Shakers manager/chef Bob Plunkett says being the only independent restaurant at Valley View “is what we hang our hat on.”

They put a parking lot on a piece of land where the Huff Farm used to stand. Of course, that was 25-plus year ago, and it’s been the dominant retail destination in this part of the world ever since. And when they were putting it together, they knew that all those shoppers were likely to bring along appetites. So there’s never been any shortage of hospitable places there to eat and drink. But one by one, every restaurant in the entire mall complex, be it fast food, national chain, or mom-and-pop enterprise, has followed the Huff Farm into history.

Except Shakers.

Of all the places to eat at the mall, Shakers is the one survivor from the early days. It’s thriving, and lest you think it’s just another chain – like a Bennigan’s without the fake brogue – be assured that there’s only one other location to this regionally owned eatery, a companion store at Lynchburg’s River Ridge Mall. Owner John Buckels and manager and chef Bob Plunkett opened the Lynchburg location in 1986, and the Roanoke spot followed two years later. Plunkett takes a fair bit of pride in being the only independent restaurant at Valley View: “That’s what we like to hang our hats on.”

The dining rooms have come and gone at Valley View. Once upon a time, the TGI Fridays was a Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant. The Buffalo Wild Wings was a place called Spinnaker’s, which served bread cooked in flowerpots and had a sign over one of the tables designating it the “worst in the house,” in true ‘80s fern-bar fashion. (I guess they went with “Spinnaker’s” as a name because “The Regal Beagle” was taken.) The Olive Garden was an elegant joint that my associates and I called the “BK Lounge.”

But Shakers is still Shakers, and the realization that it was creeping up on its 25th year in business prompted a recent visit. My wife and I spent a couple days reminiscing about the restaurant as we remembered it (neither of us had been for years) and preparing to marvel at the dated décor and menu options that haunted our memories. But alas, as usual, the joke was on us. A month-old total renovation had completely transformed the place, and hinted that our preconceptions about the place may have been misguided.

Hey, I can admit when I’m wrong. If you haven’t been to this place since back when Hechinger was across the street and Wal-Mart was across town, you’re in for some surprises, too. Plunkett and Buckels are firm believers in the notion that a restaurant needs to be gutted once a decade or so to keep it fresh.

“We like to joke that we make profits so that we can remodel,” Plunkett told me. It’s hard to tell whether he’s got more pride in the renovations –“we even did the outside. Every blade of grass is new” – or the staff who stuck it out during an eight-day hiatus while the remodel went forward. He saved a bit of pride for the restaurant’s new banquet room, able to seat 40 and wired with AV and laptop computer capability, in true 21st-century fashion.

When my wife and I arrived one blustery night, the host staff may have sensed my bewilderment at the new surroundings; they seated us in the section of a remarkably accommodating server who seemed determined to make our every whim come true. She worked hard to anticipate our needs and agree with every dumb thing I said, all without making it look like an effort.

I can’t say Shakers has the most impressive wine list in town, but there are roughly a dozen by-the-glass selections and several more served by the bottle, meaning that most middle-of-the-road wine enthusiasts will find something drinkable. The bar also offers a half dozen specialty martinis and other house cocktails, but the list of draft beers was a bit surprising for its lack of regional choices; I would have loved it if a local success story like this carried a local beer.

A quick look at the menu revealed a mixture of surprises and industry standards. Amid a wide, if familiar selection of sandwiches, there were a couple of interesting choices that made me look twice, such as a trio of catfish tacos, and the “Sam I Am” burger, featuring American cheese, a fried egg, ham and Pride of Virginia relish. The last time I saw a burger like that, Homer Simpson was salivating over it.

To start our meal, we ordered mussels, steamed and served in a broth of white wine, butter, sautéed onions and diced tomatoes. The sauce was rich and garlicky, and set off the shellfish nicely. We also sampled the Buffalo wings, and I have to say, Shakers does this right. Fried crispy without a bit of breading (a chicken wing needs breading like a fish needs tartar sauce – only when it’s got something to hide), and drenched in a plain, honest hot sauce and butter combo. These weren’t the most amazing Buffalo wings I’ve ever had, but they reminded me of them, and they weren’t lacking in heat.

“I like a little pain with my food,” my wife told the waitress, adding, “Wait, that sounded bad…”

“No, ma’am,” she replied, “that sounded exactly right.”

Entrees are served with a choice of two sides from a list of around a dozen, an option which is refreshing in its freedom, but precludes the chef making any inspired pairings. To accompany my half rack of baby-back ribs (why did I not get a full rack? What is wrong with me?), I chose au gratin potatoes and a medley of broccoli, squash and carrots. The vegetables were light and crispy, and the potatoes were satisfyingly decadent, cut shoestring-thin with roughly a pound of cheese.

The ribs were a real winner. Every second bite I took sent me back in my memories to my childhood, to summer barbecues at my grandfather’s cabin. Any food that can evoke that powerful and pleasant a memory has to be doing something right. They were tender, but not to the point of mushiness, and the sauce was pleasantly understated, allowing the superior flavor of the meat to shine through. I’d tell you more about them, but the greasy, saucy fingerprints are obscuring all of my meticulous notes.

My wife enjoyed her filet mignon, finding it to be almost tender enough to cut without a knife, and pairing it with steamed broccoli and an order of tasty sautéed green beans. She added on a lobster tail, and reported that this was also delicious. But I didn’t trust her. So I commandeered a healthy piece. It was firm and flavorful. Turns out she was right. This time…

When our waitress came back toward the end of the meal to try to sell us dessert, I was firm in my refusal. Its New Year’s Resolution time, after all, and I’ve got a swimsuit to fit into. But one item caught my wife’s discerning eye.

The fried cheesecake is wrapped in a tortilla and is served with vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce for maximum decadence.

“You want to share the fried cheesecake?” she asked.

“Gee, babe, I don’t know. I thought we’d skip dessert tonight.”

“Listen,” she said, grabbing my face with both hands and staring at me like a diminutive Rasputin. “Fried. Cheesecake.”

Well, when you put it like that… wrapped in a tortilla and deep-fried, then served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, this item is definitely worth a try. I would have preferred the tortilla to be a bit crisper, in the manner of a sopapilla or a crepe, but the flavors were still quite decadent.

Much of our conversation at dinner that night ran toward reminiscences about things we’d done and people we’d known over the course of Valley View’s retail reign. The stores that have come and gone, old friends who got into various degrees of mischief at the mall and its restaurants, the fact that the approach to Runway 34 goes right over the Olive Garden (there’s a great view of the flight path from the back windows at Shakers)…. But mainly, what we talked about was the importance of keeping an open mind and remembering that even when a restaurant has been around since your shoes had fat laces and you could still find a decent pair of leg warmers at the mall, it can still surprise you.

Shakers Restaurant
1909 Valley View Blvd.,
540-366-4783.

The modestly decorated first floor dining room offered plenty of open space and nooks and crannies for seating and a separate bar area (at press time, the restaurant was still awaiting a license to serve alcohol). Our waitress was very personable and suggested we try their special drinks. I ordered the Vimto, a fruity, non-alcoholic cocktail that deliciously tasted like raspberry syrup that would be poured on a snow cone. Tim and Mom both sampled the Lemon-Mint, a slushy and refreshing non-alcoholic mojito.

For an appetizer, we went with the Baba Ghannouj, admittedly because it’s a fun word to say. But after tasting the dip – comprised of roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon juice – on warm pita bread, we discovered it was much more satisfying to eat than pronounce.

Dinner proved to be a tougher choice. The menu descriptions of each selection sounded so yummy (there are even American-style choices for those not ready for Mediterranean food), but I finally narrowed it down to the Hummus Fatteh, a platter of homemade hummus, crispy pita bread, roast beef and sliced almonds. The creaminess of the hummus and the crispiness of the pita were complementing textures and tastes, and the roast beef was very tender.

Due to pregnancy and restriction from any risk of undercooked meat, I wasn’t able to sneak a taste of Tim’s Shish Kabob, skewers of medium-well lamb chunks and vegetables on a bed of rice, but I trust his judgment that it was superb. I could, however, try Mom’s Couscous with Chicken, which featured well-seasoned couscous and vegetables, herb-marinated chicken and a flavorful yogurt dipping sauce.

Despite the urge to clean my plate, I had to save room for dessert. Being a chocoholic, my eyes immediately landed on the chocolate baklava, also available with walnuts or almonds. Tim chose the Katayif, a crepe-like pastry filled with sweet cream cheese and – because of the season – pumpkin. Both were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

I’m now officially hooked on Mediterranean cooking and, when I’m not attempting it in my own kitchen, will definitely be making a trip back to Double Apple.

Mediterranean cuisine at Double Apple, often served with pita bread, features fresh and healthy ingredients such as chickpeas, tahini, olive oil and parsley.

Hookah Haven

I’m not a smoker, so had little interest in trying the Hookah Café, located in an upstairs, separately ventilated portion of the restaurant. We did take a quick tour, however, and found the Middle Eastern décor very appealing. There were plush pillows on the floor for seating, as well as tables and chairs.

The fruity smells of the majority of tobaccos – two exclusive to Double Apple – available to smoke with the hookah, a traditional Middle Eastern water pipe, were enticing. But I sent my friend Eryn to try some out at a later date.

Eryn and her friend Mary were drawn to the comfy pillows, a relaxing treat for their hookah experience. Their helpful waitress suggested several flavors, including a flowery Mawerdy and Two Apple for the double-head hookah, which combined the two flavors when smoked. They also chose a single-head hookah filled with peach-flavored tobacco. The hookahs were brought out ready for use and topped with hot coals to keep the tobacco warm.

While some may think the café would be filled with smoke, Eryn says it was just the opposite. Yes, the flavored tobacco aroma was present, but it was not overpowering. And the taste, she says, was delicious, adding that it was appealing because the tobacco doesn’t have the harsh chemicals found in cigarettes.

Double Apple Restaurant and Hookah Café
3604 Brambleton Ave., SW
540-204-4441; doubleappleva.com
Hours: Sun-Wed: 11 a.m.-12 a.m.,
Thurs: 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Fri-Sat: 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Okay, so you’re fresh off the boat. Welcome to Roanoke. You’ve gotten the cardboard boxes out of your living room, you’re figuring out which radio stations rock and which don’t, and that big star on the hill is no longer looking like a Christmas decoration that somebody forgot to take down (which is actually what it is, but somebody will explain all that later). And if you’re anything like me in the aftermath of my last moving adventure, you’re so sick of delivery pizza that the sound of your brand-new doorbell makes your stomach turn.

Well, take heart, newbie. A crack collection of welcome-wagoneers is committed to providing you with a guide of some of the most recommended local places to get a bite to eat, and to demonstrate that commitment, I did what I do best: I got somebody else to do it for me.

