STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times

Petite cannoli stuffed with sweetened ricotta and a chocolate-dipped shell at Isabella's Italian Trattoria

Last month, I visited Lynchburg for the first time in many years. It proved to be an eye-opening, palate-pleasing excursion for a friend and me.

An expanding restaurant scene surprised us, as did the high level of cooking we experienced. We returned a couple of times, discovering restaurants on our own in addition to places friends had recommended.

The Depot Grille

Located on the riverfront in the space that originally housed the Norfolk and Western freight depot, The Depot Grille could be one of the friendliest restaurants I have ever been in, and the food is good, too. Furnished with historical pieces -- each with an interesting story-- the interior presents a handsome ambience. Two converted freight cars make up the kitchen, which produces some tasty steaks, burgers and seafood. We relished every bite of our juicy bison burger ($8.95) made from Virginia-bred steer and cooked perfectly to order. The half-pound beef burger ($7.50) with sauteed mushrooms and melted Swiss cheese was also delicious.

A frosty cold Buckler nonalcoholic beer ($2.95) and a generous glass of Bogle cabernet ($5.50) were ideal beverages for our casual food.

Isabella's Italian Trattoria

Transport yourself to Italy at family-owned Isabella's Trattoria in the Boonsboro Shopping Center. The place serves wonderful Tuscan-style food at remarkably reasonable prices. A fabulous wine list offers most any wine by the glass and bottle, also at sensible prices.

There are plenty of tempting Northern Italian choices on this menu, including fresh seafood, grilled meats, pasta and mix-and-match salads, making it hard to decide. They use the same menu for lunch and dinner and offer brunch on Sundays, which my friends tell me is irresistible.

Kick off your meal, as we did, with a special salad. I fell hard for a magnificent plateful of fresh mesclun greens and port-soaked dried figs adorned with tart apple dressing, chunks of Gorgonzola cheese and spiced walnuts ($6.99 for half; $8.99 for full). My partner enjoyed his Italian wedge ($6.99) of crisp iceberg dressed with a creamy Gorgonzola and embellished with pancetta chips and roasted Roma tomatoes.

From a list of eight thin-crust, brick-oven-baked pizzas, my dining partner called on the restaurant's stylized version of a Margherita ($11.99), paved with fresh mozzarella, basil, extra-virgin olive oil and halved cherry tomatoes scattered about the top.

My linebacker-sized portion of La Pastasciutta, or "tossed pasta" of wide pappardelle ribbons with a Tuscan meat sauce of beef, veal and red wine could have been perfect had the chef only salted the dish lightly.

Share two petite cannoli stuffed with sweetened ricotta for dessert while sipping a 220-volt espresso, and you will be in Italian heaven. I can't wait to return to this spot and its delicious preparations. It's the best Italian restaurant in Southwest Virginia.

Waterstone Pizza

At one time, this building housed offices for the Craddock-Terry Shoe Co., one of the great industries of Lynchburg. Now, it is home to the Craddock Terry Hotel, with Waterstone situated below.

Original stone walls and massive wood beams give testimony to the construction and history of this building, which dates to the early 1900s.

This space, transformed into a bar and dining room with freestanding tables and booths, has an atmosphere that attracts a steady flow of patrons all day long.

The menu features the house specialty, a list of 14 10-inch fire-roasted pizzas with tomato sauce or white sauce ($6.95-$9.95), as well as an array of casual comfort food such as appetizers, gourmet salads, pastas, well-filled sandwiches and an assortment of desserts.

My guest and I divided a lightly smoky, fire-roasted Margherita pizza ($7.95), a delicious, thin, tender-crusted affair strong enough to hold all the fresh toppings: tomato sauce, sliced Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.

We noticed folks at the next table devouring The Greek ($8.95), a beautiful pizza covered with an arrangement of pesto, fresh basil, feta cheese, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives.

Beer goes perfectly with pizza, and a brewery above the restaurant produces five different flavors of Jefferson Street handcrafted draft beer priced at $4.50 a glass. These specialty beers span the spectrum of color and flavor.

The food at Waterstone is reliable, fresh and tasty.

Shoemakers

You can't miss the bright red shoe proclaiming the location of this place at the downtown Bluffwalk. Shoemakers is located inside the Craddock Terry Hotel and has all the visible trappings of classy, fine dining -- perfectly set tables adorned with white tablecloths, linen napkins and an assortment of wine glasses. A knowledgeable waitstaff enhances the dining experience.

