ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060017
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG
SERIES: Taste of Virginia
SOURCE: CHRIS EDWARDS DAILY NEWS RECORD
The Blue Stone Inn blends the mountain ambience of the Shenandoah Valley with tastes from the sea.
The menu at the family-owned restaurant north of Harrisonburg features shrimp scampi with pasta, clam strips and mushroom caps stuffed with crab meat.
``People come and compare us to the seacoast [restaurants] and say, for the price, this is better,'' retired owner Karl Olschofka insists. A local specialty is rainbow trout, raised next door at Shenandoah Fisheries.
Seafood is trucked in fresh from the Chesapeake Bay. Crabcakes are in demand, says Blue Stone chef/owner Mike Olschofka.
Karl, his father, uses a mnemonic device to remember what's in season: softshell crabs during ``the months without R's,'' oysters during the cooler (and R-inclusive) months.
But storms can change that, so call ahead if you've got your heart set on one item. In fact, the Olschofkas recommend that anyone coming from a distance call first to be sure the Blue Stone is open. Its pace of operation is mellow, like the valley around it. Credit cards aren't accepted. You might wait 45 minutes for a table on Saturday, but regulars swear it's worth it.
``We cook per order. We don't cook ahead of time,'' Mike Olschofka says.
Diners not partial to seafood can choose steak, fried chicken, spaghetti, roast duck and a variety of soups.
``I like to sort of play with the vegetables of the day,'' says Mike Olschofka, who grows produce at home to serve in season. Even tossed salad, that ubiquitous menu item, is made exceptional by his selection of vegetables and the use of real bacon bits as garnish.
The Blue Stone is on U.S. 11, a rural road once known as the ``Valley Pike,'' the area's main north-south thoroughfare. Blue Stone is the native blue-gray rock from which many older buildings in the area are hewn, including this eatery, though much of it is covered by wooden siding.
The Blue Stone's sign bears a logo with a deer. Karl Olschofka adapted the logo from that of Ram's Head Beer. The wildlife theme continues inside. Eyes meet diners at every turn - eyes set in the mounted heads of deer, bear, pheasant and wild turkey. Collections of military helmets and German steins fill dark wood shelves.
The late Harrisonburg undertaker Kenneth Higgs built the Blue Stone during the 1920s. A framed page from a 1928 Rockingham County Fair booklet advertises the ``Blue Stone Inn filling station and tearoom.'' Karl Olschofka's parents, German immigrants, bought it when they moved to Virginia from New York City in 1949. The countryside reminded Karl's mother of her native Heidelberg.
The deer heads are the result of family members' hunting expeditions, which began when city boy Karl set out to become assimilated into rural Virginia. Back then, the whole family worked seven days a week, 6 a.m. to midnight, says Karl, who stays on hand to greet guests and lead choruses of ``Happy Anniversary.''
The restaurant and an adjoining motel handled a big tourist trade until Interstate 81 drew traffic away in 1966. The motel eventually closed. For a while, the Blue Stone served as a pizza, burger and beer joint where youth over 18 quaffed 3.2 percent alcohol brew.
Mike and Janet Olschofka changed all that when they took over the operation in 1976. They ``threw out the jukebox'' and launched the gourmet menu. Its reputation has since spread by word of mouth - and stomach.
Rainbow Trout Stuffed with Crab Meat
- (Serves 4)
1 pound crab meat
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
4 10-ounce trout, deboned
Paprika
1/4 cup melted butter
Pick through crab meat to remove all of shell. Mix first 8 ingredients gently until well mixed. Stuff the cavity of each trout with mixture. Place trout on buttered baking pan, drizzle butter on top of trout and sprinkle lightly with pepper and paprika. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes, or, using a meat thermometer, until the temperature of the trout meat has reached 140 degrees. Serves 4.
- Recipe supplied by restaurant; tested by members of the junior elemen of the Tidewater Chef's Association, American Culinary Federation and Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts.
The Blue Stone Inn
Address: Rte 11, Harrisonburg. Phone: 540-434-0535. Speciality: Seafood and local trout and steaks. Price Range: Dinner entrees $7.95-$19.95. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Reservations: May only be made for gruops of 6-12 people. Dress: Casual. Payment: Cash only. Alcoholic beverages: Beer and wine. Non-smoking section: Yes. Handicapped accessible: Yes
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Karl and Janet Olschofka are owners of the Blueby CNBStone Inn near Harrisonburg. color.