I recently sat down with five notable residents and picked their brains about some of the best places to send new residents looking for a bite to eat. They’re not all the fanciest (the people or the restaurants), but each one is a vital stop on the road to getting to know your new town. And I don’t mind saying, it’s a town that knows how to do restaurants.

William Penn is a fan of Cafe on Franklin and Norberto’s, among others.

William Penn

William Penn likes to keep a low profile. As a church organist, actor, volunteer with the June Bug Center arts organization, leader of the William Penn Orchestra, and co-writer of the opera “Miss Lucy” (which opened in November at Roanoke’s Community School), he barely gets out of the house. Okay, that’s not true, he’s always going somewhere and doing something, and as a result has scant time to spend in the kitchen. Here’s a selection of his favorite places to fuel up during a busy week of keeping us all entertained.

Café On Franklin
28 Franklin Rd., Downtown Roanoke
866-443-2461
“The food is wonderful, the service is fast. It’s very convenient for me for lunch, especially when I’m downtown.” This lunch-and-breakfast café is on one of Roanoke’s most central streets, boasts affordable prices, and offers catering.

Norberto’s Italian Ristorante
1908 Memorial Ave., in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-342-1611
I asked Penn if the cozy atmosphere was what drew him to this award-winning eatery. “It could be on a dirt floor. The food is so good I would not care. I think they have the best steak in town,” he says. He also singled out some of their seafood dishes for especial praise.

The Quarter
19 Salem Ave., Downtown Roanoke
540-342-2990
Open just since the summer, this Cajun Creole restaurant is already racking up awards and Facebook love. I asked Penn what made this place stand out for him. He stabbed me with his gimlet gaze. “I love New Orleans food.” And that is all he would say.

Macado’s
120 Church Ave. SW
Downtown Roanoke (and numerous other area locations)
540-342-7231
Penn raved about the late-night menu at this local fixture, calling out several of their whimsically-titled deli sandwiches by name. “I love the chicken wings, the potato skins, and all the other stuff I’m not supposed to eat,” he says, adding, “It’s one of the late-night places I can go and not worry about a fight breaking out.” Man, William, where have you been hanging out at night?

The Blues BBQ Co.
107 Market St. SE, Downtown Roanoke
540-344-5683
“Just good Southern comfort food,” Penn says. What more could I add?

Beth Macy, with husband Tom Landon behind, likes Metro! and Fork in the City, to name two.

Beth Macy

As you get to know the local paper here in town, you’re going to get to know Beth Macy. She’s a highly decorated local enterprise reporter with both a nation-wide list of credits and a strong local focus on what makes our community unique. From earthquake-rocked Haiti to the most intimate stories about our fellow Roanokers, some of the most powerful journalism you’ll read here or elsewhere will have this lady’s name on top of it.

Local Roots
1314 Grandin Road, in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-206-2610
Beth and her husband Tom love to sit at the bar for a quick beer (she’s become quite attached to IPAs and won’t hear of any less hoppy brew) or for a more substantial meal, and expresses a bit of pride in having talked the management into devising a bar menu to augment the grander fare in the dining room. From her “very favorite thing” mussels to the “phenomenal” cornbread ciabatta, it’s plain to see that however often Macy gets to go to Local Roots, she wouldn’t say no to a bit more.

Happy Belly Deli
In the back of the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op
1319 Grandin Road, in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-343-5652
“They have really amazing specials. I used to get this saag paneer there that was out of this world. I don’t really love tofu, but they make this amazing tofu salad. It’s amazing! And they’ve got this super-garlicky feta dressing that I could just eat with a spoon.”

Rockfish Food & Wine
1402 Grandin Road, in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-904-5454
Macy concedes that Rockfish is “a little out of my pay grade,” but I can assure you this is more about what journalists get paid in this town than it is about the restaurant’s prices. She’s quick to point out that “everything they do is phenomenal at Rockfish. So if my Uncle Frosty’s buying, and he wants to know where to go, we’ll say Rockfish.”

Metro!
14 East Campbell Ave., Downtown Roanoke
540-345-6645
“Their brunch is phenomenal. We normally hang out at home on Sundays, but I’d definitely like to check that out again.” Macy points out that Metro! also has a great sushi happy hour, drawing attention to the diversity of the menu at this pan-global downtown restaurant. She describes a couple of other favorites from Metro!’s menu with an expression I can only describe as rapturous.

Fork in the City
551 Marshall Ave., Roanoke
540-345-FORK
“Oh! Oh! They’ve got this pizza there!” With a lede like that, I know I want to keep reading. “It’s the one with the poblano peppers on it… Sunset beach!” Macy continues to tout Fork’s avocado salad dressing, noting that she never lets the server take away the dish it’s served in. “You may not take it away. Because you know what? I’m going to dip my pizza crust in it! I’m a big sopper.” Other accolades for Fork in the City? “I love a place where you can get breakfast all day.”

Jason Davis appreciates that the Texas Tavern “doesn’t cash checks or play with bumblebees.”

Jason Davis

Whether Jason Davis is playing bass with local band The Pullouts or working his daytime job with Roanoke’s 101.5 FM, The Music Place, he is neglecting his true callings as being either an ornithologist or a baseball historian. He’s one of the most well-rounded guys I know, and sports a beard that will make you want to buy a round of Dos Equis. As a former coworker at a local restaurant that is in this article (can you guess which one?), I know that Davis also has a fine palate for local eats.

Blue 5
312 2nd Street, Downtown Roanoke
540-904-5338
“I’ve yet to have a bad meal there. The burgers are phenomenal.” Davis also fondly recalled a date with a sultry blackened catfish entrée served over beans and rice. “I could eat there three days a week,” he tells me. But when I watched his eyes glaze over a la Homer Simpson as he described the bacon and braised shallot vinaigrette he’d had on a recent steak and bleu cheese salad, I couldn’t help suspecting that three days was lowballing it.

Alejandro’s Mexican Grill
127 Campbell Ave., Downtown Roanoke
540-400-7053
“There is not a better Mexican restaurant in town, in my opinion.” Davis notes that for many years in Roanoke, a single Mexican restaurant chain dominated the market here, and while he concedes that the veteran chain is quite good, he says he’s happy that Alejandro’s is among a fresh crop of newcomers to the scene. “Their carnitas are the best I’ve ever had. Now granted, I’ve never been to south Texas, I’ve never been to Mexico, but then again, there’s not a lot of people in this town that have.”

Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine
4167 Electric Road, Roanoke
540-776-1117
“Just completely awesome. I don’t know that there’s a better place in town that has better service than Carlos.” Davis notes that he enjoyed his “pre-senior prom dinner” at their former location on the Roanoke City Market, and across all the years, he remembers the paella he had that night better than the girl he took there.

Montano’s International Restaurant
3733 Franklin Road, Roanoke
540-344-8960
Davis owns up to the fact that he used to work at Montano’s, and that owner Marty Montano would likely be paying him a visit if the restaurant didn’t show up on this list. Nevertheless, his admiration is incontrovertible. He stresses the versatility. “What’s cool about it to me, is that the eclectic menu has, really, something for everybody. If you’re a vegetarian, they’ve got a ton of stuff for you to eat. If you want to get a big fat steak, they’ve got that. If you want a burger or a filet, they’ve got that. They’ve got a big rack of ribs… If you want a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs, they’ve got that.” Davis goes on like this for about three hours, but then finally gets on to the “unparalleled beer and wine selection.”

Texas Tavern
114 Church Ave. SW, Downtown Roanoke
540-342-4825
Ah, somebody had to bring Roanoke’s Millionaire’s Club into the mix. “Texas Tavern, baby! I mean, come on! It speaks for itself! If you’ve lived in Roanoke for any amount of time, and ever had the pleasure of being somewhat intoxicated at two in the morning on a Friday or Saturday night… or even a Tuesday night…then Texas Tavern is the place to be. It’s…” Here, Davis indulges in a superlatively pregnant pause. “Is it the best food in the world? Of course not. They’re not there to serve the best food in the world. They’re there to serve what they’ve been serving for 80 years. They’re obviously doing something right.” They seat 1,000 people 10 at a time, and they don’t cash checks or play with bumblebees. And you need to have this experience. Welcome to Roanoke.”

Chris Morrill likes the renewed Market Building.

Chris Morrill

Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill is a seriously gracious guy. I don’t know whether he gets this from his last gig working in Savannah, Ga. (a righteously gracious town), or if he got it from moving to Roanoke (another righteously gracious town), but when we met for lunch at Firefly Fare in the Roanoke City Market Building and my cornstarch fork snapped while I was trying to spear a cucumber – resulting in my hand jetting down and tipping my sustainable-cardboard salad bowl into his lap – he barely broke stride, and still had trouble keeping his restaurant recommendations down to the five he’d committed to. And that’s even with his stated commitment to eat only in the city “until we finish the Eat for Education campaign.” This guy’s really taking it on the chin for the children, no lie.

Thelma’s Chicken and Waffles
315 Market St.
Downtown Roanoke (On the Market)
540-343-8888
After noting that his kids get to go to Texas Tavern when they have a good academic or athletic day, Morrill is not shy about moving on to Thelma’s. “The best fried chicken you can get.” He stresses the importance of supporting local businesses, but I can tell from the glint in his eye that if this chicken were produced on Mars, he would be just as hooked.

Firefly Fare
32 Market Sq., In the Roanoke Market Building
504-206-2630
“I love when we can buy local food, and so Firefly would be on [my list.] You get to experience the Market Building…” He looks around at the rapidly filling restaurant spaces in the building (he informs me that there are no more vacancies), but his attention keeps returning to his veggie-of-the-day lunch entrée, and by the time our brief lunch is over, his recyclable bowl is as empty as can be.

Pop’s Ice Cream & Soda Bar
1916 Memorial Ave., in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-345-2129
“Pop’s. Grandin Village. Best soup in town.” He doesn’t expand too much on this place, but given his adamant tone and all I’ve heard about the chill vibe, the powerful variety of grilled-cheese sandwiches, and the owner’s penchant for wandering out and playing the bagpipes, I’m already sold. Meet you there.

Paco’s Tacos
1613 Williamson Rd., Roanoke
540-265-0007
“That is so good! And I love that it has the local connection [Laura Gomez is the daughter of former Texas Tavern owner Jim Bullington], and the international flair.” After raving about Laura’s enthusiasm about the restaurant, Morrill adds, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been to an authentic taquería, but she says it is and I believe her.”

Healthy Stuff Cakery/Café
1731 Grandin Rd., in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
540-345-2407
“The story of it’s so good! He came up here from Atlanta and perfected this Healthy Stuff bread that he was selling on the market, and it’s made with, like, navy beans and squash and stuff, and it tastes fantastic!” The owner is “a really engaging guy,” Morrill adds, and he has “the best turkey bacon.” Can you think of a better recommendation or combination?