Modern light fixtures contrast with the wooden timbers and exposed stone in this vintage building, which carries over to a series of smaller rooms and one large dining room outfitted with booths and highlighted by a granite-topped bar.

The open kitchen turns out American specialties including steaks, lobsters and seafood. Executive Chef Diallo Graves, a graduate of the Navy's culinary school in Alameda, Calif., credits the Navy with his proficiency. A vast wine list with global selections has a special bottle or generous glassful to go with every dish on the menu.

My appetizer of scallops casino on the half-shell ($6.95) arrived blanketed with a tasty mix of breadcrumbs, chopped peppers, onions and bacon. Tender double cut pork chops braised in a marvelous shiitake mushroom and port wine sauce ($20.95) followed as my entree.

My partner enjoyed the house wedge salad of iceberg lettuce topped with bacon, diced tomatoes and creamy Gorgonzola dressing ($3.95), but he found less to rejoice about with his New York strip au poivre ($29.95), which was liberally laced with gristle and fat. (This is an instance where the purveyor is responsible: They failed to give the restaurant the expected quality of meat.) Hearty sides of creamed spinach with applewood-smoked bacon ($4.95) and mashed red bliss potatoes with roasted garlic ($4.95) filled us nicely.

House-made key lime pie with an Oreo crust ($5.25) provided a tangy and sweet taste sensation with a smooth filling, and a slice of Shoemakers creamy cheesecake ($5.95) completed dinner on a sweet note.

Dish

Unassuming and modest from the outside but stylish within, this small, sophisticated restaurant decorated with a variety of lovely dishes captivated my dining partner and me. It's classically set, linen-covered tables, quality flatware and appealing menus of small and large plates impressed us.

Dish has an incredible wine list and numerous options for cheese lovers, including these top-notch Virginia cheeses: Grayson, a pungent, semisoft, complex yellow rind cheese from Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax; Esmontonian, a semi-hard, nutty cheese from Caromont Farm in Esmont; and Farmstead feta, a creamy goat cheese, also from Caromont. Depending on the number of cheeses selected, prices range from $10.50 for three, $14 for four and $17.50 for five. You can buy all 14 for $49.

All cheese plates come with house-made crackers and include balancing complements, such as currants for the Grayson.

Your budget and appetite affect how many or how few dishes you order from the 8-inch small plates menu ($6-$14). These dishes are prepared to order and presented as separate courses. Each plate provides satisfying appetizer and entree courses.

For example, an abundant portion of broccoli rabe with parsnips, raisins, pine nuts, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil ($9) met my requirements for an appetizer and side dish, as did the baby lettuce with crispy chick peas, feta cheese, pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette ($6) for my colleague.

As an entree, I ordered from the large plate menu, selecting a fantastic combination of mussels roasted with whole grain mustard, olive oil and parsley ($9). My friend savored a large plate of imported Italian spaghetti teeming with Spanish chorizo, scallops, mussels and chopped tomatoes in a light, tasty sauce.

Homemade desserts ($6) include pies that are out of this world. We shared a piece of blueberry pie with homemade vanilla ice cream ($2) and a slice of tangy lemon pie while sipping French press coffee. Utterly wonderful. This is a food lover's restaurant.

Blue Marlin Seafood

A small neighborhood fish house, Blue Marlin Seafood Market & Deli specializes in retail, eat-in and take-out fish and seafood. The food, in fact, is wholly reminiscent of beach food.

The small deli has tables and a counter with 12 bar stools. The menu covers all manner of seafood and fish sandwiches ($6.99-$9.99), as well as platters ranging in price from $7.99 for fish tacos or a salad sampler to $11.99 for two crab cakes with vegetables and slaw. A steamer menu featuring oysters, clams, shrimp and crab is on the back page; these span in price from $4.99 for a half-pound of medium shrimp to $16.99 for jumbo king crab legs.

For a late lunch, we ordered a fried crab sandwich ($9.99) with slaw (99 cents) and crab salad ($7.99) with potato salad (99 cents). Unfortunately, we found both meals were too highly seasoned for our palates and we did not enjoy them.

On a follow-up visit, we both had great meals. I loved every bite of my lightly battered fish and chips ($7.99), actually pieces of fried tilapia and clam strips served with slaw and fries. My friend's jumbo steamed shrimp ($6.50), which he described as "the best ever," featured an abundance of lightly seasoned, tender shrimp with plenty of cocktail sauce on the side.

I learned a lot of useful information about fish and seafood from their excellent Web site: www.lynchburgseafood.com

As I said, it's like being at the beach.