First Place: Comfort

200 W. Broad St.
780-0004
comfortrestaurant.com

Second Place: Cracker Barrel

Third Place: Joe's Inn

Even chef Jason Alley would have his final meal here. It "would be a giant tomato sandwich on white bread with salt, pepper and a ton of Duke's mayonnaise," he says. "After that, our supersecret surf and turf — one slice of meatloaf and one crispy soft crab. And for dessert, far too much whiskey. Dickle rye to kick-start and Pappy van Winkle to wrap it up." The super-secret surf and turf sounds like the best comfort food ever, especially for Virginians with a taste for soft shells. But not everyone wants molting crustaceans when they need comforting. And some voters apparently are thinking of the chain with the rocking chairs out front, Cracker Barrel. If your kind of comfort food is country-fried steak or fried chicken livers, you can eat like a king for less than $10 there. Joe's Inn offers a heaping plate of cheese-smothered pasta, about as comforting as it gets. Especially before a marathon.