Thursday, October 04, 2007
Blues BBQ Company readies to open; Zak's expands
Larry Bly
Larry Bly has plenty on his plate these days. He's got two TV shows on Cox Cable Roanoke. Click ahead for details and showtimes.
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Patrick Maggi's slogan for his barbecue operation is: "It's all about the love."
Word has it that his much-anticipated Blues BBQ Company will open on the Roanoke City Market sometime next week. The place doesn’t look any more ready than it did a month ago, but with big smiles on their faces, the staff assures me that once "the hood problems are resolved, we'll open our doors." Apparently, the hood over their stoves needed to be re-tooled one more time before they could get city inspectors’ approval to open.
Once open you'll be able to enjoy several types of barbecue, including both "dry rubbed" and "wet-sauced" ribs, Memphis style pulled pork, pit beef and ham, Carolina style pulled pork, and barbecue chicken sandwiches or sliced beef brisket, to name a few.
You'll want to check out the classic Southern fried pickles or the fried mac & cheese. It sounds deadly, but I can hardly wait. As they say at Blues BBQ Company, "This ain't yo momma's mac and cheese." Amen and pass the beer battered onion rings.
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Zak’s Café has expanded, some time ago, but Old Larr can toddle from one restaurant to another just so fast. Zak's has taken up the downstairs portion of Studios in the Square, which is no longer on the Market Square since the move up Campbell Avenue. But I love the location better and all the artists are still residing, showing, and otherwise inhabiting the upper portions of this building. So have a bite at Zak's, then hop on the elevator to take in local art, sculptures and other artistic media.
Zak’s has managed to no only expand on its already wildly popular lunch fare -- panini sandwiches and soups -- but its evening menu as well. A great kitchen staff, headed up by the talented Videnia (V.V.) Redman, cook up delightful tapas of all sorts, traditional wraps and burgers, and some of Zak’s favorites: salmon Oscar stuffed with asparagus, crabmeat, pimentos, wrapped in puff pastry, baked and sliced. Or filet mignon, paired with an Australian wine suggestion. Or homemade lasagna or raspberry pork tenderloin.
Zak himself long ago left the building for more exciting ventures, but the staff remains true to many of the simple yet elegant entrees that attract a dinner crowd to that end of Campbell Avenue, several blocks from the City Market. Now that Blue 5 is just around the corner, they've at least got some company in the neighborhood. Counting the Indian and Mexican restaurants nearby, that makes at least four evening venues for diners in the once-lonely block.
Evening entrees include Pauley's Giovanni: chicken breast sautéed with bacon, tomato, onion, white wine, Parmesan cheese and served with potato cake. I've had it and loved it. The fresh herb chicken's a winner, especially an evening portion at only $13.95.
Seafood is fresh and prepared with a light touch: char grilled Atlantic salmon with roasted bell pepper sauce over pasta. Or Sante Fe style Mahi Mahi -- good, good. Or the Creole blackened tuna. I'm no tuna fan, so don't ask me about this one.
(Permit me to digress: have a friend who cannot stand fish of any kind. No fresh fish has ever passed his lips. And this is a "Believe It Or Not" moment: he loves canned tuna. Does anything smell worse than stinky, canned tuna? It's one of life's mysteries.)
One of my favorite dinner entrees at Zak’s is the shrimp Fa diavolo, sautéed in a spicy marinara and tossed with angel hair. Even the most expensive dinner entrees barely top $17.
My only complaint about Zak’s has always been the irritating, bright florescent lights from the kitchen -- not so noticeable during the day, but impossible to ignore in the evening. The side room is spacious and candle-lit. In all fairness, Zak’s is set up to be an open kitchen, with a pass-through for quick access to the wait-staff for faster lunch service. But it's a main dining room distraction at night, not that we don't want to see the lovely V.V. and all the rest in action.
Zak’s has full bar service, and a few specialty drinks worthy of note, including a Grand Melon Martini, Belvedere Citrus Cosmo, Sunsplash, Zak's Cherry martini, and a Zak's old fashioned. I'm a little old fashioned myself, so I just stick to the basic martini.
ZAK'S CAFE
128 Campbell Ave.
Roanoke
540-343-6900
