A furniture-ordering snafu nearly ruined opening night at Pizzeria Scavo on a recent episode of ABC's "Desperate Housewives." On the show, husband Tom was furious at wife Lynette for mistakenly ordering 80 high chairs (suitable for toddlers) instead of dining chairs for the restaurant's adult patrons.

With mere hours to spare before the grand opening, Lynette rounded up mismatched chairs from dining rooms on Wisteria Lane to remedy the problem.

Owners Fred and Dreama Sylvester and executive chef Jeff Bland are experiencing similar challenges at The Tasting Room Bistro -- a new restaurant and remote wine-tasting site of White Rock Vineyards. The Bistro is located in Moneta beside Kara's Closet on the Bedford County side of Hales Ford Bridge.

"We are putting out little fires almost every day," Bland said.

When it comes to furniture delivery, the Sylvesters said they hope there will not be any real-life drama, but a few weeks ago Fred Sylvester got a call from the company where he purchased the restaurant's chairs.

"They said, 'We thought you didn't want those until late April,' " he recounted.

Fortunately, there was enough time for the Sylvesters to clarify the delivery date and move it up to late March in time for the restaurant's intended opening during the first or second week of April.

Construction delays already had pushed back the restaurant's opening by approximately four months.

The menu at The Tasting Room will feature Northern Italian and Mediterranean cuisine along with some traditional American fare, Bland said. All dishes are prepared using a wood-burning stone oven that faces the main dining room.

"My style of cooking is a little more simplified," he said. "I like the food to speak for itself."

A variety of seafood and steak choices highlight the dinner menu. Brick-oven pizzas will be available for lunch and dinner. Bland also plans to offer seasonal daily specials for both meals.

When planning for the restaurant, Bland's mind was set that the kitchen needed a charcoal grill; he was averse to the Sylvesters' suggestion to install a wood-burning stone oven.

After training on a similar model in Charlotte, N.C., Bland said he is a changed man.

"Cooking a steak at 1,000 degrees sears it, locking in the juices and flavors," he said.

Another item that will not be found in the kitchen is a deep fryer.

"We are making a conscious effort to stay trans-fat free," Bland said.

Instead of french fries, he expects oven-roasted potatoes to be a popular side item.

"We want it to be an experience for all the senses," Dreama Sylvester said.

From the murals painted by local artist Lisa Floyd to the views of the lake, the Sylvesters said they want the restaurant to be more than just a place to eat.

"How many restaurants can you go to that make their own wine?" Fred Sylvester said. "The great thing about it is we're able to offer two experiences."

The mural on the large wall of the private dining room depicts the winery -- a white house with a brick lower level overlooking the vineyards.

"Everything falls in and almost tells a story," Dreama Sylvester said.

Chopper, one of the Sylvesters' dogs, is in another mural and his name is on the kids' menu, the Chopper Burger.

Bland is working to match dishes to wines and vice versa.

"We want to be a fun place where you can have a business lunch with a cloth on the table," Fred Sylvester said.

Lunch prices range from $4 to $12, and dinner prices range from $4 to $24. A kids' menu also is available.

The Tasting Room Bistro is one of the first new businesses along Virginia 122 in Bedford County to take advantage of newly installed public water and sewer lines.

The Sylvesters, who own White Rock Vineyards and Winery in Goodview, considered opening a restaurant at the winery, but the cost of installing a water and sewer infrastructure themselves dissuaded them. Instead, The Tasting Room Bistro will be a remote tasting site for White Rock's seven wines. Only White Rock's wines will be available for sampling at the tasting bar.

Being near the lake, and close to Hales Ford Bridge and Bridgewater Plaza, both areas of high traffic and new development, is a bonus, Fred Sylvester said, because many of the winery's visitors are from the lake.

"The idea for a restaurant started because of the distribution issue," Fred Sylvester said.

During the 2006 session of the General Assembly, changes in legislation prohibited Virginia wines from being self-distributed. The measure was tough on smaller and younger wineries that do not produce enough volume to wholesale.

White Rock began selling wine in 2005. In addition to the more classic wines, such as chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, White Rock offers three speciality wines. Moon Glow is a chardonnay/pinot gris blend; Scarlet Sunrise is a blend of cabernet franc, chardonnay and merlot; and Velvet Sky is a dessert wine with blackberry tones.

"We try to have something to offer everyone," Fred Sylvester said. "They talk dry but buy sweet."

Like any other new business owners, the Sylvesters said they are hopeful for success and longevity of The Tasting Room Bistro at the lake.

In the meantime, Fred Sylvester, a Roanoke lawyer, is not giving up his day job.