Roanoke Times Review
Roanoke Times Review
Below is our Dining Review from The Roanoke Times from when we first opened - much of the menu has changed and grown since the critic dined with us but you get a real sense of the atmosphere and overall quality from her remarks. If you have a few moments, you might also want to view the short video composed by The Roanoke Times that shows photos of the inside of the restaurant and has commentary by customers and staff. Click on the link below:
ROANOKE TIMES REVIEW
Open since April, this Buchanan landmark offers a tearoom-style lunch and a fancier dinner menu
By Dolores Kostelni | Special to The Roanoke Times | thehappycook@aol.com
THE VIBE
Reminiscent of an era when tearooms were popular in the South, the house beckons with its graceful decor and stately historical ambience. The oak and cherry wood furnishings pair nicely with mismatched china and flatware as well as the linen and lace adorning the tables.
Friendly, casual service is typical at all times, and occasionally owner Maggi George comes into the dining room to speak with guests.
THE MENU
The tearoom-type lunch menu consists of two appetizers, such as fresh fruit with yogurt and cheese plate with fruit. Special selections consist of a daily quiche with hollandaise sauce and fresh fruit; three basic garden salads with the options of adding chicken or salmon; four croissant sandwiches served with fruit and chips; and four grilled panini, including chicken with caramelized onions, portobello mushroom with Muenster cheese, sliced turkey, and sliced ham with cheddar and tomato.
The Italian Food Festival is the newest part of the lunch and dinner menus, and it features generously portioned house specialties such as baked ziti, chicken parmigiana, classic spaghetti marinara with meatballs or Italian sausage, foot-long meatball sandwiches, plus chicken cacciatore.
The Candlelight Dinner menu features appetizers including bruschetta and salads. Entree selections include Italian specialties as well as prepared-to-order lamb chops or salmon with vegetables and a side salad.
On the back of the menu, an ever-expanding selection of desserts (some house-made) head the list, followed by bottled or by-the-glass beverages including Yoo-hoo and soft drinks, as well as bottomless cups of coffee and tea.
Maggi George serves as head chef during the lunch hour and tea as well as for the Italian specialties. Chef Tysha Breeden, formerly catering chef at Ashley Plantation, takes care of dinner preparations, which are fancier and cooked to order.
TEA SERVICE
Antique teapots are displayed in hutches and used for tea service, transforming the conclusion of a meal or an afternoon respite into a gentle, soothing affair. More than 35 varieties of tea (including authentic Irish teas) are available, some collected and brought back by the Georges from their trips abroad.
THE WINE LIST
Eight white wines ranging in price from $18 for a Cristalino Brut Sparkling to $26 for Buehler Russian River Chardonnay. Seven red wines are more expensive by the bottle than the whites, with the low of $18 for an Oxford Landing Shiraz to $36 for a Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon.
WHAT I TRIED
For lunch, I enjoyed a baby field greens salad brightened with cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices, plus a small cup of ranch dressing ($3.50). Next, I had a pan-seared portobello mushroom and Muenster panini on whole grain bread accompanied by sweet, delicious fresh fruit. The sandwich and the fruit were a winning combination and a satisfying meal. For dessert, I found the house-made cherry pie not to my liking, with too much filler, too few cherries and a thick crust.
At dinner, I couldn't resist going for chicken parmigiana with a side of spaghetti ($16). This substantial meal offered a large breast of chicken, breaded to perfection, pan-browned and baked under a mantle of delicious marinara sauce and mozzarella. Overall, this turned out to be a nicely prepared, enjoyable dinner. To finish the meal I ordered the Italian-style cream cake featuring two layers of light sponge cake separated by a luscious cream filling. Perfetto!
IF I GO BACK I'LL ORDER
A balsamic chicken with caramelized onion grilled panini at $7, because Maggi George's grilled sandwiches are excellent.