I recently had a chance to try the newest local restaurant in Ewing, Virginia.  Whistle Pig Country Store opened in July after several years of preparation and renovation.  The two sisters, Jan Brown and Melissa Brown Hubbard, who own it used to volunteer as Campground Hosts at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  A lot of the rangers know them and have been trying to support them in this new venture.

First, about the name.  Whistle Pig is an Appalachian term for a groundhog.  When they are alarmed, groundhogs have a high-pitched whistle that alerts the colony to danger.  I’m not sure why Jan and Melissa chose this name, but it is a fun way to evoke their Appalachian roots.

Tom and I met Rangers Olivia and Chandler on a mutual day off at Whistle Pig for lunch.  Before ordering lunch we “shopped” some of the local products available in the store.  The menu for the day is written on a blackboard.  The Whistle Pig serves breakfast and lunch and is open until 6 if you want to pick up an early supper.  It is conveniently located along US 58 in Virginia.

We placed our order at the counter and then found a table where we could sit and talk.  Most of the tables were filled with students from Lincoln Memorial University.  Patrons of the Whistle Pig are invited to “sit a spell” and many of the students were doing just that.  Taking advantage of the tables and good food to eat, study, and talk.  A lot of the tables cleared out after 1 p.m.

I ordered a BLT, Tom and Chandler got chicken salad, and Olivia got a cheeseburger.  Tom and I also shared some fries.  My BLT was delicious with garden-ripe tomatoes and bacon fried just right.  When we were looking at the menu, Chandler and I both noticed the dessert special – homemade peach cobbler.  We decided to share some.  Tom and Olivia, being more chocolate dessert people, declined.  The peach cobbler was delicious.  Even Tom and Olivia tried a bite.

Chandler and Olivia enjoyed their food so much they went back for breakfast the next day.  They said the breakfast was even better than the lunch.

The sandwiches were similar to what is offered at Dutch Treat, just a few miles down the road.  But Dutch Treat doesn’t have comfortable places for people to sit.  They have picnic tables in the sun.  I’m sure Whistle Pig will cut into their business.

Tom and I now have a hard decision when we want to get a sandwich out.  Do we go to Dutch Treat for the best grilled cheese on the planet and eat it in the car?  Or do we go to Whistle Pig where we can sit at a comfortable table and have a delicious homemade dessert?  I imagine we will make time for both in the future.