From the intersection of 160 and Highway 14, it only took 18 minutes, as calculated by Apple Maps,…read morecertainly less if you could travel as the crow flies. Apple Maps told us we had arrived just shy of the restaurant, which is up the hill a bit further. Just keep going. Many of us have heard of Hootentown through the years, and a few lucky ones have actually been to a music festival or put in for a float trip there. This relatively new diner is a real gem! It is run by a mother/daughter duo with the mama manning the kitchen with her extraordinary homemade, from-scratch comfort food! However, I was on a health kick today so I ordered the Taco Salad. Yeah, I know, so I didn't eat the lightly deep fried, crispy shell to my chagrin! Seasoning on everything is superb. She's not afraid to wake up your tastebuds & not just with the one-note spicy heat that masks as complex flavor. My mother thoroughly enjoyed her Philly cheesesteak chicken sandwich on a hoagie roll. She also went for the potato Fripps which (we had never heard of them) are spiral cut whole potatoes that are lightly deep fried into beautiful flowering shapes. We DO eat with our eyes after-all. Well done. So cool. Now, you must order one of theIr desserts at minimum and make sure it comes with their homemade whipped cream! Even if you're stuffed you'll have to take a couple bites. It's whipped & stabilized so well that it looks like homemade ice cream but, WOWZA, it ain't!
When you devour it, you will want to kiss your grandmother, your great-grandmother, and the many mothers before that! Isn't it wonderful, every once in a while, to wax & wane nostalgic?!?! They even make their own rock candy from scratch which they thoughtfully provide with your bill. What is more country crafty than that? Bags of it are for sale @ each table. Make sure to look around at the collections on the walls. The daughter is fun to answer any questions you might have about the food, the dwelling, the kitsch, the river, and the politics in general. We even bought a dozen farm fresh eggs from her as we were walking out the door for, wait for it, one buck. Take a trip through the Ozark Hills, into the woods, and down to the James River. This place is an undiscovered gem! And, a HOOT(entown)!!!