The Home Place

Date
2/5/09 (about an hour after the end of my interview)

Location
Out in the mountains
4968 Catawba Valley Drive, Catawba, VA

What I ate
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, green beans, pinto beans, cherry cobbler

Who went
Rebecca, Nicole, Ivy, and Nate

Website
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/kdesrosi/thehomeplace/

Thoughts
I can't remember being so full after a meal that wasn't Thanksgiving. For $13, you get two meats and all of the sides - all you can eat. That also includes drinks; they have a great lemonade that is a bit strong for most. The service is great and the food is good. They sacrifice a little bit of quality for the quantity and speed, but when good food arrives at my table less than two minutes after ordering, it's really tough to complain. Our waitress was very nice and we had refills offered within a minute of running out of anything.

You'll have to ask the others about the pork BBQ, but since it's a Thursday specialty, I'm sure it was delicious. The fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits (with awesome apple butter) were all really good. The beans (green, pinto) were alright, but a little on the bland side. They complemented the rest of the meal pretty well, but were just boring by themselves. The cobbler was really tasty and well balanced - cold, sweet vanilla ice cream with warm, tart cherries. This definitely felt like a reward for getting through my interview. I was worried about being so tired from digesting that I would have trouble driving back home, but there was still just enough room in my stomach for some good coffee.

A quick anecdote about the interview: They provided cookies for us while we waited for our turn. Since I had a while between the tour and my interview, I saw a bunch of students; a lot of them asked me if I wanted to partake in the great cookie offering. When I told them I was saving my appetite for the Home Place, almost every one of them suddenly found a face of understanding and commented on what a good decision this was. It's a little bit of a hike from anything, but it's well worth the trip.

Recap
Pros - Good food and drinks, all you can eat, great service
Cons - Hours and location may be troubling
Overall - Don't let the timing and drive get in your way. Go here. You will enjoy it.