Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Loathing leftovers? Check out new eateries
Lindsey Nair
Front Burner blog
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Thanksgiving has only just ended and already some of us have had our fill of turkey, ham, dressing, rolls and sweets. If you're like me, you've still got a few slices of ham in the meat drawer, poised to begin their rapid decline.
Fortunately, we've got almost a month before reprising the entire binge for Christmas. This is the time for avoiding traditional foods at all costs (OK, maybe not the fudge a co-worker brought in today) to refresh the palate for the last big binge of the year.
If you're tired of cooking, too, and you've got some mid-December company to feed, it might be time to check out a new restaurant. Despite the limping economy, which is hitting restaurateurs extra hard, a few brave souls have recently flung open their doors to the cold. And whether it's a big bowl of pho soup, an overstuffed baked potato or a fresh, local New York strip steak, I'm sure you'll find something to warm the taste buds.
If you want it fast...
Check out McAlister's Deli, a chain that recently opened a location in the upper level of Towers Shopping Center near Fresh Market. This is McAlister's third location in Virginia; the others are in Harrisonburg and Waynesboro. The variety at this eatery will make it easy to please everyone in the family.
Standard deli sandwiches are the foundation of the menu -- go with a Reuben if you're still shunning the holiday meats. Or kick up the variety even more with one of the Signature Sandwiches, such as the muffuletta, a New Orleans-style sandwich with ham, salami, olive salad and provolone cheese.
As far as I know, McAlister's is only the third place in Roanoke that serves a muffuletta sandwich (the others are Montano's International Gourmet and the Brambleton Deli). Muffuletta lovers, I'd be interested to hear how you think McAlister's version stacks up.
Wraps, salads, soups, flatbread pizzas and "Giant Spuds" round out the menu at McAlister's. The latter caught my eye, and while the potato was indeed the size of a football, it could have used a bit more chili to top it off. My only other complaint: The restaurant serves just one drink size. That size is pig trough.
To slow down the season...
Take a leisurely drive to Lexington for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch at the Red Hen, a local food establishment operated out of a newly renovated historic building in the center of downtown.
Stephanie Wilkinson and longtime partner John Blackburn spent months working on the 115-year-old building, aiming to maintain much of its architectural integrity while transforming it into a cozy restaurant. They then hired chef Tucker Yoder, who has worked at OXO Restaurant, the Boar's Head Inn and the Clifton Inn.
"He really brought his vision of local food with forward-thinking preparations," Wilkinson said, "and he let the focus on the ingredients rule."
Yoder uses as many locally grown and raised products as possible on the Red Hen menu. He buys most of his meats and vegetables from Rockbridge County farmers, and the fish and seafood come from a local purveyor.
Because the dishes depend on what is in season and available, the Red Hen's menu changes constantly. On Oct. 4, for example, Yoder was whipping up New York strip with fingerling potatoes, carrots and onions. Later that month, the strip was accompanied by grits, kale and grilled onions.
Yoder likes to play with a variety of fascinating ingredients, from pork belly to wheat berries. You'll never know until you walk through the door whether you're in for chestnut soup with rosemary yogurt and honey or grilled fish sausages with potato, leeks and breakfast radishes.
If you're feeling exotic...
Keep an eye on the shopping center that houses the new Kroger store in Bonsack. That's the planned location for restaurateur Feng Chen's new endeavor, Cafe Asia, which is scheduled to open Thursday.
Chen is a partner in the Szechuan Chinese restaurant chain, which has three locations in Roanoke, so he has a wealth of experience in restaurant management. But this will be Chen's opportunity to strike out on his own, and he put $40,000 into renovating and decorating the 1,700-square-foot space.
He also decided to venture beyond the Szechuan-style Chinese cuisine that has made the chain so popular. Cafe Asia will take the diner to Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Korea. It will offer a fresh sushi bar, tempuras, pho soup, summer rolls, pad thai, teriyaki dishes and an array of different Asian noodle dishes featuring udon noodles, egg noodles, lo mein and more.
Chen's brother-in-law will be behind the stove at Cafe Asia. Although his specialty is Szechuan-style Chinese food, Chen says he has received special training in other Asian cuisines.
"In the future we may have occasional dinner specials," Chen said. "But now there are over 100 selections on the dinner menu."
That ought to be enough to get anyone out of the turkey rut.
McAlister's Deli
Where: 2063 Colonial Ave. (inside Towers Shopping Center) Roanoke
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day
Entree price: $4.50-$8
More info: 204-4407; mcalistersdeli.com
The Red Hen
Where: 11 E. Washington St., Lexington
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday; Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
Entree price: $16-$32
More info: 464-4401; redhenlex.com
Cafe Asia
Where: 3940 Valley Gateway Blvd., Suite B1, Roanoke Grand opening tomorrow with ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Open to public at noon.
More info: 206-2298
