I think we have over 200 restaurants in Charlottesville, but we don’t have a Ruth’s Chris Steak House. I’ve heard their ads on the radio for years, and I’ve always wanted to try it, but I never had the opportunity. In Honolulu, I finally got that chance. It was our last night in Hawaii and we wanted to finish off our 50th Anniversary vacation with a bang. There were two Ruth’s Chris … [Read more...]

  Apparently, there isn’t a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers franchise in Houston, because every time my sister, Johanna, comes to visit from Texas, she insists on going to Raising Cane’s for a take-out order of fingers. They are really good, but we don’t eat there often. For me, it’s a guaranteed “weight gain”, because I’ll eat 5 or 6 fingers, plus fries, and Texas toast, and gain weight … [Read more...]

My first visit to Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant in Staunton was after a trout fishing trip to the Bull Pasture River. It had been the Opening Day of the season and we had each caught our limits - and were we ever hungry after a long day on the water. I was with Wally, Tommy and Grover Forloines and they insisted we stop and eat at Mrs. Rowe’s. “Order dessert first,” one of my companions said. “They … [Read more...]

Folks on Pantops Mountain have been enjoying delicious breakfasts and diner food for years at the Tip Top Restaurant. Now, patrons on the north side of Charlottesville have a go-to place for breakfast at Michael’s Diner & Restaurant. CvilleBuzz contributor, Sherman Shifflett, visited recently and says he will definitely go back again. Says Sherman: “I accompanied Greg Barlow to … [Read more...]

  Nancy and I just returned from the lighting show at the Dallas Trade Mart where we saw some amazing lighting styles now coming on the market. During our annual visit to the Big D each January, we try to take in some of their great restaurants. Each trip, we go to Pappadeaux’s and eat raw oysters, fried shrimp and fresh seafood. It’s one of our favorite restaurants anywhere. This year, we … [Read more...]

I got an interesting email last week raving about eating beets at a local restaurant. Beets? Either these were amazing beets or maybe that was the best the restaurant had to offer? Sherman Shifflett, who ate there with Ava, said the beets were as good as advertised and the meal – at Obrigado’s in Louisa - was sensational. Said Sherman: “I don't know if you like beets or not.  We grew them in … [Read more...]

  When guests came from out of town, there are any number of great restaurants in Charlottesville you could suggest. But is there one signature dish in all of Mr. Jefferson’s fine town that stands out? One single dish? Not that I’m aware of. There is lots of great food, but no signature dish that you would “have to try” when in Charlottesville. I enjoy watching the Travel Channel as … [Read more...]

Occasionally, our next-door neighbors, a young couple, will allow us to babysit for them. Their three year old son, Liam, is a joy to be around, and since our children, the inconsiderate trolls, have moved far away, Nancy and I need a little grand parenting activity every now and then to shake off the rust. So after work last Wednesday, we went to their house to babysit and decided to order out … [Read more...]

Not long ago, on a Sunday night following a week of eating healthy, I said, “What the hell. Let’s get some fried chicken from Wayside. Nancy quickly seconded the motion and I was off, clear across town, to get their chicken. Trouble was, they were closed on Sundays, and I had to settle for KFC, which ranks a distant second to Wayside in the fried chicken department. Wayside Takeout & … [Read more...]