Virginia Road Food

[hazardnc]

I will be making a road trip to Philly in a couple of weeks and would love a suggestion for good road food in VA anywhere from Roanoke to Winchester.

[scottie]

I think White's Truck Stop is your best bet!

There's a decent coffee shop right off the road in Harrisonburg- a Virginia chain called Daily Grind, it's even on the food options billboard at the exit.

If you're willing to go off of 81 into Roanoke, there's a food court downtown that has some interesting choices- bbq, Greek, Asian, sushi, all locally owned and operated, no chains.

[Busboy]

Lotta good stuff in this thread, from gourmet to grits (not that they're mutually exclusive).

[hazardnc]

Hot damn! Thanks for the tips and the link to the thread. Now, I have to choose ...

[bigboss]

I will be making a road trip to Philly in a couple of weeks and would love a suggestion for good road food in VA anywhere from Roanoke to Winchester.

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I hope that you have not already left for your trip, because I actually have some dining tips for that stretch of road. I used to live out in the Shenandoah Valley about eight years ago, where I worked for a chef named Lucio. I last heard that he opened a new restaurant, most likely eponymous, in Culpeper, Va. It can't be too hard to find with a little web searching. Also, my friend recently moved back to West Virginia to manage his family's inn and restaurant. It's called the Bavarian Inn and is just off I-81. I think there is a website you can visit for a preview and directions.

[Malawry]

The Bavarian Inn is a good 20 minutes or so off of I-81, in Shepherdstown, WV. Shepherdstown is a great little town worth exploring. I have not dined at the Bavarian Inn, but you can check out their website here.

[chefseanbrock]

stop by my grandmother's house

[douginvirginia]

Regardless of what you read, or hear, do not go to Mrs. Rowes - exit 222 in Staunton. Since she passed away, the place has deteriorated to a shadow of its former greatness.

I'd go along with the Southern Kitchen in New Market - exit 264. No longer real mashed potatoes, but everything thing else is nice. And, it's a time warp, which I suspect you're looking for. Fried chicken is especially good, but you may have to wait for it if you're there at lunch time.

[Malawry]

Thanks for the tip on Mrs Rowe's, Doug. We take I-81 when we visit my parents in NC and noticed the restaurant on our last return trip...I was thinking of trying it next time 'round, but if it sucks why bother.

[hazardnc]

I will be making a road trip to Philly in a couple of weeks and would love a suggestion for good road food in VA anywhere from Roanoke to Winchester.

←

I hope that you have not already left for your trip, because I actually have some dining tips for that stretch of road. I used to live out in the Shenandoah Valley about eight years ago, where I worked for a chef named Lucio. I last heard that he opened a new restaurant, most likely eponymous, in Culpeper, Va. It can't be too hard to find with a little web searching. Also, my friend recently moved back to West Virginia to manage his family's inn and restaurant. It's called the Bavarian Inn and is just off I-81. I think there is a website you can visit for a preview and directions.

←

Here is a link to a restaurant list - sure enough,Lucio has a restaurant, though no website Culpeper

We leave on Saturday morning. I imagine we will be searching for lunch by the time we hit that section of Virginia. I wonder if they do lunch?

Edited March 21, 2006 by hazardnc (log)

[douginvirginia]

Hazard, Culpeper is great but be aware that it's about 1.25 hours off of I-81. You could continue on to Philadelphia via I-95, but would want to time it to avoid the DC area rush hour which can begins as early as 3:30. Ooops - just remebered you said Saturday - DC traffic shouldn't be too bad.

Malawry, look here: http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11743

Very sad, as this was one of my favorites for over 30 years - until about 5 years ago.

[kendrabail]

I would definitely hit Mrs. Rowe's in Staunton (saw that mentioned in a previous post). Make sure to try their chocolate meringue pie. It's to die for!

Also, they do a great vegetable plate-- a nice lunch option.

[s'kat]

If barbecue is your thing, try Three Lil' Pigs, in the Troutville area. I did a little write-up of it here.