Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 18, 1990 TAG: 9004180479
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Dolores Kostelni
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When Samuel Johnson wrote those lines two centuries ago, I bet he was envisioning a cozy inn set in a sylvan glen, the interior rustic and warm with plank paneling, and on each window a different stained-glass pattern. Trout could be seen darting through a crystal stream.
Incredibly, there is an inn of just this description in Roanoke County, just beyond the south edges of the city.
Tucked into a wooded curve on Bent Mountain Road is an eye-catching piece of architecture. It is Ye Olde English Inn, a gem of a structure made of giant Crayola-gray looking stones that are as unabashedly fake as the poster board sentries standing guard at the gates. But the whole picture presents an unbelievably real-looking construction, suggesting a retreat to a time when life and food were both more basic.
Ye Olde English Inn is a marvel of energetic dedication to minute detail. Skimming and scooting through a man-made channel fed by an underground spring are some fine Virginia rainbow trout. These are described on the menu as "caught when ordered from our own raceway." My fishermen dining companions said the sauteed fillets ($10.95) tasted as good as the best they had ever savored.
The darkly paneled dining room is brimming with English-style memorabilia: paintings of pastoral scenes; stoneware plates; a ring of long, skinny keys; and photos all over the place of the royal family, especially Princess Di. The furnishings are of plain and simple lines.
In keeping with the tone of a past era, the waitresses are charmingly costumed in long, full-skirted dresses with small, ruffly caps on their heads. Their service is as well-timed on a midweek evening as it is on a packed Friday night.
As in the inns of old, menu selections are limited. The two-page menu features four appetizers, six beef cuts, two chicken breast selections, four seafood items and one duck entree.
A cheese-capped house salad of iceberg lettuce comes with dinner, and the only vegetable served alongside the entree is the potato, in your choice of three preparations. Sometimes a rice blend is the side dish, and more often than not, a form of potato comes along with it, too.
In two nights of dining at Ye Olde English Inn, we learned to skip the starters (oxtail soup, $1.75; potato skins, $5; English onion soup, $2.50; deep-fried vegetables, $5). We found them disappointing, and we wanted to concentrate on the entrees because portions are consistently Falstaffian. There's nothing fancy here, just substantial food that is well-prepared.
The steaks and beef cuts are no-frills: big, thick and tender, with rivulets of juices trickling out with each cut. Duke's Delight, an aged boneless New York strip ($13.95), and Beefeater's Special, a thick cut of boneless prime rib ($13.95), are first-class and typical of the pleasures of dining here.
Maiden Marian, described as "two marinated skinless chicken breasts on the special rice recipe" ($8.95), is a whole, boneless chicken breast that is flavorful and tender without being stringy.
You'll also like the Dover Catch, a 10-ounce flounder stuffed with what the menu calls crabmeat ($10.95). The mild flavor of this large portion of fish is underscored by lively seasonings in its fluffy, chopped filling.
There is full liquor service from a bar that is not visible upon entering or when sitting in the dining room. A house list offers 19 wines (four from Virginia), including three sparkling varieties, plus five domestic and six imported beers. White wines are served in nicely chilled glasses, a surprise and a delight.
Ye Olde English Inn has a loyal group of followers who enjoy the pleasant experience of dining there on a regular basis. So it's usually difficult to get reservations on Fridays and Saturdays, except well in advance. The restaurant has a policy of excluding children under 10 on Friday and Saturday nights.
The best part about Ye Olde English Inn is that its food and pricing appeal to just about anyone from wherever.
My usual practice in reviewing restaurants is to go incognito at least twice. Then, identifying myself, I interview the management by telephone to confirm details. The owner of Ye Olde English Inn, explaining that he did not wish his restaurant to be reviewed, declined an interview.
by CNB