Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502030041
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Nelson Edmunds, assistant manager at Roanoke's Awful Arthur's Seafood Co. on the City Market, knows the story and he tells us:
``It was named after Arthur Webb, one of the founding partners in the original store in Nags Head, N.C. As a child, Webb's father had called him `awful Arthur,' and the name stuck. The name comes from his wonderfully abrasive personality ...
``I suppose shock value has something to do with the name, and it certainly does spark curiousity. However, I think that it was intended to reflect the general casualness of the place ...''
This convivial, laid-back restaurant specializes in reasonably priced fresh seafood preparations. Although there is nothing unpredictable and original about the seafood and scattering of non-seafood dishes, specials seem to be excellent, and regular menu items are dependable.
What have not been reliable on the four occasions I've been to Awful Arthur's are the service and the kitchen's pace in turning out the dishes. Lunch should run smoothly because of customers' time constraints, but that is not always the case. My experiences during the two lunches and dinners have been identical: Service tends to be slow and disorganized. Appetizers and entrees arrived in staggered sequence with appetizers so late and the main courses coming on their heels that it was difficult to justice to the first course, let alone have manners to wait until everyone was served.
Indeed, the menu states, ``We try to bring all of your food at the same time, however in an effort to ensure quality, all orders are delivered as soon as they are ready. Menu and raw-bar items, therefore, may not arrive simultaneously.'' But when only a handful of tables are occupied, how difficult is it to serve four persons - and two on one occasion - at the same time?
According to Edmonds, all the fish served at Awful Arthur's come in whole, within a few hours of having been hooked, tagged and bagged with eyes still shiny. Part of the chef's training is learning to cut portions from the entire fish as they are ordered. Because there's no freezer at any of the restaurants, nothing gets frozen, and the fish stay in the refrigerator for only four or five days. By that time, if it doesn't sell, it's discarded.
Off-season soft shell crabs are the only exception to this "absolutely fresh, not frozen" rule. They arrive individually quick-frozen and packaged. At both lunch ($5.95) and dinner ($10.95), soft shell crabs are coated in a light batter and fried, making the frozen version suitable for the treatment.
Likeable starters from the raw bar include oysters and clams (market priced; I paid $1.50/half dozen), served on the half shell. I chose to have my order of bivalves steamed. Beautifully tender oysters and puffy mussels lifted neatly from their shells and gave me great dining pleasure. Mate's Combo (market priced) includes steamed shrimp, clams and oysters, while Captain's Combo (market priced) combines at least one of everything: oysters, clams, blue crabs, shrimp, snow crab legs, crawfish and mussels.
Stuffed mushrooms ($5.95), generously filled with crab meat, country ham, cream cheese and diced pecans are a paradise of flavors on their own, without the Mornay sauce topping. The flavors of the sauce overpower the wonderful combination of compatible ingredients. Crab balls ($5.95), tasty fried nuggets of well-seasoned crab meat, are good for noshing, especially after dipping them into the accompanying spicy mustard sauce.
Despite lackluster rolls, the lunch menu includes some uncomplicated sandwiches with good fillings. Winners include a vinegar-based sliced BBQ sandwich ($4.25) and a grilled flounder sandwich ($4.95). A well-seasoned grilled crab cake had such good flavor, I removed it from the disappointing roll and enjoyed it without the bread. A filet mignon sandwich ($5.95) layers thinly sliced beef topped with melted Swiss, grilled onions and peppers, and is every bit as tasty as a Philly cheese steak.
One of the best dinner specials was grilled salmon filet ($10.95). Perfectly cooked and wholesome, this meal totally satisfied and is hard to beat. Another pleasing choice, grilled tuna teriyaki ($9.95), startles initially because of its unusually dark color, but the flavor quickly won my palate
Among the scattering of non-seafood dinners, the chicken picatta ($8.95) with mixed rice and green beans gets my vote for piquancy and attractiveness.
Located on the City Market in that million-dollar spot on the corner of Campbell Avenue, Awful Arthur's offers particularly good food at reasonable prices. The restaurant environment is spotless, and the servers are upbeat and knowledgeable about the menu. These are all good reasons for dining here.
AWFUL ARTHUR'S
108 Campbell Ave. S.E.
344-2997
Hours: Seven days a week, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Beverages: Full-service alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Price range: Lunch $4-7; dinner $8-10; specials $9-13.
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Reservations necessary? No, but they are accepted
Non-smoking section? Yes
Handicapped accessible? No
Dining Out's handicap accessibility ratings are provided by the Blue Ridge Independent Living Center Inc. of Roanoke, a nonprofit agency.
by CNB