Clarence's Drive-In
on the main road, near the freeway exit
Unicoi, Tennessee

I ordered the veggie omelet and a doughnut. The omelet was uninteresting; badly needed something to bind the innards, like a little cheese. The veggies were sautéed in oil and too much of it. But the doughnut was outstanding: home-made, hot from the fryer, a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and the doughnut hole perched on top. I won't say it made up for the omelet, but it sure helped.

what's that mean?

The coffee was good, too, and the service was down-home how-ya-doin' cheerful.

 

The Egg & I
6121 Harbourside Center Loop
(a shopping center on Hull Street Road)
Midlothian, Virginia

My main gripe with chain restaurants is their tendency to dumb down the food on offer to conform to their conception of the general palate. This chain, or at least this outlet -- I've only ever been to one other, in Texas -- carries that tendency almost beyond comprehension. I ordered a dish called the Parisian Benedict, which should, from the description on the menu, have been a rich composition of flavours and textures. 'Twas not so: instead, it gave new scope to blandness, a scope near beyond comprehension. And the coffee was really bitter, too, more than even a double-dose of salt could correct.

what's that mean?

Beyond that, the ambience was pleasant and the service was good. I thought the prices were a little high, even before I'd tasted the food.

 

Bistro on Main
8 North Main Street
Lexington, Virginia

A very pleasant bar and restaurant on one of the main downtown streets of a charming burg. Excellent service, and interesting menu, and reasonable prices for an upscale-tending bistrot. When I looked over the lunch menu, my New Orleanian heritage kicked in and forced me to order an oyster po-boy.

what's that mean?

Many people say you shouldn't order seafood when dining inland, especially people from coastal areas. But I found the best oysters of my life in the Rocky Mountains behind Denver -- no, not THAT kind of oyster; regular oysters -- and also the most expensive. The lesson I drew from that experience is that money trumps distance. And so it is here: the oysters were excellent, the preparation was very good, and the presentation, with a nice handful of well-prepared fried potatoes and a very good coleslaw, was likewise very well done. The only upsetting thing was that the sandwich was served on a small, soft round bun, which the purist in me regards as an almost unpardonable breach of propriety. A po-boy must -- MUST, I say -- be served on a crusty baguette. If it wasn't so damned good I'd really have to mark them down for that offense. (Imagine the appropriate emoticon here.)