Don't Attend Church!

I'm long overdue with posting on the blog and I have some serious catching up to do. Lots going on in sports. Lots of food and restaurants to review. And lots of stuff happening in life. So, I'm hoping to get back into posting more regularly. First up, a needed review on a Roanoke restaurant.

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a few people at 24 Church Avenue Italian Sideboard & Spirits in downtown Roanoke. Having previously checked out the restaurant's website, I was intrigued by their $5.99 Italian lunch buffet and their famous giant slices of pizza. I mentioned this to my dad and he rounded up some people from his office and we decided to make our way over to Church Avenue to give it a try.

I should have known we were making a mistake when we walked in the door. First, there was a sign on the door saying they could only accept cash - which isn't too strange but did seem rather weird for a place that also serves as a bar at night. Next, the decor and layout of the place was terrible. There is a pool table as you enter and a dimly lit dining area with basic chairs and tables, and on one side of the room is a bar that looks like it was thrown together with scrap pieces of wood from a construction project. As if these weren't strong enough hints, there was NO ONE eating in the restaurant when we walked in at a little after 12pm, which is the prime hour for lunch spots downtown. Again, it was stupid of me to not pick up on the warning signs but I told myself, "maybe the atmosphere is terrible but the food makes up for it."

Our group picked out a table and then made our way to the "buffet." It's difficult to describe the layout of everything because it was so ridiculous, but one side featured salad, the middle area featured "entrees," and the other side featured pizza. The salad was probably the highlight of the meal. It was just mixed greens, like the kind you'd get in a container at the grocery store, and the staff at 24 Church managed to get something right in just getting those into dishes for people to serve themselves.

The "entree" portion of the buffet was a disgrace. First, everything is protected by an enclosure - so you have to hand your plate over to a wonderfully friendly (NOT!) server who tells you what everything is and asks you what you'd like. At an ITALIAN buffet, he told me my choices were: lasagna, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, macaroni & cheese, beef & broccoli, roasted potatoes, and hot wings. Yes, beef & broccoli and hot wings. Although nothing looked appetizing, I tried the lasagna and chicken parmesan. Another mistake. The lasagna tasted crusty, old, and dry - I would say it was clearly frozen lasagna but that would be an insult to all frozen lasagna dishes. I'm really not sure how 24 Church managed to get it to taste so bad. As for the chicken parmesan, I'm still not sure what the meat was, but there's no way it was chicken and the marinara sauce was non-existent.

And I'm sure this is no surprise, but the pizza was another huge disappointment. The crust was paper thin - too thin to be able to hold any toppings, so the chef avoids this problem by not putting any toppings on the pizza. No sauce. Barely any cheese (or what seemed to be dried cheese powder). And toppings that fall off as soon as you try to pick up a slice. Of course, it had no flavor other than a slight hint of wax paper, which might have been used in the making of the crust. By the end of the meal, I was angry with myself for having stayed in this restaurant for longer than three seconds and really felt like throwing up.

I wanted to write a review about this place to get the word out, but it really is difficult to describe how bad it truly was. I've seen more appetizing food on the streets of Haiti. However, one of my favorite moments came from the people I was eating with who were also grossed out. At one point, one girl said, "I think that's a live wire that's just dangling over the buffet." She was right. And later we heard one of the servers get visibly angry when other people walked into the restaurant, which forced him to yell into the back, "WE NEED TO MAKE MORE FOOD!" I guess they only had one microwave available in the kitchen.

I've never said this about a restaurant, but I believe this place should be investigated. Promoting themselves as a restaurant that makes everything from scratch is a lie. They can't honestly be trying to make it as a dining establishment, because that's just unbelievable. There might be a lot more going on behind their black curtain to the kitchen other than serving up disgusting food. This is, by far, the worst restaurant I've ever been to in Roanoke. I don't care what your religion is, don't ever go to 24 Church!

Sabbatical

Without warning or planning, I seem to have taken a sabbatical from blogging. I wasn't tired of writing and I didn't run out of topics to write about - I simply haven't been posting on the blog lately. Our internet can be a bit tricky, which can make it difficult to get a blog posted. We have had a busy stretch over the past couple weeks with various things going on during the week and traveling a bit on the weekends. And, I have seen my responsibilities at work increase, which is a lot of fun, but causes me to have no interest in being on the computer when I get home. Not to mention, the weather over the past couple weeks has been absolutely gorgeous - seeing the leaves change in Southwest Virginia during the fall is one of the prettiest things you'll see. So, instead of just sitting around on my computer, I've been out enjoying life. So, my apologies for the lack of recent posts. I'm sorry...not really! :)

Week Five Football

There are some great games featuring Top 15 teams this weekend. As the college football season moves deeper into conference play, we'll begin to see the contenders who will compete for a spot in the BCS Championship game. I could have easily picked 3 intriguing games from the SEC this weekend, but there are a couple other match ups that could turn into instant classics.