Brian Powell praises the beer selection at Annie Moore’s.

Brian Powell

What better way to round out a list of recommendations for newcomers than with a list of recommendations from a newcomer? Brian Powell is the new owner of the Wine Gourmet on Electric Road, and though he’s a relatively recent transplant to the area, he’s been to more restaurants in this town than a lot of lifelong residents I could name.

Taaza Indian Cuisine
117 Duke of Gloucester St., Roanoke
540-342-4773
“Probably one of the best Indian buffets I’ve been to. The service is great. The food is fresh and seasoned very well. I try and get there as often as possible.” Powell mentions one past misadventure cooking Indian food in which his roommates nearly deported him, and I have to concur that he’s better off getting his Indian fix at Taaza.

Sweet Frog
2015 Colonial Ave., Roanoke, at Towers Mall
540-343-FROG
It’s interesting to note that Powell is the first person to mention a full-on dessert place. “I’m a real big fan of Sweet Frog, as far as their low-cal and non-fat options there.” He points out the national trend of healthful yogurt-based dessert chains, and expresses pride that we’ve caught that particular wave.

Crock and Roll
1036 23rd St., Roanoke, at Towers Mall
540-904-2725
“I had the Johnny Cashew the other day. It was one of the most interesting combinations on a sandwich, but I shared it with everyone here at Wine Gourmet that day. It was spectacular.” Powell takes a moment to stress the importance he feels in supporting small businesses when eating out in Roanoke. But it’s not like that’s all that hard to do…

Annie Moore’s Pub
3555 Electric Rd., Roanoke
540-904-5466
“Great Irish pub, great beer menu.” As a guy who owns an establishment with a pretty rock-em sock-em beer menu in its own right, Powell likely ought to be trusted on this one.

Burger in the Square
3904 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke
540-400-8645
“You cannot beat it. I tried it the other day for the first time and it was spectacular. I actually went and joined their loyalty program.” Interestingly, Powell laments that the restaurant is “not in the downtown area,” highlighting their unfortunate forced exodus from their longtime digs in the Roanoke Market Building before its recent renovation. “They’ve got call-ahead. You call it in and they tell you exactly how long it’s going to be. And by the time we can get there, it’s ready.”

For more area dining options please view our restaurant guide, The Menu.

An elegant dinner at a special restaurant is the most common way to celebrate uncommon events: a wedding, an anniversary, a birthday, Mother’s Day or graduation. Talk to friends, business associates, family, neighbors, and you will find a consensus of choices for such special occasions.

And Roanoke’s four premiere special occasion dining destinations have much in common even if their menus and their ambiance differ from one another. The common factor is an intensely personal sense of hospitality. Even in a hotel dining room, the dinner feels as if he or she is a guest in someone’s home.

The oldest, largest and perhaps most elegant setting is the Hotel Roanoke. In a three-way tie for second place (although not always second choice) are The Library, Alexander’s and Frankie Rowland’s Steak House.

Each of these dining venues has its own ambiance and its unique menu, providing a cosmopolitan air to the Roanoke Valley’s dining options. The one aspect common to all four restaurants is the ability to have special dinner in a quiet room with attentive service in the presence of people respectful of others.

These are places where we wear our “Sunday” clothes (or at least business casual dress) and use our best airs and graces. Here are four dining rooms where we can celebrate our Southern heritage of gracious living, whether we spent the day in an office or a factory. They are place for quiet celebration.

In order to present the dining rooms in an unbiased way, they are discussed in order of their appearance historically.

The Regency Room, Hotel Roanoke

“Absolutely loved our Valentine’s dinner tonight! Everything was prepared perfectly! Especially our favorite dish: she crab soup!! Always a delight!!”

Part of The Regency Room’s charm is the theatrical Bananas Foster, served flambé tableside. (Photo by David Hungate.)

The Hotel Roanoke was built as a destination for rail travelers in 1882. The Regency Room opened in 1938. Over the years, the Regency Room has become a standard for special-events dining in the Roanoke area. During those seven decades, it seems that not much has changed. Actually much has changed, but the basic ambiance is not much different today from what it was when the first diners spent an evening in the candle-lit room.

Executive Chef Billy Raper took care to make tradition the center piece of his menu. When Hotel Roanoke reopened in 1995, Raper took command the kitchen. He assembled former chefs to discuss the menu items they had offered over the years and that formed the core of his menu.

You still find peanut soup, spoon bread and bread pudding on the menu (although the spoon bread is no longer automatically served with every meal). Another product of those discussions: Corn Cake Chesapeake – Smithfield ham, scallops and shrimp on a corn cake based on the famous spoon bread.

One item of Raper’s own offerings is Chef’s Traditional Signature Crab Cake – what he calls a “new tradition.” It features lump Blue crab meat with Chesapeake spices and a corn and leek puree.

Hotel Roanoke’s Regency Room has the longest legacy of our four special-occasion dining rooms. (Photo by David Hungate.)

In addition to his respect for tradition and his passion for new traditions, Raper is a locavore. He prefers to use locally-grown foods to create a distinctive regional menu.

Let’s not forget the festive, theatrical foods like Bananas Foster, served flambé tableside.

The Regency Room is large enough to seat 150 people comfortably (so even in a commodious dining room you are not likely to hear conversation from nearby tables). In the large room, there is a kind of intimacy that is enhanced by the décor and the standard of service.

Perhaps the popularity of the Regency Room today is due to a remembrance of the standard of service set by former owner Norfolk & Western Railway.

Hotel Roanoke Food & Beverage Director Declan McGettigan notes that “the current owner and its management team (Doubletree Hilton) often allow local tradition to trump corporate standards.”

You may no longer have a “roll girl” tending your bread dish, but the level of service matches the quality of the food and all combine to create a magical Southern experience for your special occasions.

Breakfast Mon-Fri 6:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.;
Sat-Sun 7 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner Mon-Sat 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Sun 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
540-985-5900; Reservations recommended

The Library, Piccadilly Square

“My birthday at The Library was perfect! I even got a song from Lowell and a personal menu!”

The Library’s keen attention to detail begins long before dinner is served. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon.)

The Library has been a popular special destination restaurant in Roanoke for 32 years. Since 1998, the restaurant has benefitted from the ownership of long-time maitre d’ Lowell Hill.

Hill boasts that The Library has more awards for service than any other restaurant in the valley. That claim is not a surprise to anyone who dines there.When you come through the door, maitre d’ Gregory Greenwood greets you by name, and he never forgets your name for the rest of the evening. You are a guest in his “house,” and he works to make your visit a pleasant one.

If you are a previous guest, Gregory or Lowell is likely to know your preferences for beverages and food, but there is no presumption – no “you want the usual?”

Instead the conversation will sound like this, “Michael, I know you prefer a single malt Scotch before dinner; may I get you a drink while you consider your choices for dinner?”

The Library is perhaps unparalleled in its attention to diners’ every wish and preference. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon.)

Steak Diane served tableside is the room’s most popular beef dish. Each member of the staff has his own variation of preparation and presentation, but the quality is consistent from table to table.

In a nod to tradition, Hill recently added an item from the restaurant’s original menu. In deference to the request of a magazine publisher (and others), Beef Admiral has made a triumphant return.

The Library has a general dining room, a separate small dining room and a room designed to host larger parties. The larger room has been the site of wedding rehearsal dinners, birthday celebrations and board meetings for local companies.

The small dining room is an intimate space for four where we recently spent an evening with friends. I had the Boston scrod which was prepared in a manner more health conscious than the cheese-covered scrod I find in Boston taverns.
If you are seated at a main dining room table, you will notice that the space between tables allows for private conversation.

Mon-Sat 5:30 p.m. – Late
540-985-0811 FAX: 540-345-6588
Reservations recommended

Alexander’s,
105 South Jefferson St.

“Thank you for such a great evening. My nephew graduated the next morning, and Alexander’s was a perfect place to celebrate.”

Alexander’s is known for its fine touch with both food and service. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon.)

Alexander’s is special for two reasons. It is an intimate dining room with a cosmopolitan ambiance, and it was a pioneer of the renaissance of downtown dining.

When Bridget Meagher opened Alexander’s in 1979, it was located in a typical early Roanoke downtown building. The 25 x 125-foot space was immediately a popular dining destination. The restaurant was moved to the current location in 1984 to accommodate the demand of an increasing clientele.

The Alexander’s dining room is a picture of quiet, efficient excellence. (Photo by Brett Winter Lemon.)

How appropriate that a restaurant which helped spark the Market area revival is now a centerpiece in the downtown living revival. How ironic, then, that the same restaurant can transport you away from Roanoke.

In addition to pioneering downtown fine dining, Alexander’s has been in the forefront of what is now called the locavore movement. Bridget Meagher and her husband Hugh have always grown herbs and vegetables used in the restaurant.

They also helped start a farmers group in Floyd to provide locally-grown vegetables to restaurants. Now they are growing blueberries for the restaurant and for sale to local consumers.

The food and the ambiance at Alexander’s can give you the feeling you find in restaurants in New Orleans, or SoHo, or Tribecca. The movement of people and vehicles outside the front window augments the fabulous food to trigger your willing suspension of disbelief.

That same front window was once a window of shame. Many years ago, a friend proposed a gentlemen’s wager on a football game between our respective alma maters. The loser would buy lunch, which would be served at a table by the window, with a banner from the winner’s alma mater displayed from all to see. It was a long lunch under a Notre Dame banner, but it seemed to be the perfect place to mark such a special occasion.

The menu offers “small plates” which include lump crab lasagna with white truffle cream & chive oil, shrimp & corn risotto, crawfish rémoulade & fried eggplant “sandwich,” and shrimp étouffée with grits cake. The last of those betraying the New Orleans roots of the owner.

Entrées show a similar savoir faire of the talented staff. The menu is a presentation of “classic culinary concepts with new presentation and new styles,” says Meagher.

But the desserts! How about strawberry shortcake with Chantilly cream or chocolate praline mousse cake with port glazed walnuts?

The entire dining experience is a result of a rare synthesis in the restaurant industry. The culinary team members (which includes the owner) have been with Alexander’s for an average of 19 years. One anchor, Bonnie Mills Webb, has been with Meagher for 25 years. (Webb’s parents were long-time owners of The Gavel, a popular dining spot for courthouse denizens.) The service staff present a similar high average with average service in excess of 10 years.

The sustained quality of the food, the unobtrusive professional service, the atmosphere of the room and the owner’s elegant personality have made this a favorite special dining destination for Roanokers. Tues-Thurs 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.;

Fri-Sat 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Lunch, Wed 11 a.m. – 2 p.m; 540-982-6983
Reservations recommended
Online reservations at alexandersva.com

Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse,
104 South Jefferson Street

“I’ve been to several of the ‘top’ steak house chains around the country, but this topped them all. The menu was simple and the food was impeccably prepared.”

