Wednesday, January 23, 2008
50 favorite food finds from Southwest Va.
Lindsey Nair
Front Burner blog
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Recipes
Two weeks ago, I gushed to my blog readers about the Saveur 100, an annual list of the magazine’s favorite food finds from around the globe.
Then I had a thought: If Saveur has been able to come up with 1,000 spectacular culinary tidbits over the past 10 years, from fresh lime soda to Indian-Chinese fusion cooking, why can’t we name at least 25 gastronomic gems in Southwest Virginia?
I threw out the challenge: I would name the first five if blog readers would chime in and complete the list.
The trusty gang replied en masse, quickly helping me rack up a list of more than 50 suggestions.
And you know what? Not a single person wrote in to say that Southwest Virginia’s dining scene is the saltine to the Big Apple’s artisan baguette. And nobody complained that they left Roanoke after high school because they cannot sit Indian-style in a Moroccan restaurant here and eat with their fingers (although that might be cool, I guess).
Instead, they were bursting with appreciation for the favorite meals that make them salivate for more. They were yearning for summer, when they can pick berries in Blacksburg or stroll through a farmer s market for ripe peaches and heirloom tomatoes.
This list may be highly subjective, or missing a whole passel of additions. But at least it tells me that we appreciate the treats we have, whether that be a fried egg on a burger or palm-sized scallops lounging in cream.
In no particular order:
1. Artichoke-brie soup and veal marsala at Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine.
2. El Palenque desserts (Yes, I know El Palenque closed. But their cakes and cookies can still be ordered at www.galvancakes.net.)
3. Southwest Virginia farmers markets: Peaches! Tomatoes! Flowers! Potatoes! You name it, it’s fresh and we love it.
4. Floyd County, a virtual mecca of homegrown produce and pasture-fed livestock.
5. Ethnic markets: J&L on Brambleton Avenue and the Oriental Market on Williamson Road are just the beginning.
6. Hotel Roanoke peanut soup and spoonbread (recipes inside).
7. Sausage gravy at The Roanoker Restaurant.
8. Roanoke Weiner Stand chili.
9. Good Things on the Market fudge.
10. Crabcakes by Capt. Paul’s seafood market in Salem.
11. Bagels at Roanoke Bagel Co.
12. Picking berries at Crow’s Nest Farm in Blacksburg.
13. Authentic Middle Eastern dishes at More Than Coffee in Blacksburg.
14. Crawfish etoufee (no longer on the menu), softshell crab (seasonal) and Big Easy-style platter at Stephen’s Restaurant in Roanoke.
15. Burger in the Square: the burgers, of course!
16. Subs and pizza at On the Rise bakery on the Roanoke market.
17. Table 50 in downtown Roanoke: Caribbean chicken salad, seared jumbo sea scallops in Armagnac cream sauce.
18. Taco soup at Little Dipper’s on the Roanoke City Market.
19. Rare roast beef sub (with slaw, not lettuce) at The New Yorker Delicatessen on Williamson Road.
20. Orange Dog at Towers Shopping Center (The restaurant is opening a second location in downtown Roanoke.)
21. Grace’s Pizza on Grandin Road, where you can order pizza toppings on potato skins. Yay for the gluten-intolerant!
22. Brambleton Deli: B.D. Special.
23. Creamed succotash at Blues BBQ on the Roanoke City Market.
24. Gyros and pastitsio at Paul’s Restaurant in Roanoke.
25. Salem’s Sake House: Wildcat Roll (Trust us, it’s wild).
26. Cheesesteak at New York Pizza in Vinton.
27. Wildflour Cafe: Better Than Sex cake.
28. Fried chicken at The Homeplace in Catawba. Just like Mama made.
29. Zorba’s in the market: Jamaican Joe’s or “Leave it to Zorba.”
30. The famous Texas Tavern cheesy western.
31. Chicken and biscuit soup at Blue 5 in downtown Roanoke: a big, fuzzy blanket in a bowl.
32. Frank’s Pizza.
33. Tudor’s Biscuit World on Church Avenue: Duh, the biscuits!
34. Metro on Campbell Avenue: Spicy Shrimp Miso Soup and the $6 lunch — one of the best deals in town.
35. Drunken noodles at Tong’s Thai’s Roanoke locations.
36. Mill Mountain Coffee: Snow Monkey Plum tea.
37. Homestead Creamery ice cream.
38. Falafel at The Isaacs Restaurant on Memorial Avenue.
39. Paradiso’s in the market: roast pork platter.
40. The all-you-can-eat salsa bar at Alejandro’s on Campbell Avenue.
41. Zeppoli’s in Blacksburg: The freshest pasta around.
42. Boudreaux’s cajun flavors in Blacksburg.
43. Sharkey’s of Blacksburg: extra crispy buffalo wings (with a cold beer, of course).
44. Gyros at Souvlaki’s in Blacksburg.
45. Homemade chicken and dumplings lunch special, every Tuesday at The Dogwood Restaurant in Vinton.
46. The Dragon Roll at Ben Gui in Roanoke County.
47. Pimento cheese spread at Tinnell’s in South Roanoke.
48. Double bacon cheeseburgers at Ernie’s on the market.
49. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op and Harvest Moon in Floyd.
50. Fiji Island on Townside Road — cheesy leis and a better mood, guaranteed, after just one volcano!
