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Preston's is located inside the upscale Inn at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and is billed as "a destination where you will find the freshest ingredients prepared Bistro-style with selections for the most discriminating palette." It is the sister restaurant to the Regency Room at Hotel Roanoke.

I tried the buffet at Preston's in August 2008 while at the inn for business. I don't remember exactly what I devoured that day, but I distinctly recall commenting to the maitre'd that the buffet was absolutely wonderful and the desserts were to die for. I returned this summer for a weeknight dinner and a Sunday brunch.

It is only fair to note that for the past several months, management at the Inn has been searching for a new head chef for Preston's. In the interim, the executive chef over the entire inn has been filling in as the restaurant supervisor.

The vibe

Preston's spacious dining room is warm and inviting, with soothing yellow walls adorned with local art. At dinner, my dining partner and I were initially seated at a very small table in a high-traffic area, so we asked to be moved to a more spacious and comfortable booth. Private areas for a nice, quiet dinner were lacking.

The menu

The weeknight dinner menu featured four appetizers ($5.95-$9.50), two soups (cup, $4.50; bowl, $5.50), two salads ($5), eight main course offerings ($16.95-$33.95), six side dishes ($2.95-$3.95) and eight desserts ($5.25-$7.25). The Sunday brunch costs $16.95 per person. Preston's also offers an extensive wine list, as well as several beer options.

Sunday brunch

On my latest visit to Preston's, I opted to try the Sunday brunch and took a buddy along who also has a passion for food. Having tried and loved the Regency Room's buffet, I was hoping for the same at Preston's.

We quickly grabbed our plates and began to observe the offerings. We were surprised to not see several staples of a big Sunday brunch buffet, such as cereal, scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruits and sausage gravy. There was an omelette station and waffles. The salad bar was somewhat sparse in selection, so we decided to pass on it.

We started with bacon, sausage links and made-to-order omelettes. The bacon was crisp and tasty, but some of the sausage links appeared to have been overcooked. Although the outside of my omelette was browned a little too much, I found it to be very good -- light, fluffy and filled with sauteed onions, mushrooms and peppers with a generous portion of melted cheddar cheese. My buddy's omelette was cooked perfectly.

Next, we sampled the lunch fare of the brunch. The offerings on this particular day included chicken breasts with a spicy tomato sauce, sauteed green beans, beef tips with mushrooms, rice pilaf and a whole, head-on salmon. We tried everything except the salmon, which was a strange brown color.

We both found the chicken dish to be the best of the entree offerings. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the tangy sauce married well with the meat. The beef tips had great flavor but were a little tough. The sauteed green beans were wonderfully fresh, with a slight crunch to the bite. The rice pilaf was delicate in taste and texture, making it stand out on the plate.

The dessert table offered many house-made choices. We decided on the carrot cake and what I called "death by chocolate cake." My guest said the carrot cake was some of the best he has ever tasted, and I agreed -- the cream cheese frosting was not overwhelmingly sweet and the cake was very moist. The chocolate cake was also heavenly. There were three layers of super moist dark chocolate cake with creamy chocolate icing between each layer. The richness of this masterpiece stood out in every delicious bite.

Service at brunch was attentive; each time we returned from the buffet, our dirty plates had been cleared away.

Dinner

For dinner on a Thursday evening, we started with the shrimp and grits appetizer, ($9.50) which was described as sauteed shrimp served with stone-ground grits and white cheddar. The dish arrived about 10 minutes later, and the presentation was disappointing. We were stunned to see a saucer of tiny salad shrimp surrounded by what appeared to be canned tomatoes. We had to literally dig our way around and under the shrimp and tomatoes to find what appeared to be a grit.

Shrimp and grits are a popular dish that I have enjoyed many times, and this was by far the worst version I've had. It was lacking in flavor and did not seem worth the price.

Being the carnivore that I am, I ordered the local highlander New York strip ($31.95) cooked medium and the southern collard greens ($2.95) as my entree. According to the menu, the steak was natural, hormone-free dried beef aged for 28 days and grilled with sauteed shiitake mushrooms and a broiled Parmesan tomato. My guest ordered the eggplant Napoleon ($17.95), which was one of two vegetarian offerings. It was described as "layers of smoked eggplant, fried green tomatoes, black-eyed pea hummus and fire-roasted tomato sauce." As a side, she chose the vegetable of the day, julienned summer squash medley.

Our entrees arrived approximately 25 minutes into dinner service, and they looked wonderful. Unfortunately, when I cut into my steak, it was cooked well-done. I found it too tough to eat, and the collard greens tasted just like the homestyle canned version we buy from the supermarket. I asked that another steak be prepared according to my preference, opting this time for truffled mashed potatoes instead of greens.

The eggplant Napoleon was mostly made up of fried green tomatoes with a small amount of eggplant and fresh tomatoes. The fried green tomatoes were rather soggy and bland, and the tomato sauce and hummus left much to be desired. The vegetable medley was enjoyable, but for the additional $2.95 the portion was small.

Just as my guest was finishing, the server arrived with my order. I immediately noticed that the steak was charred on the top and the truffle mashed potatoes looked dry. I cut into the steak and found it to be rare while the outside was literally burnt. We decided that it was best to get our dessert to go, so we ordered the New York-style cheesecake ($6) with berries and cream. The sliver of cheesecake turned out to be dry.

Summation

If Preston's is going to bill itself as a dining destination, then consistency will need to play a critical role in that outcome. I have had the good and the bad at Preston's, which is unfortunate for such a nice place. I will definitely give Preston's another chance in the future with hopes that the experience will be a much more pleasant and satisfying one.