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The three-story house includes three dining rooms in 18th-century decor and a vast antique shop selling furniture, lamps, mirrors and unusual jewelry.

The three-story house includes three dining rooms in 18th-century decor and a vast antique shop selling furniture, lamps, mirrors and unusual jewelry.

My husband and I took a recent weekend trip to Williamsburg, where we could visit one of our sons and his family, spend some quality time away from the usual routine and try out a new restaurant. For breakfast on Sunday, we headed to Old Chickahominy House, a favorite of residents who voted it "Williamsburg's Best Kept Secret" in the 2007 and 2008 annual competitions featured by local newspaper the Virginia Gazette. It's a place where classic Southern food is the order of the day.

A little history

Founded in 1955 by Melinda Henderson and named after the nearby Chickahominy River, the original one-story building was a simple tearoom serving only ham biscuits and homemade pie, along with gas, cigarettes and antiques.

A robbery resulted in Henderson's move to the present location on Jamestown Road, just south of the Virginia 199 intersection and 1¹₂ miles from Colonial Williamsburg. The three-story house includes three dining rooms decked out in 18th-century decor and a vast antique shop with displays of furniture, lamps, mirrors and unusual jewelry, as well as clothes and seasonal merchandise.

The building is constructed from both new and salvaged materials, some of it dating back 200 years, such as the panels lining the back of the antique shop, which come from Carter's Grove plantation.

Breakfast

Plates are filled with bountiful portions of typical Virginia foods I hadn't eaten in ages.

A Plantation Breakfast ($8.95) features Old Virginia ham from Edwards in Surry, plus country bacon, sausage with two eggs any way you want them, grits, flat biscuits, coffee or tea. The large, flat rectangular biscuits -- a signature item of the House -- look like beaten biscuits, but in reality, they're made of leavened buttermilk dough rolled out to paper thinness. The founder developed these unusual biscuits to augment the wonderfully flavored, tender ham.

Miss Melinda's large, fluffy pancakes span a 10-inch plate and come either plain ($4.95) or with fruit ($5.50), as well as with butter and pure maple syrup.

Eggs are served with country bacon or sausage ($5.50 to $5.65); creamed ham drenches either toast or biscuits ($5.95), and (unexciting) cereal (95 cents) is available, too.

One of the bravest souls in the family ordered a Rebel Cocktail ($2) to start his day. Described on the menu as a "Southern Treat," this drink combines tomato juice, hot sauce and beer.

Lunch

Although we didn't have lunch here, one of our family members had tried Miss Melinda's Special on a previous visit. This brings together a cup of Virginia Brunswick stew, ham on hot biscuits with fruit salad and pie with coffee or tea for $8.95.

Sandwiches of ham on hot biscuits ($2.75), a hamburger plate ($5.25), chicken salad ($4.95), salad bowls ($6.50) and fruit salad ($1.65) are among the other offerings. Luscious house-made fruit pies and numerous chess pies ($3.50) are available for dessert.

The bottom line

This sweet, small place serves tasty food from our culinary heritage at reasonable prices, and it's a treat to come for a meal. I look forward to another visit.