WESTERN BRANCH Close your eyes and imagine a nice plate of chicken and dumplings. Can't you just smell it now? If you love country cooking, you'll want to eat at the new Cracker Barrel Old Country Store near Lowe's. The white rocking chairs are out front, just like they're supposed to be.

A first bite of brined bird is akin to taking that inaugural sip of quality coffee - nothing else will ever do.

Face it: Those cute little pumpkins that have been decorating the house since Halloween will be dated when the Thanksgiving dishes are done. So why not serve them instead?

Pumpkins make the perfect serving vessels for soups, side dishes and desserts. The following recipe combines many flavors of the season , and the bonus is that you don’t have to wash the dish when dinner is done.

By Judy Bander
Correspondent
CHURCHLAND
When you enter Nix Restaurant in Churchland there is a "Mayberry Mentality," meaning the staff and patrons are like family who care about each other.

He screams across the country, arriving in a red ragtop, hungry for food and the stories behind it. Guy Fieri and his television crew have been around here before, sampling the fare at Doumar's in Norfolk and Captain Chuck-a-Muck's in Rescue.

By Irene Bowers
Correspondent

Mannino’s Italian Bistro

The classic taste of southern Italian cooking awaits diners at Mannino’s Italian Bistro.

When Angie Wheeler decided to enter The Virginian-Pilot's 2009 Dream Team competition, she chose the bar cookie category. The Suffolk resident figured it would allow her the versatility to develop something unique and delicious.

When it comes to eating fish, how old is too old? One day? Five? Seven? Jim Merritt eats spot that has been sitting in the garage for months. Make that corned spot.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Parting Creek as "Pardon Creek" and Bayport as "Bayside."   WILLIS WHARF A few weeks back, I met a new oyster.

VIRGINIA BEACH