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Owner Alison Lynch aims for adventuresome dining, as in, say, chili-and-cinnamon-spiced tuna seared rare.
In 17th-century England, social class divisions reigned. There was no help for the common man facing life’s hardships. That is, until a group of compassionate people pooled their resources and began providing help to those in need—with no regard to social standing. At this time in history, such philanthropy was considered odd. Those who engaged in it were called “Odd Fellows.” The Odd Fellows eventually became The Independent Order of the Odd Fellows (IOOF), an international fraternity operating on the principles of friendship, truth and love. Today, there are more than 10,000 Odd Fellow lodges in 26 countries. One of these lodges is in Floyd, Virginia. Next door to Floyd’s Odd Fellows is a restaurant carrying their namesake and operating in the same spirit of camaraderie and kindness.
Oddf3llows’ owner, Alison Lynch has worked in restaurants since she was 19 years old. She is a high school English teacher by trade—having taught 15 years around the world. But she kept coming back to restaurants. Five years ago she moved to Floyd after reconnecting with—and then marrying—an old high school friend. Once in Floyd, Lynch started gardening and picking up shifts at a restaurant called Oddfellas. The restaurant went up for sale at the same time Lynch and her husband were looking for a building downtown they could purchase. With Lynch’s years of restaurant experience, buying Oddfellas seemed like a natural fit.
In changing Oddfellas to Oddf3llows, there were several things Lynch knew she wanted. First, she insisted her friend, Sterling Steffens, be her chef. Second, she wanted to revamp the upstairs bar, named appropriately, the Oddbar. Finally, she wanted her restaurant to be undergirded by the same three guiding principles as their Odd Fellow neighbors: friendship, truth and love.
Lynch, whose restaurant expertise is primarily front-of-the-house, says she relies on Steffens completely with the food.
“I give him full reign in the kitchen,” she says in explaining the eclectic, Southern Fusion style of the restaurant’s menu. “He wanted to make Oddf3llows an adventure, so it all comes back to how every part of Oddf3llows is an experience in this direction.”
With his fine arts degree in sculpting, Steffens takes presentation of his foods very seriously. He also controls the menu, changing it seasonally to reflect local offerings. “I would say we are ‘locavore’,” explains Lynch, when describing their commitment to buying from local sources as often as possible. Lynch also brings in organic produce from her garden at home, and says she is very honest with people about what is organic on the menu and what is not.
Other ways Oddf3llows is like an adventure and not just another place to eat can be found in the quirky, non-matching tables and chairs, the bright colors of the main dining room and the local art for sale covering the walls.
And then there’s the food.
I would definitely call my dining experience at Oddf3llows an adventure. My husband and I enjoyed a Sunday brunch there recently, capping off a short weekend get-away to Floyd. Their menu was a diverse offering of both breakfast and lunch items. We both opted for lunch, since we’d had breakfast at our B&B. I found it hard to choose. There were a number of dishes familiar to me, but with a fun twist (Smoked Crab Cakes, The Crazy Croissant or the The French Dope, for example). I decided on the Tuna Jezebel (mostly for its name), and my husband ordered The Odd Bowl. Both dishes were absolutely fun.
The Tuna Jezebel was a savory fusion of flavors and textures. The chili-and-cinnamon-spiced tuna was seared rare making it oh-so fresh and melt-in-my-mouth good, while giving my taste buds a zing of spiciness. The vegetables were crisp, cooked perfectly and melded nicely with the carrot ginger rice. It was a party of tastes, textures and smells, and I loved every bite.
My husband’s Odd Bowl came out exactly how it sounds: a large bowl of Rice Noodle Lo Mein piled high and mixed in with a medley of fresh vegetables, chicken, a touch of curry and sesame, and topped with sweet potato relish. It was fabulous. And since my husband is a pretty nice guy, he even saved half for me to enjoy the next day, making me the lucky recipient of Oddf3llow adventuring two days in a row.
Lynch says in the year and a half she’s owned Oddf3llows, what has impressed her the most is the way the Floyd community has been so supportive. She especially loves the groups of older folks who have become regulars, and started encouraging their friends to come in as well.
“This year, a couple of the women’s husbands passed away, and they chose to come here to eat after their services,” says Lynch, a humble awe in her tone. “It made me feel good about having a place where people wanted to come and be.” I
Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sundays: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
facebook.com/Oddf3llows; 540-745-3463
110A N Locust St., Floyd
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