Mr. J's Bagels

• Locations: 
  • Market Square East (on 33, East of Rt. 81, kind of by the PetSmart)
  • Rockingham Square (on 42 south of town, in the plaza with the Food Lion)
  • Harmony Square (on 42 north of town, in the plaza with the OTHER Food Lion).
• Website: http://www.mrjsbagels.com
• Food profile: Fresh, awesome bagels (also deli sandwiches)
• Local sourcing: I don't know where they get their flour, but the bagels themselves are assembled right here in the Shenandoah Valley. I heard a rumor (unsubstantiated) that Mr. J himself, aided only by one friend, makes all the bagels for the entire city. That's thousands of bagels every day! If it's true, Mr. J. is our own local superhero.
• Price: a couple bucks. Not bad.
• Take-out: Yes! They also offer catering.
• Warnings: If you don't know what you want, or need a minute to think, the staff can get testy. So hurry up already! (Hint: it's all good!)
• Specialties: Bagels (duh). The everything bagel is pretty awesome, as is the egg bagel. 

About Mr. J's:

Mr. J's has been operating in Harrisonburg since 1990, when owners Dave and Jerry Jerlinski moved to the 'burg and decided that the town was incomplete without New York-style bagels. The concept had legs--Mr. J's is a popular spot for breakfast. A number of local businesses order Mr. J's one day each week as a treat for their employees. This is how I got to know the finest bagels in town--Bagel Fridays at work. It's the highlight of our week.


Food:
 I've had actual New Yorkers attest that Mr. J's offers the closest thing to the New York experience that they've encountered south of the Mason-Dixon line. They have 15 different kinds of bagels, not counting seasonal varieties. You can get a deli sandwich or breakfast sandwich served on any kind of bagel (and a couple of breads, too). For drinks, there are bottled juices and drip coffee. The bagels are the centerpiece of the establishment--they don't distract you with other random stuff.


Atmosphere:
Very casual. You'll see JMU students in their jammies grabbing a bite on their way to class (seriously, you guys go to class in your jammies?!?) as well as business guys rubbing cream cheese off of their ties--and everyone in between. Although it's mostly a carry-out sort of place, all of the locations offer seated dining.


But what if I hate bagels?
You can get a non-bagel sandwich, but why? If you're on the Atkins diet, this is not the place for you.

Kline's Dairy Bar

• Location: 58 E. Wolfe St. (the Jetsons-era building near the post office) and 2425 S. Main St. (look for the giant neon cone), also locations in Staunton and Waynesboro.
• Website: http://www.klinesdairybar.com/ 
• Food profile: ice cream and ice cream-related foods.
• Local sourcing: I don't think Kline's uses locally produced milk, which is too bad, given the amount of dairy farming in Rockingham County. If they do, they aren't advertising it!
• Prices: $2.36 for a single-dip in a sugar cone.
• Take-out: It's pretty much all take-out. Both locations offer patio seating, but you're free to take your cone for a downtown stroll. They also offer to-go containers with lids (be sure to specify when you order) and ice cream by the gallon.
• Warnings: On Wednesdays, the flavor of the week is SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I'm just telling you, so you won't be disappointed. Don't you dare ask to mix flavors (a scoop of vanilla, then a scoop of chocolate). It's seriously against the rules.

About Kline's: 
Kline's Dairy Bar is a Harrisonburg institution. It's been in operation since 1943, when Grover and Johnny Kline opened up their store on North Main (bonus points for having a founder named "Grover." How cool is that?). In the '60s, it moved to its present location on Wolfe Street. The Kline's process is slow and labor-intensive, and it yields an unusual eggless custard-style ice cream. Because the process takes a long time, each Kline's location only offers three flavors per week: vanilla, chocolate, and one special flavor. The special flavors are listed on boards at each location (and are different for each location), as well as on their website and Twitter. On a hot summer day, Kline's serves around 2000 people!

Food:
Man, that is some nice ice cream. It's nothing fancy, but it's good. It's creamy and delicious, and the fruit flavors actually taste like there was some fruit involved at some point. My personal favorite is the pumpkin ice cream, and we're just now getting into the season for it. I'm not alone--someone on North High St. put a sign in their yard last week that just said, "Kline's has pumpkin!" Kline's is usually mobbed in the summertime, and for good reason, but you'll see me gripping my sugar cone in my little mittened hands.

Atmosphere:
Kline's has that vintage small-town-big-heart feeling. You get your ice cream and admire the planters, wave to your neighbors, and feel happy. The South Main location, through no fault of anyone at Kline's, doesn't have quite the happy, mellow feel of the Wolfe Street one. You see, once upon a time, I'm sure that South Main was a sleepy little two-lane, creeping down into Rockingham's bucolic farmland. Now, however, it's five lanes of madness. You can enjoy your cone to the dulcet sounds of an 18-wheeler's airbrakes, or a posse of Harley-Davidsons out for a joy ride. The ice cream is scrumptious at either location, but the atmosphere on Wolfe St. is less frenetic.

What if I don't like ice cream?
Well, it's not JUST ice cream, you know. I had a wonderful shake there one time...ok, that's ice cream too...uhm...Rumor has it you can get coffee there. Look, if you don't like (or can't eat) ice cream, just don't go.