Frankie Rowland’s has built a reputation on steaks and martinis. (Photo by David Hungate.)

Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse offers a quiet, dignified setting for dinner. The atmosphere is more like that of a private club than a restaurant. If we had not abandoned our agricultural heritage, you might expect gentlemen smoking fine cigars in such a room. The linen-covered tables and upholstered chairs reinforce the club-like atmosphere.

Roger Neel and his late partner Al Pollard opened the eponymous room (using their middle names) as a kind of climax to a restaurant career they started as a sandwich stand in the Market Building as the City Market revival was beginning.

Since its opening in 2001, Frankie Rowland’s has been a popular place for business entertaining and for marking special occasions. In recent years, that role has expanded with the addition of a private dining room that has a Salem Avenue entrance.

The menu is simple, but that simplicity does mean that the fare is not special. The aged Angus steaks and the Maine lobster are superb. My wife is fond of the jumbo crab cakes and the bread pudding.

When the restaurant opened, it quickly became known for its distinctive martinis, and the pineapple martini continues to be the room’s signature drink. The bar liquors and the wine list are as elegant as the food.

Frankie Rowland’s relatively simple menu is highlighted by Angus steaks and Maine lobster. (Photo by David Hungate.)

One afternoon, I was in the restaurant a few hours before it opened while the reservations hostess was away, and I heard an endless stream of people calling for reservations. Company business manager Tara McAlister confirms that the restaurant has remained a popular special occasion destination for Roanokers and people who do business with them.

The private dining room has helped both venues. Before the addition, the restaurant had to be closed to the public if a pharmaceutical company wanted to make a presentation. Now, those dinner meetings can be held without denying dinner to the other patrons. The new room even has its own entrance.

Lounge, Mon-Thurs 4 p.m. – midnight;
Fri-Sat 4 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Dinner, Mon –Thurs 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.;
Fri-Sat 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.; 540-527-2333
Reservations recommended

419 West
All Sports Cafe
Annie Moore’s Irish Pub
Awful Arthur’s
Blue 5 Restaurant
Brambleton Deli
Burger in the Square
Cafe Asia
Carlos Brazilian
Center In The Square
Chocolate Paper
Corned Beef & Co.
First & Sixth
Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse
Glenn Feldmann Darby & Goodlatte
The Great 611 Steak Company
Guynn, Memmer, & Dillon
Healthy Stuff Cakery
Hotel Roanoke
Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse Grill
Jimmy Sardines
Kroger
Lichtenstein, Fishwick & Johnson, PLC
Luigi’s
Mac N Bob’s
Macado’s
Magee Goldstein Lasky and Sayers
Martin’s
Metro!
Montano’s
Rancho Viejo
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
Sal’s Italian Restaurant
Shula’s 347 Grill
Southwest Virginia Ballet
Stephen’s Restaurant
Szechuan Chinese Restaurant
Table 50
Texas Tavern
The Quarter

Carolina grouper with lobster.

The customers seated around the Gallery dining room at 202 Market on a recent Saturday night were all celebrating special occasions. A high-school homecoming-dance pair chatting nervously at a corner table. An older couple commemorating a wedding anniversary. A lively soon-to-be bride and her attendants tasting bites on each other’s plates.

The scene left me reminiscing about my mother-in-law, who always bemoaned the way so many modern families eat out several nights a week. In the 1960s, she would say, going to dinner was an occasion, one that demanded a nice dress and a string of pearls.

Key Lime pie with blackberry ice cream.

My husband has long described Roanoke as the kind of city where jeans are acceptable no matter the setting. Sandwiched between the dining room’s vivid paintings and the ultra-contemporary décor, I found myself thinking he might be wrong. At 202 Market, I’d feel conspicuous wearing anything other than my dressy best.

The new climate-controlled wine cellar creates a with-dinner situation that Steve Rosenoff characterizes as “the difference between going to the showroom of cars and reading the classifieds in a newspaper.”

We started our meal with a first course fitting a special night out: the ravioli ($12). Chef Tom Ford had sent delicate pasta envelopes swimming in lobster broth along with bits of the succulant crustacean, corn and tomatoes. I followed that up with the spinach salad ($9), which paired the strong flavor of sherry vinaigrette with roasted red peppers and bacon. I tasted my husband’s arugula salad ($9) mixed with light parmigiana cheese dressing and succulant tomatoes and found it equally delightful, if slightly more pedestrian than my greens.

As we waited for our next course, Steve Rosenoff, an oncologist who owns 202 Market with another doctor Paul Richards, approached our table to introduce himself, visiting just long enough to make us feel welcome without being intrusive before moving on to speak with other diners.

My husband and I both agonized over what to order for an entrée. I lobbied heavily for him to get the hot pot ($26) a dish described as a mixture of scallops, shrimp, pork, mango and coconut, but he couldn’t resist the wholesome herb roasted chicken breast ($24).

Completely torn, I invited my server to pick between the filet ($35 for eight ounces; $45 for 10 ounces) and one of the night’s specials: the pan-roasted duck breast ($28). The server explained that specials are called special for good reason.

Two flat-screen televisions hung in the Gallery dining room capture all the magic happening in the kitchen. My husband and I delighted in watching the chefs plate our meals — like getting to watch Georgia O’Keefe put the last touches on a painting.

My duck breast came out looking as exquisite as any winning meal on “Top Chef.” Medallions of moist, sliced meat were carefully served upon wild mushrooms and open-faced ravioli. A rich port reduction provided sweet contrast to the meal.

I didn’t waste any time sampling my husband’s tender chicken breast. With this dish, 202 Market provides a sophisticated spin on a comfort food staple. In the midst of so many intricate flavors, though, I was surprised to find myself utterly obsessed with the accompanying yukon gold potato puree, a.k.a. the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever sampled.

We asked the waiter to box half of our meals, so we’d make sure to have room for dessert ($6 each). It proved to be a smart decision. My husband had the light-as-air Key lime pie served with homemade blackberry ice cream so good that it threatened to steal the spotlight even from the delicious pastry. I went with Tahitian vanilla creme brulee and delighted in the contrast between the crackling crust and the quivering custard.

On one of our visits to 202 Market, the host at the front of the house sat us in the empty Citybar lounge rather than offering a seat in the gallery dining room. My husband and I joked that maybe we weren’t dressed appropriately for upscale dining. We missed the glamour of the other room, but enjoyed the downtempo music and the surfer videos being projected near the bar.

And the food didn’t disappoint. We started with wonderful bruschetta ($6) drenched in tomato, lemon and garlic and topped with plump shrimp. Next, I had the ruby beets ($9). I ordered the dish on a friend’s recommendation despite harboring a strong loathing for beets. The combination of the spiced walnut, greens and bleu cheese transformed the normally distasteful herbaceous plant into a delectable treat nearly sweet enough to count as dessert.

Doctors Steve Rosenoff and Paul Richards are the co-owners of 202 Market.

My husband went for the Caesar salad, a favorite of Rosenoff’s. The chopped romaine, caesar dressing and parmigiano-reggiano was a wonderful interpretation of the standard, but it didn’t match the imaginative tour de force of my ruby beets.

The 202 Market staff does a wonderful job at pacing the courses; they leave enough time for digestion and conversation, but not so much time that diners begin to sneak glances at their watches.

For my entrée, I went with the grilled bone-in pork chop ($26) — a choice that earned me a scowl from my husband who stopped eating pork after watching “Babe” in the ‘90s. But what can I say? Pork chops are both delicious and enormous at 202 Market. That said, the mascarpone polenta with its oh-so-pleasing smooth texture distracted me from the rest of the meal until I spooned up the last, delicious bite. That polenta paired as it was with vegetables grilled to just the right firmness would make a good meal on their own for those against eating the other white meat.

I also enjoyed a few bites of my husband’s pan-seared crab cakes ($28). Paired with corn, asparagus and smoked tomato sauce, this was a straight-forward version of the popular dish. We’d hoped for something a bit more surprising, but then it seems greedy to complain about a perfectly made dish.

The man behind that dish is Roanoke oncologist Steve Rosenoff, who rather than, say, golfing, passes his free time trying to elevate Roanoke’s nightlife.

After long days working with patients, Rosenoff can usually be found in the evenings at 202 Market where he stays busy greeting guests, working with the staff and coming up with new ideas for how to use space in the grand, historic building situated in the heart of downtown.

“This is just the way I live my life,” says the fast-speaking Rosenoff. “I’m hyperactive. I like to be involved with things.”

Really involved. Most nights he eats his own dinner at a table in the Gallery dining room where he keeps a hawkish eye on the service his guests receive.

“I know what fine dining looks like,” Rosenoff says. “Dining is a form of entertainment. You could have eaten dinner at home, so I want everybody who comes in here to be treated special.”

Rosenoff admits some members of the staff call him a “superfussbudget.”

“I will taste everything and I’ll make them crazy until it’s right,” he says.

In the kitchen at 202... From left: Maria Lemus, David Gaylord II, Morgan Adkins, Osmin Hernandez, Justin Wall and Thomas Ford.

Tom Ford has withstood Rosenoff’s constant gaze since taking the executive chef slot at 202 Market about a year ago. Ford, a graduate of Johnson and Wales, helped to open 419 West and served as a chef at Vinton’s much-missed Café Succotash.

“We really wanted with Tom to go back to our original idea: I didn’t want food to be super eclectic,” Rosenoff says. “I wanted the protein to be recognizable. Paired well and with everything tasty and healthy.”

As a physician, Rosenoff understands that plenty of diners will come in wanting to watch their portions. That’s why everything on the menu comes in half-sizes.

Ford describes the current 202 Market menu as American cuisine with Mediterranean and Southern influences. While it’s upscale dining in an upscale building, both Ford and Rosenoff are careful to point out they’re not only catering to Roanoke’s upper crust.

Ford worked hard to create an affordable menu for the Citybar Lounge for these recessionary times. He points out that a hamburger and fries on that menu costs $8, about what you’d pay in the City Market Building. “It’s better quality and you get to have a waiter,” Ford says.

202: Many Things to Many Groups

202 Market co-owners Rosenoff and Paul Richards spent nearly two years renovating the sprawling building on the city market. In addition to the Citybar Lounge and the Gallery dining room, 202 Market offers the ultra-modern Loft, which can be rented for private functions and is open on Friday and Saturday nights for dancing to techno music, and a downstairs club space which boasts Latin music and dancing along with a patio.

Rosenoff’s latest hatched idea is a $40,000 climate-controlled wine room. Customers will can browse and pick out a wine to go with their dinners or buy a bottle to take home.

