The Crab Dump

4412 West Hundred Rd
Chester, VA 23831

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Crab-Dump/261591930621810?fref=ts

            I met my brother for lunch last week and we decided to check out the Crab Dump in Chester. While the name leaves a good bit to be desired, the place was actually pretty good. Located in a dinky little shopping center on Rt. 10, the Crab Dump is a small hole in the wall with nautical decoartions, brightly colored walls, and two huge crab claws hanging over the doorway, which actually look a lot cooler than I can describe here. There are maybe 10 tables inside with 4 chairs at each. The menu is exactly what you would expect at a place called the Crab Dump, Seafood.

            While the places specializes in “crab dumps”, steam pots filled with whatever type of seafood you want with corn, sausage and potatoes, we decided to stick to the much less expensive lunch and sandwich menu. Before I saw the daily specials I was torn between the Surf and Turf Crab Burger and the Oyster Po’ Boy.  But after my brother mentioned the lunch specials written on a board on the wall I decided on the less expensive Crabby Patties, 4 miniature crab cakes served with house made remoulade sauce for $5.99 and Alex ordered the $5.99 Scallops and fries. We also started out with Fried Mozzarella Sticks for $3.99.

            In no time we had 4 Mozzarella Sticks served on a paper plate in front of us which disappointingly did not come served with marinara sauce. Even though they probably came from a bag, they were freshly fried and actually tasted very good.  Not long after we finished up the mozzarella sticks our meals were brought out.  Together my 4 broiled Crabby Patties made up at least one decent sized crab cake and $5.99 is a pretty good deal for a crab cake. Alex’s meal came with 4 huge sea scallops that were fried to perfection perched atop a basket of French fries.

            I really enjoyed my little Crabby Patties. They were delicious and perfectly cooked and had more crab in them than filler with a nice blend of seasoning and spices. The remoulade sauce was also very good with just a little bite to it. For some reason, Alex did not care for my Crabby Patties but he and I both loved his scallops.  They were fatty and juicy and fried just enough to keep the moister in. My Crabby Patties were great but the scallops were perfect!

            The Crab Dump has a horrible name and no ambiance at all but the food was pretty dang good and at least for lunch was extremely reasonably priced. You might not want to take a girl here on a first date but if you find yourself in Chester craving a cheap and tasty seafood lunch skip Captain D’s and head straight to The Crab Dump.

Wendy’s Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwich

        Slathered in sauce with large chunks of what I assume was some sort of "grilled" chicken.  The chicken may have been "grilled" but the flatbread was it. it was cold and limp.  The tomato and greens on the sandwich were practically non-existant and any flavor that they may have had was totally overwelmed by the globs of sauce.

         There were no redeeming qualities to this sandwich other than the fact that I had a free coupon for it.  I suugest getting a $1 McChicken from McDonalds before you think about getting this.  I honestly like Wendy's, but this flatbread monstrousity was the worst.

Tasty Treat

658 N County Dr  

Wakefield, VA 23888

 

               On Rt. 460, right as you enter Wakefield is one of the best food secrets of Central Virginia. While everyone else traveling up and down 460 stops at Virginia Diner, (which by the way if you do go there, order the stewed tomatoes and carrot soufflé. You’re welcome!) the ones in the know stop at Tasty Treat for the one and only Fatback Burger. 

            Tasty Treat is by no means hidden nor do people not eat that, it’s just that the vast majority of people only know Wakefield for Virginia Diner. But if they would stop at Tasty Treat just a quarter of a mile earlier, they might add a new reason to talk about Wakefield.  Unlike Virginia Diner, you have to order at the window at Tasty Treat and the only place to sit is at picnic tables under a large tent out front. Even though it doesn’t have wait staff and air conditioning, Tasty Treat has one thing that nowhere else has… The Fatback Burger! 2 1/3 lb all beef patties, topped with Swiss cheese, chili, bacon, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and jalapenos. The jalapenos are the only optional item.

            This burger is amazing. The 2 1/3 lb patties are well seasoned and extremely thick and juicy. The rest of the condiments only add to the deliciousness of the burger. They also flow perfectly together with no one item over powering the others. One would originally think that Swiss is a weird choice of cheese but it goes perfectly and goes to show the amount of thought that went into creating this crowning achievement of taste.

Once you figure out a way to fit the burger into your mouth you then have to keep at least a dozen napkins handy to clean your face as the on slot of delicious juices run down your chin. But incredibly, the burger usually stays intact until the last couple of bites which is in and of itself a marvel of engineering. With this being said, DO NOT EAT THE FATBACK WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE!  It is impossible without getting your clothes and the entire driver’s side of the car filthy and very possibly causing you to crash on this already treacherous road.

