Rudy’s

“Not bad pizza for the middle of nowhere,” boasted a pizza-maker at Rudy’s in Sperryville, just east of Shenandoah National Park. I say it’s better than that. This is darn good pizza by any standard.

The business itself is a treasure, for decades known as the Corner Store, and still a place you can come for groceries as well as meats at a butcher counter, plus such modern additions as artisan loaves of bread, organic produce, and local cheeses. The floors are still creaky wood; many of the shelves and counters date back to a time long before most Americans even knew what pizza is. Rudy’s and the store are part of a larger operation known as the Thornton River Grille, where the menu is an appealing roster of what’s billed as “great American food with a worldly flair.” That includes the likes of shrimp and Gouda grits and local pork chops with pineapple-mango salsa.

The pizza-parlor is a small area with a handful of tables, plus extra seating out back in good weather. As we waited for our pie to cook, we asked the pizza men what makes Rudy’s pies special. They said that they use better-quality ingredients than ordinary pizzerias; they make their own sauce and dough daily; and they know how to stretch dough.