Initially, Rosenoff says he wanted 202 Market to be the spot for live music in Roanoke, but as other business owners have learned: It can be hard to make money selling live music.

“You can get away with it in New York City where there are tourists,” Rosenoff says. “They’re there for a weekend or a week and they’re just looking to see who’s there and they don’t care what it costs. That’s just not going to happen here.”

Transforming 202 Market into a “more young place” on the weekend, on the other hand, has proved profitable, according to Rosenoff.

“You have to respond to what people wanted,” he says. “People were telling us they really wanted dance music.”

Some customer have left reviews on the Internet complaining that 202 Market tries to be too many things to too many different types of customers. Ford shrugs when asked about that criticism.

“There are different venues here,” he says. “You come here you can have dinner. If you like, you can stay for the club afterward.”

202: If You Go

Type of food: American cuisine with Mediterranean and Southern influences
Dinner entrée price range: $12-$45; $5-10 for the Citybar menu
Location: 202 Market Square
Contact: 540-343-6644; 202market.net
Dress Code: People tend to dress up. You’ll feel underdressed in the Gallery dining room wearing jeans.
Done well:
• Well-executed dishes
• Diverse menu, which offers choices low in salt and fat.
• Smaller portions are an option.
Diners should know: If they make reservations for 8 p.m., they’ll likely hear some club music as the DJs prepare for the dance scene which starts around 9:30 p.m.
Could use a bit of improvement: The front-of-house staff, who seemed less than knowledgeable on more than one occasion, should always offer dinner guests the option of sitting in the Gallery Dining Room.

Johnathan Jeong is the owner of Wonju.

With a name customized to make any native Roanoker think “Korea,” Wonju Korean Restaurant is tucked back into a corner of Lamplighter Mall. On the way inside, I spied a Korean-language newspaper sitting by the door, and snatched it up to pretend to read it, and it speaks volumes about the courtesy and professionalism of our waitress that she did not call me out for being such a goober.

Neither of us had ever had Korean food before, so we decided to have an order of Goon-mandu from the appetizer menu to give us a few minutes to ruminate and masticate as we familiarized ourselves with the menu. These deep-fried dumplings, served stuffed with meat, vegetables and seasonings, were quite flavorful, but a bit salty for my taste, and we didn’t finish our order of six, preferring to save room for some other adventures. Another appetizer, the Kimchi-Pajeon, was a sort of pancake made with green onions and kimchi, which is a dish of fermented mixed vegetables. We enjoyed these a good bit more, and the only reason we didn’t finish this was because the order that came to our table was so huge.

While we ate, we moved on to the entrée section of the menu, and notwithstanding the exotic names, each selection featured clear and descriptive explanations. My bulgogi, a grilled beef dish served with more kimchi and fried rice, was excellent. Though the beef was a bit dry, it was very well seasoned and quite tender. But the thing that really sticks in my mind about the meal was the kimchi. Spicy and pungent, I would have expected a mixed-vegetable dish like this to be overpowered by the flavors of the seasonings. But the zucchini, cabbage, onions and other characters really kept their…character, retaining a crispness and a fresh flavor that was able to penetrate the spiciness. I’m going to take a year or two off of work and learn how to make this at home. My wife opted for the grilled spicy pork, and this was also delicious.

The tender, well-seasoned Korean entrees at Wonju, here cooked by Okhee Kin, are described in full on the menu.

Wonju has recently added a full sushi bar to their offerings, but while I love sushi, and theirs looked fantastic, for some reason (see this magazine’s last issue), I’m a bit sushi-ed out just now. Go figure. I did, however, try one of the Korean beers they offer, a crisp and hoppy number with the unexpectedly pronounceable name “Cass.” It’s always fun to add an entry to my “Nations of the World Whose Beer I’ve Tried” list.

We had come in rather late (as is usual with us, we’re horrible guests), and had watched the dining room go from mostly full, to pretty much empty, but I couldn’t resist an order of green tea ice cream for dessert.

Pete Hoefling, owner of the nearby Star City Games, is a frequent diner at Wonju; in fact he’s such a fan that he’s turned his staff of around 30 employees on to their Asian goodness, and turned most of them into regulars as well.

“Wonju is one of Roanoke’s best-kept secrets,” he says. “I eat there several times a week, and between the delicious food, reasonable prices, generous portions and super-friendly staff, the place never disappoints.”

As we finished up and took our leave, I couldn’t help wondering what was next for Williamson Road. Roanoke has such a broad range of immigrant communities with vibrant and cohesive cultures, it’s hard to imagine that it will be very long before some other nationalities are represented on that car-friendly and storied strip. Greek souvlaki? Afgan kebabs? Salvadoran pupusas? Dare I ask, vegemite sandwiches? Food is such a powerful medium for expressing national identity and for exploring other cultures, and I can’t wait to get the next stamp in my culinary passport.

5524 Williamson Rd., 206-3453

Cuban Island's Rosendo Hidalgo prepares hearty and authentic Cuban meals.

Loyal readers and other people who get stuck listening to my frequent rants will know that I was devastated by the loss of the Cuban sandwiches I used to get at Paradiso in the Market Building before the recent renovations sent Juan packing off to sunnier climes, and so it was with a great deal of hope that I walked into this year-old addition to the valley’s pan-American restaurant club.

The dining room was scrupulously clean and a bit austere (a few paintings and decorations proclaiming Cuban origins, but lots of blank white wall space), with a broad, open window facing the street, and it gave the impression of a simple, wholesome, working-class eatery. Cuban Island just has counter service, but the staff is quite friendly and eager to help you figure out what you’re doing.

We started off with appetizers of papas rellenos – a sort of round mashed potato puff with seasoned ground beef in the center, deep-fried to a tasty golden hue – and beef empanadas, another seasoned beef dish, this time in a fold-over pastry, crimped down the side, a lot like a British pasty. Both were hearty and delicious, but it wasn’t until we tucked into our main courses that we really got our socks knocked off. I wasn’t ready to trust someone new with my Cuban sandwich fixation, so we turned to the entrée menu.

Cuban Island entrees come with either fried plantains (shown above) or yucca.

Entrees follow a pretty set pattern: a meat dish, served with either white rice or rice and red beans, and with either fried plantain slices or yucca. I’d rather have had the bean ratio be a bit higher in the beans and rice, but the dish was still very good, seasoned with plenty of chili, garlic and cilantro. I liked the yucca even more, creamy and moist with a delicate, fresh flavor that I’ve never had before in that particular vegetable. Full disclosure: My wife didn’t really care for the starchy yucca, but hey, who’s writing this thing, anyway?

I really enjoyed my fried pork entrée, but I liked my wife’s vaca frita much more. A dish made of seasoned and fried beef, shredded and cooked with peppers, I probably stole more of this from her plate than I strictly speaking should have.

We ended things with a little flan and some sweet, rich cake (desserts are homemade, and they have a rotating variety) and a little Cuban espresso, and decided that they’d earned a chance to try to win me over with their Cuban sandwich.

Cuban Island
3150 Williamson Rd., 529-7762

Cuban Island owners Manuel Hidalgao and Estela Gonzalez.

Angelo’s Restaurant
303 S. Pollard St.
The restaurant may be small – seating just 16 – but the food packs quite a punch. Owner Angel Linares works his magic on Mexican staples such as tacos, enchiladas and chiles rellenos, as well as the American burgers, grilled cheeses and club sandwiches. 342-3015.

Bob’s Restaurant
1004 Walnut Ave.
Bob’s Restaurant was established in 1982 by Bob Pedigo and purchased in 1984 by current owner Rodney Price. Munch on hamburgers, hotdogs or homestyle plate lunches inside or take it home. Don’t miss karaoke on Saturday nights. 982-0773.

Dogwood Restaurant
106 E. Lee Ave.
Founded in 1948, Dogwood continues to serve award-winning Southern cuisine that keeps customers coming back. Favorites include French toast, omelets, biscuits and gravy, meat loaf, pork chops, fruit cobblers and cake. 343-6549.

IDK Restaurant and Catering
105 W. Lee Ave.
The newest restaurant in downtown Vinton, IDK (I Don’t Know) features buffet-style comfort food, such as chicken and dumplings, baked chicken, green beans and baked apples. A breakfast buffet is also served and catering is available. 342-0009.

Jerry’s Family Restaurant
1340 E. Washington Ave.
Jerry Lamb Jr.’s restaurant features delicious home-style meals. Choices include meat loaf, roast beef, chicken and a variety of sides. Breakfast – available all day Wednesday – features country ham, hashbrowns, French toast and more. 343-4400.

New York Pizza
708 Hardy Rd.
This authentic New York pizza hot spot has been in the same location since opening in 1983. Customers find the freshest ingredients in their pizzas, subs, calzones, salads and more. 342-2933, newyorkpizzainc.tripod.com.

Red Jasmine Thai Cuisine
210 S. Pollard St.
Authentic Thai cuisine includes curry, Pad Thai and teriyaki dishes. The Asian flair is not only present in the food, but in the welcoming atmosphere as well. Bold orange walls are complemented by bamboo tables and Asian-inspired décor and always friendly service. 345-1165, redjasmine.net.

Smoqin’ Odie’s Grill and Smokehouse
2445 E. Washington Ave.
This new eatery, which debuted in April 2011, serves up the same fare you might prepare for a backyard cookout. The menu features burgers, ribs, smoked chicken wings, pulled pork and a variety of side items, such as potato wedges, baked beans and macaroni salad. 400-7312,
smoqinodies.com

Teaberry’s Café
129 E. Cleveland ave.
Offering lunch during the week, this cozy establishment has daily specials, sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. Homemade entrees such as meat loaf and lasagna also are available. Catering services are an added bonus and can be used for large take-out orders, office parties and more. 344-1744, teaberrysrestaurants.com.

The Barbeque Grill
126 E. Lee Ave.
Enticing diners with seven sauces to enjoy with pulled pork, beef, chicken and more is their specialty. The Barbecue Grill also offers classic side orders such as French fries and hushpuppies, but branches out to fried pickles and fried green tomatoes as well. 857-0030, thebarbecuegrill.com.

I took a minute to check out the menu (Paco’s has counter service only), and it didn’t take long to spot a few likely suspects. As Laura explained to me, the concept is based on the street tacos endemic to Arturo’s native Vera Cruz, Mexico (Laura is a native Roanoker). Intended to be less of a restaurant and more just a place to buy some food, the menu of a taquería pretty much has to include tacos and tortas, a sort of Mexican sub.

Now if when you think tacos, you think of a place with a drive-thru and a bell on the sign, try to put that aside. Served on soft corn tortillas (doubled up to better hold the bounty within), tacos at Paco’s come served in threes, and in an even 10 varieties, including steak, fish, shrimp and vegetarian, and each comes served with diced onions and copious amounts of tangy, fresh cilantro (they’ll leave either one off at your request). My wife chose the pork carnitas, which was sort of like shredded pork barbecue, seasoned, but without any sauce. These wound up being really tasty, but I always like to copy whatever the locals are doing, and the day I chatted with Laura, she was having the tacos al pastor. She did not steer me wrong.

