Cooperative Living July 2014 - 30

DINING WITH DAN
Story and photos
by Daniel M.Walker,
Contributing Columnist
Breaking Bread in Brookneal
S
uccessful restaurants need a vision, and a
lot of love and care.
The vision for the Drug Store Grill in
Brookneal, Va., was that of Ricky Pritt. While Ricky
has passed away, the love and care of his dream
is now in the hands of his wife, Robin, his son,
Josh, and Josh's wife, Jill.
" I remember the first time Dad and I walked
into the old drug store, " says Josh. " The 100year-old
building needed a lot of work. Dad's
vision was to create a restaurant that would capture
the charm of this old building and give diners
a first-class dining experience. My Dad just wanted
a place where people could relax and enjoy
themselves. "
After almost two years of reconstruction, the
old drug store - it originally opened its doors in
1913 as the first brick structure in town - now had
a renewed life and purpose, and opened in 2010
as a restaurant.
In 1912, a fire in Brookneal destroyed most of
the wooden frame buildings, so the then-new drug
store was built of brick to last a very long time. To
retain the " ole bones " of the historic building,
Ricky and Josh restored the original tin ceiling and
greenstone floors mined in Lynchburg. Upstairs, in
what used to be a dentist's office, the father-andson
team built a bar for a more relaxed ambience.
The Virginia Downtown Association honored
Ricky's and Josh's hard work in 2011 with an
Award of Excellence.
" Ricky felt that to attract diners, the menu and
quality of the food had to be special, " continues
Robin. " We wanted to offer traditional high-quality
28
beef and seafood dishes complemented by fresh
local vegetables to keep customers coming back
for more. "
While the Grill offers a variety of steaks, its featured
dish is the Smoked Rib-eye. First, this certified
Angus beef is aged for 21 days and then smoked
outside over hickory wood for four hours. The
steak is then finished on an inside hickory wood
grill for the desired tasting temperature, and
served with smoked au jus. The Pritts serve other
special steaks like the Southwest Sirloin, which is
blackened and topped with jack cheese, and the
Whiskey Rib-eye, cooked in whiskey with peppers
and onions. And for the " just-give-me-meat "
appetite, selections include an 8-ounce sirloin,
12-ounce rib-eye, and the 20-ounce " big boy "
rib-eye, all served with soup, salad, and one side.
Drug Store Grill is not just a steak place. It
offers an extended menu of chicken and seafood
dishes. For example, Sugar Hill Chicken, grilled
chicken served with barbecue sauce, ham, bacon,
and cheddar cheese; Herb and Bacon Crusted
Catfish; Tuna New Orleans, grilled and topped
with creamy Cajun sauce loaded with crawfish,
shrimp, mussels, and chorizo sausage; and
Shrimp and Grits. While at the Grill, I noticed
another customer who ordered the Shrimp and
Grits, and marveled at the creamy cheese grits
with bacon and andouille sausage, which looked
really yummy! I am already planning my next trip.
With so many choices, it was difficult to make
an entrée selection. I would have liked to try
everything, but I took the reasonable approach
and ordered a single entrée, the Smoked Rib-eye.
I was not disappointed. The smoking of the
Angus beef really does give this a very special
taste. If you like steak and have never tasted a
rib-eye that has been smoked, it will be worth a
trip to Brookneal to try this dish.
Before the steak, I ordered an appetizer of
Cajun Scallops. Robin's description of the dish
sounded like the type of flavor to set my taste
buds for the steak. The scallops were pan-seared
and cooked with chorizo, onions, peppers, garlic
and Parmesan cheese. The real danger of a
great " starter " dish is that if it is really tasty, you
may be tempted to have them bring you another
and just call it a night. I could have done that
and been a happy camper but would have
missed a great steak.
Usually, I find out about the restaurants I write
about from emails from Cooperative Living readers,
and I did receive several emails encouraging
me to visit the Drug Store Grill. Sometimes recommendations
come from unexpected sources.
Recently, I was flying out of Richmond and was
recognized by a couple traveling on vacation.
They highly recommended the Grill's burgers for
lunch and " wings " served in the upstairs bar.
They said they also enjoyed special events and
entertainment at the Drug Store Grill.
Wherever you are, let me know of your
favorite restaurant on the back roads of Virginia.
I can be reached at dwalker123@comcast.net.
Remember, if you are planning a road trip, call
ahead to confirm operational hours and meal
specials. Travel and eat well, and be of good
cheer! 
Cooperative Living/July 2014
Cooperative Living July 2014

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