Michie Tavern (aka The Ordinary at Michie Tavern)
Location: Charlottesville, VA
This is the most intriguing restaurant I’ve been to in a long while! If you are looking for an experience, as well as, good, home-cooked, country food, you won’t want to miss this!
From the original log cabin entrance looking upon the beautiful roaring fire and hearth to the colonial dressed wait staff to the tin cups and plates on which you eat, you will immediate feel as if you have just stepped back in time. This place was incredible!
The food is incredible with choices of Southern fried chicken, hickory smoked pulled pork, and marinated baked chicken, black eyed peas, green beans, mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, baby beets (not really my fave), Cole slaw, biscuits and cornbread. This is all-you-can-eat; so, don’t be shy to ask for a little more. You’re gonna want to! The beverages of choice are good ol’ Southern Sweet tea, old fashion Root beer, coffee, old fashion Nehi orange soda and several others. Don’t miss dessert with homemade peach cobbler, Cookie sundaes and and root beer or orange dream floats (see pic above).
Upon entering, it will appear the seating capacity is small; however, don’t be fooled. There’s plenty of seating to the left of the buffet line, and they even have a covered patio if you prefer a little fresh air. Once you fill yourself full, don’t miss the gift shop just outside the Tavern, and the short museum tour upstairs is worth the few extra bucks. (Self guided, too. Those are my favorites. 😉) The gift shop is full of unique, colonial and Virginia-specific items. I could spend hours in there, as well as, in the General Store locates across the parking lot. It’s located in the old grist mill.
I love stuff like this, and I hope you will, too. I always feel like I walk away from an experience like this with a little deeper richness to my life, and I hope my character has deepened as well. Hope you will enjoy!
PS. Don’t be thrown off when you go to their website to find more information. I’m not sure if they are working on it, or if they simply chose the simple approach. You might feel as if you’ve clicked on the wrong link; however, I assure you, it’s the right one. Just click on the pics at the top for more pictures, and click on Dining to get to other options and the Menu. (Or just click on the links I’ve given you here! Lol!)
The waiter knew just a bit of English, but they did have an English menu, and we were eating with Ukrainians; so, ordering was not a problem. The food was delicious, and the presentation was exquisite. 
Oops! I took a bite before I remembered to take the pic. 😂
The desserts were amazing; however, I’m partial to the key lime pie at another location. All in all, this 
Our party ordered red fish, hog fish, blackened Mahi, chicken fingers and fries. The tea isn’t sweetened, as is usual in the Keys; so, just go ahead and order water with lemon or a coke. All the fish tastes fresh, and the wait staff are pretty friendly. We encountered one who was not so much, but she only seated us; so, we got beyond it pretty quick. We dis have their key lime pie for dessert, but I’ve had better elsewhere.
the grizzle grist mill 