We’re hungry and Asheville, North Carolina, where we’re staying for the night, is too far for dinner.  We’re trying to figure out where to go and break out the iPhones.  Three people on four iPhones.  There is a contest, whoever can find the best place to eat…well, the prize was never figured out but that was a race.

James finds a place on Chowhound called the Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia.  People rave about it.  “As good as any place in New York City.” It’s on Main Street but way out of our Main Street travel budget.  Our hope is to hit Johnson City for some BBQ.

But we decide that we might as well pull off the highway and onto Chilhowie’s Main Street to take some pictures.  Jesse gets out and goes up and down Main Street.  There’s not much there. The rest of us just sit in the car.

An abandoned building on Main Street in Chilhowie, Virginia.

Suddenly, James jumps out of the car without saying anything (what?), leaving Kara and I wondering what the hell is going on.  Then Jesse runs over, camera swinging, face grinning.

“I just talked to the sommelier of the Town House and he invited us in to eat.”

What?

“Yeah, I told him about our project and he said to come in.”

Let’s just say that this is the best free meal we’ve ever had.

Amazing free food from the Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia on Main Street.

The Town House doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of Main Street Chilhowie.  Over dinner the four of us talk about how towns developed and what the flash points are for a place like Napa Valley.  Around the restaurant are framed archival pictures of Main Street from the 1800s.  Jesse talks about how Main Street business development has changed.  In the early 1900s, Main Street was about moving forward, looking to the future.  Then in the 70s people started to look back, as far back as the 1800s.  Main Street became a way of redevelopment through nostalgia.

We meet the Town House’s owners, Kyra and Tom Bishop.  The two are there with their son’s fiancé who is having a birthday celebration.  Tom Bishop is a fourth generation Chilhowie resident.  The couple met in high school.

Tom and Kyra Bishop, owners of Town House restaurant in Chilhowie, Virginia.

Kyra and Tom own the mill next door  and say they wanted to build a place to entertain clients.  I can see why, the valley here is beautiful.  Tom takes us outside and points out where the old post office used to be.

The situation reminds me of Sinclair Lewis’ 1920 novel Main Street.  Lewis was cynical and critical of Main Street life, but the book did capture the enthusiasm that people had across the country to make their town something bigger, something to celebrate and show off.

The Bishops love this place and they want others to love it, too.

Main Street in Chilhowie, Virginia.