by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA — We knew the last day Something Different would be open was Friday, April 22, and for old time’s sake we decided to go there for dinner one last time. What we didn’t know was just how sad an occasion it would be for us and the “zillion” other fans of Urbanna’s most popular dining spot.
We arrived at 4:20 that afternoon figuring that would be a good idea as the restaurant would probably be thronged on its last evening. Too late. Already every table was taken and every chair at the iconic bar was filled with others who shared our sentiment.
There would be a 30-minute wait I was told but as we turned to leave, I saw a long table with just two ladies seated at one end with five other empty seats. I asked if they would mind if we sat at the other end of the table and they cheerfully welcomed us.
Our server came right over to take our order; service at Something Different has always been exemplar. As we waited for our food, salad, a split cheeseburger on homemade bun and onion rings, I looked around the dining area packed with the usual appreciative diners enjoying a last meal.
I could almost see the late resplendent Dan Gill, founder of the restaurant, as he walked from table to table, welcoming guests and sharing his treasure of good stories. Dan always had a grin on his face, as if he knew something about life that was insanely funny but kept it to himself.
Then I thought of his dad, the one and only Virgil Gill who was the raconteur supreme. He used to call me after reading my One Woman’s Opinion Sentinel column and say that I could write anything I wanted because I was from way out there in “O-hi-yo” and that was exactly how he pronounced it. He gave me one of my most prominent themes for comedy, that was, I had been granted special privilege in the commonwealth to opine freely on any subject simply because I had hailed from “Oh-hi-yo.”
The restaurant was Dan’s dream come true. He started in the country store down the road from Urbanna on Virginia Street where we sat on old chairs or even barrels turned upside down and ate on butcher block tables while surrounded with all kinds of wares one might find in a turn of the century country store. Dan had his own recipes for homemade barbecue, peanuts, ice cream and many other delicious foods and everything he made was “bodacious,” a word he used in his advertising that, no doubt, caused many a citizen to use his or her dictionary.
After his untimely passing, his family kept his dream alive, even more than that, they saw the well-known restaurant flourish. It became the most popular dining spot in Middlesex County and really put Urbanna on the map and the first stop for many visitors when visiting our county.
It’s bad news our town and county are losing some very fine eating places. We still haven’t recovered from the loss of Topping’s Eckhard’s, which was a major blow to those who craved fine dining. I can still taste Chef Donald’s roast beef dinner along with their special drink from the bar — the “Heidi,” made with chocolate sauce, over vanilla ice cream in a parfait glass, with three shots of after-dinner liquors topped off with whipped cream and a cherry.
Better only have one.
Colonial Pizza also closed in Urbanna, leaving the town with no pizza restaurant just down the street and that was another severe loss. Even the lunch counter at Marshall’s Drug Store closed, which cut off a major social artery for many county residents who came to town every day.
We hear the same story. Owning and operating any kind of restaurant is tough business in today’s rugged economy. It’s hard to find a cook and waitstaff that will come to work every day. Food prices are soaring and one can barely reprint a menu when one has to print a new batch with higher prices almost the next week. The county and town meal taxes on restaurants didn’t help.
Such thoughts accompanied my last dinner at Something Different, at least, when it was owned and operated by the Gill family. Who knows if anyone will step up to the plate and continue the dream? One thing for sure it will be a tough challenge for the next owner.
Before leaving we spoke to a member of the Gill family. We wanted to buy two wine glasses with the Something Different name and logo. She wrapped them for us and we gave her one last hug and farewell.
Maybe, she added, just maybe she would find someone special who could carry on the business. We will hold onto that hope not only for Something Different, but also Eckhard’s, Colonial Pizza and the lunch counter at Marshall’s Drug Store.
© 2022.
