Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Pope returns with his own restaurant
Larry Bly
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When Tony Pope hastily departed Wertz's Restaurant in downtown Roanoke last year, many of us were not only surprised, but saddened as well. Tony had generated quite a following in his brief tenure at Wertz's and many of were going to miss his considerable kitchen talents.
So Tony went wherever good chefs go to lick their wounds and then recently re-emerged in the Star City; this time with Tony Pope's Bistro and Wine Bar, over in the Crystal Spring section of South Roanoke. In fact, it's located in the ill-fated 2123 Crystal Spring Ave. location where so many others have tried and failed. Based on the crowds flocking to the front door, he's going to do fine.
I've had numerous lunches and dinner, too, at Tony Pope's. He just keeps getting better, using very fresh ingredients and a whimsical approach to dish presentations. When Tony has fun, so do the customers. Both lunches and dinners are kept to a single page. Quick, easy to read and not so expensive. But if you're like me, you'll run the bill up anyway, just trying to enjoy as many different parts of the menu as possible.
A recent lunch menu included "winter vegetable" soup, two salads, various panini sandwiches (turkey, beef, ham, corned beef and Swiss, and marinated grilled vegetable) -- all in the $7-$8 range. A gourmet burger made with Kobe beef on brioche with crispy onions, Vermont cheddar and horseradish mayo also was listed. And there are homemade pastas: capellini with shrimp, linguini with white clam sauce, spaghetti with ragu alla Bolognese, fettuccini carbonara with cream pancetta sauce, four cheese ravioli with pomodoro sauce, and Papardello with wild mushrooms and roasted garlic sauce.
Tony plays with the details. A recent "fish of the day" lunch entree that I enjoyed came with tiny little round veggies on the side. "What is this, Tony?" I asked when he came to my table. He visited everyone, not just me, by the way.
"Well, it's zucchini, but I used a melon baller to make them into little bite-sized pieces and to give them a different look," he said. It's always a good idea to consider his fresh fish of the day ... just to see how he'll serve it.
Tony seldom misses the mark. I've only had one slight disappointment in my many dining experiences there. An evening entree featuring New York strip was a bit chewy, but delicious and smartly presented. I'd suggest sticking to filets and not taking a chance on New York strips, which can be prone to toughness even under the most careful preparations.
I started an evening with the rock shrimp bisque: thick and creamy. My dining partner had a salad of bibb lettuce with citrus vinaigrette and Danish blue cheese. According to him, it was baby lettuce leaves that were very tender. Entrees run the gamut and circle the globe: Maine lobster risotto, "Cioppino" with mussels, Manchester farms quail, Gulf shrimp, Prince Edward Island mussels and Colorado lamb chops. We tried an evening special that was pressed duck done to perfection and presented beautifully with fresh vegetables.
Tony Pope's sauces are always on the mark: balancing delicately a host of flavors and always enhancing the entree rather than competing with it.
The evening menu is simply organized: "appetizers/soups/salads," "Small plate selections," "Dinner entree selections" -- usually three of three of them -- and "dessert selections." Chef Tony sent out a complimentary "crème brulee' trio -- chocolate, vanilla and raspberry." Now who could not like that?
There was a decided lack of music, background or otherwise, the night that I was there. Tony's just getting up and running, so maybe some music is already in place. It's funny, you hardly notice it when it's there ... yet it was definitely missed on this particular evening.
The wine bar menu is reasonable. It's limited but Tony assures me that will change. You can get a Guderloch Riesling in the $40 a bottle range or choose from a handful of quality cabs, chards, shiraz and pinot noir. The very accommodating Carlos, the wait-person, turned me on to a lovely Twenty Bech Cabernet Sauvignon, which I like considerably. Not bad at $44 a bottle.
I'm glad Tony's back and I think he's already packing them in. Lunch and dinner will expand to brunch, if it hasn't already, once the weather gets warmer.
Tony Pope's Bistro and Wine Bar
2123 Crystal Spring Ave.
Roanoke, VA
(540) 206-2611