I will not waste your time reviewing anything else on the menu because unless you are a woman or a child there is no reason in the world to even considered ordering anything other than the Fatback Burger.

So the next time you’re on your way to the beach or Suffolk, stop by Tasty Treat and order a Fatback Burger, You (but not your waist line) will thank me.

Oh ya, by the way, they also have clean restrooms!

Croaker’s Spot

39 River St
Petersburg, VA 23803

            The much anticipated Croaker’s Spot finally opened in Downtown Petersburg a couple of month ago.

Located on a cobblestone street, Croaker’s Spot is situated on the bottom floor of a newly renovated apartment building. Inside, it is dark, rustic, and beautiful. Just about everything is wood with old timey decorations and pictures on the walls that truly appreciates and utilizes Petersburg’s rich heritage and history.

Because it is usually packed to the rafters (for good reason), we went for an early dinner on a Wednesday.  As we walked in, we were warmly greeted and quickly seated.  Our waitress showed up immediately to take a drink orders. As we awaited our drinks, we browsed the expansive menu. While I am usually leery of a large menu, Croaker’s Spot’s menu stayed focused on southern soul food with an emphasis on seafood. Everything on the menu sounded amazing, from the seafood chili and oyster po’ boy to the crab cakes and fried fish but I stuck to my favorite dish in the whole world, Shrimp and Grits.

            It was not long after we ordered that our very generous portions of food arrived all served with a brick of corn bread.  My shrimp and grits were delicious, large plump shrimp on top of ranch grits and topped in a creamy sauce. The flavors blended perfectly and the sweet but not too sweet corn bread brought the meal full circle. Amanda’s fried fish with peppers and their secret sauce was also delicious and perfectly cooked. The peppers and sauce added a flavor that I’ve never experienced with fried fish and it was awesome.

            Croaker’s Spot is now unarguably the best restaurant in Downtown Petersburg and it will hopefully be a game changer for Petersburg. Bringing people into the city and revitalizing the once magnificent Cockade City.  The food is impeccable, probably the best in the Tri-Cities area, the prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is great.

            I strongly recommend checking out Croaker’s Spot and actually all of the other restaurants in Petersburg. From Italian and Greek to Soul Food and Barbecue, Petersburg now has something for everyone.

Hiram Haines’ Coffee and Ale House

Hiram Haines’ Coffee and Ale House

12 W Bank St
Petersburg, VA 23803

http://www.riversedgeinteriors.com/poepage!.htm

                Hiram Haines’ is probably the best kept secret in all of Petersburg. Just across Longstreet’s on Bank Street, Hiram Haines’ is an unassuming bookstore and restoration shop that actually serves amazing food and drinks.

                Its claim to fame is that Edgar Allen Poe stayed in the building on his honeymoon with his cousin/wife.  It is decorated in a macabre/ Poe theme with vintage books from floor to ceiling. On weekends, there is often live music.  The menu is quite limited but delicious; consisting of a few different sandwiches and a rotating selection of deserts, coffees and beer.

                Amanda and I ate at Hiram Haines’ on the night before my birthday.  We were the only people in the place except for the owner and our waitress.  Our waitress warmly greeted us and quickly brought us some menus and took our drink order.  I ordered a Crabby’s alcoholic ginger beer and the Poe Panini. Amanda ordered a glass of wine and the meatloaf sandwich. 

                Our drinks were promptly brought out and Crabby’s is now one of my favorite beers. Served over ice with a slice of lemon or lime, it tastes just like ginger ale.  After about 15 minutes of talking our food was ready.  My Panini was delicious, simple but good.  It was made with fresh, quality ingredients with a hot and crispy outside and a warm and soft inside.  While my Panini was good, Amanda’s meat loaf sandwich was amazing. A nice thick slice of homemade meatloaf served between two slices of sourdough bread and topped with pickles.  It was out of this world.          Since it was my birthday weekend, we split a piece of lemon marzipan cake.  I can’t sweat that it was homemade but it was fresh and tasted great. Neither overly tart nor overly sweet.

                The food at Hiram’s is great but the best part is honestly the atmosphere and the experience.  I’ve never been anywhere that has the same feel as Hiram’s. It is small and quite with a spooky macabeness that is very fun.  If you want a nice simple dinner with a great atmosphere check out Hiram’s for dinner.

