Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 4, 1994 TAG: 9406060128
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Located in a former shooting gallery and gun shop on the northern fringe of Blacksburg and owned by local investors, Anchy's has enjoyed a good measure of popularity since opening in April 1990.
The restaurant has become known for its seafood - fresh salmon flown in from Norway, lobster from Maine and swordfish from the Pacific Ocean. Although the most frequently ordered dinners are from the sea, roasted duckling, chicken cordon bleu, New York strip, filet mignon and veal picatta also are frequent choices by hungry guests.
From appetizer to dessert, the food is supervised by chef G. Michael Porterfield.
The chicken cordon bleu may appear to be commercially prepared, but it is actually formed and stuffed in Anchy's kitchen. Angel hair pasta, sauces and Porterfield's daily specials round out the evening menu.
The desserts come to your table in a three-dimensional display, exquisite looking morsels of cheesecake and chocolate. If you see a wedge of a chocolate raspberry number, and you like chocolate even a little, well, loosen your tie or scarf or belt and enjoy.
Lunch at Anchy's ranges from soup, salads, homemade bread and deli sandwiches to the popular French dip, entrees like broiled New York strip and sea scallops, and the more unusual dim sum sampler of mini-vegetable spring rolls and pork kews.
Osmund Chan, vice president of operations, was meticulous about designing the restaurant from the very beginning for comfort and safety. The 46-year-old restaurateur was born in China, raised in Hong Kong and educated and employed in Toronto before coming to the New River Valley in 1989. For instance, there's room in the entrances for two wheelchairs to pass.
In the kitchen, extra width has been designed between stoves and preparation areas to eliminate people rubbing against one another. Chan said "potential sex harassment was a major consideration in designing extra-wide movement areas." Another benefit has been a zero accident rate in the kitchen from people bumping into one another or equipment.
This attention to detail is carried through in the restaurant's peaceful and immaculate interior. Its quiet atmosphere is thanks partly to double table linens, carpeting, textured walls and the creative use of glass partitioning, all of which contribute to sound absorption.
Smoking is allowed only in a separate dining area with its own air-conditioning system and filters that are changed monthly.
Alex Taylor, who grew up in Blacksburg, has been Anchy's manager for more than a year. He greets patrons, handles personnel and training, and generally sees that everything runs smoothly in the front of the house.
Espresso equipment is scheduled to arrive and be set up any day now. So, if you don't feel like having a full-course meal but need just a brief soiree, dessert and espresso at Anchy's could be the perfect petit repast.
by CNB