Larry Bly

Larry Bly has plenty on his plate these days. He's got two TV shows on Cox Cable Roanoke. Click ahead for details and showtimes.

Recent columns

• Restaurant comings and goings; and a mystery solved
• Got gas? Have we got recipes!
• Another downtown lunch opportunity
• Column archive

• Recipe of the day

There seems to be a whole lot of shakin' goin' on in the Roanoke restaurant business, what with times being tight and all. Some of these items may not be related to that, but here goes:

The all-new downtown version of Orange Dog seems to have stalled just months after opening. The place is dark and a sign on the door promises a new reopening. The sign's been up for a while now. I reviewed the downtown Orange Dog a few weeks back (see archives) and thought that they had a pretty good menu going for downtown -- including breakfasts and luncheon specials that went well beyond offerings at the Towers Mall location. I took quite a few people there for lunch and we always enjoyed the fresh soups and huge sandwiches. So what gives?

The Cellar on Brambleton Avenue is empty, though the downstairs lounge is still going strong.The Cellar is still in the catering business. Or at least they'd better be as they have an event coming up at Valhalla Vineyards in the not so distant future. The Cellar served freshly baked turkey and all the trimmings, so it was like Thanksgiving every day, but the menu was pretty eclectic and never found its niche.

The Thai Orchid, which was displaced by the soon-to-be Social Security Administration building downtown, has moved to First Street in the former Legends Italian spot that was more recently an Indian restaurant. Not yet open, Thai Orchid should be operating within a week or so. I found their food presentations to be smallish and a bit expensive. With their re-opening, we'll be able to boast at least four, possibly five Thai restaurants in the Roanoke Valley, including Tong's Thai Too, which I'm fond of calling Tongue Tied Too, much to the delight of my friends.

They're easily amused.

Not so long ago I did an article called "Roanoke County awash in java." Since then at least one has washed out, business-wise. The High Point Coffee in the Brambleton Plaza is no more. It's been purchased from the owners and will re-open as a combination cafe and night cooking school. The High Point brand will be replaced, coffee-wise, with another brand of Joe.

Finally, in last week's article about my 1935 cookbook, called "Be an Artist at the Gas Range," which was a promotional piece for the natural gas industry to promote cooking at home with their product, I mentioned that it was written by "The Mystery Chef," whomever that may have been.

Well leave it to my readers to always find answers. \

Don H. wrote: "When I was a child in Philadelphia in the late thirties and early forties the 'Mystery Chef' was well known. He was John MacPherson, a chemist from England who came to the USA in 1906 and became a chef. He had a popular radio show for many years. See: tvacres.com for bio".

Thanks, Don. I checked it out and you really know your stuff. He hosted a radio cooking show (how's that for using the imagination) on NBC in 1949. It was one of NBC's first daytime programs, running on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon. His programs featured recipes for limited budget, limited equipment and limited know-how. Gee ... sounds a little like my old TV show, Cookin' Cheap. Here's a sample recipe:

SWISS STEAK

2 lbs round, flank or sirloin steak
1 small can tomatoes
3 tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup flour
salt and ground pepper to taste

Coat steak with as much flour as will adhere. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat (I'd assume here, preferably gas) and brown steak on both sides. Place the steak in a large ovenproof baking pan with a lid.

Add the cup of water to the skillet you browned the steak in and dissolve all the brown bits in the skillet. Add this liquid to the baking dish with the steak, along with the other ingredients. Cover and cook on top of stove over low heat for 2 hours. or bake in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours.

Serves 4- 6

Nothing was indicated as to when the Mystery Chef died. I wonder if he was buried in an unmarked grave!

Bly for now!!