#13 Clemson vs. #11 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. - It's time for the Virginia Tech football season to begin. After four games to start the season against cupcakes, the Hokies will face a different kind of test with Clemson. Finally a game Virginia Tech fans can be excited about. For Clemson, this is their opportunity to really prove something. Beating an overrated Auburn team and a beat up Florida State team on your home field  doesn't say a whole lot. The play of Tajh Boyd and the emergence of Sammy Watkins has been huge for Clemson and the play of these two will be critical to Clemson's success. If Boyd can run the offense and deal with the Virginia Tech crowd and Watkins can find some holes in the Virginia Tech secondary, Clemson could pull the upset. And if David Wilson can have a big performance for Virginia Tech, it could be a long night for Dabo Swinney.

#3 Alabama vs. #12 Florida, Gainesville, FL. - Alabama takes it's freight train of a team to a showdown in the Swamp against the Gators. Similar to Virginia Tech, Florida has been able to test drive its new offense against some weak opponents. Now, they get to see how it works against the Alabama house of horrors. I can't wait to see the head games that take place between Nick Saban and Charlie Weiss. Saban seemed to solve Bobby Petrino and the Arkansas offense with relative ease last weekend, so we'll see if the speed of Florida can make a difference. This will also be the first major test for Alabama's quarterback, A.J. McCarron. If McCarron can manage the game and avoid turnovers, Alabama can rely on Trent Richardson and the powerful Crimson Tide offensive line. And if Richardson gets going again, the Tide will continue to roll.

#8 Nebraska vs. #7 Wisconsin, Madison, WI. - This is quite a welcome party for Nebraska to the Big 10. Playing against Wisconsin for a night game in Madison is never easy and the Badgers have been playing at an extremely high level. To me, the key for both of these teams will be the play of the quarterbacks. Taylor Martinez has the ability to carry the Nebraska offense or run it into the ground. He needs to be able to make big plays without making big mistakes. On the other end, Russell Wilson just needs to keep doing what he's been doing for Wisconsin. If Wilson is accurate and effective with the play action pass, Wisconsin should be in very good shape.

Taste of Italy

Last weekend, we made the short trip up to Lexington to visit my cousin. He is a freshman at Washington & Lee and playing on the soccer team, so we are trying to get to as many of his games as we can. There isn't a lot going on in Lexington, but there are a number of little restaurants scattered around town and we tried an Italian place after his game last Saturday.

If it isn't obvious by their sign, Salerno is a small, family owned restaurant in downtown Lexington. The atmosphere is very casual - much more of a local pizza pub/sandwich shop than a fancy Italian restaurant. There is a TV in one corner of the room and sports memorabilia all over the walls. Actually, it seems like they are trying to put up t-shirts from as many universities as possible as a sort of collection. You place your order at the counter, seat yourself, and the food is served to your table.

The menu is full of Italian style food. They have traditional Italian entrees (lasagna, ravioli, pasta, etc.) as well as pizza, sandwiches, calzones, & salads. Most items are priced between $7-$15 and the portions are more than generous. I decided to order the Meatball Parmigiana sub, which was 9 inch. long. The sub is filled with homemade meatballs and covered in melted mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. The meatballs and sauce had good flavor from the Italian spices, but I would have liked it more if the bread was more toasted. I was also very impressed with the pizzas and calzones I saw other people ordering. Both were HUGE and loaded with toppings and people weren't leaving many leftovers on their tables.

In terms of Italian restaurants in Lexington, I don't know if Salerno has a ton of competition. It's obvious that many of their regular customers are students at W&L and VMI and they do a good job of offering various specials for really good deals. They also serve a lunch buffet that I would assume is very good. In all, I'm glad we were able to find a good local Italian place in a space where we wouldn't expect it.

Conference Play is Underway: Week Four

Before I get to the three games I am looking forward to this weekend, what the heck has happened to N.C. State? Has it really been that long since Philip Rivers and T.A. McLendon had the Wolfpack competing at the top of the ACC? Last night, N.C. State was DOMINATED by Cincinnati and the 30 point margin doesn't indicated how bad it really was. I'm guessing there will be a new head coach in Raleigh next year. Now, onto the weekend's games.

Trent Richardson shedding defenders.

#14 Arkansas vs. #3 Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. - The offensive wizard against the defensive mastermind. Bobby Petrino and his high powered offenses have never defeated Nick Saban. It will be interesting to see how Arkansas quarterback, Tyler Wilson, handles starting in his first SEC road game and the Crimson Tide secondary. It would help Wilson a great deal if Arkansas can manage to establish some sort of running game with Ronnie Wingo Jr. On the other side of the ball, Arkansas must figure out a way to stop the two-headed monster rushing attack of Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy. In three years of watching Alabama, I still don't know if I've seen Trent Richardson tackled by one defender. Arkansas must stop the run and force A.J. McCarron to throw the ball for the Alabama offense. In their first three games, Alabama has yet to really be tested. We'll see if Arkansas can put up a fight.

Justin Blackmon is scary good.

