Salem House aims for family feel, fare
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Salem House Restaurant located at 311 West Main St. in Salem is owned and operated by David and Bunnie Gusler. Bunnie had been in the restaurant business for 20 years prior to opening Salem House on Dec. 6 . The restaurant is located in a beautiful, 100-year-old brick home.
Prior to entering the restaurant, guests can mingle on the covered front porch adorned with simple chairs . The interior has a country charm that is reminiscent of my grandmother’s home, with wooden floors, tables and chairs. Another reminder of grandma’s is the traditional all-you-can-eat, family-style dinner service.
The food
Salem House offers lunch and dinner. The lunch menu, which is scheduled to expand soon, offers four sandwiches including a house special meatloaf served on Texas toast. The restaurant also offers a large garden salad and specials of the day such as ground chuck burgers. The fixed price lunch menu is $6.95, which includes a side and iced tea.
The dinner menu is priced based on the number of meats you choose. Two meats, $11.50; three meats, $12.50; and four meats, $13.50. Children ages 3–10 are $7, and those younger eat free. There is an assortment of side dishes with such staples as green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, coleslaw and pinto beans.
On my first visit, I had to try the Salem specialty homemade meatloaf sandwich with a side of crinkle cut French fries and iced tea. My very attentive server returned with my lunch shortly after I placed the order.
The meatloaf, topped with tomato sauce, was piled high on the Texas toast and the fries were cooked to my specification — extra crispy. The meatloaf was very moist and nicely seasoned, which complemented the slightly sweet tomato sauce. The golden brown fries were crunchy with a creamy interior and were even better when dipped in the side of ranch dressing.
On my weekday dinner visit at 6:15 p.m., my dining partners and I were the only patrons in the restaurant.
The meat options on our visit consisted of baked chicken, ham, meatloaf, and chicken and dumplings. After our server explained the menu, we decided on the baked chicken and glazed ham . The accompanying side dishes consisted of mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, pinto beans, coleslaw, corn muffins and biscuits.
The meal arrived minutes after we placed the order. Eager to dig in, we passed each dish around until our plates were filled. My dining partners and I all commented simultaneously that the food was not hot. It was warm, but not to our liking.
The chicken, which appeared to be seasoned with salt and pepper only, was very bland and dry. The ham was moist and flavorful, but would have been better served hot.
One dining partner raved about the corn and corn muffins. We all agreed the mashed potatoes were tasteless until we added a healthy smothering of what appeared to be beef gravy. The green beans, pinto beans and coleslaw were decent, but not the best I’ve tasted.
For dessert, which is included, we tried the banana pudding and chocolate eclair cake. The banana pudding, which consisted of one cookie and two slices of banana, was minimal at best. The chocolate eclair cake was more of a pudding mix with very little cake. It was tasty, but lacking in appearance.
Bottom line
The Salem House serves up a great lunch at an unbeatable price. They can improve upon dinner by simply adding more seasoning to the chicken and paying close attention to the temperature in which the food is served.
Given the style and theme of the restaurant, the Guslers should consider adding fried chicken to the menu.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
5. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
9. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
THE ROANOKE TIMES
