Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Lunch and sweets on Grandin
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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Some time back the folks at JaMar Desserts sold to a new owner. The new owner has moved JaMar from the old Heironimous Building in downtown Roanoke to the former CVS Pharmacy Building, recently vacated in Grandin Road.
JaMar has decided to expand beyond the beautiful cookies, cakes, pies, lemon bars and brownies to luncheon items --- soups, sandwiches, pastas and such. And boy, could they use your business.
To say that the place is spartan would be putting it lightly. Fact is, except for JaMar, it's a giant empty building. But that will change soon. A bank will be going in, a florist, and yet another much smaller pharmacy. When that happens, there will be plenty of people coming in and out and I'm sure their luncheon trade will take off. So for now, it's not very intimate -- but it's plenty good.
Aside from daily luncheon specials, you may choose from a deli menu of meats, breads and other fixin's. One recent cold day I had the soup of the day, a hearty vegetable. Get the bowl -- I think the cup's a bit smallish. A fellow diner had another special, the broccoli quiche: quite tasty and freshly baked right on premises. I tried something called "Rosemary potato salad," which was delicious.
Cold-cut sandwiches run a reasonable $5.99 and include a choice of Black Forest ham, Virginia brand ham, honey maple turkey breast, mesquite smoked turkey, seasoned roast beef, and corned beef. Choose your favorite bread: white, wheat, seven grain, sour dough, sour dough rye. The menu is limited, but the choices make for unlimited possibilities with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cukes, house champagne mustard, real mayo or something called "JaMar sauce". Then there are all sorts of cheeses for 50 cents extra.
Sides include the aforementioned potato salad, cole slaw, and Bonnie's pasta salad. There are three quiches offered daily (by the slice): spinach, broccoli or western, served piping hot.
Don't leave without dessert. This IS JaMar Desserts, after all, offering cheesecakes, pies, cakes, lemon bars, raspberry pecan bars, brownies, peanut butter fudge, cappuccino cream cheese, double chocolate walnut, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and all manner of chocolate bars.
If the cavernous area unnerves you, get it to go. Eventually, come next spring and summer, you'll probably be able to eat outside. They've widened the sidewalks in Grandin Village to about a thousand feet in width. You can hardly get a car through Grandin Road anymore as the sidewalks get bigger every day. The project has added to the woes of restaurants, but this project looks to be finished soon.
JaMar gives the area yet another quick, inexpensive lunch option, in addition to adding something sweet to Grandin.
JaMar Desserts
1327 Grandin Road
Roanoke, VA 240l5
540-342-0159
