Pink Cadillac Dinner

As you may or may not know, it has been raining to beat the band here in Lexington for the past four days now and as I sat in my room a few days ago, hoping that I wouldn't start growing mold spores, I realized there was a pit deep in my stomach, a pit that could not be filled with any old Twinkie or bowl of pasta or glass of chocolate milk... I needed the greasy, wholesome goodness of comfort food. There are some days where everyone needs a little edible pick-me-up to weather the winds of life, and Rockbridge County. For me, it's a grilled cheese with bacon sandwich. Having been hooked on these since childhood I have scoped out every diner and deli on the eastern seaboard (not every one, but at least all in the Tri-State) trying to find a place that will do the sandwich justice. In Lexington, Pink Cadillac Diner wins hands down.

A bubblegum pink house nestled in the rolling hills of southwestern Virgina, the Pink Cadillac Diner not only caters to those looking to take a trip down memory lane, but those seeking out delicious diner food and Hershey's ice cream. The interior is a technicolor-on-acid version of Al's Diner from Happy Days, replete with cardboard cutouts of Elvis and 1950s memorabilia. Outside, there is a baby pink, powder shine, Cadillac parked to the right of the building. To the left, the gravel parking lot is home to an eight foot tall King Kong, holding a miniature airplane in his skyward reaching hand. While his paint might be fading and peeling, he completes the scene that is the Pink Cadillac Diner.

It was on a cold, rainy day earlier this week that I made the ten mile trek out to the Pink Cadillac, searching for the perfect grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. The minute I opened the front door, I was greeted by the smell of fresh french fries, bacon, hamburgers, and all things delicious in this world. My server, a lovely older woman with a retro waitress outfit on took my order. Within minutes I had it: the one thing I wanted most in the world, at least for the next few hours. Sitting in front of me was my mecca of cuisine: perfectly buttery crisp white bread still warm from the grill, delicious white American cheese melting out of the sides, and in the center, a perfect row of crispy bacon. I take the first bite and it is delectable; the perfect mingling of salty and crunchy and buttery and greasy, rolling around on my eager palate. I'm in heaven.