On the Market.

After having a lovely dinner at 202 Market, Rebecca and I stopped in to Metro! to see what all the hype was about. Let us start with the fact that it was so warm that I was breaking out in a sweat in my suit jacket. Add now the fact that you have music so loud in the upstairs bar that it was hard to carry on a conversation in the downstairs dining room. I would understand the level of noise if they had live music or such, but to have simple background music playing in a bar that loud is just ridiculous really. Now we’ve both heard nothing but great things about the food at Metro! so we stuck it out a bit longer while we patiently waited to get service. The waiter was incredibly nice, but a bit slow, mostly due to the fact that the place was packed to the gills. This could explain the overall temperature of the place, but you figure the management would compensate for that with perhaps some air conditioning. I even hear that they make these automatic programmable thermostats that can keep an establishment at a certain predetermined temperature. Perhaps they keep it hot to make up for the lack of a fireplace for ambiance. Now, to add to that, not only did I have my nice loafers stepped on once, but twice by the wait staff. Luckily, they both were smaller women on the wait staff, but still. I have never had my feet stepped on in a restaurant before, and here it happened twice. It wasn’t as if I were stretching out in to the aisle either. My feet were squarely planted underneath our table. Simply amazing really.

Anyway, Rebecca ordered the Calamari fritters, and I ordered some of the famous sushi. Since I have fallen in love with Wasabi’s I only thought it fair to try to find something on the Metro! menu that compared. So I ordered the Star City roll. It is a tempura fried, seared tuna roll with a spicy sauce. What drew me to this was because it is comparable to my favorite Sumo roll at Wasabi’s. If only it were truly comparable. First, Rebecca’s Calamari fritter was more breading and fake crab than calamari. It was severely overspiced, and so overpowering that you wouldn’t have known that there was calamari in it at all. On first tasting my Star City roll, Rebecca exploded in laughter at the face I made, because evidently I had never made that particular one before. Last I checked, tuna was supposed to be a bit flaky, not stick to your teeth chewy. Now, I love spicy food, I really do. I enjoy a good Indian curry, or a nice spicy enchilada, even some pepper laced chili. However, when you are using your sauce to cover the flavors of your food because on it’s own it has none, well, that’s going a little overboard. Between the combination of the spice in the fritters, and the spice in the sauce covering the roll, my stomach is doing nice somersaults right about now. But when your wife asks if her chest should be on fire, you know something is wrong.

So, like when we sampled what Blue 5 had to offer, sadly, I just don’t get it. Save your money, put the suit back in the closet, and get into that comfortable pair of jeans and head to Wasabi’s. Or, if you like to wear the suit and spend the money, go pay a visit to the wonderful Chef Chad Scott at 202 Market and try out the new menu, or his specially prepared tasting menu. You’ll be comfortable and have properly seasoned food that never is a disappointment.

Tim, of Rolling Meadows Farms, has been downtown on the Roanoke Market the past two weekends. Most recently it was so he could take a rest from all the work there is to do in the greenhouses. He’s been bringing herbs, trees, and flowers. Following are a few photos of his “work” I photographed.

The last photo of the orchid is my favorite. I have prints available for sale in my online shop if you’re interested.

Blues BBQ Co. has a new menu! New items include Blues Wings, Fried Pickles, Fried Green Tomatoes, Blues Buffalo Bites, Chili Cheese Fries, Combo Platters, Savannah Pit Ham Sandwich, and Blues Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. You can check out their full menu here.

Playing this weekend at Blues BBQ Co.:

Friday, February 22nd - Jesse Ray Carter Trio 9pm - 21 & up free/$5 cover under 21

Saturday, February 23rd - Jordan Harmon & Friends 9m - 21 & up free/$5 cover under 21

More information.

Playing this weekend at 202 Market:

Thursday, February 21st - Straight Ahead Jazz 8:30 - 9:15pm; Blues & Progressive Jazz 9:45 - 10:30pm; Funk & Afro-Cuban Jazz 10:45 - 11:30pm - $10 Entertainment Fee

Friday, February 22nd - The Mumbles; Pale Face; Skyline (David Schultz) - $5 at the Door

Saturday, February 23rd - The NightHawks, Blues - $15 at the Door

More information.

Adam and I went to dinner and the opera this past Saturday. That’s us (above) all dressed up. I must have been out of my mind because I wore a bustier underneath my dress that fit like a freaking corset. (It was one of those body shaping deals from Victoria’s Secret.) It forced me to sit straight as a board throughout dinner. If I’d had a panic attack I probably would have passed out it was so tight. And if you know me, you know that panic attacks aren’t an uncommon occurrence. And then there were the heels. Little stick skinny heels that I am definitely not used to. My feet were so sore by the time we left the opera, Adam had to carry me to the car. Literally.

