When we're in Norfolk, Portsmouth, or Virginia Beach, Virginia, the place we usually park is at Big Charlie's Truck Plaza. The place is a shit hole. The surrounding area isn't much better.
It's right near the airport, the convenience store up the block is sketchy, there's a cab company next door, and if you get there too late, you have to park in the very back lot, where the potholes are so big, they'd swallow a VW Bug. And you have to pay to park there. Gee, thanks Charlie.
There's a Wendy's adjacent to the parking lot, and across the street is a place called Aberdeen Barn Steakhouse. We've seen it many times, but have never been. It's always busy, but from the outside looks like a place that would be a country honkeytonk serving beer and steak. We never really had any desire to try it.
Well, we couldn't have been more wrong. We walked in and were not only greeted by one of the owners, who was wearing a suit and eager to seat us, but we were taken to this sort of fancy dining room.
Excuse the photos - I only had my iPhone and the lighting was low - but damn, I didn't expect mood lighting, candles on the tables, and white tablecloths. Good thing I made Ed change from his t-shirt and sweatpants into a nice crisp pair of jeans and a button down, collared shirt. The menu had a great selection of steaks, seafood, chops, pasta.
I had the Broiled Sea Scallops lsited in the appetizer section, but had them make it as an entree. They were amaaaaaazing. The portion was much bigger than I expected and the baked potato took up half the plate. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the flavor was outstanding.
Ed had Gus' Extra Cut Charcoal Broiled 20 oz. Delmonico. I haven't tasted a Delmonico - a cut made famous in New York City - for over 20 years. We used to serve a Delmonico steak at our family's steakhouse in the Catskills. The name alone brought back memories. It had a little more fat than the ribeye or Porterhouse Ed usually gets, but the marbling is what made it so moist and flavorful. Next time, I might have to do a surf and turf thing - either lobster and steak or even scallops and steak.
The best part? This guy was playing the guitar one table away from us. It's as if we were being personally serendaded with classic guitar tunes. It felt like I was sitting in the living room of my parent's house in 1973. It was great.
It might be a bit expensive for truckers - it's definitely not the Denny's in the Flying J - but we will definitely be back. Especially since we know there's truck parking right across the street.
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2012: A Quick Update
2011: It Takes Nothing To Win A Contest
2010: Sorry, no post for this day.
2009: The Hags Hit The Big Time
2008: One Thing At A Time
2007: Snaking Across Broadway
2006: Psssst! Wanna Buy A Hot Dog Truck?
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!
It's right near the airport, the convenience store up the block is sketchy, there's a cab company next door, and if you get there too late, you have to park in the very back lot, where the potholes are so big, they'd swallow a VW Bug. And you have to pay to park there. Gee, thanks Charlie.
There's a Wendy's adjacent to the parking lot, and across the street is a place called Aberdeen Barn Steakhouse. We've seen it many times, but have never been. It's always busy, but from the outside looks like a place that would be a country honkeytonk serving beer and steak. We never really had any desire to try it.
Well, we couldn't have been more wrong. We walked in and were not only greeted by one of the owners, who was wearing a suit and eager to seat us, but we were taken to this sort of fancy dining room.
I had the Broiled Sea Scallops lsited in the appetizer section, but had them make it as an entree. They were amaaaaaazing. The portion was much bigger than I expected and the baked potato took up half the plate. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the flavor was outstanding.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: A Quick Update
2011: It Takes Nothing To Win A Contest
2010: Sorry, no post for this day.
2009: The Hags Hit The Big Time
2008: One Thing At A Time
2007: Snaking Across Broadway
2006: Psssst! Wanna Buy A Hot Dog Truck?
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!
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