Virginia Avenue | Opinion | times-herald.com

At noon, a prepared lunch was set out for us in a dining hall, but after drinking from the firehose all morning, I needed a break.

Nearby Virginia Avenue hosts a variety of dining options for the weary traveler, but there was no debate in my mind. I made a beeline to Barbecue Kitchen.

The older you get, the more you appreciate some of those institutions that remain the same. I suppose Sprayberry’s fits the bill for those who grew up in old Newnan.

For me, Barbecue Kitchen was the first restaurant I experienced upon my debut to the world in 1977. And it hasn’t changed much since then.

Like everything else in my life, the older I get, the more I appreciate it.

But growing up, it was just another restaurant my parents dragged me to. I probably got some fried chicken, Mac and cheese, and some baked beans I didn’t touch.

As a husky kid, I much preferred the Shoney’s breakfast bar.

But the older I got, the more I appreciated my trips to Barbecue Kitchen. After graduating from high school, it was always a good meeting point to catch up with my dad when we could make the time.

Last weekend, I ducked in around noon and managed to beat the lunch rush. A friendly but hurried waitress wiped down my table and took my drink order. I finished drying the table after she scampered off.

The menu is basic yet contains all the essentials for breakfast or lunch. These days, my standard plate is a half-smoked chicken, cream corn, okra and pole beans.

If a waitress asks if you want biscuits or cornbread, the standard reply is “yes.”

You won’t find a better restaurant…