Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A new cafe takes root
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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Don't you just hate foods that are good for you? You won't if you have lunch at the new Local Roots Cafe, located in a big columned white house next to the post office on Grandin Road in Roanoke.
As with many of those old mansions, it's amazing how small the rooms often were, and this one's no exception. For now, the entire restaurant takes up one small room toward the back. You walk into the lobby, take a right and enter a front sitting room. There are lots of plush chairs and a couch -- I thought I had accidentally entered a dorm room after looking at the youngish crowd having coffee and tea while and reading the papers there. Just past this room is the dining room that constitutes Local Roots Cafe. Don't go there if you wish to divulge evil or private information to your fellow diners: the tables are mighty close together.
Aside from all of that, I expected a bunch of vegetarian meals. There was plenty of that, but to my surprise, there were delicious meat entrees and sandwiches.
Though they tout their nutritious meals (one of the partners is a professional nutritionist), they offer a fine variety of foods to please most any palate.
Our table started with the butternut squash soup, served in a rosemary sun-dried tomato bread that's hollowed out. We all had to taste it -- it's a crowning touch to the entire menu. The chef, William Rives Elliot, creates very nice flavors in his kitchen. The plate presentations often belie the comfy, homey feel of the place.
Specializing in locally grown and raised foods, Local Roots offers cheese from Meadow Creek Dairy. It's a nice platter of cheeses and accompanying sauces. My friend had to ask for more of the baguette -- they're a bit spare with them -- but the Whitetop and Appalachian milk cheeses are worth a try.
I had an entree salad, featuring a nice mix of mesculun lettuces with carrot, red onion, cucumber, grape tomatoes and a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seed -- a nice touch -- but be careful as they can be quite hard and a tough on old choppers. There are several nice salads and they come with honest-to-goodness homemade dressing of your choice: Russian (is that back again?), bleu cheese-peppercorn and ginger miso. I'm a ginger fanatic (among other things) so the miso made me fall in love with this place.
The "Harvest Pizza" is a winner, though pizzas seldom arrive piping hot anywhere anymore. I don't know why. It's made up with fresh mozz, garnet yam, feta cheese, roasted garlic and green kale. Surely one of Roanoke's more original and tasty treats. You can get it by the slice or whole.
One of my group tried the Rueben. They offer three, and the house cured corned beef was excellent. The corned beef is flavorful and not tough or stringy. One featured beef from Mountain Run Farm in Sedalia, Va.. I've never heard of that place, so I'll just have to take their word on it. By the way, the Ruebens are served with "Bubbies Pickle" and organic kettle potato chips. Where do they find this stuff? Whomever this Bubbie is, he makes a mighty nice pickle.
While no one tried the pulled pork sandwich, adjoining tables did and it's a good looking plate that features a local barbecue sauce topped with fennel-shallot slaw.
I tried the roasted garlic horseradish mashed potatoes. It's sort of a side but offered as a separate entree. Yum. There's never enough garlic for me!
Unusual for my lunch bunch: We decided that we simply couldn't NOT try the dessert (the only one offered): pumpkin-mascarpone ice cream, topped with maple-glazed pumpkin seeds, chocolate shavings, and pumpkin pie spice. And yes, it's as decadent as it sounds -- delicious without being overly sweet and a nice portion. The four of us managed to share this easily.
The coffee's fresh and features a nice blend of beans. It's full and rich without being bitter, just like me. You may choose from a selection of organic teas, which seemed to be big with the lounging readers out front. There are other sodas and something called G.T.'s Kombucha. If you have to ask ... There are no alcoholic beverages on the premises, thank you.
For now, partners William and April are only serving the lunch crowd. There are plans afoot however to offer dinner starting this spring.
LOCAL ROOTS CAFE
1731 Grandin Road
Roanoke, Va.
(540) 206-2610
