Bluffs Lodge

You don’t expect much in the way of services and amenities on a limited-​access scenic byway. Hell, you don’t expect much on a limited-​access major through-​route or turnpike. You stop at the service plaza, staffed by whatever concessionaire bribed the greatest number of local politicians and choke down the finest mass-​produced and engineered food products the chemical engineering profession has designed. And you get gas (both liquid hydrocarbon and gaseous biogenic forms).
The restaurant at Bluffs Lodge (a fine looking high-​mountain motel in its own right), on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Doughton Park, takes the basic roadside eatery concept and moves it to the next level. The sign advertising a selection of North Carolina wine is the first surprise, contrasting with the rugged mountain-​lodge cafeteria vibe and easy-​wipe vinyl-​convered menus. The food is down home Blue Ridge, but cooked with skill and love to make a dining experience that’s worth a detour or full-​on road trip. Fried chicken (which can be ordered in advance to reduce the 30 minute wait for cooking – yes, it is only made fresh) is a hearty half-​bird worth of perfectly seasoned breading wrapped around juicy meat. The ‘Cue (heavy on tomato and light on the bitter vinegar this far west) is served on corn cakes instead of in a pile, with a layer of melted cheese to move the whole operation from conventional gluttony to unconventional decadence. The basket of biscuits that adorns the table contains some of the finest flakiness you’ll find anywhere in the South – perhaps it’s the altitude, or perhaps it’s just that lack of equipment dictates economy of style in this remote place, and the result is something far closer to the old ways than any modern operation could produce.
If you are driving from anywhere to anywhere in Western NC, you shall stop here to eat.