Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery’s pie with ice cream a la mode (Photo by Peter Emerson)
Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant’s reputation for “country flavor, Shenandoah Valley hospitality” preceded our visit to this 70-plus-year-old Staunton institution. The restaurant hasn’t been a secret gem since the 1960s — if it even was one then. Its location on U.S. 250 off Interstate 81 Exit 222 transformed the homey eatery into a sprawling roadside enterprise over the decades (including a Virginia-made shop and a second gift shop next door).
The restaurant’s history dates prior to 1947, when the present building was home to Perk’s Barbecue, run by Willard Rowe. The building had a dance floor and was what Mrs. Rowe’s son, Mike DiGrassie, calls a roadhouse. Mildred DiGrassie had run her own restaurant — “Far Famed” in Goshen, southwest of Staunton — before marrying Willard Rowe; most of the pie filling recipes presently served are those of Mildred’s mother and her aunts, DiGrassie says. In 1947, the couple joined forces and renamed his business Rowe’s Steakhouse; over the next 20 years, they oversaw four expansions, which increased capacity to the present 250.
When Willard Rowe died in 1973, Mildred continued to run the restaurant, called Mrs. Rowe’s then, with the assistance of her four children. With her death more than 15 years ago, her son took over the business; his son, Aaron, is involved not only in management but also in baking and backup cooking, and Mike’s wife, Mary Lou, takes care of the restaurant’s business.
Downtown Staunton offers a lively mix of merchants, eclectic dining and quirky attractions. (Photo courtesy City of Staunton)
Despite its years of conspicuous success among locals and travelers alike, my husband, Tom, and I found the staff friendly, courteous and eager to please. (Our waitress told us the restaurant didn’t have “plain oil and plain vinegar” for salad dressing when we requested it but promised to scour the kitchen for the two items — which turned up at our table within a few minutes of our salads’ arrival).
My fried liver and onions, accompanied by real mashed potatoes and gravy, were seasoned fine with salt and pepper; this is not the place for diners expecting seasoning beyond the basics. Tom, a New Yorker by birth but a Virginian by choice for 50-plus years, loves Southern cooking (country ham, fried apples, banana pudding — all served here), but he was disappointed his chicken and dumplings has no seasoning. This cooking style is a distinct advantage, though, when a diner has a food allergy, which was the case for the granddaughter dining with us. “You can’t be sure what’s in a fancy sauce,” Sophia said later, “and my crab cakes were very good just plain, thank you.”
Mrs. Rowe’s scrumptious dinner roll recipe was “introduced to us by ... Vivian Obie, who worked for us for 43 years,” DiGrassie said. “At that time, she did all of our baking.” We packed up the leftover rolls and corn muffins in our table’s basket to take home, and portions were so generous that we took home parts of our entrees as well (perhaps because we had to save room for the mouthwatering pie, which includes mincemeat beginning at Thanksgiving).
Vegetarian and vegan options exist, especially given the large assortment of side dishes (turnip greens were a good choice with our entrees). This spot is most convenient when one needs breakfast, lunch or dinner just yards from the interstate — and it’s worth visiting as a longtime Virginia institution.
Blackfriar's Playhouse (Photo by Lauren Parker)
SAVE THE DATE
Through Dec. 29: “A Christmas Carol,” an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, staged by the American Shakespeare Center at Blackfriars Playhouse, its re-creation of Shakespeare’s theater. Various dates and times.
