By LINDA SALISBURY

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

If the name Feedlot Restaurant conveys an image of lots of food, then you're in the right place in Ruther Glen.

Feedlot offers 12 all-you-can-eat specials, ranging from $13.95 (fried clam strips) to $39.95 (crab legs) and the deal is this: Pick a special, eat what you want from that price range, ask for more from anything priced below it.

The Feedlot is owned by Ron Self, who had owned the Route 2 Diner near Fredericksburg until earlier this year. The new eatery features much of the same menu, but now he has room for the steam table and salad bar.

Although the outside of the 1940s-era building needs a facelift, the inside exudes historic charm. The ceilings are rough-hewn boards, and unusual antiques add to the ambience.

To our delight, we were shown the next room, a 62-year-old dance hall, where Self hosts entertainment on Saturday nights. The wooden floors are well-worn from dancing shoes and boots through the years.

Our server, Dee, is one of the best we've encountered. She dished up fun in addition to attention to detail. While we perused the menu, she brought a dish of complimentary hush puppies with a tangy dipping sauce.

The hush puppies were delicate, not dense, and their sweet cornmeal flavor shone through.

We started with the seafood sampler ($9.95): four each of crispy fried shrimp, oysters and crab balls. The crab balls were meaty with no discernible filler, and the fried shrimp and oysters were hot and fresh.

MDP decided to order the pork ribs special ($14.95). The barbecue slabs covered his plate, mandating a take-home container. He pronounced them good, and enjoyed fixing a large green salad from the salad bar.

Although I'm not a big eater, I decided on the all-you-can-eat option so that I could sample a wide variety of food. I selected the fried flounder ($22.95), and worked my way down with samples of T-bone steak, alligator sausage and clam strips.

At the salad bar I fixed a small green salad, and tried the mac-and-cheese, which had a nice homemade texture and flavor.

My flounder was nicely prepared; the steak, a bit thin and overly tenderized; the alligator sausage chewy but nicely seasoned (a Louisiana bite to it); and the clam strips, tender.

We saved room for chocolate-chip pecan pie and Boston Cream Torte ($3.95 each and homemade).

Feedlot is filling--but there's always the dance hall on Saturdays to work off those calories.

Linda Salisbury is the author of an award-winning adventure series for kids.