The Homeplace, Catawba, Virginia

Remember eating at 'The Homeplace' in Virginia? There's a very favorable review of the Catawba, VA restaurant in the 22 October 2008 Collegiate Times under the headline "The Homeplace dishes out classic Southern cookin'." (Collegiate Times is owned by the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.)

Most of the review sounds like a "regular" restaurant review, and then we read:

"Speaking of location, The Homeplace is a popular stop for hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

"'If you're in our parking lot and you look back south at the mountain behind the restaurant, the trail runs from the top of the mountain,' [owner] Wingate said. 'Hikers have said The Homeplace is the best restaurant on the Appalachian Trail, which is over 2,000 miles. It's hard for me to imagine, but we don't mind taking the credit -- it's quite interesting.'"

Read the whole review to get some history of the place, a quick profile of the owners, and either a recollection or a preview of the great food.