story and photos by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi –
Lottsburg is one of those quaint villages that if you blink passing through you might miss it.
What you don’t want to miss is Cygnets restaurant smack in the middle of the village. The building, originally Watkins General Store, circa 1921, has served as a cafe/coffeehouse and multiple thrift stores over the past decade or two. Keith and Holly Swann transformed the vacant building into a restaurant last year, opening to serve lunch and dinner in August 2021.
The couple moved to the Northern Neck from North Carolina in 2008. Keith brings 35 years experience to the establishment. He’s done it all from washing dishes to tending bar. He’s opened several different restaurants, said Holly, but this is the first he’s owned.
“Ours is an American [cuisine] restaurant, not a seafood restaurant,” said Holly. “There are already enough of those in this area. We wanted to cater to a larger group of people with a wider selection. We offer small and light and inexpensive dishes to more substantial dishes like steaks.”
However, there are several seafood dishes on the menu and when local catches like fish, crab and oysters are in season, you’ll find those options as specials.
On a couples’ date night a few weeks ago, we headed to Lottsburg to see what all the squawking was about.
After all, the restaurant’s tagline is ‘eat, drink, and squawk!’
I scanned the drink menu for an aperitif that caught my eye. Didn’t have to peruse it too long. The first one did it with its name—Twisted Swann Martini—and description—tequila, amaretto and raspberry liqueur. My husband settled on the Raspberry Spiked Lemonade.
Both were too pretty to drink, but we did! They were sweet and smooth.
My husband is a lover of raw, or almost raw, fish. I, on the other hand, am not. I even opt for the cooked sushi options at the Thai restaurant. So he wanted to try the sesame seed encrusted ahi tuna appetizer, which was also almost too pretty to eat. The fish was paired with peanut noodles and a spring mix. My husband said the fish almost “melted in your mouth.” I’ll take his word that it was delicious.
I opted for the special appetizer that night, which was a hot crab dip served with the best pita points I’ve ever eaten. They were house made, fried light and crunchy. And the dip, despite the early season for crabs, was creamy and full of crabmeat.
The main course was a hard choice. I peeked at the plates of other diners and saw a heaping helping of chicken salad, made with almonds and grapes, on a crescent roll served to one. Another got a fried fish sandwich. I was intrigued by the Cygnature Cuban but instead went with a customer favorite, Cygnets Style Shrimp and Grits, which included a generous portion of shrimp and slivers of andouille sausage with a little bit of heat.
My husband had what he said was a perfectly cooked sirloin, tender and juicy, and our other dining companion opted for the Cygnet Imposter. It’s also a customer favorite, according to Holly. And the dish can be ordered as an entree or sandwich. The imposter is a grilled chicken breast smothered in provolone cheese, bacon and a tomato relish. As a sandwich the imposter is served with lettuce and tomato, instead of the relish, on a ciabatta bun.
Although I hardly had room for it, I asked our server, Channing, about dessert. The options included a chocolate swirl cheesecake and a key lime pie, both of which are staples on the dessert menu. The cheesecake flavors change weekly and the cakes themselves are homemade by Kelly’s Famous Cheesecakes in Heathsville. Holly told me the key lime pies are bought from a distributor but come straight from Florida. Coconut cream pies, from Michelle’s Sweet Treats in Warsaw, are also always on the menu. Keith sometimes throws in a cake option or two.
One thing’s for sure, none of us left hungry. And we have lots to squawk about!