As she explained it (enthusiastically, as she seems to do everything), tacos al pastor are another traditional element of the taquería. Take a big old shoulder of marinated pork, and put it on a vertical rotisserie, slathered in onion and pineapple, and roast it slowly. Then when it’s ready, whack off chunks to order and slice it up and serve it. A lot like a gyro in a Greek restaurant, but on fresh corn tortillas and with a chunk of lime to squeeze over it. When she was done explaining this, there was no way I was going to let that go.

We also tried a shrimp quesadilla, which came with a creamy cheese sauce, lettuce and tomatoes. The shrimp were huge and tasty, though the flavors were a bit mild compared with some of our other choices. More to my liking was the quesadilla gringa, a hearty combination of beef, chorizo (smoked pork sausage), and beans – along with giddy amounts of cheese – pressed in a tortilla and grilled. Think “Mexican grilled cheese with benefits.”

Another great item was Paco’s Black Beans. Almost a soup, with generous portions of chorizo, bacon and spicy cheese sauce, throw in some chips and this is a meal in itself. And speaking of beans, I don’t know what they’re putting in their refried beans, but they’re simply the best I’ve ever had – tangy and smoky. We washed everything down with a couple of Jarritos fruit-flavored sodas (their ABC license was still pending), and promised ourselves we’d be back soon. Laura’s teaching me Spanish.

Paco’s Tacos
1613 Williamson Rd., 265-0007

The many sides of sushi. Top: a cup made of seaweed, or Nori, holds fish roe and rice; Middle: Nigiri, individual pieces of fish and sushi rice made ready to eat; Bottom: A maki, or roll, of different fish and crab, is topped with black fish roe.

It doesn’t mean raw fish.

If you already know this, forgive me. But in American culture, there’s a persistent and durn- nigh indelible myth that eating this exciting and healthful Japanese cuisine is the equivalent of wading into Tinker Creek and biting the head off of a live perch.

To be clear, this is not what sushi is.

Sushi is a category of Japanese food that is based around sticky rice cooked in vinegar. And yes, some of the things that are served along with this rice are indeed seafood that has not been cooked. But it would be a huge mistake to just dismiss this wonderful, diverse food based on such whispers and half-baked (or unbaked, as the case may be) innuendo. If you’re already a fan, you know what I’m talking about. But if you’re not – if you’re a newbie, if you’re scared, if you’ve just never been exposed – take my hand, trust me and come along as we explore some of the multitude of sushi on offer in and around the Roanoke Valley.

And to quote Douglas Adams in his indispensable “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Don’t Panic!”

Ben Gui Sushi

4353 Starkey Road | Roanoke | 540-772-6888

We had been hearing about Ben Gui for a couple of years, but had never heard the name. As far as I knew the formal name of the restaurant was “That Great Little Sushi Place Out Near Where Old Country Buffet Used To Be.” This was probably too much to fit on a business card or the sign out front, so owner Ben Chen opted instead to call his place Ben Gui.

Warmly lit and tastefully decorated with modern and not-so-modern images from Japanese culture, the dining room’s raised platform may suffer a bit from being a bit too tight, but it’s a matter of inches (and perhaps perception). The sights and fresh smells were enough to distract me from the close quarters. I was particularly charmed by the clock above the hostess stand on which the numerals had all been replaced by images of different sushi dishes. (My wife, it must be noted, was less charmed with my Krusty the Klown impression. “It’s a quarter past eel!” Classic.)

Ben Gui is the owner and chef at Ben Gui Sushi in Roanoke County

Our waitress, Jane, was a genuine peach. She was patient, informative and efficient. She had a great sense of humor and was gracious enough to pretend not to believe me when I said I was planning on stealing some of the dainty ceramic tableware. She directed us to a special appetizer consisting of slices of chilled snapper served with slivers of cucumber and avocado slices in a dark vinegar sauce. Light, fresh and delicious. Another more hearty appetizer from the menu was the wasabi shumai, steamed pork dumplings with plenty of juicy pork and a wasabi-flavored coating.

For dinner, Jane had recommended a Red Dragon maki (tempura shrimp with avocado and eel), and since it was listed with the specialty maki on the menu designated as “Trust Me Rolls,” I trusted her. And I’m glad I did. I’ll confess that I had never had eel before, but I was determined to try something new, and I went for it. The texture of the eel was a bit softer than I had anticipated, but the flavor was quite mild and pleasant. This allowed the flavor and crunch of the tempura shrimp to emerge, and before I knew it, all eight slices were stowed away.

My wife chose the “Dynamite” roll, which consisted of spicy mixed fish and masago (another type of fish), and she enjoyed hers as well. All too soon, the sushi and sake were gone, and we were promising Jane we’d meet again.

Wasabi’s

214 Market Street | Downtown Roanoke | 540-904-6254

Santaigo Cruz of Wasabi's in Downtown Roanoke.

At least once a week for the past year, an old high school friend of mine has been updating his Facebook status to indicate that he is at Wasabi’s and everybody he knows needs to join him. And I’ve always meant to, but I’m kind of a klutz with the ol’ computer and tend to get these messages about three days later. But after a fun night recently, I just might make an effort next time.

We got there pretty close to closing time, but our energetic and smiling waitress seemed happy to usher us to a table and get us fixed up. As is typical with downtown eateries in Roanoke, the dining room is narrow and cozy with a high ceiling, and the dark red and black décor gives off a warm and comfortable vibe.

Our spicy tuna appetizer was delicious, though a bit lacking in spice. If you’ve ever broken bread with my wife, you’ll know that she’s often gotten in trouble by challenging the servers in Thai or Mexican restaurants to “really spice it up.” So when she mentioned to our server at Wasabi’s (the very name of the restaurant is making my sinuses cringe in fear) that she hoped the entrée would be spicier, I was very familiar with the twinkle in the server’s eye as she uttered the phrase “habanero roe.” This, I quietly predicted, was going to be good.

And good it was. I had asked about the “Volcano” maki on the recommendation of a bike-riding buddy who haunts the place, and though it wasn’t yet on the menu (a future addition), our server was eager to show it off. My wife ordered this and enjoyed it a lot: tempura shrimp topped with a spicy sauce, this was a delicious selection and would have been a great choice for a beginner or intermediate sushi-ist. My “Lover’s” maki featured more of the spicy tuna, fresh avocado, and a mild sauce. A bit less adventurous, but still quite tasty.

Regarding the habanero roe, this was really tasty as well, though the heat from the peppers thoroughly dominated the mild flavor of the roe. A word of caution: If your chopstick has some of this on it when you accidentally drop it and a bit of the roe flies up into your eye… Well, just don’t do this. It hurts. It hurts a whole lot.

A bit of ice cream (red bean for her, green tea for me) was enough to dry up most of the tears, though.

A roll, or Maki, is cut after being rolled.

Formosa

125 Campbell Avenue | Downtown Roanoke | 540-400-8728

One of the newest players on the Roanoke sushi scene is Formosa Lounge Restaurant on Campbell. Owner Sam Hsu, who has lived in Roanoke for around 10 years, opened his restaurant just four months ago, but is already cultivating a group of regulars eager to taste new things and sample his varieties of sake. Half sushi bar and half Japanese grill, Formosa similarly blends old with new in its décor; the exposed brick indigenous to Downtown Roanoke blending with the modernist furniture and Asian design elements.

Though tempted by some of the grilled teppanyaki on the menu, I was a man with a mission, and bellied up to the sushi bar. We didn’t dine in, since the day’s agenda called for a soggy picnic (where was the sun this spring?), but Hsu was good company while I waited for the expert knife of the sushi chef to prepare my selections.

We tried a two pieces of smoked salmon nigiri, and the firm flesh of the fish was delicious, with just enough smokiness to complement – but not overpower – the delicate flavor of the meat. The “Joker” maki – scallops, spicy tuna, and avocado topped with eel sauce and flying fish roe – was very nice as well, all very fresh and light.

It was a bit quiet in the restaurant during my late-afternoon visit, but as Hsu left me to help another patron with a sake selection, he mentioned that the crowd usually picks up in the evenings and weekends. I’ll have to come back and see for myself.

Metro!

14 Campbell Avenue SE | Downtown Roanoke | 540-345-6645

Sake is a rice-based alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin.

When I hear the phrase “happy hour,” I don’t think of sushi. I think of my bartending days and the clamor of unrepentant inebriates shouting my name to try to get one more 99-cent highball before 7 p.m. Similarly, when I think of Metro! on Campbell Ave., I also don’t think of sushi. I think of high-energy music, big crowds, and the night there that a locally famous public-access TV man-ape tried to steal my wallet. But I digress.

Imagine my surprise to learn that Metro! has a “Sushi Hour!” every day from 5:30 to 6:30! Most items are half price! And all sentences end in exclamation points!

No, I kid. There are two things I really dig about Metro! for sushi. First and foremost, the staff really knows their stuff. And not just about the food, but about the questions you might have about it. We sat at the bar during a recent visit and were quite impressed with how hard the bartender worked to walk us through the menu items and to anticipate the most likely questions and issues to arise.

But more importantly, their sushi menu is simultaneously inventive and accessible: more of their maki feature cooked items than raw ones, perhaps in a nod to the Western tastes that many diners bring to this type of fusion restaurant.

Moreover, items like the Crispy Beef Roll and the Sweet Potato Roll take seafood – the raw and the cooked – out of the equation, ensuring that even the sushi neophyte will be able to find something to sink his or her teeth into.

In addition to a number of specialty maki, the menu features some 15 selections of nigiri and sashimi (tuna, salmon, cuttlefish, octopus…) and several varieties of tezema maki, or thinner versions of the traditional maki roll.

We opted for the Crispy Beef Roll with stir-fry vegetables and scallions and the Cabo Tuna Roll, which was a real stand-out. Seared tuna and fresh cilantro and jalapeños with thin-sliced roasted garlic, all wrapped up in a thin, yellow soy sheet. Everything was a riot of colors and flavors.

Sake House

1560 South Main Street | Blacksburg | 540-951-0068

Since Sake House left its long-time home in Salem and moved to Blacksburg, a short road trip was in order. Luckily, its South Main Street location in Blacksburg is just a half hour and change away from the ‘Noke. On a recent visit, as I was wiping my hands with the hot towel our attentive and friendly waitress brought, I spent some time checking out the menu and the surroundings. Austere white walls enveloped much of the room, and both the bar and the sushi bar in the newish building were a bit lacking in atmosphere for my tastes.

