A Wonderful Discovery

I still have nothing to say about the results of the 2020 election. Which is just as well since everyone’s Facebook feed is chocked full of opinions. Who needs one more?

However, I do have something important to say. Yesterday at roughly 12:30 in the afternoon, I may have had the best Reuben sandwich of my entire life. I found myself on route 522 in Powhatan County after an ill-advised, spur of the moment decision I had made to go fishing on the James River. Note: don’t go to the James River to fish anytime after a drenching rain. The resulting mud bog makes it nearly impossible to get close enough to the water to fish without having your feet fly out from underneath you, throwing you flat on your back gazing up at the clear blue skies—which may or may not have happened. But, I digress. 

So after my misadventure, I realized I was hungry. As I drove down 522 in the general direction of Maidens, Va. I was thrilled to discover this little hole in the wall:

A converted gas station, in business since 2009, The Cafe at Maidens, is in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless its parking lot was full, always a good sign. I counted one Mercedes Benz, two pickup trucks, a motorcycle, and now my Cadillac, among the eclectic assortment of vehicles at this unimpressive dump on a country road thirty minutes from my home in Short Pump. Their one unisex bathroom was clean as a whistle, good thing since it took me several minutes and half a roll of paper towels to remove all the mud from my hands and clothes, the result of the unfortunate incident at the river which I can neither confirm or deny actually took place. After cleaning up I took my place in a line of very happy people who all seemed thrilled to be at The Cafe at Maidens. It appeared that everyone except me was a regular, each greeting the other with cheerful familiarity. The woman behind the counter taking orders seemed positively ecstatic to be doing so, smiling from ear to ear, suggesting that everyone try the potato salad which she described as “extra delicious today!” As soon as I saw the Reuben on the chalkboard menu, there was no need to look anywhere else. I have a long history with this particular sandwich. Simply put, the flavor combinations of aged Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut and corned beef on perfectly toasted rye bread is possibly the most delectable such combination yet devised by the culinary arts. At least most of the time. Too often, by the time this classic arrives at your table, the toast has gotten soggy...one of my pet peeves. No worries at The Cafe at Maidens. This thing was a masterpiece, beautiful to the eye with its stacked corned beef, generous and perfectly placed, and a feast to the taste buds as well. Even to the last bite, the toast remained crispy and stout. Appropriately, my fingers were dripping with dressing after the last bite. Oh, and the claim by Miss Sunshine about the potato salad? On point. It was divine.

So, if you should ever find yourself on a whimsical drive in the country on state route 522 between the James River and route 60, between the hours of 6:30 am and 2:30 pm, drop in to the dumpy looking ex-filling station for a bite to eat. 

You’ll thank me later.