Andrew’s Grill

6 W Washington Street

Petersburg, VA 23803

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrews-Grill/111518532220697

 

            Andrew’s Grill is nestled in between two pawn shops on the corner of Washington  and Sycamore in downtown Petersburg.  Only open for breakfast and lunch, you will often see a line of people out front grabbing lunch at the outdoor pickup window.  Inside there is a lunch counter with half a dozen chairs and about the same number of booths in the back.  The menu is very simple lunch counter fare; a couple of different breakfast items, hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq and fries.

            Amanda and I sat at the counter and both ordered 2 chili dogs with slaw;  split a large fry and a drink. In a couple of minutes we each had two hot dogs in front of us and a large plate of fries between us.   The hot dogs were not huge but they were not skimpy either. Andrew’s uses large red hot dogs and a typical chili dog comes topped with mustard, onions and chili and for about 50 cents extra we had ours additionally topped with slaw.  The hot dogs were delicious, juicy and flavorful. The chili was not spicy and also not too watery.  The cole slaw was thick and creamy.   I was very impressed with the chili dogs; they were what Quick Lunch in Hopewell’s used to be before it changed ownership. 

            The fries are your typical crinkle cut variety but they came directly out of the fryer so they were hot and crispy.  We asked for a side of mayonnaise which our waitress graciously gave us.  My only complaint at all was that the large drink with one refill was the size of the kids drink at any other restaurant but with that being said it was the perfect amount for Amanda and I. I guess that just goes to show you how ridiculous the sizes at fast food places have become.

            Overall, Andrew’s Grill was great and a perfect snap shot of vintage Petersburg.   The food was great and the service was excellent.  I strongly recommend  stopping by Andrew’s Grill and grabbing a chili dog or even a chili cheese burger for lunch.  Some times the simple things are the most delicious.

The Flying Pig

13560 Waterford Pl
Midlothian, VA 23112

https://www.facebook.com/TheFlyinPig

                The Flying Pig is a new BBQ restaurant that recently opened in Midlothian.  Hidden in an unassuming shopping center off of Genito Road, the Flying Pig offers very good BBQ albeit in too clean of an environment.  Inside the Flying Pig could literally be any generic restaurant that it wants to be. Unlike 99.999% of BBQ joints in Virginia there were no signs of pigs around, other than on their logo Some people may like this but I want to see a plethora of pig décor when in a BBQ restaurant. But that’s just me.  But honestly, the place looked very nice, was extremely clean, and orderly with a lot of seating and a large bar area. 

                As I walked in, I was warmly greeted and brought directly to my seat which, since I was dining alone, had a perfect view of a large screen TV.   My waitress came out quickly with a menu and to take my drink order.  On the table sat a six pack of different homemade bbq sauces, Vinegar, spicy, sweet tomato, mustard based, white mayo based, and a buffalo ranch sauce.  All of them were delicious and just to have some many kinds of sauce is extremely impressive. The menu was decent sized but it didn’t stray too far from its bbq roots.  There is pulled pork, brisket, ribs and chicken, along with sandwiches and a number of delicious sounding sides and appetizers. I had already looked at the menu online and I ordered the lunch bbq sandwich special which came with honey pineapple cole slaw, 1 side and a drink.  I was extremely torn between the jalapeno coconut black beans and the bacon and blue potato salad but I went with the beans based on a recommendation of my waitress. 

                Before I could even take a sip of my drink, my waitress brought out my meal.   I’m not even lying; it was crazy stupid fast.    For $8, the sandwich was very large and loaded with pork.  The cole slaw was served on the side, I assume for Yankees who don’t like it on their sandwiches.  And there was a large bowl of jalapeno coconut beans.   The pork was obviously smoked and has a nice smoky flavor and was juicy and tender.  The cole slaw was different than any I’d ever had before.  It was thick and chunky with a sweet honey and pineapple finish.  With each bite I took I tried a different bbq sauce. I honestly loved each one except for maybe the vinegar based sauce but that’s just because I really don’t care for that type of sauce. 

While the sandwich was delicious, the beans really stole the show.  These things were out of this world, I practically licked the bowl clean.  The coconut flavor added sweetness to the beans that took them to another level.  It might be one of the greatest sides I’ve ever eaten.  I’m sure that the potato salad is great to but if you go you MUST order the beans.

Overall, the Flying Pig is a pretty good BBQ restaurant with some great unusual flavor combination that set it apart from your typical bbq joint.   The meat’s not be best in town but its sides and sauces make it a place your definitely need to check out if you like bbq.