If it’s a hearty meal at a reasonable price in a quaint atmosphere you’re seeking, then you’ll find it a few miles outside of Urbanna at the Big Oak Cafe.
Named after the large oak tree that flanks the little red cottage at the intersection of Old Virginia Street and Racetrack Road in Middlesex County, Big Oak Cafe is owned by DeeDee Morris. A former stockbroker who enjoyed cooking for her children and their friends, she bought the building in 2013 and after two years of renovations opened the restaurant as a breakfast and lunch cafe in 2015.
The building had been vacant for over 30 years and was being used for storage.
Morris initially wanted to pattern her cafe after a popular chain restaurant offering speciality sandwiches, salads and sides but quickly “realized that was going to be a long, hard way to make a living.
“Breakfast is not expensive to do,” she added. “But it’s labor intensive. So I said to myself let’s do dinner on Monday and Tuesday when most of the other places are closed.” She also offers dinner on Thursdays and lunch every day except Wednesday.
She also started offering theme nights, which quickly became popular. Monday is half-price burger night; Tuesday, prime rib night; and Thursday includes a 5-7 p.m. “happy hour” which features $1 wings, $1 shrimp and half-price beer and wine.
Dinner
My husband and I and a few friends ventured across the Rappahannock River on a Tuesday night a few weeks ago, unaware it was prime rib night. Well, my husband’s eyes lit up when he heard our waitress Tiffany offer prime rib as a special. It’s among his favorites. Mine too. But I wanted to add variety to my review, so I opted for a rib eye with a crab cake add on. The surf and turf combo wasn’t on the menu but my request was granted for a $10 up charge, which was well worth it. The crab cake was barely bound by filler and almost had a sweet flavor, which I’m sure came from a secret ingredient.
My husband’s prime rib was a hefty portion—too big for even him to eat—cooked to his liking and made a fantastic leftover dinner the following night.
Although we didn’t order drinks, the restaurant offers a good selection of beer and wines.
An on-premise garden of tomatoes and herbs added a fresh touch to our garden salads.
“I call Tuesday night the fancy night,” said Morris, who has done and still does all of the cooking. “It’s slow dine night. Have a glass or two of wine while you wait for your prime rib.”
Dessert
The specials board also included a lengthy list of homemade desserts so we had to try two. On Tiffany’s recommendation I ordered the almond cake and pecan pie. The cake was almost misnamed. The bottom layer was a thin flaky dough and the cake itself was a thick layer of almond cream topped with nut sprinkles. It was very deceiving at first bite but a sweet surprise. Our dining companions ordered a cheesecake chimmi, which was a creamy crispy shell filled with cheesecake and strawberries, sprinkled with powdered sugar—think deep fried sweet burrito.
And the pecan pie must have been good. It disappeared before I could get a taste.
Almost all of Morris’ desserts are made by The Pie Lady and Company in West Point. Morris’ daughter likes to make cheesecake.
Apparently the restaurant’s breakfast items are also yummy. Morris said the softshell crab Benedict, part of her Sunday brunch, is very popular during in the summer. And in the fall, her oysters and eggs are all the rage.
I’m a southern girl and can’t wait to go back and try her sausage gravy and biscuits.
