On my first visit, on Election Day eve, I ordered that day's special, "the Justin," a steak sub with feta cheese and tzatziki sauce, along with house-made potato salad and a mocha-white-chocolate-chip muffin with fresh-brewed coffee for dessert. I don't care which side of the Mason-Dixon line you fall on, or if you're a red-stater or blue-stater, this was a lunch that would have gotten your vote.

The next time I stopped in I had the broccoli-cheese soup with the daily special, a Reuben dog--corned beef, kraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on a frank--with a side of slaw and a "chocolate pastry" (think handheld pie, or a chocolate croissant with a firmer crust), a meal that gave the sitting incumbent steak sub a run for lunchtime supremacy.

When the little eatery experienced an unexpected 3 p.m. lunch rush, Hunt handled things with her customary aplomb. Now, when she's getting "slammed" or is "in the weeds," she no longer has to take time out from her grill duties to direct a patron to the proper aisle for Lemon Basting Oil.

Of course, I used to be one of those interrupting customers. "Those clams finally did open," Hunt said when she saw me recently, referencing the mollusks she'd once put on ice for me. Oh well, Wegmans' loss is our gain. And even better, now it's not against the rules to tip her.

Kurt Rabin: 540/374-5000
Email: krabin@freelancestar.com