Notes from Virginia

Mrs. JiLS and I returned from our trip to the Old Dominion yesterday, and while dining was not tops on our agenda (for me it was more about the trip down memory lane, visiting William & Mary for the first time in 18 years), we did have a few noteworthy dining experiences, to wit:

Third Street Diner, Richmond
Mrs. JiLS tested the waters at this nifty establishment the Friday morning following our arrival, as I was trapped in the hotel room with work. I made it over with her on Saturday. Like every third business in Richmond, the Diner is housed in a Civil War landmark; in this instance, a war hospital that had a morgue in the basement. Funky decor, 24-hour service and they have a full bar. Breakfast was decent enough; very good grits and biscuits that were what I keep pining for here (viz my encomium to the biscuits of Kuma's Corner, which as special as they are for Chicago don't hold a candle to those that are served very casually and matter-of-fact at Third Street and a thousand other places in Virginia). This also marked the beginning of my Smithfield ham odyssey; when I was last in the Commonwealth, I was a vegetarian (with occasional lapses for Pierce's Pitt Barbecue) and therefore had not sampled Smithfield ham before. This was remedied on this vacation, in spades. That which I tried at Third Street was actually the least enjoyable of the lot, primarily because they had overcooked it on the grill. But the funky, salty, smokey flavor won me over in an instant.

Rosie Rumpe's Regal Dump
Saturday night in Williamsburg found us at this, the most amazing participatory dinner theater imaginable. Sui generis, it truly defies description -- but it was a blast. Housed in one of the 10,000 pancake houses along Richmond Road (my note to Mrs. JiLS when leaving Colonial Williamsburg and venturing out to the Richmond Road strip: "Here is the real Williamsburg. Mile after mile of pancake houses.") The dinner theater takes over after hours; they clean it up and put it back in order for the breakfast crowds the next morning. Don't know what else to say about Rosie Rumpe's except to recommend you go and drink heavily; it's about the only nightlife available in Williamsburg. Here is their website. Really a lot of fun, excellent actors, food sucks (as you would expect), EXCEPT the little bowl of bread pudding served at the end; that was great.

King's Arms
Sunday came and we had to do it; never could afford this place as a student (and wouldn't have gone anyway, as everything here is loaded with meat). The King's Arms is one of several recreated colonial taverns in Colonial Williamsburg. The setting is beautiful, they light with only candles so the room grows dark and cozy through your meal, traditional musicians play traditional pieces, and of course the staff are dressed in colonial garb. The food is so-so. We had the traditional "Tavern Dinner" consisting of peanut soup (basically chicken broth and peanut butter; pretty good, really); fried chicken and Smithfield ham (this version was very mild and sliced thin, like prosciutto); and sides, including samples of cured corn, pickled watermelon rind, bean salad and other items that would have been served regularly "in the day." Not a meal I would ever repeat, but it was good to do just to say I'd done it.

Mama Steve's Pancake House
Our last meal in Williamsburg, we hit the most classic of all the Williamsburg pancake houses, Mama Steve's. In operation about 40 years, Mama Steve's gets my highest praise. In many ways, they remind me of the various incarnations of Walker Bros./Original Pancake House here, without the absurd prices and equally absurd waiting times. In Williamsburg, where the houses of pancakes outnumber the houses of worship, getting them in, fed, happy and out -- as quickly (but graciously) as possible -- makes the difference. And the competition keeps the prices in check. For example, I had a platter consisting of two eggs, grits, a HUGE steak of Smithfield ham and four silver dollar pancakes (which are as you might expect in the pancake Mecca, extraordinary) for $8.50. And this was without question the best of the Smithfield hams I enjoyed on this trip; extraordinarily smoky, funky (in the way a ham will get when you hang it up for six months) and abundant, this one was sliced thick at one end and thin at the other, which showed off a range of textures and flavors this ham can deliver (more mild at the thick end, with the smoke dominating; more pungent, chewy and funky at the thin end, that cooks up deep devil red). Yea! for Mama Steve's; that meal really sent us off in style.

(Note to Willamsburg afficianado's: We also had sandwiches at the Cheese Shop (now relocated to D.O.G. Street) and drank beer at the Green Leafe "deli" (the polite euphemism employed in Williamsburg for the very few bars they permit to operate). We also tried going into a new "martini bar" with live jazz, very classy, called A. Carroll's; but we got there at 11:20 and were told last call was in 10 minutes. That's Williamsburg for you!)

I guess that since the topic is the Old Dominion, I would like to comment on my hits and misses.

Rawlin's Little Pig BBQ, W. Washington, Petersburg, VA

I had this frail little old lady visit the hospital cafeteria in Petersburg in 1982-83 on a weekly basis. She would order all of the food that was easy to chew and we would occasionally strike up a conversation. She invited me to her family restaurant.

The Little Pig in a small BBQ shack about 3 miles west of Petersburg's historic district. It has six picnic tables and serves a smoked pulled pork that is prepared behind the restaurant. It is served with a mustard based sauce that compliments the smokiness. I asked the lady's son for the recipe in 1982 and he asked me when I was going to marry his daughter. So it remains a secret.

12 oz of BBQ and 2 sides and a drink, which is the special will set you back $5.50. And don't ask for a Coke because in Petersburg, they don't serve it.

The high point of the visit was a chance to see a picture of Ms. Rawlings, one of the true examples of Southern hospitality, May she rest in peace.


Michie Tavern, Charlottesville

After visiting Monticello, we decided to visit this restaurant which offered "traditional Colonial favorites." I interpreted that as food that Thomas Jefferson might have had. Wrong. They serve a buffet of fried chicken, pulled pork BBQ, blackeyed peas and a variety of southern favorites.

The tavern itself is scenic and the food is certainly solid, if not spectacular. As we had a few children with us, it was a good place to stop.


LaSiesta Restaurant, Richmond, VA

You can do a lot worse, I guess. The food was pretty much what you would expect in a family restaurant.

However, it was pretty much of a disappointment. Nothing was served correctly. We ordered a taco salad with steak and get ground beef and ordered a shrimp and scallop quesadilla and get tacos instead.

Really disorganized. They would not last in Chicago but the seafood was very well done.

Ukrop's Supermarket, Richmond

Ukrops is always mentioned in the same breath as Wegmans and Byerly and Dierbergs. I will admit that they are an oasis of quality groceries in a place that would be begging for a Kroger's. However, the store we visited in Midlothian was not all that impressive - except for the prices.


Edelweiss Restaurant, Staunton

I took my wife there for our 1st anniversary and we returned for our 21st last week.

The place serves solid German food, better than Burghoff's, and has very good service. On weekends, they have an accordian player that does a nice job of entertaining without being the center of attention.

There is nothing on the menu that is really unusual - I had the wienerschnitzel which was well prepared. The sausages were also pretty good. All sides are served family style and are authentic.