Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Chowing down carefully, from DC through the Shenandoah Valley
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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This will not be a restaurant review. Old Uncle Larr' is on his annual diet and exercise plan. And yes, I do it with a passion -- a salad for lunch -- a bowl of cereal for dinner. Until 10 pounds come off, I'll rely on some dining experiences from the recent past. Besides, this column is a food commentary as much as it is a restaurant review.
We'll start by revisiting the "miniburgers" subject of a few weeks back, which got such favorable response that I thought I'd expand on it a bit this week. Gerow's Restaurant and Lounge has great ones out in Roanoke County. They're served on dinner rolls with mustard and onion standard. You'll pay about a buck apiece, tax included. Try them in combination with some of Gerow's soups and stews.
I received an email from Brian Cooley, who is the PR guy for The Krystal Co., the second-oldest fast food company in the country and oldest in the South, known for its delicious mini-burgers on steamed mini-buns, done to perfection on the grill and sold by the sackful if you've got a hankerin' for them. Julie, a reader in Richmond, reminded me of these delicious morsels. She'll be happy to know, according to Brian, the Krystal Co. will be erecting a famous Krsytal Burger in Salem real soon. They're having a ground breaking sometime this month. Looks like they'd have a ground-round breaking, doesn't it? Krystal offers breakfast and a whole lineup of unique items, morning, noon and night. The mini-burgers are about 59 cents apiece. I'll let you know more when we know more.
I also had mentioned the "upscale" minis that were highly recommended in DC at a place called the UGLY MUG. Since then I've traveled to the nation's Capitol and found myself (appropriately) at the UGLY MUG one Saturday night. The place was packed to the rafters, filled with screaming yuppies and puppies who were getting very emotional about various sports contests playing on dozens of flat-screens. The place isn't much to look at (thus the name, I suppose); a typical sports bar. But the clientele was freshly-scrubbed and friendly; the wait-staff well versed on the menu and quick to offer reasonable suggestions.
After a short pause, my group was able to grab one of the few tables available. We sat down and ordered up a platter (a dozen) mini-burgers and a white pizza, with crab meat on top. The burgers arrived with a mound of "onion straws" in the middle; the burgers served on toasted brioche buns with cheese and dill pickles, cooked rare. I can tell you that the onion straws are awesome (and a much overused descriptive these days); the burgers are even better. One dozen minis divided four ways go mighty fast, I can tell you.
Shortly thereafter the white pizza arrived, piping hot and probably as good as pizza can get, featuring white cheeses just oozing and an ample mound of delicious, sweet crab meat on top. We left an hour later completely stuffed. We promised to return some day. I'm thinking about getting into the car right now. NO! REMEMBER YOUR DIET!
By the way, some other items on the menu include grilled meatloaf and country-fried steak -- comfort foods. Judging from the crowds, they've got a winner on their hands. I'm told that Chef Craig Glufling has already made a name for himself at several eateries in DC. Best of all, it was reasonably priced and I felt that I had experienced a good value in DC, for a change.
On to other non-related topics: I'm proud to announce that on that same trip up the Shenandoah Valley, I ate at the famous MRS. ROWE's in Staunton AND DID NOT HAVE THE HOMEMADE PIE.
I should send this article to Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
It's nearly impossible to pass up the house signature dish. Mrs. Rowe's is the house that pies built. No one has ever managed to put more inches of meringue on a pie -- ever: HOMEMADE meringue, no less.
But I am serious about my diet, so opted for AN ENTIRE TURKEY AND DRESSING PLATTER instead. I ate so much turkey and all the trimmings that I didn't have room for the dessert.
Another favorite at this restaurant is the shepherd's pie, something you seldom find on menus these days. You can even get them frozen to take with you. I keep one in the freezer here at the office just in case of emergencies.
I promise to be my old piggy-self again come next week.
Bly for now.
