There’s nothing better, from a hard-core investigative reporter’s point of view, than when a story just…appears. Out for a leisurely Friday night in Scottsville recently, Restaurantarama stumbled across not one but two breaking developments in that town’s dining scene, which seems to churn along as frothily as the nearby James River.
Breaking development number one: That very evening, May 12, was the grand opening of one Minor’s Diner in a pink-hued wedge-shaped storefront that used to house a place called China Moon. Using our razorlike
observational skills, we noted a cheery sandwich board out on the sidewalk and a certain hustle-and-bustle around the door. But it wasn’t until we got owner Clinton Minor on the horn that we really got the inside scoop.
Minor and his wife, Morgan, took over the spot in late April and did a quick renovation on the tiny space (it seats around 14, plus nine or so at outside tables). The idea, says Minor, is to bring back the old-fashioned diner. But don’t think chrome, busboys in paper hats, or doo-wop sung by bobby-soxers. Instead, think intimate neighborhood hole-in-the-wall. “A diner is a social zone,” says Minor. “There’s not enough diners around. Other businesses want to make everything real big.”
Minor, who’s previously cooked at Blue Light Grill and Wild Greens, says part of the concept is that he as the cook is a visible, personal presence in the business. “In most diners you only have one cook. I interact with everybody and they can see me cooking. It’s like ‘Hey, how you all doing?’” Better, thanks, now that we can get black-and-bleu burgers, catfish sandwiches, and mozzarella sticks on Valley Street.
Good morning, John-Boy
Breaking development number two: The Dew Drop Inn has a sign posted in its window saying it’s undergoing an “extreme makeover” and will reopen June 1. The Dew Drop closed last October, but with six decades of history behind it and immortalization on the TV show “The Waltons” (which is set in a fictional town based on nearby Schuyler), it somehow makes sense that the Dew Drop saga will continue. New owner Fran Milstead says she and her husband Billy are making extensive updates to the space to appeal to a family crowd, but that the menu will be largely the same as before. Fixtures like the James River platter (featuring a half-pound burger), Wednesday night open mic, and bands on Fridays will be duly reinstated.
Poke around online for the Dew Drop, and you quickly realize that this place does have a bit of a legend surrounding it. Here’s a bit of dialogue from “The Waltons,” spoken (according to one fan site) by the character Grandma: “That Dew Drop Inn…. [you] might just as well be in Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Says Milstead, “I get calls every day for reservations.”
A summer away
Back in mid-March, a fire shut down the Court Square Tavern, and owner Bill Curtis has since been running Court Square in exile over at his other place of business, Tastings. He calls the displaced eatery “The Elba Room” (get it?) and says it’s doing all right. Meanwhile, Court Square itself won’t reopen until late summer, but Curtis says he’s taking the opportunity to upgrade the kitchen and thus the menu: “It’s going to be more elaborate food. I’ll be able to have things on the menu I can prepare with large convection ovens, not just under a fireproof hood.” Come the dog days, when we see a menu, you’ll be the first to know.
Blue Bird an example of what academics label a “contested site.” In this case, the contestants would be old and new Charlottesville, duking it out with homey comfort foods on one side and trendy fusion fare on the other.
