[part of the Tuesday for Travel blog series – reviews, recommendations, and stories based on our travels and excursions]

There we found ourselves.  Kidless for a couple short hours, tired, and hungry.  Did I want to cook dinner? NO!  Did we want to travel into Harrisonburg to try a new restaurant? NO!  So we did what my family did weekly (no joke!) as a child and took a 5 minute ride to Ciro’s for dinner.

I’ve been visiting Ciro’s Italian Eatery in Elkton, Virginia for literally my entire life.  When I was a small child, I can remember waiting for take out at their old location beside the Little League field and playing Pac-Man on one of those floor arcade game units – the one with the screen on top that you can sit in a chair to play.

Next, they moved beside McDonald’s.  This location saw our family through middle and high school sports days.  As you could probably guess, we spent many after game and practice meals here when the time and energy for a home cooked meal had already been spent.

Lastly, they built their current restaurant on Route 33 with the most gorgeous mountain views!  As you would expect, the ambiance improved with each move along with the food quality and variety.

So, back to our last minute, too tired, too hungry, unexpected date.  Chris has grown accustomed to having to wait to take a bite of his food or sip of his drink until I’ve snapped a few pictures.  The need for blog fodder and desire to play around with macro images entices me to snap away anytime we find ourselves at a restaurant without children in tow.  Our appetizer and drinks arrived and just as he began to bring the first sip to his mouth he stopped, looked my way, and said, “You’re not going to make me wait so that you can take pictures here, are you?”

I paused for a minute.  So what if we are 5 minutes from our house?  So what if we’ve eaten here more than in our own home? 😉  We’re foodies.  We’ve eaten more places than we can ever count and still, almost every time we travel and eat Italian we comment that we can get better at home.  I snapped away.  The place that unfailingly nourished my body growing up deserves a little credit, too. 🙂

First up, one of my favorite dishes that I still may or may not mispronounce constantly: Caprese salad.

And did I mention the view?

Along with a full bar and many wine selections, they have two yummy wine mix drinks that are delicious – the Sophia Loren (chardonnay, pineapple juice, triple sec, and Sierra Mist) and Milena (rose and peaches).

Chris has been behaving super well and eating healthier + exercising.  I never thought I’d be taking macro shots of a chef salad, but here you go! 🙂

And here’s my unhealthy pasta!

If you sit out on the deck and enjoy the view, do remember that it is right beside 33 so expect a little traffic noise.  Dang powerlines!  They really aren’t that distracting while you’re sitting out there!  🙂

If you find yourself traveling to our tiny town, this is definitely the place to stop for dinner!  In my many stops here I’ve always found great food, great atmosphere, and great service.

I love to hear from you! Comment below.

– Nikki

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