#7 Oklahoma State vs. #8 Texas A&M, College Station, TX. - Defense could be optional in this one. Oklahoma State comes into this game averaging 52 points per game. Texas A&M is averaging 41.5. Last year, Oklahoma State won 38-35. On paper, you would think this will be an absolute shootout. With all the hype about the offenses, we'll probably get a turnover filled battle full of field possession and field goals. I hope not. There will be a tremendous amount of offensive talent on the field. Oklahoma State wide receiver, Justin Blackmon, is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and Texas A&M has great offensive balance with Ryan Tannehill and Cyrus Gray. As is the case when good teams play each other, limiting mistakes and capitalizing on turnovers will be huge. The crowd at Kyle Field could also be a major factor. 

Ga. Tech is annoyed with defense.

North Carolina vs. #25 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA. - In their first three games, Georgia Tech has put up video game statistics. They lead the nation in points per game (59!) and total offense per game (675 yards!). Actually, that's even hard to do in a video game unless you play quarters that are longer than 5 minutes, which means you're lame anyway. I heard that Roddy Jones was tweeting about how amazing this offense is and couldn't believe he gets to see it, which prompted an angry Joe Hamilton to call in to a sports radio show in Atlanta and chastise Jones for not being more involved in the offense. We're still awaiting word on Reggie Ball's opinion because he forgot which day he was supposed to call in to the show. This weekend, Georgia Tech will finally face a true opponent. I look forward to seeing if North Carolina's speed can present a challenge to the Georgia Tech triple option.

Burger in the Square

In honor of May being National Burger Month, I'm giving a shout out to one of the best places to get a burger in Roanoke. I hadn't been to this place before a month ago, but I now consider myself a big fan of Burger in the Square. Burger in the Square used to be located in the Market Building (which is being remodeled) in downtown Roanoke, but has moved to Brambleton Avenue and has, ironically, kept the same name. They have been known for years as being one of the best places to get a burger in the Roanoke area and have received numerous dining awards from The Roanoker magazine.

The new location on Brambleton isn't exactly spacious - it can probably fit 20-30 people, and that's not necessarily comfortably - and there's not a ton of parking. There seems to be a constant flow of people coming in and I think they do a good percentage of take-out orders as well. We have been fortunate to not have to wait for a table the past couple times, but we were lucky and there's not really seating for any more than groups of six.

There's not a ton of variety on the menu - but they are known for their burgers and they do a great job with them. You can create your own burger with a variety of toppings or you can get a specialty burger with a combination of toppings they have already chosen. I've done one of each and thought both of them were excellent. The beef tasted great, the toppings were fresh, and the burger was huge! I recommend The Dreamer with bacon, grilled onions & mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, & cheddar cheese. They could have served me two pieces of bread with the grilled onions and I would have been happy. Also, the waffle fries that you can order as a side are very good. I haven't tried the other things on the menu, but they serve chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, grilled cheese, soup, chili, & salad.

The prices aren't bad at about $6 for a burger and fries, and it's around $7 for a combo with a drink. And I don't know if this is permanent or a short-term promotion but they offer buy one-get one half off burgers on Saturday nights. The service is good and they get things out as quick as they can while continuing to serve fresh food. I like the well-known burger chains like Five Guys and Red Robin that are in Roanoke, but I always prefer to find a local place if they serve great food and Burger in the Square fits the bill. It doesn't matter if the name no longer makes sense, I'll keep going regardless of where they are located!

Fork It Over

Fork in the Alley isn't the easiest place to find because it's tucked away in an alley. Go figure! However, once you're able to find this quirky little pub in Crystal Spring, you have a chance to enjoy some very good food.

F.I.T.A Burger

I've been to F.I.T.A. multiple times, and most of the time everything has been very good. There was one occasion when the service was slow and our waitress was rather rude, but that usually isn't a problem. Because of the layout (lots of outdoor seating spread out over different parts of their property) and the small kitchen, I understand why service can be slow when there are big crowds. Fortunately, we've happened to be there at times when the crowds aren't bad at all. On our most recent visit, we took Nicole's parents for a Sunday lunch. We had the opportunity to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, and it ended up being a great meal everyone enjoyed.

In my opinion, the menu offers a good amount of variety. They make a number of different dishes - making it easy for everyone to find something they'd like - but the menu isn't so big that you wonder how there can be much quality or attention to detail in any of the food. There are sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, salads, pizzas, and an assortment of entrees to choose from.

Capri Pizza

For my meal, I decided to have the F.I.T.A. burger - a lean burger with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, & onion. It was a good example of using simple ingredients but creating a burger with great flavor. Nicole and her dad both ordered salads they really enjoyed, and Nicole's mom had a pizza. The pizza took the prize as the favorite dish at the table. The pizza was topped with pepperoni, sausage, olives, mushrooms, and onions and it was cooked in a brick oven. The crust had that great, crispy flavor that comes from a brick oven and the toppings tasted delicious. It was the type of pizza you know you should stop eating because your full, but you can't because it tastes too good to stop. I'm thinking Fork in the Alley can make a strong claim for having the best pizza in Roanoke. I'm not sure I've found any better.

Fork in the Alley is also Roanoke's first certified green restaurant. They have placed an emphasis on serving quality ingredients and running their business in a way the negates their harm on the environment. The prices are reasonable, the flavors are great, and the atmosphere is cool. It's a hidden location, but the food stands out.