Wayne and I went for a Saturday afternoon lunch (in the midst of a downpour) at Virginia’s Southside Cafe, located at 1404 Cowart Street in the Gallery Shops.

There were quite a few customers for such a gloomy day, although inside the atmosphere was cheerful and pleasant.

Our server was very knowledgeable in regard to the menu and when asked, made suggestions. Virginia smokes the turkey, ham and pork served at the restaurant – and everyone knows I am a big fan of smoked meats!

Wayne ordered the House Specialty Salad ($7.95), which features seasonal fruit with candied pecans, onion, mixed greens tossed with Raspberry Balsamic dressing and a choice of Feta or Bleu cheese crumbles. This is really a large salad, and I asked for a plate to share a small serving of this very delicious salad. The fruit on this particular salad was strawberries and blueberries.

There were several items I wanted to try, but I had to narrow it down and finally decided on the Quiche of the day (mushroom/artichoke). It is served with a small salad and fresh fruit, but since I was sharing part of Wayne’s salad, I decided to trade the salad and fruit for a cup of soup. The two soups were Tomato Basil, which is on the everyday menu, plus Chicken with Rice, the soup of the day.

I ordered the Chicken with Rice, but was mistakenly served the Tomato Basil. When the mistake was noticed, the correct soup was quickly brought to the table. But I must tell you that after trying both, the Tomato Basil was the front runner. It was delicious and you could really taste the flavor of the basil.

I loved the quiche, although it was more like a soufflé. It was light and fluffy, filled with “goodies”. Yes, I would order the quiche of the day again.

The breads served at Virginia’s Southside Café are from Neidlov’s, so you know they are the best.

In addition to the salad, Wayne ordered a Club sandwich – smoked turkey and ham layered with tomatoes, lettuce and Jalapeno bacon, honey mustard sauce and Hellmann’s mayonnaise. He LOVED the sandwich; the Jalapeno bacon really set it off. I tried a piece of the bacon and alone, it is really spicy, but combined with everything else, it was perfect.

Other interesting menu items include a Tofu Portabella Mushroom – a Portobello filled with tofu, fresh spinach and cheese, served with roasted vegetables and Quinoa ($10.95) or a Blackened Salmon Cake ($9.25) made with fresh dill, capers, onion, and placed on an onion dill roll served with roasted pepper sauce, lettuce and cucumber relish.

We didn’t have dessert, but were told a chocolate chip cheesecake had just been taken from the oven. There was just no room; we were stuffed!

Hours for Virginia’s Southside Café are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. I definitely see us making a return visit.

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