On the Road to Charlottesville

[ratepper]

Hi all! I'm looking for some interesting places to cover on my way to Charlottesville and once I'm there. I have my high-end dining covered, but I'd love some recommendations in the way of country stores, BBQ joints, greasy spoons, etc. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[plarkins]

Hi all! I'm looking for some interesting places to cover on my way to Charlottesville and once I'm there. I have my high-end dining covered, but I'd love some recommendations in the way of country stores, BBQ joints, greasy spoons, etc. Any suggestions? Thanks!

There is excellent ice cream on US-29 between Warrenton and Culpepper -> Moothru

[u-bet!]

For a quick drive-by 'que fix, I like Jammin' Joe's BBQ on Route 29 in New Baltimore. It's a trailer on the side of the road with some outdoor tables. Good pulled pork & cole slaw; outstanding baked beans. Also had a nice meal last evening in downtown Warrenton at Black Bear Bistro & Cellar on Main Street.

[RWBooneJr]

Any suggestions?

There's a pizza joint on 29 past Gainesville called Spitony's. I've never eaten there and I'm sure it's average at best, but every time I pass I'm intrigued at the prospect of dining at a place with the words "spit" and "on" in its name.

[Ilaine]

Hi all! I'm looking for some interesting places to cover on my way to Charlottesville and once I'm there. I have my high-end dining covered, but I'd love some recommendations in the way of country stores, BBQ joints, greasy spoons, etc. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Not a greasy spoon, quite the opposite, in Culpeper check out It's About Thyme. Cute little market, nice restaurant. Good food, pleasant ambiance. Lots of money in horse country.

For country ham and sausage, try Calhoun's, just around the corner from It's About Thyme.

People rave about Foti's but we tried it twice and it just did not click for us. There is a tendency for upscale restaurants in more rural areas to try to be all things to all people. I think this is a big mistake but recognize that for every discerning diner there are many more who just want big steaks and baked potatoes and feel like they are getting ripped off if they pay a lot of money for the kind of food you can buy at It's About Thyme, the prices of which, may I say, compared to DC, are very reasonable.

I would be interested to know what constitutes high-end dining in Cville. My son lived there for three years and we were never able to find any.

[winecook]

Keswick Hall in Charlottesville is a great high-end place for weekend brunch or dinner. It's About Thyme in Culpeper is a must! Calhouns ham is over the moon good! Red Truck Bakery in Old Town Warrenton (just off business 29) is a great stop for coffee and a pastry. They offer sandwiches but not made to order. They put them out around 11am and they are sold out by 12noon, but the granola by the bag is so good and made with local honey. Worth the stop! Jammin Joe's on 29 is also good, but has changed a bit since Joe sold it and moved to Florida. Still good BBQ by most standards! Agree about the beans! So good! A great lunch stop. A fun little side stop is the Farmer's Wife in Remington (thefarmerswifemarket.com)

[ktmoomau]

If you are headed over towards Barboursville on the way to C-ville, the BBQ Exchange is the best bbq I have had around this area, at least for NC style pulled pork. It is in Gordonsville.

If you are taking 29, there is always that German restaurant too. Forget the name. Bavarian Inn or something.

[SeanMike]

There's a pizza joint on 29 past Gainesville called Spitony's. I've never eaten there and I'm sure it's average at best, but every time I pass I'm intrigued at the prospect of dining at a place with the words "spit" and "on" in its name.

Caveat: I went there in '98 or so. But it was exactly what you'd expect - maybe average pizza. Kind of a local hangout (at least, at the time my coworker grew up around there) for high school kids.

[porcupine]

If you are taking 29, there is always that German restaurant too. Forget the name. Bavarian Inn or something.

The Bavarian Chef.

[ktmoomau]

The Bavarian Chef.

Exactly, thank you. Although for me I really want a trip back to the BBQ exchange now, I want to try more things.

[Joe H]

Keswick Hall in Charlottesville is a great high-end place for weekend brunch or dinner. It's About Thyme in Culpeper is a must! Calhouns ham is over the moon good! Red Truck Bakery in Old Town Warrenton (just off business 29) is a great stop for coffee and a pastry. They offer sandwiches but not made to order. They put them out around 11am and they are sold out by 12noon, but the granola by the bag is so good and made with local honey. Worth the stop! Jammin Joe's on 29 is also good, but has changed a bit since Joe sold it and moved to Florida. Still good BBQ by most standards! Agree about the beans! So good! A great lunch stop. A fun little side stop is the Farmer's Wife in Remington (thefarmerswifemarket.com)

Winecook, I haven't been to Foti's in several years but when I was last there I loved it. Any thoughts on it today? Isn't Calhoun's ham the place that is on the side street that runs by Foti's, perhaps a block or two down?

[MsDiPesto]

In Amissville (where something's not quite right - LOL!) there is a little tiny place called the "Lom-Bar-Dy". I wish someone would go in there and report back, I've passed it a million times and always wondered how a place that small stays in biz..

[southdenverhoo]

I think I'd just take 15 south from the Culpeper by-pass (instead of staying on 29) and hit BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville. It's a nice scenic way to get to the Hook anyhoo,

Then, in C-ville, there's a new BBQ joint on the Corner called Buttz BBQ, 17 Elliewood Lane, getting rave reviews.

Both are new to me, so no 1st hand recommendations; but I would say Pig n Steak in Madison, which is really not bad, just not excellent, has likely been eclipsed. Unless all these people posting reviews around the interwebs are crazy, which when it comes to BBQ, is always a possibility...

[plarkins]

In Amissville (where something's not quite right - LOL!) there is a little tiny place called the "Lom-Bar-Dy". I wish someone would go in there and report back, I've passed it a million times and always wondered how a place that small stays in biz..

a bit of a hijack...but glad you mentioned Lombardys! Yelp says it's closed now, but I haven't been in 3 or 4 years. It is/was a quintessential greasy spoon. The bathrooms were out back in a 'shed' and it's a tiny place. I don't remember the food being bad; but we always ate there after hiking in the Shenandoah's, so I wouldn't be a good judge. Its very local and worth a stop for the experience.

[MsDiPesto]

a bit of a hijack...but glad you mentioned Lombardys! Yelp says it's closed now, but I haven't been in 3 or 4 years. It is/was a quintessential greasy spoon. The bathrooms were out back in a 'shed' and it's a tiny place. I don't remember the food being bad; but we always ate there after hiking in the Shenandoah's, so I wouldn't be a good judge. Its very local and worth a stop for the experience.

Guilty as Charged! (blush).

But I just had to find out if anyone had ever been. The ex's parents had a farm in Madison Cnty, and I went past that place so many times on the way home (I really didn't like to the farm) it made me think it didn't seem big enough to have anything but a hot plate, a table and a couple chairs. Thanks for sating my curiosity.

We now return you to your intended topic, with apologies!

[tentimesodds]

Some of the best sandwiches I've had are from the Carving Board Cafe (http://www.thecarvingboardcafe.com/), a small place in a strip mall just north of Charlottesville. Try the crab melt if you have the opportunity for a nap afterward.