Photo by DOLORES KOSTELNI Special to The Roanoke Times

An exemplary New York Strip steak ($24) is served with asparagus sauteed with sliced mushrooms and potatoes.

Tucked into an old building on a downtown Bedford side street, the Bedford Social Club has a casual charm and serves distinctive, wonderful dishes with prices in keeping with the quality and quantity of the plated food. Michael Siehien, co-owner with his wife, Lauren, build the restaurant's frequently changing menus around the local ingredients provided by their network of suppliers. The spacious dining room has excellent acoustics, and the neutral walls display modern, avant-garde art, which to me reflects the restaurant's understated yet exciting personality.

MEET THE OWNERS

Michael and Lauren Siehien arrived in Lynchburg in 2002 from Los Angeles, where Lauren owned La Salsa restaurant. Chef Michael's additional culinary experiences include executive chef at the Playboy Club in Chicago as well as corporate kitchen manager at T.G.I. Friday's.

The couple opened the Bedford Social Club in the town they "fell in love with," in January 2006, and the restaurant's name pays homage to the Grammy Award-winning influences of Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club.

THE MENU

The single-page menu lists four engaging starters ($8-$9) beginning with the Social Club Quesadilla, a flour tortilla with roasted peppers united with jack and feta cheese. Baked brie; pesto-stuffed, bacon-wrapped barbecued shrimp; crab- and cheese-stuffed mushrooms; and cream of mushroom soup ($4) complete this section. Two salads made with local organic produce include the house ($3) and a classic Caesar ($7).

Main courses number an even dozen, headed by chicken piccata ($19), beef medallions Alfredo ($21) and chicken Romano ($18), all served over pasta, such as linguine or fettuccine. The remainder of the entree menu entices with fresh fish ($19-$20), seafood ($21-$24), chargrilled lamb or beef ($22-$28), accompanied by a choice of either pasta or potato and the vegetable of the day.

WHAT WE TRIED

There were so many dishes we wanted to try -- like the entire menu -- that we had a difficult time making up our minds. My husband, Jim, and I started our meals with the featured salads of the evening. My house salad of tender organic field greens and salad vegetables fit perfectly with my dressing selection, a freshly prepared, vibrantly flavored, chunky blue cheese. Jim described his classic Caesar salad (no croutons, by request), of crisp romaine lettuce, dressed to perfection and accented with just enough Parmesan and Romano cheeses and two anchovy fillets on top, as "a standout and among the very best."

Main courses sparkle with simplicity and perfection (we eagle-eyed every plate served within visual distance of our table). I ordered butter-seared jumbo scallops with a white wine sauce, served with peach jalapeno salsa ($22). I couldn't get enough of the wonderfully caramelized surfaces, the tender, succulent scallop meat and the flavorful citric-edged sauce. Penne with a lightly seasoned tomato sauce filled out the plate nicely.

Jim took a shine to one of the menu staples, the New York strip steak ($24), especially when our patient waiter told him it was "fresh cut and sometimes prime." Jim described it as exemplary, totally delicious with a crusty exterior surrounding a medium interior. It doesn't get much better than that. Both of our main courses came with slender asparagus spears sauteed with sliced mushrooms and potatoes or pasta.

Even though we were full, we embraced our house-made desserts with a passion. Key lime pie presents a remarkably smooth, slightly tangy filling sitting on just enough of a crumb crust. Lavender ice cream offers a smooth-as-velvet creation faintly redolent of both vanilla and lavender, and it's heavenly.

THE WINE LIST

On the evening we were at the Bedford Social Club, the wine list contained 46 wines ranging from $21 for a 2006 Lurton Pinot Grigio from Argentina to $64 for a 2004 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from California. I enjoyed an $8 glass of Hess Cabernet with my meal. Champagnes include Gruet from New Mexico ($28) and two champagnes from France -- Moet & Chandon Extra Dry White Star ($65) and a 1998 Dom Perignon ($185).

THE BOTTOM LINE

I know I'll be returning here as frequently as possible. With its inviting dining room, cordial hospitality and delicious food, the Bedford Social Club fills a niche in this charming community and proves fine cuisine is alive and well in the countryside of Virginia.