Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is)

Re:Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is) (Route 11)

Wed, 04 May 2011 13:22:01 GMT

I have been curious about Moo Thru since I always seem to be driving past when they are closed. Looks great! If you're in the area, downtown Culpeper has some nice spots. Love Raven's Nest Coffehouse and It's About Thyme and Fotis.

I was in Winchester a few months ago. The little pedestrian mall was hopping. We ate at the little pub down there and it was pretty good. The Bloody Mary was the best part!

The best and most puzzling thing in the city is the aloft Hotel. It is supposed to be ultra modern and trendy, and I suppose it is, but the lady that checked me in ate chicken fries the entire time. It was just silly. Next time I'll stay at the Hampton. As Grandpa Simpson said,

"I used to be with it, then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with, isn't it and what's it seems weird and scary. It'll happen to yoooouuu."

Re:Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is) (Nancypalooza)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:58:47 GMT

They are clearly very confused!

Re:Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is) (NascarDad)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:49:24 GMT

Ok, interesting. Looks like now the Naked Oyster might be open on Tuesdays but closed Mondays and Sundays (more usual), but may have just opened as a new place, possibly at a new location. Not sure if it is the original owners or not but they have the old URL for the Naked Oyster.

The new place is called the Clearwater Market and Restaurant http://www.thenakedoysterwinchester.com/ however the site has a URL and menu for The Naked Oyster. It is the menu that says they are closed Tuesday while their site says they are open on Tuesday, and their Facebook mentions they had a soft open yesterday. Wish I had known, we could have stopped by but I just looked at the menu that showed them closed Tuesday.

Re:Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is) (Nancypalooza)

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:54:08 GMT

I wonder what the closed on Tuesday thing is about? Huh. Very nice mini report NascarDad.

Mini Report - Winchester and Remington (VA, that is) (NascarDad)

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:37:06 GMT

OK, long story short, most of our trip to Winchester was rained out. Also, many of the places recommended in Winchester in the past are either entirely closed or closed on Tuesday. (One often recommended place, The Naked Oyster, according to one report is shut down, but a website that claims to be their site says they are closed on Monday and Tuesday)

I had thought about the Snow White Diner but our plans no longer included the pedestrian mall and besides its too small to bring 2 kids into and not a good day to eat outside in the rain.

So luckily I had a few backups in mind, the nearest to where we were was the Valley Avenue Diner . Apparently it is a fairly new place opened last December but located in a old building that used to be a chinese restaurant. The reviews on Yelp and the Wincester dining site were oddly mixed - many loved it, but a large number of 1-star reviews mostly from anonymous reviewers. Many of those complaints those were about rather non-diner like food, so I figured if we stuck to their all-day 24/7 breakfast, we would do fine.

As we pulled up to the well weathered building (a former drive-in joint, so I heard), the lot was more than half full on a rainy Tuesday early lunch rush, which is usually a good sign. It was raining and I was holding the hand of my 3 year old so I apologize for this pic, also as you can see they are having their grand opening:

Unfortunately I think I got some water on the lens so no good pics of the inside.

Short version - the pancakes were thick and tasty, my wife doesn't like em that thick , but she did like the French Toast better than I did. I thought the French Toast was good but I liked the pancakes better. The homefries were very good and my wife liked her eggs.

The sausage patties were a bit odd looking but tasted good, the bacon was very good.

All in all very good. And the service was excellent, the waitresses practically doted on us (without stifling us either) even though the place was pretty hopping.

Seating is a mixture of booths and tables, there is also a counter with a few stools to sit at.

The patrons were a mix of working guys, businessmen, a mixed group of friends, and some seniors. There seemed to be regulars already, which is a good thing in a restaurant only opened less than half year.
There was a poster advertising Hershey's Milkshakes, but we did not go for one because out second stop was going to be the Moo Thru, in Remington VA.

So after several misadventures in Winchester and environs , we headed south to get some ice cream.

As it's name might suggest, the Moo Thru is has a drive thru window, but also has two walkup windows as well. On warm evenings I have seen quite a line in front of this place.

One item I didn't realize was that the Moo Thru now also serves a few lunch items.

But we were there for the ice cream. It was quite creamy. One thing is not all the flavors are visible from the front window, so make sure to check the list if you don't see what you like.

The ice cream was very rich, the focus is definitely on the dairy, my wife felt the cinnamon in hers was a bit lacking in "oomph" but it was very good anyhow, I liked the chocolate as did my youngest, my oldest wolfed down his cake-batter and declared it "excellent"

Anyhow this is supposed to be a mini report so off to bed I go.