After a week of stuffing ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, pies and cakes, Nancy and I decided to go out for dinner on Thanksgiving Sunday. I was in the mood for some Fish & Chips and that meant a trip to Bonefish. Fish & Chips is a specialty of the house at Bonefish Grill. Fish and chips, of course, is a dish consisting of battered and fried fish, served … [Read more...]

If you ever see Grouper on the menu at a seafood restaurant. Order it. There is no better eating fish that swims. One of the best meals I’ve had in my life came about 25 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. A group of us went out to eat at The Sandpiper Restaurant– at the time near Gwynn’s Island. The owners were always at the restaurant – the husband at the Front and the wife in … [Read more...]

Nancy said she wanted to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and she had just given me a new stovetop, so what could I say? We chose one of Charlottesville’s most consistently good Mexican restaurants – Guadalajara. Known fondly as The Guad, we have been eating here for years. The prices are more than fair, the service is good, and they always serve more-than-you-can-eat helpings. Nancy … [Read more...]

Anytime Nancy and I are in the Tidewater area of Virginia, we manage to find our way to Bubba’s Seafood Restaurant on Shore Drive, north of Virginia Beach.  Bubba’s is a family-owned restaurant but started as a small bait and tackle shop over 30 years ago. Located on the water in Lynnhaven Inlet, Bubba’s began offering Crab Cakes and other seafood delicacies to their hungry tackle … [Read more...]

A few weeks back, I saw a sign on the old Plaza Azteca Mexican Restaurant in the Seminole Square Shopping Center advising that a new seafood restaurant was on the way. Charlottesville really needs a traditional seafood restaurant. My suspicions were that this would be another of the Low Country Boil restaurants that are springing up everywhere. I prefer my fresh seafood either fried or broiled, … [Read more...]

A few weeks back I wrote about eating Pulled Pork BBQ on hot dog buns, saying that you can get just as much BBQ on the hot dog bun as on a hamburger bun; they’re easier to eat; and the BBQ stays put. My friend, Guido Lamonica, has perhaps even a better idea. Put three deviled eggs in a hot dog bun, maybe a little mayo, and – Voila! An instant Eggs Salad Sandwich. How easy is that and how … [Read more...]

We were at the West Virginia State Fair early this week and ate our way through the sprawling Fairgrounds, noshing on goodies such as genuine 4-H Country Ham Sandwiches, hot and just-cooked Ben Ellen Doughnuts, Pizza Slices, Corn Dogs, Deep-Fried Oreos (yes, Fried Oreos), thick, creamy Milkshakes, and other certified, artery-clogging Fair foods. As we left, we passed by a stand advertising … [Read more...]

Boy, I wish we had a Royal Farms here in Charlottesville – not only for inexpensive gasoline, but also for some really delicious Fried Chicken. We first came upon a Royal Farms Gasoline/Convenience Store on the Eastern Shore, not far from Cape Charles. I bought some gas at a great price and went inside for a coke and smelled their chicken frying – and I ordered some and it was spectacular. Last … [Read more...]

Nancy and I were on our way back from a short vacation on the middle Peninsula. It was lunchtime and we had not packed sandwiches. We decided to pull into the next available food outlet, and it happened to be a Burger King. I have always liked Burger King burgers, but then again, I don’t think I’ve ever met a burger I didn’t like. So, we pulled up to the order stand and both decided, as a change … [Read more...]

During out 4-day mini-vacation in the Gloucester/Deltaville area last week, we decided to explore Gloucester Point on the York River. The York is really the forgotten river – the smaller of the big four, including the Potomac, James, and Rappahannock. But it’s a gorgeous river with good fishing and many attractions. I had only fished the York once and remember hooking up with a red drum … [Read more...]