#65: Dunkin' Donuts

Date Visited: 6 May 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: Dunkin' Donuts is, of course, everywhere, so Leesburg has one too. The current slogan is "America runs on Dunkin'". Ours is colocated with a Baskin-Robbins; Dunkin' Brands is the parent company for both.

On this visit I got a combo with an everything bagel, cream cheese, and a coffee (I don't need the extra sugar of a donut right now). It was a nice breakfast snack on the drive to work. I've also had their iced coffee (which I learned to love while in Japan), and it's pretty good on a hot day.

For donuts, bagels, and great coffee, Dunkin' is the place!

Location: 521 J E. Market St., Leesburg, VA, 20175

Web site: http://dunkindonuts.com/

Total bill: $4.00

#64: McDonalds (Edwards Ferry Rd.)

Date Visited: 5 May 2009

Meal: Breakfast

Diners: 1 - Me

Experience: For completeness' sake, I have to visit every restaurant in Leesburg, and that includes McDonalds. I last visited our other McDonalds (Market St.) back on 24 April 2008. This time I got the same thing: the McSkillet Burrito with Steak, and an upgrade to a large coffee.

For purposes of my quest, McDonalds is all done!

Location: 965 Edwards Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA, 20176

Web site: http://mcdonalds.com/

Total bill: $4.86

#63: Spanky's Shenanigans

Date Visited: 3 May 2009

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 4 - Me, Wendy, Andy, & Alicia

Experience: Spanky's Shenanigan's is another Leesburg establishment that's been here as long as we've lived here. On their web site, Spanky's claims to be "Leesburg's Oldest Pub". Spanky's has undergone a significant makeover in recent times, recasting itself as a more family-friendly restaurant rather than just a neighborhood bar. Their current slogan is "Good Food - Good Music - Good Times", and their new Mission Statement(!) is "Get Relaxed, Get Your Belly Full, Have Fun, Try our Variety of Beverages & Let Spanky's Take Care of Business." Not normally frequenting this kind of place, with much fear and trepidation I took my family here for lunch on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the first thing to greet us upon entering the place was the strong smell of cigarette smoke, even though the dining area is advertised as smoke-free from 11 AM to 9 PM. However, we braved this first obstacle and decided to give them a try. Spanky's menu has a relatively good selection of appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta, and seafood specials.

We got "Spanky's Onion Ring Thang" for an appetizer (although I couldn't bring myself to say "thang" to our server, and substituted "thing"). It's basically a plate of oversized onion rings (about eight), and it was all the greasy goodness you'd expect. For my lunch, I got the "Spanky's Steak & Cheese Sub"; good, but kind of average. Wendy got a bowl of Irish Potato Chowder, with big chunks of potato and toppings of bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Her comment: "I like all the stuff"; I had a small taste and it was good. She also got the "General Jubilee" (ham, turkey, and bacon sandwich). Her comment: "nice fat sandwich!" Andy got the "Pub Burger" (8 oz. burger with bacon and cheddar cheese extras), which he judged as "average". Alicia got adventurous and ordered a Caesar salad (dressing a bit bland), and a bowl of Spanky's Chili ("flavorful").

Overall, a few of the food items were pretty good, but most were average. As non-smokers, the atmosphere was a bit hard to take, but hey, it's a bar! In warmer weather, there is seating out in the back, and there are other seafood specials from time to time. If any of this sounds interesting, check it out for yourself!

Location: 538 E. Market St., Leesburg, 20176

Web site: http://spankyspub.net/

Total bill: $49.91 + $10.00 tip = $59.91