Pete's Fine Meats

There's a local butcher shop on Richmond by Chimney Rock. I have driven past this place many times, but never knew they actually served food. From the name of the store, I thought they were purely a meat shop. A father-daughter date quickly corrected my misconception of the place, and I found my new favorite cheap-eats sandwich shop.

First, I want to point out that this shop really makes you think you've stepped back in time. The decor is simple and reminds me of the '50s. The tables are simple, something you'd see in a black and white movie. And the layout itself can seem a little cramped, but a good place to hole up with a newspaper and your sandwich. My dad says it reminded him of the places he would eat with his dad as a kid. Call me corny, but it makes me happy to think that I've shared the same experiences with my dad as he did with his dad.

When I began this onion ring quest, I scoured through many a menu trying to find onion rings listed as a side dish. Many places obviously had fries. More surprisingly was how many places also offered sweet potato fries instead of onion rings. And shockingly some burger joints didn't even offer fried goodness! So I went to Pete's menu, hoping and praying that they at least had fries. I was pleased to discover not only did they have fries, but they also offered onion rings!!! Our next destination was set.


So on a rainy Wednesday, F and I headed out to Pete's Fine Meats. We looked over the menu trying to decide which sandwiches we wanted to go with our O-Rings. I settled on a nice turkey sandwich. F couldn't make up her mind. Here's what went down:


F: What's corned beef?


A: It's a type of meat.


F: Is there actual corn in the beef?


A: *silence* Um....no...


F: Then why is it called corned beef?


A: *puzzled silence* I don't know. *confused silence* But it's really good. We used to make corned beef hash all the time.


F: It's good? I'll give it a try...


So we were set on a hot corned beef sandwich with all the trimmings, a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings, and onion rings.


Sidenote: F and I were 2 of the 4 girls in the entire shop. The rest of the customers were all men. And they were looking at us like "what are you doing invading our secret men's club?" Needless to say, it felt slightly awkward.


Our food was prepared fast and we were happy to try the onioin rings.

The batter on these O-Rings was less than at Southwells, and it gave a very satisfying crunch. I personally enjoyed them. However, we came to the conclusion that F would prefer breaded onion rings rather than battered. But if battered is your preference, I would definately come here.

Verdict: Better than Southwell's, but still left F wanting a little extra crunch.

The real star of the meal was the hot corned beef sandwich. Oh. Em. Gee. This is my new favorite sandwich. I'm super serious. If I'm ever looking for a cheap sandwich that's good and fulfilling, I'm no longer turning to Subway. I am coming to Pete's. This thing was absolutely amazing. Much better than my measly turkey sandwich. It had tons of corned beef, melty cheese, lettuce and tomatoe. SO GOOD. Words cannot describe what my tastebuds experienced.

We left, the rain had let up, which gave us a chance to stay dry. We left stuffed and happy. As it should be. Yes, the next place had better be pretty good to beat these sandwiches.