Red Fox Creamery

On Thursday, September 4, 2014, I had lunch in downtown Winchester at the Red Fox Creamery, 146 North Loudoun Street, on the Old Town Mall. Signs out front proclaimed "Homemade Bakery Items, Homemade Ice Cream, Soups and Salads, Fresh Baked Goods, Soup and Sandwiches, Homemade to Go".

The Creamery is open every day; the posted hours are Sunday, 12:00 PM-5:00 PM; Monday and Tuesday, 10:30 AM-7:00 PM; Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 AM-8:00 PM; Friday, 10:30 AM-10:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM-9:00 PM. There's dining and takeout service, and the phone number is (540) 545-8630.

Unlike most eateries on the Old Town Mall, it has no sidewalk tables. There are two doors; the Creamery occupies space on the ground floor of two adjoining buildings constructed in 1900, each with its own recessed entrance between a pair of bay windows. Patrons are asked to use only the left door.

As you enter, you notice that each window has a table seating four for diners who wish to see and be seen. This entry room's floor has small, white hexagonal tiles, and may be that building's original floor.

The embossed metal ceiling, painted white, may also be original. On your right is a display of Red Fox Creamery tee shirts. A small recess here holds a Bundt Coffee maker.

Partway back on your right is the opening into the main seating area in the adjoining building. Beyond that is the counter with the receptionist/cashier's station at the front end; you place your orders here.

Behind her is an opening showing part of the kitchen in the next building. Further along on the right is the refrigerated display with tubs of ice cream.

Flavors are Mocha Coffee Crunch, Anise Mint Chip, Coffee, Lemon Cream Pie, Butter Pecan, Vanilla Chocolate Chip, Pistachio, Cookies and Cream, Coconut Cream, and, of course, Chocolate, and Vanilla. The top of the display case offers a variety of toppings.

Here are a few: Sprinkles, MandMs (cut), Orange Crunch, Crushed Oreos, Waffle Cone Pieces, and Gummies. Toppings are for cups only, not for cones. Three types of cones are offered; also, they can make milkshakes.

An air conditioning unit against the back wall made the entry room downright chilly. To its left was the dispenser for fountain drinks.

Against the left wall was a rack with four-packs of soft drinks to go, topped with a display of bagged potato chips. Further back on this wall were two refrigerated displays holding bottled beverages.

There is no printed menu; items are handwritten on a blackboard on the wall behind the counter. A heading advises that All Sandwiches Come With Chips. The sandwiches listed include Chicken or Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, BLT, Ham and Cheese, Turkey and Cheese, Pulled Pork; there are also Soup, Chili, and Salads.

A small sign shows that Today's Special was Pulled Pork BBQ with Chips and a Small Fountain Soda. Also, Soups today were Red Fox Chili and Chicken Noodle. I asked about a Reuben sandwich, my criterion for judging a lunch operation, and learned that it wasn't available.

I settled for a BLT, and was offered a choice of white or wheat bread. I asked about rye, but that wasn't available either; I took wheat. I had a small Mr. PiBB from the soft drink fountain.

Instead of sitting in the main dining room in the next building, I sat at a small round table up against the left wall that had three wire-backed chairs. This was across from the cashier, and I noted a fair amount of carry-out business. The BLT sandwich was adequate, but not exceptional.

I checked out the main dining area later. It has a more modern treatment than the entry room. It has a new-looking hardwood floor, raised a little above the tiled floor next door, and the ceiling is flat. There is a table for three along the back wall, and a table for four in each window, as in the entry room.

A long table seating ten is in the middle of this room. The walls have an assortment of pictures and other decorations. The locked public restroom for patrons only is in the rear, with the key available on request from the cashier in the entry room.