Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9409010002
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The Virginia Dare
This is the second season for the double-deck Virginia Dare with its new owners, the Ryals-Jordan Corporation, which bought the boat out of bankruptcy in the autumn of 1992. The cruise schedules and programs aboard the Virginia Dare - at Bridgewater Plaza - are essentially identical with what I experienced three years ago.
My initial plans called for a Sunday Brunch Buffet cruise ($29.42 includes tax and gratuity) scheduled from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. When it began raining heavily 30 minutes before boarding, the ticket clerk assured the 15 of us milling around the dock, that the trip would leave on schedule. But at 1:50 - 10 minutes before departure - the agent announced a foul-weather report to the captain from the Coast Guard: ``50- mile-an-hour winds and hail stones the size of golf balls coming up from south of the lake make it too dangerous, and the cruise is cancelled."
While waiting, I watched a chef roll a totally enclosed, stainless steel vertical hot box containing the food for the trip, to the dock. Behind him, a young lady held a large, uncovered plastic container filled with cut-up lettuce. Within moments, they both turned around and returned with their items to the Anchor House, the restaurant that prepares the meals for the Virginia Dare cruises.
Only steam units for holding food on the buffet table and a refrigerator are on board. There are no cooking facilities on the Virginia Dare. Health Department regulations mandate that food remaining in opened containers from the buffet must be discarded.
The following Thursday, I headed for the lake again, and this time I succeeded in taking a lunch cruise ($24.43 including tax and tip). After the cruise director welcomed us on board by assigning tables and seats, the ship departed on time. On this day, everyone was to eat on the lower deck and then ascend to the upper deck after dessert.
Lunch consisted of sliced roast beef in gravy, black pepper-flecked chicken breasts in cream sauce, a soupy seafood Creole, rice, sweetened green beans with bacon, overly sweetened baby carrots and a square of coconut frosted chocolate cake. The base price includes iced tea and coffee, but soft drinks ($1 each), wine ($2.50 /glass), beer ($2.50), and mixed drinks are extra. White and rose wines were the only wines available on my cruise.
A wide range of pop tunes and a mournful version of "Dixie" were piped over and over again on the intercom. Midway during the cruise, the music stopped, and the cruise director entered the dining room. For about five minutes he bellowed a few bits of information about the lake, who built it, the year the project began and the costs. Despite his shouting, most of what he said got lost in the rumble of the engines.
Cruising the lake while enjoying a meal is a great concept. However, the Virginia Dare cruise disappoints me whenever I take it. With thoughtful planning and little expense, much more could be done to provide greater pleasure. Surely there's a trove of the area's history waiting to be researched and taped. Instead of this ineffective, shoe-string-style of communication, why not play an interesting, informative narrative over the intercom? This is an easily accomplished and virtually inexpensive improvement that would mean a great deal to the passengers. Smith Mountain Lake deserves to be touted.
The Anchor House
On the Sunday the cruised was rained-out, I ate late lunch at the Anchor House, located on the lower level and a few feet up from the dock. It has changed hands within the last two weeks with Pete Menard, owner of Moosies, having purchased the restaurant from the Ryals-Jordan Corp. Menard and his staff will continue to prepare meals for the Virginia Dare cruises through this year.
I ordered the day's special, chicken in pastry ($4.95). This features a small piece of chicken breast dotted with black pepper flecks, smeared with a white sauce and wrapped in a too thick, but thankfully tender, pastry. A mound each of rice and peas with carrots nestled alongside each other on the plate. Dessert, a slice of white layer cake filled and frosted with peaches and cream, completed the amply portioned, bargain-priced meal.
A sandwich ($3.95) combining tender blackened chicken breast, sliced apples, lettuce, and tomatoes, with just enough dressing spread on the hefty pieces of bread, provided tasty, filling sustenance.
The restaurant is well-maintained, sparkling clean and neat. The college-age wait persons give pleasant, efficient service.
Moosies
This totally unfancy place on the upper level of Bridgewater Plaza features a nice selection of casual food at the right prices. Everyone seems to be having a great time here, probably because the dining room is an open porch and what they do -23 sandwiches ($3.25) and several pastas ($6.95-$8.95) - are tasty highlights.
A bright, flavorful cup of chili con carne ($1.75 plus 25 cents each for cheddar cheese,jalapenos and sour cream) served piping hot with plenty of meat chunks and beans, warmed me the way I wanted it to on a cool, damp day.
A barbecue sandwich ($3.75) of pulled North Carolina-style pork topped with homemade coleslaw and melted cheddar cheese comes on a soft, fresh Kaiser roll that absorbs the juices. This sandwich gives tangy flavor, tender meat and all-'round pleasure by the mouthful.
A specialty of the house, the prime rib sandwich ($5.95) layers tender roast beef with lettuce, tomato and a zingy tiger sauce on one of their great Kaiser rolls. This sandwich could have been perfect except for the fatty edges on the meat that seemed to get caught in every bite.
Although the waitresses are slow to clear off the tables, the pleasant, helpful service and neatly presented, full-bodied sandwiches offset the shortcomings.
The Bridge Club
This used to be The Cove. As of February, its new management decided to change the name and the image in one fell swoop. The menu reflects the focus on spontaneous fun, especially from the sailing crowd who pull up, fasten their boats, and hang out on the open porch at the cement tables, to enjoy the entertainment and munch on appetizers and sandwiches or weekend cookout foods.
Customized sandwiches ($3.45 -$5.95) made with low-fat cheeses and fat-free mayo (additional 95 cents) are a thoughtful option. I didn't enjoy the overly sweet Bridge Club BBQ ($3.95) on a rubbery roll that came minus the expected cole slaw, or the grilled chicken salad ($4.50) of tough, stringy chicken and limp lettuce. The french fries, however, were some of the best I've had.
Lively conversation between the concrete tables compensates for the slow service. Little attention is paid to detail in the food preparation or the physical facility. Much needs to be done in maintaining a level of cleanliness in the bathrooms and placing umbrellas in the center of the tables during the mid-afternoon heat of blazing sunny days.
\ Paddle Wheel Cruises
Virginia Dare
20 Bridgewater Plaza
Moneta
1-800-721-DARE (3273)
Hours: Lunch Buffet: Tuesday-Saturday, noon-2 p.m.
Dinner Buffet Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Beverages: full-service bar alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Price Range: Lunch: $24.43 includes tax and tip
Dinner $36.91 includes tax and tip
Credit Cards Accepted: MasterCard, Visa, in-state personal checks
Reservations Necessary? yes
Non-Smoking Section? yes
\ The Anchor House
Bridgewater Plaza
Moneta
721-6540
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11 a. m. - 10 p. m.
Beverages: full-service bar
Price Range: for lunch and dinner: $6.95- $16.95
Credit Cards Accepted? Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Reservations Necessary? no, unless for a large group on the weekend
Non-Smoking Section: yes
\ Moosies Inc.
16 Bridgewater Plaza
Moneta
721-5255
Hours: seven days, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Beverages: full-service bar
Price Range: Lunch: $2.95-$5.95
Dinner: $2.95-$12.95
Credit Cards Accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Reservations Necessary? no, only for large groups
Non-Smoking Section? dining room is an open porch
\ The Bridge Club
Hales Ford Bridge
Smith Mountain Lake
297-5750
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 5 p.m.-midnight
Friday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Beverages: full-service bar
Price Range: $1.75 - $9
Credit Cards Accepted? Visa, MasterCard
Reservations Necessary? no
No-Smoking Section? activities and meals take place on outside deck and beach
by CNB