Family-style restaurant in Catawba, Virginia, about 15 min. north of Salem and 40 min. east of Blacksburg. Open very limited days and hours, but consistently packed when it is open.

The Home Place serves the best restaurant food I have ever tasted. Period. No contest. Highlights include the biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, ham, green beans, lemonade, and pretty much anything else they serve. You make one choice when you are seated (ham, roast beef, or both), then the servers continue bringing you plates of everything you desire until you can eat no more.

The Home Place is a minor legend at Virginia Tech -- it is dangerous to regular on-campus eaters, though, as the shock from introducing excellent food into a system used to Dietrick food can be deadly if one is not prepared.