But luckily, the food had enough color and flavor to make up for this. Bragging some 19 specialty maki, along with a broad assortment of sashimi, nigiri and tempura, there was plenty on the menu to draw the senses.

For an appetizer, I lost my case in favor of the Rumaki, a deep-fried quartet of large scallops wrapped in bacon. Her argument: “You can get bacon and scallops anywhere.” My argument: “It’s large scallops. Wrapped in bacon. And deep-fried.” I’m still bewildered that I lost that one.
However, I’ve got to admit that the Wasabi Shrimp were pretty fantastic. Huge, sweet shrimp, battered and fried, and served smothered with a sweet and tangy wasabi sauce. And since there were five, we got to have fun fighting over who got the odd one. (I won that one. I have no shame.)

I got a little crazy and decided to try two pieces of ika nigiri. Ika, I’m sure you already know, is the Japanese word for squid. Now I figured if I love calamari, and I’m thinking of stepping outside my comfort zone, this is a perfect place to try it!

There was nothing wrong with it. It was fresh, and obviously well prepared. I did not enjoy it, but this says more about me and my damnable provincial Western tastes than it does about the restaurant. I am chalking it up to experience, and taking great pleasure in the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed everything else I had from there.

The “Christina” maki (why Christina? Our waitress either didn’t know or wouldn’t say) was very tasty; spicy shredded tuna and ripe avocado with a sweet tangy sauce. This was the most flavorful avocado I’ve ever had, and the tastes worked well together. Not to be outdone, the “Hawaiian” maki, coconut shrimp with mango, avocado and “our sweet home-made sauce” was also a hit. (This and the “Cowboy” maki, which features grilled ribeye steak, would be first-rate starter maki for the timid sushi noobs on your social register.)

Sushi Newbie Glossary

Sushi: Sticky rice cooked with vinegar. [Note the lack of the phrase “raw fish” in this definition].

Sashimi: Very fresh raw fish, sliced thin. You know how some restaurants use the phrase “sashimi-grade” when they want to brag on their tuna? That means it’s high enough quality to serve it raw.

Nigiri: Take a piece of sashimi, lay it on an oblong mound of sushi rice, bam! You’ve got nigiri.

Maki: Cylindrical roll of rice with seafood, other meats, and/or vegetables wrapped in edible seaweed or some other wrapper. Sliced into wheels. Sort of like that pinwheel fudge your Grandma used to make, but with less fudge.

California Roll: Common maki, usually containing imitation crab, cucumber and avocado. Good beginner sushi dish.

Wasabi: Often called “Japanese horseradish,” this green paste will hurt you if you don’t show it the proper respect.

Roe: Fish eggs. Oh, quit being a baby. It’s like caviar!

Sake: Rice-based wine, served hot or cold. Be careful with this until you really know what you’re doing.

Tempura: Anything battered and deep-fried. Vegetables, seafood, beef, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, whatever.

Photos by David Hungate

The typical response: “I don’t know.”

Well, now, that answer makes your decision for you. Such a place actually exists.

IDK for short, I Don’t Know Restaurant & Catering in Vinton opened in February, offering buffet-style, homemade Southern staples. When brainstorming for a name, owners Brandy Farley and Richard Ross continued to say “I don’t know,“ says Kristy Mayberry, catering and marketing coordinator for IDK. Thus, because of the ever-popular where-to-eat debate, the name was born.

Farley brings years of experience to the restaurant business. She learned to cook from her grandmother and owned In Style Catering in Vinton until 2007. While catering, Farley was encouraged by customers to open a restaurant one day, Mayberry says. At IDK, Farley prepares the same Southern dishes she used at In Style.

So far, customers have loved the buffet fare, says Mayberry. “There’s not a buffet around here, so it was a good option for us.”

Breakfast, served from 7-11 a.m., typically features sausage gravy, biscuits, bacon, eggs, hashbrown casserole and baked apples. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., lunch items vary, but may include baked chicken, chicken and dumplings, lasagna, green beans, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, corn and pinto beans. A salad bar is always open during lunch. Take-out options are available.

“Home-cooked, comfort food” makes IDK so appealing, Mayberry says. “I’ve heard rave reviews about lots of the food.”

IDK also offers catering for any event, from business meetings to weddings and everything in between.

IDK Restaurant and Catering Inc.
105 W. Lee Ave., Vinton. 342-0009
idkrestaurant.com.
Breakfast $5.99, Lunch $6.99: Tuesday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner $7.99: Thurs-Sat 5-8 p.m.

The atmosphere at The Quarter will make you think you're sitting on Bourbon Street instead of Salem Avenue.

Grab your Mardi Gras beads and prepare to spice things up, a taste of the Crescent City has arrived in downtown Roanoke.

Spearheaded by veteran restaurateur Chip Moore and co-owners Agnis Chakravorty and Neal Keesee, The Quarter – “Roanoke’s only Cajun/Creole restaurant” – opened in late April on Salem Avenue in the former home of Tong’s Thai after more than a year of renovations to the 107-year-old building.

“The building had been condemned by the city [in 2009] because it had a lot of structural and electrical issues,” Keesee says. “We had to gut the whole first floor, including the floor trusses, and rebuild the kitchen area and the back wall.”

The hard work paid off. The atmosphere at The Quarter is somehow simultaneously upscale and relaxed. The first floor features 20-foot ceilings and is highlighted by a stunning hardwood bar Moore designed himself. The second floor is more spacious and offers another elegant bar as well as five giant flat-screen TVs. Hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, and paintings, photos and other décor from and inspired by New Orleans tie it all together. Not to be omitted, a courtyard also provides excellent outdoor dining. And when your attention shifts from stuffed gators to the menu, you’ll still feel like you’re looking at something straight off of Bourbon Street.

“We took a visit to New Orleans last August and poured through books and other menus,” Moore says when asked how he developed the menu. “Most of the stuff we have is mainstream New Orleans fare – red beans and rice, shrimp and grits, shrimp Creole.”

During recent visits I had a chance to sample a few of those standards, such as the chicken and shrimp gumbo. Served as an appetizer or as an entrée, the classic News Orleans stew was a perfect combination of plump shrimp, tender chicken and andouille sausage in a flavorful, slightly spicy Creole sauce. For my entrée I chose the blackened redfish topped with Creole crawfish butter, which arrived expertly charred with meat that was still moist and flaky. It came sided with maque choux, a traditional southern Louisiana dish consisting of corn, peppers, onions and tomatoes, but it was the heaping portion of bourbon mashed sweet potatoes that really grabbed the spotlight.

To my delight, my wife opted for the shrimp and grits, and I wasted no time stealing a few bites. The lightly sautéed shrimp, onions, green peppers and Cajun seasonings topped with andouille sausage gravy were excellent, but the creamy stone-ground grits are what really made the dish.

When it was time for dessert we sampled the chocolate mousse, bread pudding and, on a separate visit, the bourbon pecan pie. The light and creamy mousse definitely satisfied my chocolate fix, but my wife’s choice of bread pudding was even more amazing. However, it was the bourbon pecan pie that really blew us both away. Tradition has it the French invented the pecan pie soon after settling in New Orleans after Native Americans introduced them to the nut, and even though pecans are not exactly a favorite of mine, the sweet filling with just a hint of bourbon sandwiched between the thick, flaky crust and top layer of nuts was enough to make me exclaim “très magnifique” in my best French accent.

“We’ve been blessed, between the three of us we know a ton of people, and our friends have supported us and the word is getting out,” Chakravorty says of the reaction to The Quarter so far. “The vision Chip has is just amazing. We give him a lot of grief, because we’re such good friends, but it is amazing to see the passion he has for it.”

The Quarter. 19 Salem Ave., Roanoke. 342-2990.

Managing the shop and manning the lunch counter is Chris Parkhurst, former manager of the Happy Belly Deli at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. Parkhurst is passionate about getting others excited about the locavore movement.

“We want to strengthen the local food movement by being more local than anyone else and paying farmers fairly for their produce,” Parkhurst says.

In addition to keeping the store full of products that don’t travel far at all to get to the shelf, the Chewnings and Parkhurst seek to appeal to a variety of palates and lifestyles.

“Generally speaking I’m very sensitive to vegetarians’ and vegans’ needs,” Parkhurst says. “I go a little beyond to try and include as much gluten-free stuff as possible.”

I recently sampled a vegan lunch at Big Pine that included a baked veggie chimichanga with sweet potato hash, braised greens and pico de gallo. I must’ve been enjoying it very intently as a nearby diner – a lovely and talented local artist – asked me if the lunch was as good as I was making it seem. I was able to give her a definite yes, and in turn found out from her that Big Pine Provisions also caters.

With warmer weather, Parkhurst predicts a lot of trout ceviche, fresh salads, homemade gazpacho, asparagus, strawberries and sugar snap peas and other fresh, good-for-you food.

“The new awareness of health and local foods all of these trends have come together nicely,” Parkhurst says. “This is a good moment in the history of Roanoke to start out in this local foods movement.”

Big Pine Provisions. 501 Campbell Ave., Roanoke. 206-2040

Wade Peters is one of the most personable waiters I’ve met in my time eating and working in restaurants. Quick to laugh with you, laugh at you, sit at your table, and talk you into ordering a bottle of wine that you aren’t really in the mood for but wind up enjoying immensely anyway.

We had a nice table backed up against the exposed brick at one end of the dining room from which to watch the action around us, and at first, we felt like we had crashed a private party. With the exception of maybe two other parties, everyone else seemed to know each other. Guests were moving from one table to another, laughing and hailing friends, and doubtlessly making it hard for the servers to keep the drink orders straight.

But when I asked Peters what the occasion was, he just shrugged, beamed around at the room, and answered, “Friday.” That kind of festive atmosphere can be its own excuse to celebrate, and it was a joy to sit under the black, pressed-tin ceilings and watch.

Dinner
When we sat down, a member of the staff asked us our water preference. I was just about to answer “A hundred and four degrees, plenty of Mr. Bubble, and with a yellow rubber ducky,” when she explained that she meant drinking water.

“Bottled sparkling, bottled still, or tap water.”

It felt like a good omen that there were that many options available, and as my water bubbled away, I opened the menu to take a look around. The food reflects a number of American classic styles – crab cakes, Low Country fare, fish, steak and chicken dishes. But there are upscale European elements as well, such as the beurre blanc served with the pan-seared crab cakes or the fire-roasted corn polenta cake that accompanies the Carolina grouper.

Peters made the evening’s special sound a cut above, and so I went with that – a generous ribeye served with seared green beans, seasoned mashed potatoes, and a Maytag bleu cheese sauce.

The goal of the menu at Table 50 is to have "varied, high-quality ingredients executed very well and originally."

