Generals' Reviews - Stop In

This week may not be your traditional restaurant review, but still one of the Generals' favorites!  Julia VanSant '15 fills us in on the Stop In Food Store!

Stop In is a food store located in the Exxon gas station in Lexington town. While this may seem like your typical fast food and snack place, it is visited frequently by W&L students and is famous for its hot dogs. 

Stop In is a quick walk from the GL dorms and main campus. Not only are these hot dogs some of the best hot dogs I've had (hot dogs happen to be one of my favorite foods, so I am a tough critic) but they also only cost 97 cents per hot dog! Therefore, it is an inexpensive and quick way to enjoy a delicious meal! This station is a self serve station with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions- your typical hot dog toppings. You can choose bun or no bun. 

Sarah Gray Erickson '15 on a late night study break at Stop In!

There is nothing better than grabbing a hot dog before floating down the Maury river or making a trip to Panther Falls- trips that the Gennies lacrosse team loves to do! While Stop In is famous for its hot dogs, they sell many different items in addition. For example, Sammy Yates, a mid fielder for the Generals, loves their beef jerky in addition to their hot dogs. 

If you're interested in checking it out here is the exact address and phone number:

Stop In #44

113 North Main Street

Lexington, VA 24450

Phone: 540-463-5157

Thanks to Julia for filling us in on a slightly off the beaten path food spot in Lexington!

Generals' Reviews - The Southern Inn

The next restaurant on our list is a Lexington tradition that rose from the ashes not long ago.  After a fire shut the restaurant down for almost a year, our sophomores, including reviewer Kirby Taylor '15, were able to enjoy the Southern Inn from the first day they stepped on campus!

The Southern Inn is a semi-casual restaurant located in the middle of Main Street, just a few short blocks from the freshmen dorms. You can order anything from a delicious, traditional American hamburger to a grilled flat iron steak and roasted duck. The prices are very fair and affordable, especially for the great quality of food! It's a great place to go with friends for a nice birthday dinner or even a nice, semi-casual date. Personally, I love going there with my parents when they come down to visit. My dad loves the Southern Inn, and I love being fed a delicious meal for free!    

They always have fresh fish specials, which is usually what I order. They always have salmon; you can get the salmon entree or even get salmon on a salad or in a sandwich- all of which are excellent! It's so nice to enjoy some fresh fish after eating the dining hall food for such a long time, where fish is rarely ever an option. I live near the shore and the Chesapeake Bay, so I was always able to take full advantage of always having the option of eating seafood- and fish is definitely my favorite thing to eat!

The duck is excellent, and the fried chicken is the best I have ever had- I usually don't even like fried chicken, but here it is so good! They even have some nice vegetarian options, such as the falafel- it is light yet quite filling and very tasty! They offer four different types of salads, all of which you can get as a side salad or as an entree. My personal favorite is the spinach salad- the poppy seed dressing is so light and refreshing! All of the appetizers are very unique- the spring rolls are just as good as any spring rolls you would order at an Asian cuisine and the spinach-artichoke dip is very rich and tasty!

The Southern Inn is a very cool place because I can take a shower after a practice or game and throw on some shorts and a t-shirt and meet my parents there for dinner without feeling underdressed or out of place. I could also put on a nice dress and boots, which is what most people do. Overall, the Southern Inn is an excellent restaurant to enjoy a nice dinner and evening with family or friends! 

Thanks to Kirby for filling us in on all the delights the Southern Inn has to offer!

Generals' Reviews - Pure Eats

This week a new Lexington staple busts onto the scene as enjoyed by Cara Mulligan '15!

When one drives into Lexington, one of the first buildings they may see is a small white house with a vibrant blue roof accented with doors painted a fiery red. This is the home to one of Lexington’s newest favorite restaurants and first burger joint, Pure Eats. Their burgers are made from locally grown Buffalo Creek beef and topped with the freshest ingredients. Of course a cheeseburger isn’t complete without the addition of crispy fries or even deep fried potato salad! The deep fried potato salad is an excellent substitution for fries if one is looking for a new and exciting experience.  

Why not go one step further to make the meal even more complete!? Pure Eats makes one of the best milkshakes I’ve ever had, which is saying a lot coming from a girl who likes her ice cream. While their flavors are limited, the homemade ice cream they use (from the Homestead Creamery) makes all the difference to create the perfect addition to a burger and fries. Another unique aspect of Pure Eats and one of their best menu items are their freshly baked doughnuts but if you don’t make it there early enough in the day, they’ll all be gone!

Pure Eat’s doughnuts come in the most creative flavors which makes them especially hard to turn down! Their daily Facebook post gives the doughnut flavors of the day which include kinds like, chocolate sea salt, Arnold Palmer double glaze of tea and lemonade flavors, lemon cheesecake, and more! The unique flavors, which change on a daily basis, make it difficult to not have a bite or even a whole doughnut! One of the coolest things about Pure Eats is that they will take suggestions for making different types of doughnuts.

The outdoor seating at Pure Eats makes the perfect dinner stop in the late afternoon of a summer day. If you’re in town while students are on campus, there may be some live guitar playing by cadets from VMI. So if you’re in the mood for some light entertainment and a burger, fries, and a milkshake, Pure Eats is the place to be!

Make sure to swing through Pure Eats the next time you're in town to try one of Cara's suggestions!  Want to know what the donut selection of the day is???  Head on over to their Facebook page to find out here!