Anyhoo, the evening started with drinks and dinner at The Shenandoah Club on Franklin Rd. It was a dinner specifically for those who were attending the opera. No one bothered to tell us that the main entrance was in the back so we sort of wandered around at the front door for a while until someone showed up. Then there were maybe only two younger couples there, at least that I saw. We spoke with one couple who was considering moving to Roanoke should the wife receive an internship here at Carilion. Mostly though, there were older couples so we felt a bit out of place. However, we did meet a particularly nice couple who chatted us up throughout dinner so we didn’t feel left out. They even toasted us!

The food sadly wasn’t what we had anticipated. I drank one and a half glasses of wine. Dinner was an appetizer of a jumbo shrimp baked in some sort of sauce on a tee tiny bed of cole slaw, then the main course was duck and veggies. The duck was slightly overcooked and difficult to cut. It was okay, but nothing spectacular. I was sorely disappointed as dinner was $75 a plate. It did include dessert at a reception that followed the opera, but it was not worth the money in my opinion. If we’d known beforehand we certainly would have enjoyed the Chef’s Tasting at 202 Market instead. At $58 a person it would have not only been less expensive, it would have tasted a thousand times better. Their food is always top notch. Lesson learned I guess. We did stop into 202 Market before heading to The Shenandoah Club, however, for a drink a piece. 202 gave them to us on the house. (We were celebrating Valentine’s Day though a few days late.) I thought that was incredibly sweet of them. Though I felt bad as we didn’t bring any cash and were therefore unable to tip the bartender. Adam promised to make up for our dining mistake at The Shenandoah Club, however, by having dinner this coming Saturday at 202 Market. Hooray! (If you’ve never eaten there you really should give it a try!)

As for the opera, it was interesting. The seats were fabulous - center balcony - and the symphony was spectacular. I wasn’t really sure about the singing though. While Adam loved it, I found that not knowing the story made it less enjoyable. Also, as this was a gala with highlights rather than a full opera, there were no fabulous costumes or stage designs. We’ll probably go again though as I know Adam would like to see Fidelio in April. I’ll just have to do some homework first! All in all the night was quite an experience with lots of new things and new people. So while I felt a bit out of place and dinner was not up to my standards, I’m really glad we went.

Lunch Specials at Blues BBQ this week:

Tuesday, February 12th – Smoked Turkey Club, fries, and a drink > $8.95

Wednesday, February 13th – Pit Beef Sandwich, fries, and a drink > $8.95

Thursday, February 14th – Chicken and Dumplings and a drink > $7.95

Friday, February 15th – Crunchers - 4 fried corn tortillas topped with spicy naked pork, lettuce, tomatoes, and served with chili con queso > $8.95

Events at Blues BBQ this week:

Tuesday, February 12th – Acoustic Endeavors, NO COVER 21 and up/$5 for those under age, starting at 7 p.m. to include in-house specials

Thursday, February 14th – Valentine’s Day, Singles Night to include in-house specials and appetizer specials, starting at 9 p.m.

Friday, February 15th – Jordan Harmon Band, NO COVER 21 and up/$5 for those under age, starting at 9 p.m.

Saturday, February 16th – Good Sons Band, NO COVER 21 and up/$5 for those under age, starting at 9 p.m.

Things have been kind of crazy around here. Yesterday we had wind gusts that hit up to 72mph at the airport. The winds of course resulted in other problems. Like multiple forest fires and power outages. Roanoke currently has well over 13K customers currently without power - some of which may not see it restored until midnight Wednesday. This morning I woke up to temps of 19 degrees F; it’s currently only 21 degrees. I’m really thankful right now that I still have power or I’d probably be in a shelter right now.

The fires are pretty scary. There’s a big one that’s burned over 400 acres so far out by Lochhaven. My husband’s co-worker and friend, Tom, lives right by where the fire started. A power line fell in that area and brought down four power poles while Tom and his father-in-law, Denny, were out working on the deck. Here’s an IM conversation between my husband Adam (DaJoker) and Tom (bigdaddy) of the first hand account on how that fire started.

[08:34:05] : bigdaddy: well what an exciting day yesterday
[08:34:15] : bigdaddy: pictures to come….
[08:34:18] DaJoker: your house ok?
[08:34:43] DaJoker: heard about the downed power line on Loch Haven as the
culprit of the fires over there
[08:34:50] : bigdaddy: i was there
[08:34:53] DaJoker: tried calling you yesterday on the cell but couldn’t get
through
[08:35:02] : bigdaddy: it was the one next to our house
[08:35:07] DaJoker: whoa
[08:35:15] : bigdaddy: Denny and I tried to keep the fire from going into the
woods
[08:35:17] : bigdaddy: but
[08:35:25] : bigdaddy: 400+acres burned later
[08:36:04] DaJoker: still burning it looks like
[08:36:23] : bigdaddy: we were outside working on the handrails for the deck
stairs when craaaaaaack, BAM BAM BAM BAM! Tree fell on
the line and snapped 4 poles
[08:36:33] DaJoker: wow
[08:36:54] : bigdaddy: got little fires around here.. we’re all burnt out…
house and structures are fine
[08:39:34] : bigdaddy: the girls made the firefighters sandwiches, which they
liked….
[08:39:38] DaJoker: nice
[08:39:51] : bigdaddy: the “command post” was my field.. hehe
[08:40:49] : bigdaddy: so the Lt came over to keep us in the loop… and said
that we would probably have power tonight so we didn’t
have to leave…
[08:41:10] : bigdaddy: I told him that the AEP guy said we wouldn’t tonight
that it may be a day or so
[08:41:23] : bigdaddy: and the Lt goes.. “huh, well.. lemme go talk to them”
[08:41:32] : bigdaddy: 2 hours later said we’d have power that night
[08:41:48] : bigdaddy: (great idea for the sandwiches girls!)
[08:41:53] DaJoker: hehe
[08:42:48] : bigdaddy: Oh and while we’re watching them fight the fire, Denise
and Irene come running over yelling “Momma! Daddy! A
tree fell on Momma’s car!”
[08:42:58] : bigdaddy: I said, “That’s not funny girls”

