-
Cherokee Restaurant
- off exit 19, I-81, Abingdon, Virginia, at the fork of US 11 and US
58. This diner is exceptional. The family atmosphere is palpable
from the moment you walk in--from the every day trucking customers to
the breezing by NASCAR fans, to the owners. You go there, and you
want to like it. The food is very good and very inexpensive
(half-pound bacon cheeseburger, fries and excellent slaw for 3.75).
The menu is predominantly southern, with such staples as corn-bread,
collard greens, grits and country ham. I highly recommend the country
ham breakfast platter, with biscuits. The country-fried steak is also
a delight. I have often taken the succulent soup beans and tasty
mashed potatoes as sides with this dish. And what the menu lacks in
ethnic diversity it more than makes up for with salt and fat. The
dining room itself has two outstanding features, a large and very old
framed painting of Jeronimo, and wallpaper which is a printed collage
of very expensive wine labels (Rothschild, Petrus, DP, etc.) It's the
best diner in at least the 100-mile stretch of I-81 (from Wytheville,
VA to Greenville TN), but is not open 24 hours, deferring to the onset
of Omelet Shoppes and Waffle Houses at that latitude.- Review by
Wesley Colley.
-
Frost Diner
- Warrenton. Seeing the first glint of sunshine dance on the sleek
steel hull of the Frost Diner in the distance is cause for
celebration. An O'Mahony Diner, it looks like it's been at its
convenient location on the main drag since World War II. With six
booths, a counter and no waitresses under age 60, this little chrome
anachronism lies a little more than halfway to Shenandoah National
Park from DC. Free refills of coffee, all sandwiches on white bread,
and your waitress will invariably call you "honey" at least once
during your meal. (My sincerest thanks go to Mr. Tyler J. Sterkel for
this literate and timely review, ed)
- River City Diner
- 1712 E. Main St., Richmond
6/8/98: When you walk into the River City Diner, you step back in
time some 30-40 years. Located in the Shockoe bottom district of
Richmond, the River City Diner is the best of the "greazy spoon!"
The decor is 50's-60's with booths along one wall and ta bles and
chairs down the middle. For those in a hurry there is the counter
bar. Your favorate 50's and 60's tunes are on the juke box.
The food is great and there is lots of it. They are open 24 hours
serving break fast around the clock. They also have daily "blue
plate" specials and have the standard dogs and hamburger plates.
Sometimes, on the weekends, the best show in town is to take the back
booth and watch the "locals" as they enter...definately a must see!
I've yet to find a similiar establishment that offers the "best bang
for the buc k" as the River City Diner! Cole Slaw: B+ -- Review by
Mike Reik.
- Sandy's Diner
- Shenandoah Ave, Front Royal,(near the bridges)I-66
exit at mile marker 7. This is my hometown diner and is a good
diner. Here south of the Mason-Dixon line where these stainless gems
are so scarce-well, it takes care of my diner "fix". Try Sandy's
special, a lot of breakfast on one plate-get onions in your
homefries! I believe this is a mountain view model & I'm trying to
verify that. some of you diner pros stop in & i bet you'll know right
off the bat.--john flood
- Silver Diner
- 3200 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
7/19/98: In my continuing adventures around the Goddard Space
Flight Center, I found myself in Arlington, VA. with the lovely
(and talented) Matty Reitemeyer
and her equally lovely roommate, Cathy. Anyway, the three of
us headed out to the Silver Diner (which I learned from the
takeout menu is only one of a chain of over a dozen diners).
Anyway, though I would like to claim that this place was a
"diner-themed restaurant" rather than a diner, but I'm forced to
admit that, based on their menu and their hours (7am-3am), they
basically are an actual diner. I had a southwest salad, which
was plenty tasty, while the ladies both had breakfast-type
food. We all finished our meals with hearty milkshakes and
malts.
All in all, the food was tasty (though my shake was a bit less
viscous than I might of liked, and Cathy's shake was somewhat
more heterogeneous than she would have liked) with adequate
portions. The prices were okay, considering the fact that the
place clearly prides itself on being a 50's themed place (and
kitch always costs extra). BTW, this theme extends to such
choice entries on the jukebox as the themes to all your TV
favorites. The colors (on the menus, tables, and outside) are
bright, and follow no obvious pattern.
Finally, the service was friendly, if a bit slow. Even though
she couldn't persuade him to give her a spoon, Cathy was
smitten with our waiter, and his oddly hypnotic eyes.
- Tastee 29 diner
- Intersection of rt 29 and rt 123 (ox rd.) caddy corner from a
Denny's, next to a car dealership. Fairfax. The Tastee 29 was finally declared
a historic landmark a few years ago (I think) much to the GREAT chagrin of the
local suburban yuppies who populate the area. I've been going there since high
school, which now adds up
to a few years. The only coffee I have ever tasted that was better
than that at the tastee was in France ... It has an insane mix of
people: locals, country-types (how p.c.), random business people,
students (of both high school and college, and most of the outcast
society of fairfax (or annoyingly termed alternatives)... it has the
ideal atmosphere to sit drink coffee and read, hangout, eat, or just
get away. The point of all of this is that i spend a lot of time!
-- Review by: kristin
adolfson
- Third Street Diner
- Located in downtown Richmond on the corner of third and main.
It's open 24 hours, and we're always spotting celebs there, day or
night. Some of our spottings: Linda Hamilton (or was it her twin
sister?), Kato Kaelin, Charlie Sheen, Damon Wayans, Sonic Youth, Gwar
(minus their makeup), the guy who played the principal in The
Breakfast Club, and I have the distinct honor of whipping up a cheese
omelette (w/ home fries and toast) for Jerry Lewis!!
For some reason, Hollywood types seem to know about us: when David
Letterman sent a bus-load of people to somewhere in Florida, they
stopped in for breakfast. Recently, Shadow Conspiracy was filmed here
in town and they shot a whole scene inside(we closed for the day)!!
Being located downtown and open 24 hours attracts quite an eccletic
crowd. From crack-heads to movie stars, heroin addicted city council
members to rock stars, everyone stops by to grab a bite to eat and
take in the action at our diner. There are even bullet holes in the
ceiling from a drunk redneck a few years back(we've been around
forever).
Anyway, I just thought I'd try to validate my state of stinkiness.
Drop by if you're ever in the area, you won't be disappointed!!--
Review by John Campbell, line cook extraordinaire