A long, long time ago, I would go to the Virginia Inn and have the gumbo. (And then I would head down to the old Cyclops for the chocolate-zucchini cake.) The gumbo at the Virginia Inn was awesome. For years. Then it got pretty consistently un-awesome. Then it got awful. I pretty much stopped going to the Virginia Inn for the gumbo or anything else. But a few months ago I was walking up 1st Ave and I decided to stop in and check out the newly-expanded some-years-ago-expanded Virginia Inn. I ordered the gumbo with some trepidation. Would it be as good as I remembered? Or as lousy as I remembered?

It was awesome.

Was it a fluke? Was it one awesome batch of gumbo in a sea of un-awesome batches? I stopped by again. Another awesome bowl of gumbo. Again. More awesome gumbo. Today. Again, Virginia Inn, with the awesome gumbo.

So, like, for what it's worth... the gumbo at the Virginia Inn is awesome. Consistently awesome. Just add tabasco and beer.