Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Vinton is cookin'
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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First, there's Vinton's favorite old standby, The Doogwood Restaurant, serving up the best home-cooked comfort food you could imagine. It's cheap, it's good, it's always packed. And soon it's around the corner in a new bigger location, I'm told. It'll still be packed. But if you're on a diet or have an aversion to mashed potatoes and gravy, don't bother; and don't bother us who aren't.
Then comes the good news that a new restaurant has just opened in the old Cafe' Succotash location. We'll get around to them eventually, I suppose. Unlike my bovine friends, I only have but one stomach to give to this cause, so it takes me a while to get around to everyone. Come to think of it, I really do wish I had five stomachs. I'm beginning to look like I do.
I've just discovered a new bakery/restaurant that the owner tells me has been open since October of last year. It's called DELIA'S KITCHENWORKS BAKERY & EATERY: a long name for a small but pleasant place.
Its daily specials are written on a chalk board. They're simple -- hot dogs, hot dogs and chips, homemade macaroni salad, soup and sandwich. You order as you go in, the food's delivered to your table, and you pay as you leave. You also try very hard not to buy any of the beautiful cakes and brownies in the cases as you're paying. Try as I may, I went home with two huge slices of homemade upside down cake. They offer entire cakes for less than $18. Some places now charge upwards of $45!
I had the luncheon daily special, a bowl of beef vegetable soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. The soup was good, if it could have been a more flavorful and exciting. It was a bit on the tomato-soup side for my taste. But delicious, nonetheless. And what can you do to a grilled cheese sandwich? At $2.40 total, who's complaining?
Another daily offering was a bowl of homemade chili with a big slice of cornbread, for less than $2.40.
In fact, there are homemade soups available every day, to eat in or take out: vegetable beef, chicken & noodles, and chili beans.
Sandwiches are simple and don't come with many fixins: egg salad, bologna, tuna, chicken salad, deli-style turkey and ham, ham, roast beef and Swiss, Reuben, chuck wagon, and something called "Bruce Bruce's Pulled Pork BBQ." I don't know who this Bruce guy is, but he seems to have two first names.
As might be expected with a bakery, desserts are where they really shine: Pecan pie, $1.25 slice, $6.99 whole; pumpkin & sweet potato, $1 slice, $5 whole; banana pudding and pineapple upside down cake, $1.44.
And that, believe it or not, is the whole shootin' match. They keep it real simple. Upon my most recent visit, they had a nearly full dining room and lots of take-out. Because they're open at 6 a.m., you can stop by for fresh ham biscuits and coffee.
The dining room is bright and clean, but could use something -- anything -- to give it a little warmth. Maybe a plant in the window or a picture on the wall. In typical Vinton fashion, everyone seemed to know everyone and it was fun to see people visiting each other over soup and sandwiches.
The coffee had been around for while that day -- but you can also choose soft drinks, bottled water, lemonade.
On the catering side, Delia's offers reception-style catering and finger foods: potato salad, ham biscuits (biscuits are made from scratch), chicken salad, sandwiches and such.
DELIA'S KITCHENWORKS BAKERY & EATERY
126 E. Lee Ave
Vinton, Va.
Open Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
540-982-3733
