The market offers sharable plates, with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and goods, handmade pastas, and wine pairings.
Oak & Ember is located at 39285 Little River Tpk. in Aldie. That’s the site of the former Black Market, which closed in September.
After several days in a soft opening stage, the tasting room and market is now offering a temporary limited menu to the public. The menu features dishes like handmade agnolotti filled with red kuri squash and ricotta, Parmesan truffle fries, and spicy nduja mussels.
Owner Christian Puccio and executive chef Tarek Kipry plan to expand the menu to feature a larger selection of small and medium sharable plates so guests can taste several dishes. The market will also offer products like honey, jams, beef tallow, cheese, and charcuterie from local farmers and producers.
“We’re trying to start a new movement out here for farm-to-table that’s a little different, but it’s different in a good way. Local is everything,” Puccio said.
As a level-one sommelier with over 20 years of restaurant experience, Puccio is also building a robust list of wines by the glass and bottle. Guests can taste several wines with a flight or opt for the recommended wine pairing for each menu item.
Puccio also plans to offer grab-and-go lunch options like sandwiches, salads, and wraps, and a monthly wine box subscription. The subscription, dubbed the Ember Collective, will allow guests to have the Oak & Ember experience at home. The box will include a bottle of wine, a recipe card, and ingredients like handmade pasta, herbs, and sauces.
Seatings are already in demand — weekend dinner reservations at Oak & Ember are booked through Valentine’s Day. Lunches and weekday dinners are still available. Oak & Ember is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
Oak & Ember: 39285 Little River Tpk., Aldie.
Feature image courtesy Oak & Ember
