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THE FREE LANCE-STAR
A server named Mary steered us toward the good stuff right away one recent dinnertime at Chelsea Jo's Restaurant.
Rather than listen to us dither over what drink to order, she just said, "You should try a Dirty Banana."
That, it seems, is a specialty of the bar at Chelsea Jo's--a friendly, welcoming restaurant and sports bar at the Spotsylvania County edge of Lake Anna.
Soon, the dark-yellow frozen drink arrived at our table in a goldfish-bowl size glass. It was as sweet and fruity as a Slurpee but with a potent kick--Mary told us it had four kinds of rum plus banana liqueur totaling two shots. Be kind to your designated driver.
No football game was on TV the night we visited, but in honor of the start of the season we tried two of Chelsea Jo's sports-fare appetizers.
Onion rings at Chelsea Jo's are sold by the foot ($6) or half-foot ($4). Mary explained that the cooked onion rings are stacked on a dowel like a toddler's toy.
They turned out to be hand-battered, perfectly fried and well-drained, with a sweet-smoky barbecue sauce.
I preferred ketchup with the onion rings but found the barbecue sauce irresistible for dipping our second appetizer of steamed shrimp ($7 for a half-pound). The medium-size shrimp were tender, lightly seasoned and served so hot that peeling them required G. Gordon Liddy-like will.
Sandwiches, soups and salads are served all day at Chelsea Jo's, and it's the type of food you'd expect--a pork barbecue ($6), a cheeseburger ($5.50), chili with onions and cheese ($4) and a four-decker club ($6.95).
After 4 p.m., though, choices broaden to include Italian dinners and seafood, beef and chicken entrees.
Grilled marinated chicken breasts ($11) were simple and good. I'd imagined that this meant two pieces of breast meat, but instead it was the equivalent of four good-sized pieces of chicken if I were serving it at home. They were meaty and only lightly marinated, then grilled until they were cooked through and not a moment longer.
With the addition of dinner rolls, homemade (authentically lumpy) mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans with bits of bacon, this wasn't a platter for the faint of appetite. At least half of it went home in a box for the next day's lunch.
Chicken fared even better over pasta as part of chicken alfredo ($11.85). Strips of white meat were tenderly sauteed with all manner of rich and good-tasting things--butter, parmesan, cream and enough garlic to add a zing.
As if more food were actually needed here, the dish came with a fresh but standard salad of iceberg lettuce and the usual tomato-onion-cucumber additions.
With dinner portions tilting toward oversized, it should not have surprised us when Mary brought out a gargantuan piece of cake for dessert ($4). This, too, was homemade--layers of yellow and chocolate cake with milk-chocolate icing, a scoop of ice cream and, for good measure, a dollop of whipped cream. It was birthday-party good.
It was after dark when we left, so we didn't linger to look at the lake. But Chelsea Jo's is open for lunch seven days and even earlier (9 a.m. for breakfast) on weekends, giving lake-lovers a cool place to take a break.
Reporter LAURA MOYER and NEVA TRENIS, WEEKender editor, make unannounced visits to local restaurants each week. Pull up a chair at their table to learn what's hot and what's only lukewarm at establishments in The Free Lance-Star's readership area.
CHELSEA JO'S RESTAURANT
5152 Courthouse Road Spotsylvania (at Lake Anna)
Phone: 540/895-5070
Hours: Monday through Friday, opens 11 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, opens 9 a.m. Open evenings till at least 9 p.m.--later on weekends or if there's a game on TV.
Price ranges: Appetizers--$3 to $7 Sandwiches, soups and salads--$3 to $7 Dinner entrees--$8 to $16 Dessert--$4
Atmosphere: Lakeside restaurant has fishing-creel lamps, friendly servers and a casual atmosphere; outdoor seating is available. Sports lovers can catch a game in the bar.
Payment: Major credit cards accepted.