[08:43:31] : bigdaddy: followed them, and yep, one of the pines in the front
yard got uprooted and landed on Dawn’s car, put a branch
through the windshield
[08:53:01] :bigdaddy: DaJoker, see me on channel 10? Channel 7 interviewed me
this morning… look for noon or 6 broadcast
[08:53:08] : bigdaddy: hehehe
[08:53:26] DaJoker: actually, no, don’t usually watch channel 10 news.

Below is a picture of that fire as seen from my house late yesterday afternoon. The fire is about 6 miles from where we live.

Here’s a photo of what it looks like today.

The worst damage we’ve had is that the soffet along the entire back of our house kept banging up and down. Only the corner molding is still holding it in place. And then there’s the pool. The wind blew our steps into the pool where they are now currently frozen in place along with a wooden folding chair.

Several of our neighbors have lost shingles, and we had some large branches come out of the tree in our front yard that nearly landed on hubby’s car. Oh, and they canceled schools. Hopefully tomorrow we can return to some normalcy.

Pics of the tree that fell on Tom’s wife’s car.
Pics of the brush fire that started in Tom’s backyard.

Most southerners have never even heard of the game, let alone played a hand.  But euchre is one of the oldest card games played in this country.  Popular among German immigrants, the game has rooted itself in the midwest, where there were large numbers of early German settlers.  Myself, being an Ohio native, I learned the game at a very young age, but have since lost touch with the game since moving into “Sweet Tea Country” as I’ve come to know my new home here in Southwest VA.  That’s when I really become excited to hear, and read on The Roanoke Times Inside Out that Blues BBQ Company is hosting euchre nights every Monday night.  Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed to be the sole individual who showed up this Monday to play.  So come one, come all, every Monday to Blues BBQ, and join me for a fun filled night of euchre.  Don’t know how to play?  Great!  Come on down and learn!   Don’t settle for the fad of poker when you can learn a true game of skill with cards.

Yes! The Roanoke Farmer’s Market is open year round and while most of the farmers will continue to hide until St. Patrick’s Day, the pig farmers and crafters are out in full force. Here’s a sampling of what Saturday’s market was like.

Passing Cheryl Dolby’s Native American sculptures is often like passing a mini art gallery. Heavily influenced by the Hopi Indian tribe, her work truly speaks for itself.

This medley of soap balls by Enchanted Forest Soaps make for a quick and easy gift. Or use them in a dish in your bathroom for a natural air freshener.

Ham and pork tenderloin, sausage and farm fresh eggs were available from Martin’s Farm.

These cinnamon beeswax crosses make any room in the house smell of cinnamon sticks! Jerry sells these along with his own hand painted, wooden signs that boast popular sayings - including every local’s favorite “Running on Floyd Time.”

Linda Jo has arrowhead necklaces for sale in addition to her more highly detailed work of phenomenal necklaces, chokers and pendants.

Slough off dry, itchy skin with some yummy, scented sugar scrub from Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen. This amazing product comes in Raspberry Vanilla (pictured), Lemon Verbena, Pink Sugar, and Blackberry Vanilla. Plus, it won’t leave you feeling greasy or make the tub slippery! Buy one to try or grab two and take advantage of special pricing.

Gary Crowder, former owner of Wertz’s Restaurant, sold pickles alongside produce over the weekend. These dollar pickles were a big hit, and what you see here is all that’s left, at least until cucumber season rolls back around.

Little Blue Woman Candles was offering bright, colorful candle baskets for sale. Of course you can always buy pillars, tapers, and votives individually if you like. These candles are naturally scented with pure essential oils.

Kyle and her husband Dave have the perfect product for those who love to socialize. Their cheese platters, made from recycled wine bottles, are fun and functional. Pick one up to use at your next event.

There were also baked goods, additional jewelry, and produce to be found from several regular farmers including Robert Nichols, Jack Ferguson, and Charlie Lavinder. So feel free to stop by and browse or just say “hello.” We love the company this time of year when the general populace seems to be in hiding!