Thursday, July 30, 2009
Surprising salad makes Shawnee memorable
TOM ANGLEBERGER Special to The Roanoke Times
Shawnee's Grill makes an unusual steak and broccoli salad, which is a perfect companion to the restaurant's pizza.
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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Shawnee’s Grill
- What: Pizza and subs
- Where: 7130 Roanoke Road (U.S. 11), Shawsville
- Contact: 268-1700
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Prices: Large cheese pizza, $7.99. Large salad, $6.99. Large meatball sub, $7.99.
The first time I ate at Shawnee's Grill, I thought the pizza was great but that the place seriously needed a makeover.
Well, it got one.
And now there's a nice dining room in which to enjoy the pizza.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't an "extreme makeover." But they've fixed the place up into a nice, neighborhood pizza joint. Plenty of tables, a jukebox or two, and a pool table.
While the dining area is pretty normal, there are a few oddities behind the counter -- action figures, Tweety Bird -- which hint at a dormant fun streak.
Now, back to the pizza. It's delicious. A thin, New York-style crust with plenty of cheese and a wonderful, slightly sweet red sauce. A serious rival to Mama Maria's up the road in Salem.
It gets even better if you pair it with the Shawnee's unusual, but perfect, steak and broccoli salad.
I can't recall ever seeing a steak and broccoli salad anywhere else before. If the Shawnee invented this thing, then they need to patent it.
It's a basic lettuce salad topped with broccoli and the sort of thin-sliced beef you'd find on a steak sub, both grilled and lightly sprinkled with mozzarella cheese.
The rest of the menu is fairly standard, but loaded with options. There are 18 subs to choose from, including veggie, Italian sausage, grilled chicken and a Mexican steak sub, which seems to be a cheese steak with banana peppers and tomatoes. There are numerous calzones, strombolis, hot wings, gyros and lasagna.
Somewhat unusually, there are also "$5 Gas Specials." If you buy one of these party packs -- such as two pizzas, breadsticks, 10 hot wings and a two-liter soda -- you get $5 in gas from the Shawnee Mini Mart.
Our server was down-to-earth, sincere and even willing to goof around with our son a little over at the pool table.
Bottom line: Shawnee's Grill serves surprisingly good pizza and an even more surprising salad.
