Dinner at Wawa? A gas station? With week-old hot dogs spinning on the counter display? No, dinner at Wawa with some of the best hand cut sandwiches in town. I didn’t know much about Wawa, except they had a weird name. I figured the first born of one of the owners cried, “wah-wah” and they used that name instead of Shell or Amoco. But when Wawa came to town a few months ago, they … [Read more...]

    (Ava Pippin at Lola’s Farmhouse Bistro)   By Sherman Shifflett   Generally, I ask my good friend, Ava Pippin, where she wants to eat on her birthday. For the last 12 or 14 years, she has requested Lowery's Seafood Restaurant in Tappahannock. It's nearly a two-hour drive from Louisa. From Lowery's, she had to travel another hour to Fredericksburg for … [Read more...]

I had heard about Five Guys, that they made great burgers, and I stopped by their restaurant at Holllymead Town Center when they first opened. I was pretty hungry and ordered two “regular” cheeseburgers and some fries. They brought me two giant, double cheeseburgers - it was a half of a steer and two counties worth of French Fries from Idaho. I couldn’t eat it all. Not only does Five Guys give you … [Read more...]

After my last (and I mean my last) colonoscopy, and because of a delay in the OR assembly line, I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours. I was still a little groggy when Nancy picked me up and I was starving. She asked what and where I wanted to eat. When you’re really hungry, for me it’s Riverside. Some make fatter burgers, some have fancier toppings, some may use pricier cuts of beef, but nobody … [Read more...]

  Some say there is such a thing as “Authentic Mexican” food. Not being an expert, I really couldn’t say. I enjoy Mexican cuisine, but my wife Nancy is a rabid fan -assuming we eat out. She’s not that crazy about my Mexican creations. Most of all,  she enjoys the food at Guadalajara. This long established Mexican restaurant has really good food, the décor is fun, the service is … [Read more...]

  I always thought of Fried Pickles as “Fair Food” – like Elephant Ears and  Corn Dogs. But more and more, restaurants are adding these delicious appetizers to their menus. Nancy and I made a last minute decision to  eat out last night, and chose “The Loud Place” – Texas Roadhouse. And it was loud – at least three birthdays and lots of “Ya-hoos.” I saw the Fried Pickles as an … [Read more...]

  The restaurants are now wide open – no masks, no social distancing and no restrictions, except for the lack of enough good employees due to our government paying people more to stay home than to go back to work. With service “iffy” at many understaffed restaurants, Nancy and I decided to give Outback another try. Our experience there about 6 weeks ago was phenomenal – excellent … [Read more...]

  My sister Johanna was in town to visit this week and when Wanch (family nickname) comes to Charlottesville, there are two places she eats lunch – Jack’n Jill and Bellair Market on Ivy Road. When our Mom was recuperating at Morningside Assisted Living, both Wanch and I would stop by Bellair Market before our visits. Mom loved their homemade brownies and cookies as well as their unique … [Read more...]

  People are starting to go back to restaurants as the Covid Panic subsides. They may be in for a surprise. Restaurants took a major hit, many didn’t make it, and most lost employees, good employees and they may be slow to return. Expect slow service when you visit a restaurant. We ate at Vivace’s on Ivy Road this week, a great Italian Restaurant. The food was out of sight, but the … [Read more...]