Thursday, June 19, 2008
Another downtown lunch opportunity
Larry Bly
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Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea is in its new downtown Roanoke location. Alhough we loved the old one across the street, this one is even more special with its hardwood floors, original brick interior walls and snazzy stone counters. It has an open feel to it, and typical of the historic building they renovated, the place is long and narrow -- all the better to accommodate more two-tops. The old room often had two people tying up a table for four.
And counters! They've installed counters galore in every nook and cranny, all the more convenient to use your laptop. A recent visit there found at least a dozen people with computers and even more on cell phones conducting business while munching and sipping. This is how America works today!
Speaking of munching, the new Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea is finally offering what we've long been used to enjoying at the Starkey Road location out in Roanoke County: breakfast and lunch! Oh sure, they've always had muffins and cakes and such downtown, but now you can get kitchen-prepared breakfast and lunch items.
Breakfast offers sandwiches or platter variations of egg, cheese, bacon, sausage, grilled ham, grilled turkey and cheeses. Choose your favorite bread: white, whole wheat, rye, croissant, English muffin, spinach wrap, biscuit or bagel. And the fixins' -- lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo, honey Dijon mustard or srirachi hot sauce.
I recently popped in for a quick and cheap lunch. I ordered the chicken salad, a longtime favorite of mine made with cranberries and walnuts, red onions, juicy tender chicken meat and served with chips. I had mine on a croissant, slightly toasted to order and just the right size and price for my lunch needs. I recommend it highly.
There are plenty of salads: the house, Papua, chef, Caesar, Mexican altura, curry chicken (another personal favorite), Chipotle and tuna.
Sandwiches, hot or cold, are long-time faves with the Starkey Road crowd: The Kona (fresh tuna salad with capers and onion, served hot with tomato and melted cheddar cheese); The Papua (hot smoked turkey with melted bleu cheese and sweet Vidalia vinaigrette); a chicken/bacon ranch; chicken pesto or chicken Caesar; turkey Rueben on rye (excellent); and buffalo chicken (marinated grilled chicken with chipotle ranch sauce, parmesan cheese, lettuce and tomato in a grilled spinach wrap or ciabatta bread).
For the vegetarian in you, enjoy a wrap of hummus, onions, carrots, cukes and tomatoes with field greens. Or try the Pacino, which is melted mozzarella cheese with pesto sauce, tomato, and field greens on grilled ciabatta bread.
Most sandwiches are in the $6-7.50 range and come with a side. I got chips but you may choose tortilla chips and salsa, pretzels, or field greens with balsamic vinaigrette. Old favorites remain: turkey roast, ham and Swiss, the Mill Mountain Club, and the ever-popular grilled cheese. Theirs is made with either cheddar or Swiss -- not American. Fresh soups are announced on the board daily.
The kitchen is open such that the guy who took my order went back and prepared my sandwich as I watched. They'll bring it to your table if there's a wait.
To my ear, the new digs are quieter than the old. There was a pretty good crowd and lots of people using computers and cell phones on my last visit, yet the place somehow seemed more subdued.
I almost forget: they have that wonderful Mill Mountain coffee and teas. The house blend is my favorite. I usually buy a bag of whole bean to take home.
The owners had to conform to strict historic guidelines in creating a new space in an old edifice. So the building itself is interesting -- as is the usual eclectic crowd.
Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
117 East Campbell Ave.
Roanoke, VA
540-342-9404
Open breakfast and lunch
7 a.m.-until the kitchen closes