A little while after Peters left with our order (long enough to know it was being made especially for us, but not so long that the people-watching got boring), he came back with my mussels and my wife’s duck confit. The mussels transfixed me, very tender and served in a pool of buttery saffron and white wine sauce. The chef must have known that the sauce was good enough to want to keep going after the shellfish were gone, so the dish was topped with a pair of crispy baguette rounds topped with a bit of cheese. I looked up after a few moments of almost trance-like concentration, and asked my wife how her duck was. “Yum,” the English major replied.

My fork descended on her plate like a shiny little Viking, and I pillaged myself a taste. Moist and smoky, but not over-seasoned, it would have been hard to improve on this bird. It came plated with a cranberry and port reduction, the sweet and tart flavor of which was a nice counterpoint to the heady flavor of the duck.

After our appetizers, we progressed to a pair of imaginative salads. She had ordered a spinach and balsamic vinaigrette salad with sliced pears, bleu cheese and walnuts, which suffered only from the pears being a tad too unripe for their flavor to really shine through. I had absolutely zero complaints about my salad, though, which featured ultra-thin julienned strips of apple, pecan pralines and dried cherries. It was crowned with a warm lump of baked goat cheese, and the sour cheese and contrasting temperatures really made the sweeter ingredients pop.

It almost seemed orchestrated when our entrees arrived just at the moment that the unarranged party around us was reaching its crescendo. A couple of grande dames were at the next table hugging and giggling like schoolgirls… We could barely hear Peters when he came sailing through the warm, welcoming chaos with our entrees raving about the Malbec he had recommended.

Not that we were all that interested in what he had to say at that point; there was meat on the table. She got the Colorado rack of lamb (this had been what I was going to order before Peters sold me on the special), which came with a truffled honey polenta and Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon and cranberries. Remember how I mentioned surprises? Well, you’d expect the lamb to be delicious (it was, lightly seasoned so that the natural flavor of the meat wasn’t drowned out) and the bacon to be sinfully tasty (man, when is bacon not? Bacon is like a culinary cheat-code; it opens any door), but if you grew up like I did, Brussels sprouts are something to be politely refused/hidden under your coffee cup/given to a foolish dog/shunned like a drunken Quaker. But these were just fantastic. They had none of the hellish sulfur smell that my aunt’s Brussels sprouts always seemed to have. And yeah, maybe they weren’t the most wonderful thing that happened to us that night (see: duck confit). But nonetheless, when you compare what they tasted like with what we thought they were going to taste like, they were pretty darned good. By contrast, the polenta was a bit mild for the stronger flavors on the plate, but something had to be the least fabulous instrument in that orchestra.

As for my ribeye, the mashed potatoes and green beans were very good, but the steak and the bleu cheese sauce were showstoppers. The charred character of the marbling in the beef juxtaposed with the spicy wine and the pungent sauce were just shy of overpowering. This was love on a plate.

Another surprise: I asked Peters what was in the amazing sauce that the steak was plated with and he simply said, “Bleu cheese melted in heavy cream.” The complexity of the flavor had made me expect that it was some esoteric, 10-step French sauce that had an entire wing of a culinary school in Provence dedicated to it. Nope. Cheese and cream. Kaboom!

As we were slowly losing our valiant struggle to clean our plates, the dining room was starting to calm down. Most of the regulars were paying up and it suddenly became apparent that the management had actually put some music on the stereo that night. And as we were sheepishly asking Peters if he’d be kind enough to let us take our dessert home (a tart and sweet mango cheesecake and a chocolate mousse torte with raspberry coulis and toffee chips), an old friend of mine came in with six or eight girls to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. And funnily enough, they had come because of the torte.

Co-owner Eric DiLauro found this painting of Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke in Colorado, near Vail, and brought it back for the walls of Table 50.

Lunch
As bacchanalian as dinner had been, it takes a daylight trip to Table 50 to really appreciate the value of its location. Waiting for lunch to arrive, we had a bit of time to enjoy the sunlit people-watching and bustling vibe that only the Roanoke Market has. Business folk, young families, bohemian granola types, skateboarding kids, non-skateboarding kids that had skateboards anyway, and all of the people that make up the tapestry that is our town.

We tore our attention away from the show to enjoy a bowl of crab bisque (actually, since she had ordered it, I enjoyed it while she enjoyed working to keep me out of it). Rich and creamy, with substantial chunks of crab meat, this and a bit of bread would make a fine meal in and of itself. It came with oyster crackers that I suppose were de rigueur, but when it comes down to it, were sort of plebian next to that lavish soup.

The el Fidel Cuban sandwich was crispy and substantial, but I’ll confess I’ve been spoiled by the Cubans that I used to get from Juan at Paradiso in the Market Building before the renovation took its toll on the restaurants there. It’s not fair to compare anybody else to this perfection on larded bread. This one was a good sandwich, but you’ll never replace your first love.

The angus burger was maybe a jot better, for my money. A hearty portion of flavorful beef without any unneeded frippery; just cheddar, lettuce, onion, and mayonnaise. Meat, American Style. If you’ve got a good burger, why reinvent the wheel? Interestingly, I’d have to say that the standout at lunch that day was the side of collard greens. Smoky and rich, not overdone and rife with chunks of pork, this was another example of a simple side veg that could have been neglected by the chef, but instead was coached and coaxed and dragged onto center stage.

Service at lunchtime was efficient and friendly, but I can’t deny that the few minor glitches we experienced happened then. I’ll not overstate the minor issues we saw; lunch is by definition less formal, and we enjoyed our visit and the hospitality. We left happy and fuelled up and raring to go for some eclectic shopping and for supporting entirely too many local businesses as the afternoon progressed.

The Regulars
To get an idea of what regular customers think about Table 50, I did a little lurking on their Facebook page. I immediately noticed a posting on their wall from a guy named Gene Brady, Jr.: “Great dinner last night. The food was exceptional and the service perfect. Thank you, Jordan! You make one hell of a Margarita…” I figured this guy wouldn’t mind sharing his thoughts, so I reached out to him online.

“All I know is it’s our favorite place to go. Whenever we’re having any kind of a celebration; anniversary, birthday, anything special, that’s where we go. We like to eat downtown a lot, but Table 50 just seems to have the best atmosphere, the best wait staff, the best bar staff of any restaurant we’ve ever eaten at downtown.”

But what about the food?

“The food! The food is just unbelievable. If you go away from there hungry, there’s something wrong with you. Great Caesar salad. Great Caesar salad, and always great specials.”

Vision
Co-owners Michael Caudill and Eric DiLauro were both kind enough to sit down on a recent Saturday afternoon to discuss their vision for the restaurant, their views about Roanoke, and some of their plans for the future. As the restaurant began to fill up, they seemed so much more relaxed and comfortable than most of the restaurant owners I’ve met.

DiLauro’s first restaurant job was right across the street at the space that’s now 310 Rosemont, at Anthony’s Italian Restaurant – his father’s place, where he worked some time back in the dim past that is the 1980s. After moving away and managing restaurants on the West Coast, he “came back to Roanoke and hooked up with Al Pollard and Roger Neel to create Frankie Rowland’s and help them open that.

“I was GM there for five years,” he says.

Caudill came on board a year later (both had previously worked at Corned Beef & Co., another Roanoke institution captained by Pollard and Neel). Before much time passed, the two seemed to have decided that they could work well enough together to open their own place.

They scouted the location, waited for it to be available, and then opened on D-Day of ’06.

When I asked them about their vision, I was impressed with the way they were able to finish each other’s sentences. At least as regards the big-picture things about their restaurant, these guys are in full accord.

DiLauro: “Mike and I, like most people in the Roanoke Valley, have traveled to a lot of places. Most cities have restaurants that are chef-owned, that have a nice casual feel to them, but there’s a strong emphasis on the food – the execution and the quality. Roanoke, at the time, I really didn’t think there was a whole lot of that. And that was our goal: to create a menu that had varied, high-quality ingredients executed very well and original.” When DiLauro paused, Caudill jumped right in:

“With emphasis obviously being on a strong level of service. It doesn’t matter how good the food is if the person isn’t representing you out front.”

“I personally think the Roanoke Valley has come a long way in the past 10 or 15 years,” DiLauro tells me. “Not only restaurants, but in a lot of ways. And I think what we’re trying to do is be a part of that. Because if you’re not providing something that’s going to make a better quality of life for everyone around you…” Caudill takes over: “Then what’s the point?”

DiLauro adds: “It’s part of building the community.”

Asked about the origin of the name, both owners laugh, as if at a well-loved inside joke. “We get asked that all the time,” Caudill says.
Adds DiLauro: “When we first opened Frankie’s, we had a round table in the back of the dining room which was table 50, and it was a very, very popular table. People would almost come to fisticuffs over getting that table.

“All the local regulars, when they made a reservation, expected to get that table. When we were trying to come up with a name for this place, my girlfriend said, ‘Why don’t you name it Table 50?’” They consider it an homage to the late Al Pollard, the well-known and affable Roanoke restaurateur who died in 2006, and to their time working for him at Corned Beef and Frankie Rowland’s.

“Because right after that,” Caudill says, “Al passed away. So then it really hit home. … If Table 50 at Frankie Rowland’s was considered the premier table, we wanted people to look at this place like every table is special.”

Table 50 shares not only a dark-wood decor tie to Frankie Rowland's, but also the genesis of its name.

Honoring Your Roots
Caudill and DiLauro characterize their food as progressive American with local ingredients, classic techniques, and a lot of French influence, and they rave about the diversity of elements that they bring to their tables. Local ingredients, when they can get them. Caudill’s training at the Culinary Institute of America is never far from the surface. A genuine affinity for the different cuisines of the United States. They both tout their offerings with a strong enthusiasm and the confidence that comes from shepherding a restaurant through five prosperous years in the midst of a down economy.

Table 50 has entered into a deal with Roanoke developer Ed Walker to open a new restaurant and bar in the Patrick Henry Hotel, which Walker is developing into condominiums. Tentatively named First and Sixth, (Patrick Henry was the Commonwealth’s first and sixth post-revolution governor), the new venture promises to carry over Table 50’s commitment to quality ingredients prepared well in a casual environment.

Table 50: The Info

Type of food: Progressive American Cuisine

Dinner entrée price range: $22-$30

Location: 309 Market Street

Contact: 540-904-2350,
table50roanoke.com

Dress code: There isn’t one, but come on, don’t be such a schlemiel. You’ll see people in jackets and ties, and you’ll see dudes in shorts and a wifebeater. Aim high.

Done well:
• Diverse and creative menu conceived and implemented with skill.
• Excellent service at dinner.
• A loyal and welcoming coterie of regulars that are simultaneously close-knit and accepting of others.

Could use a bit of improvement:
• Lunchtime service lacking in consistent excellence.
• Find Juan and get him to torque up the Cuban sandwich!