TOM ANGLEBERGER Special to The Roanoke Times

Mikie's 7th in Newport is cheerily decorated, with just a few tables and a counter with stools. "Green" food quotes are on the walls, and the refrigerator is stocked with Mexican soda and fruit drinks in glass bottles.

Tom Angleberger knows what he likes. So we've asked him to eat at NRV restaurants and write about them. If you have a restaurant to recommend, e-mail him.

Tom Angleberger

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Mikie's 7th is a strange name for a restaurant.

I'll take a second to explain the name, because it's worth remembering: The owners are Phil and Mikie Mosser. They have six kids. The restaurant is their new "baby."

If that sounds a little different, that's OK because Mikie's 7th is a little different: a breakfast, sandwich and pizza take-out place that uses organic and local ingredients, some of them from the Mossers' farm.

The small lunch and dinner menu features paninis, shrimp and clam bisque, a cobb salad and a beef po' boy made with "grass-finished sliced roast beef, mushrooms, caramelized onions and a balsamic glaze on French bread." The specials of the day when I visited were ribs and strawberry soup.

That's different all right, especially in Giles County. Mikie's 7th is in New Newport, that cluster of newish buildings along U.S. 460 near old Newport in Giles County.

It's a lovely little cafe, cheerily decorated, with just a few tables and a counter with stools. "Green" food quotes are on the walls, and the refrigerator is stocked with Mexican soda and fruit drinks in glass bottles.

CNN was on the TV and classic rock was on the radio as I waited for my order. When it was ready -- packed in bio-degradable take-out boxes -- we took it over the hill to Pandapas Pond for a picnic.

My burger, with onions and Muenster cheese, was excellent. I didn't get the coleslaw I had ordered, but the fries they gave me instead were good. My wife enjoyed her vegetable panini with its spinach, red peppers and mozzarella cheese.

I suppose one could make it a pizza picnic. The one with spinach, garlic and artichokes sounds good, as does the shrimp scampi pizza. For breakfast, there's a ham and bacon casserole, a "Jersey Special" sandwich and a wrap filled with hash browns, eggs and bacon or sausage.

Dessert includes homemade baked goods made from flour they grind themselves.

Bottom line: Mikie's 7th isn't just for Newporters; its tasty food, enthusiastic owners and handy location make it a great stop after enjoying a day on the New River or hiking the Cascades.