It was warm and sticky out, so the local restaurant Virtue Feed and Grain looked appealing. The small, country-like bar and restaurant was packed with satisfied customers. Just like the rest of Old Town in Alexandria, everything was rustic from the food to the seats to the decorations.

It all began in 1786 when it was a feed house and only beer and alcohol were served. In 2011, it was transformed into the modern American tavern that it is today.

At the tavern, they serve all kinds of food from breakfast steak and eggs with buttermilk biscuits to late night teriyaki glazed chicken wings. With specialized menus for breakfast, all day, late night, and dessert, there is bound to be something that even the pickiest of eaters can enjoy.

There are even a few dishes for kids to gorge on like the $6 pasta, $7 chicken strips and $9 salmon. Older teens and adults can order off the “Young diners” menu too if they are low on cash or not interested in anything available on the regular menu.

Admittedly, the food is not the cheapest with entrees ranging from$16 pasta puttanesca spiced up with cherry  tomatoes, olives, capers and crushed red peppers to $32 slow roasted prime rib with mas

hed potatoes, broccolini and horseradish sauce. Some of the cheaper dishes include salads like the quin

oa salad and the little gem lettuce, and starters like the blistered shishito peppers and brunch basket of banana-bran muffins.

Nevermind the prices, from my experience the food comes in a fashionable manner and the service is very professional and cordial.

My server was very willing to split the tab and he even gave us a drink of pink lemonade, free of charge. My table started off with the $10 baked mac and cheese starter. It was so rich and cheesy that we could see the mouth watering cheese pull that every mac and cheese dish should strive for.

We continued the night by ordering a $15 custom burger and the $7 chicken strips. The burger was large and juicy with a good amount of flavor and fries on the side making it well worth the cost.

However, the chicken strips were not as delicious. When ordered, they come with a side of any vegetable, so we chose broccolini.

To our disappointment, the chicken was plain and unflavorful with no sauce and the broccolini was not much better. It was seasoned with lemon juice which made it sour and it seemed undercooked and watery.

Obviously we couldn’t complete our night without some dessert. We got a $7 slice of the vanilla cheesecake with fruit and a $8 slice of pecan pie.

They were both pretty good, especially the cheesecake with lemon curd, blueberries, huckleberries, and blueberry sauce. The pecan pie was not the best I’ve ever tasted, but it was still decent and sweet.

Overall, I would recommend Virtue and Grain  because it’s a great place to hang out with friends and some of the food is really good. The one and only location is in Old Town, Alexandria at 106 S. Union St. open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. most days.