Originally known as the Cloyd House, White Oak's log cabin structure dates to 1783.

The baked spinach and artichoke chicken salad in a bread bowl at White Oak Tavern in Botetourt

Photos by Dolores Kostelni | Special to The Roanoke Times

White Oak Tea Tavern

• Menu: Simple tearoom fare
• Where: 5690 Roanoke Road (U.S. 220), about five miles north of Interstate 81, between Daleville and Fincastle in Botetourt County
• Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
• Prices: $3.50 to $8.50
• Alcohol? No
• Soda products: Sprecher kettle-brewed soda
• Plastic? MasterCard, Visa
• Smoking? No
• Takeout? Yes
• Delivery? No
• Wireless Internet? No
• Kids menu? $4.75 for 10 and younger
• Handicapped accessible? Not reviewed by the Blue Ridge Independent Living Center
• Reservations? Not required, but recommended
• Live music? No
• Call: (540) 992-6901
• Fax: None
• Net: www.whiteoakteas.com

Time seemed to stand still when I first walked into White Oak Tea Tavern on U.S. 220 between Daleville and Fincastle. Originally known as the Cloyd House and dating to 1783, this log cabin structure retains its old-fashioned charm even though it has been restored into a pub-style tearoom and gift shop.

THE VIBE

White Oak Tea Tavern is just adorable. The front gift shop, crammed with all sorts of fragrant candles, soaps and gifts, looks into the back dining room featuring a fireplace with a roaring fire regardless of warm temperatures. The two tiny rooms could hold no more than 18 people gathering for tea or lunch or to relax with a newspaper. Owner Kim Arney produces treats and simple meals in a kitchen the size of a large broom closet.

Arney had a flourishing catering business up until October, when she and her husband purchased the business from its previous owners who had operated White Oak as a tearoom for a year.

THE MENU

An appropriately uncomplicated menu features tea in small (two to three cups) and large (six to seven cups) pots as well as iced tea du jour, cups of gourmet sipping chocolate and kettle-brewed sodas from Wisconsin. An assortment of 25 black, green and white teas as well as herbal tisanes are listed on the menu (plus more labeled selections are available on the shelves near the entrance to the dining room).

Three daily lunch items include "secret recipe" chicken salads ($8.50) served either hot or chilled and freshly baked bagel sandwiches ($6.95).

Select from eight seasoned bagels to go with seven varieties of cream cheese-based "schmears" ($3.50), including sun-dried tomato and chive, plain, honey, or pear and toasted walnut. It's also possible to create sandwiches of honey ham and smoked turkey with mild cheddar, baby Swiss and Muenster. Gourmet scones ($3.75), baked fresh daily in the tavern kitchen, come with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Dessert options include fresh fruit cup ($1.50) and Bella's organic cookies ($2), deliciously chewy sweet treats made in Delaware by a commercial bakery.

WHAT I ENJOYED

During both of my visits, I began with a glass of iced wassail decorated with a soft orange jelly slice glittering with coarse sugar.

For my first lunch, I delighted in the chilled cranberry amandine chicken salad with toasted pecans served with a half loaf of warm Paesano bread. Paesano bread is the house name given to the rolls and means "friend," explained owner Arney.

During the next visit, I ordered the baked spinach and artichoke chicken salad stuffed into a freshly baked bread bowl and found it richly flavored with crunchy water chestnuts. Both chicken salads were amply portioned, fresh and tasty.

My unfussy, but no less satisfying, desserts included a white chocolate almond scone and Bella's "Rumazin" cookie.

NOT TO BE PICKY, BUT...

This bright, cheerful place enchanted me, but I wish I could have found pieces of chicken in the baked salad with spinach and artichokes. The scone also needed additional time in the oven to dry the wet dough.

THE BOTTOM LINE

White Oak Tea Tavern was a pleasant surprise. There's no pretense here -- it offers a relaxed, comfortable environment and serves exactly the right tearoom food at the best possible prices.