I have eaten at the cafeteria in christianburg. I do not share Mr. Stern’s like to the food there. The coconut pie was too sweet and had an artifical taste. Of course I live in the area where pies are a way of life and they are good.

On your way to Memphis from Nashville you might want to try the Log Cabin at the Linden exit. Their breakfast is hard to beat and their pies are the real thing.

Looking at that rbpalmer, brings back a lot of good memories…….I need to make a roadtrip to the Valley soon.I’ve eaten at a good deal of the places that he reviewed such as Rowe’s , The Wayside Inn, Southern Kitchen and many more…..all wonderful places

For further suggestions for the Roanoke area, go to http://www2.roanoke.com/entertainment/food/ for reviews written by a local critic. The site has reviews of Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton and Stone’s Cafeteria in Christiansburg, so there may be other places on the I-81 corridor that he writes about as well.

http://www.findthefun.com/rests/rVA/r0369704.htm

Here you can find the phone number and a map

Salem Catawba exit off of I 81…..Route 311 is your road all the way to the Homeplace

looks like it’s open Thursdays, Fridays Saturdays and Sundays

Picture of the Home Place

http://www.biketrip2001.com/Photos/Virginia/5-29HomePlaceRst.JPG

a blurb about it from an Appalachian Trail Guide(it resides right on it)

Still another superb outdoor recreation restaurant is the Homeplace in Catawba, just a couple miles from Crosstrails B&B (owned and operated by Katherine and Bill Cochran).

The Homeplace is located in a lovely white clapboard house set on a green hill with a pond full of waterfowl nearby. For 20 years, it has been a phenomenal success, which proves that the road to making it big is paved with great food at a great price in a great setting.

Nearby are the Appalachian Trail and TransAmerical Bicycle Trail. The restaurant has the reputation of being the best place to eat on the 2000-mile Appalachian Trail.

The service is family style, and the cooking is country: country ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, brown beans, apples, slaw, biscuits, all topped off with cobbler and ice cream. It is truly all you can eat with no hard looks offered when you ask for seconds and beyond.

That should give you a pretty good idea and start on it. I’ve been there many times, as I have family in the area.

Well, the Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, TN isn’t too far off I-81. The Sterns rate it very highly.

If you re interested, I would definitely call ahead to see when it s open. Also, detailed driving directions are important for Ridgewood, since it’s not the easiest to find.

Christiansburg, VA is three to three and a half hours south of Winchester (depending on how fast you drive and on traffic) and I can personally recommend two places there that are reviewed by the Sterns, Dude’s Drive In and Stone’s Cafeteria.

On down 81 near Roanoke , on the Salem Catawba exit, lying a few short miles off of the road in a big old pasture is a wonderful place known as"The Homeplace". Huge old Victorian farmhouse , with a big wrap around porch and porch swings and rockers to recline in, the Homeplace features family-style service. The interior is down home with lots of original antiques and often a local dulcimer group or similar playing live. You pick from three main courses…Fried Chicken, Country Ham or Roast Beef and last I heard you could mix two of those. All the food is homemeade and fresh produce with many heaping sides to accompany the main course. A wide selection of breads , jellies and preserves as well as desserts accompany the meal.

Further on down on 81 , at the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Exit is Stone’s Cafeteria, which was reviewed here by the Sterns.

Even FURTHER on down 81 at the TN-VA border in Bristol, is Damon’s, which is a sports bar chain, but have always had excellent service and food there and it’s even kid-friendly

Mike: We liked the BBQ Ranch in Harrisonburgh on our trip thru that area last summer. Very finely ground up or chopped BBQ – kind of strange texture for us , but tasted very good. Nice friendly service.

Love the Catfish Cabin

I think Vergos Rendezvous is terribly over-rated

To me, Buntyn’s is ok in its current location and configuration, but has always been somewhat of a disappointment in comparison to when it was at its original location. The great rolls seem the same and the pies nearly so, but its the plate lunches which just don’t seem the same. Maybe its more the change of atmosphere from its original location rather than actual change of food, but that’s just the way it seems to me. Know the prices increased with move several years ago to the current location (4972 Park Ave.). Somehow, I’m thinking there is now a second Buntyn’s somewhere out east, but am not sure of that. Glad to see your comments, glenda, re Jimmy and Pappy’s (5225 Summer Ave.). Have passed by it many times and wondered about it but have never stopped there. Will have to try it. My opinion of Corky’s is somewhere between yours, glenda, and that of MikeSh, but its lots closer to yours.

In Memphis, be sure and try Buntyn’s for home cooked food. Jimmy and Pappy’s on Summer is wonderful. Corky’s is the only place to eat BBQ here in Memphis. If you go down to Hernando on the way to the casino, be sure and eat at a small lunch restaurant called Magnolia Restaurant. It is on the main street and next door to the Hernando Flower Shop. Great food and wonderful salads. Haave a good trip