When I began planning a surprise romantic getaway to celebrate my wife Elaine’s and my 45th anniversary, I researched a number of possible destinations in Virginia and West Virginia. But when a decision was finally made, I opted just to stay in the Roanoke Valley because, frankly, our home area offers everything I was looking for. Here’s an account of our short staycation.
Picnic on the Parkway
After Elaine finished her breakfast in bed meal (wineberry/walnut waffles) I prepared, I told her to pack for the night…destination to be learned later. Around 10 we headed for a leisurely drive up Mill Mountain onto the Blue Ridge Parkway where we stopped at a picnic table and had lunch. Then we went hiking, bird watching and hunting for wild edibles. The birding went well as we heard such songsters as Eastern wood pee-wees, great-crested flycatchers and pine warblers. We encountered lowbush blueberries, a nice find, but they were too unripe to gather. Next it was on to downtown Roanoke.
Sojourn at the Black Lantern Inn
In 2017, Chris and Jayne Andrews purchased the Black Lantern Inn which was built in the 1920s as a private home. The prior owner initiated numerous repairs for the Franklin Road building that had been condemned.
“We each had our reasons for buying the Black Lantern,” Chris says. “For me, it was the way our predecessor revitalized this old house; the quality of reconstruction was so impressive, plus including modern amenities like central air conditioning controlled in-room.”
“For me,” Jayne adds, “it was the welcoming nature of the people we met when we checked out the Franklin Road area. Also, we were attracted to the area’s mountains and the slower pace of life in Roanoke. There is so much to do… music, the arts and numerous outdoor activities.”
The inn features three rooms, and Elaine and I stayed in the Skyline Room which encompasses the entire third floor and is totally self-contained with a California loft-style layout with in-suite bath. That design includes a king-size bed, sofa, writing desk, lounge chair and flat screen television. A separate dining area boasts a bistro set, mini-fridge, microwave and Keurig coffee pot.
The second-floor Roanoke Room sports the original hardwood floors, a four-post mahogany bed, flat screen television and a recycled table made from wood found in the Inn’s basement and which Black Dog Salvage refinished. A well-appointed private bath is a few steps across the hall with bathrobes provided.
The second floor bright and charming Black Lantern Room is tastefully decorated with a queen-size bed, in-suite bath with walk-in tiled shower, two comfortable chairs and a flat screen television.
My spouse and I are advocates of locavore foods and meals, and the inn’s daily breakfasts certainly celebrate that philosophy with their organic, healthy repasts which are locally sourced. The inn has also officially received the Virginia Green Certification, as well.
“Our guest reviews repeatedly highlight our locally sourced and organic breakfast offerings.” Jayne says. “We alternate between sweet and savory entrees. One of the guest favorites is the Creamy Jam Breakfast Sandwich. It’s a sandwich that is half cherry preserves and half fig preserves. The inspiration for using cherry came from a favorite coffee shop in Washington D.C. And the fig inspiration came from Jefferson’s Monticello as he enjoyed figs. Homemade English muffin toasting bread is spread with whipped low-fat cream cheese and locally sourced preserves. It’s served with a baked pear filled with home-made granola, accompanied by a cup of Virginia strawberry soup.
“Some other guest favorites are our French Pear Puffed Pancake served with chicken maple sausage, or eggs served on a bed of herb roasted potatoes and blistered cherry tomatoes with sweet potato toast. We often surprise our guests with homemade raspberry bars or lemon-blueberry scones to enjoy with their first cup of organic, fair trade coffee.”
After spending a leisurely 90 minutes conversing with Chris and Jane, we asked about possible dinner destinations. They said that Evie’s Bistro and Bakery lies only three blocks away and that’s where we decided to go. Also within short walks and recommended by the couple are Lew’s Restaurant Southwest and the Athen’s Corner Grill. A short drive away are the River and Rail and Montano’s International Restaurant.
Dinner at Evie’s Bistro and Bakery
Owner Evie Edman estimates that she has baked over 28,000 cakes during her restaurant career, but she is just as proud of being a part of the Franklin Road community for some three decades.
“This part of Southwest is something of a hidden gem,” she says. “We’re a little off of Roanoke’s beaten path, yet we manage to attract and have fans up and down the East Coast who, when traveling, always detour to stop here. Not many places are both a restaurant and a full bakery.”
Edman says that any time, she may have 15 to 18 different kinds of cakes available, as well as bars, brownies, cookies and creampuffs…but one dessert stands out.
“Our Better than Sex devil’s food cake with chocolate chips baked into the batter is so popular that we’ve had groups come here just to eat that,” she says.
This chocolate lover’s classic also includes caramel buttercream frosting drizzled with caramel and chocolate ganache sauce. Another dessert reaching legendary status is simply named – Cream Puff: pastry filled with Bavarian and whipped cream, then drizzled with ganache sauce.
Among the popular entrees, continues Edman, are the Dragon’s Tooth veggie sandwich (highlighted by the parmesan eggplant medallions and sautéed green peppers) Lemon Herb Salmon and Pasta with House Made Meatballs.
For dinner, I chose the Tuna Melt, house-made with tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese with a choice of multi-grain bread or sourdough (I opted for the former and added potato salad). Elaine chose Feta Shrimp with Roma tomatoes, capers, green onions, garlic and feta crème sauce over penne pasta. Our meals were just as outstanding as the service.
The Next Morning
The Roanoke River Greenway lies just .4 of a mile from the Black Lantern, and I went there for a before breakfast ramble while Elaine slept in. I returned just in time for breakfast which the Andrews often serve on the deck which overlooks the inn’s courtyard. Jayne informed that if we had arrived a little earlier, we could have observed two deer feeding there.
Breakfast proved to be a veritable, low calorie feast: organic fair-trade coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, Virginia Strawberry Coconut Soup with Coconut Whipped Cream dusted with Summer Berry Crunch. An organic fresh fruit medley accompanied that as did two more offerings: Organic Baked Pear stuffed with homemade maple walnut granola and the Blue Ridge Breakfast Sandwich, an English muffin with blueberry cheddar cheese, plant-based sausage and fried egg with strawberry mint slivers.
Who needs to journey to faraway places when Roanoke boasts charms such as these?
