ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: DINING OUT
TYPE: RESTAURANT REVIEW
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Recently, I conducted a session on restaurant reviews for high-school students in The Roanoke Times Minority Journalism Workshop.
When we met for lunch at Angler's, the students eagerly put into practice my basic guidelines. The following comments encompass their written opinions and observations about Angler's food, environment and service:
The Angler club sandwich ($5.25) received high grades from the five who ordered it. This attractive sandwich layered generous quantities of ham, smoked turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise on whole wheat toast. Everyone liked the neat presentation, crisp bacon, and combination of flavors. Particular reference was made about the warm, golden bread that did not get soggy.
The veggie sandwich ($4.95) was less successful. This union of avocado, cucumber, sprouts and tahini dressing on whole wheat bread sounded like a great idea, but really did not taste all that good. The cheeseburger with bacon ($5.75) on a Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, onion and cheddar cheese was judged satisfying and tasty. The burger was larger than expected, but all the slippery layers made the sandwich a little difficult to eat out of hand.
The No. 2 grilled chicken cutlet sandwich ($5.25) is an outstanding alliance of cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, onion and the unexpected sweet and sour spike of mango chutney. A sauteed chicken and mushroom sandwich ($5.25) made juicy with a white wine mustard sauce, comes with lettuce on a Kaiser roll. It earned the description of "delicious, but messy." "Even though it was meant to be eaten out of hand, a knife and fork were necessary because the sandwich was soaked with the sauce," one student said. A recommendation balanced the criticism: "It would be better to serve this sandwich open-faced."
One of the made-to-order daily specials, a beautiful, pink shrimp bisque ($3.95) wafted delicious aromas, was well flavored and "pleasantly shrimpy." I thought the intense Mediterranean seasonings and strong seafood broth were fantastic. The considerable number of whole, large shrimp made this an outstanding bisque.
Another special, chilled Greek pasta salad ($5.95), looked colorful and appealing but failed in the taste category. Except for the fresh tomato wedges and the sprinkling of feta cheese on top, the rest of this heftily portioned dish lacked any flavor.
Angler's version of hummus and tabouli with pita bread ($3.95) is not for the faint of palate. This regular menu item gives you good-sized, boldly seasoned portions of both the Middle Eastern grain salad and the chickpea spread. To the student reviewer, the array of exotic spices "tasted like potpourri smells."
For dessert, the huge wedge of Italian cake with cream cheese frosting ($2.95) bowled over everyone's tastebuds with its just sweet enough, moist layers. More silence than comment acknowledged a sampling of the dark, dense and smooth chocolate pie ($1.95). It tasted great on initial impact, but left a surprisingly bitter aftertaste. The server had lured us into ordering it when she tempted us with bait about a "secret" ingredient that she would divulge only if we ordered it. True to her word, and much to our astonishment, she confessed that this totally nondairy pie had been made with tofu.
Angler's is a small cafe with a seating capacity of 60, and during our lunch visit every seat was taken. Both the kitchen and serving staffs work conscientiously at keeping glasses filled and food coming out at a timely pace. There's no standing in a lengthy line to pay the bill, either.
Our tables, located near the door, gave us a wide view of the restaurant. The decor was evaluated as "cluttered, in keeping with the fishing name, and nice." The floor was scrutinized and judged: "not too bad, but there were plenty of stuck-on dirty spots, and too much debris was caught at the entrance rug." Everyone thought the glass-topped tables were a good idea. They observed, though, that the spotted cloths underneath the glass should have been immaculately clean.
Whether you're a vegetarian with a big appetite or a salad devotee, the wide-ranging lunch menu offers something for everyone's stomach. In the soup category, three variation combos ($3.95 -$5.95) suggest either a hearty vegetarian pea leek and nonvegetarian spicy black bean soup by the cup ($1.95) or bowl ($2.95) with the house salad and bread. A more filling lunch at $4.95 gives you half a delicious chicken, or tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce and tomato, a cup of soup, plus tortilla chips and a dill pickle. The kitchen does a great job with the salads ($2.95 - $5.95), especially the interesting cobb and respectable Caesar.
I am a faithful fan of most of Angler's 22 sandwiches. From the basic grilled cheese ($2.95), which gives me a choice of cheddar, Swiss or provolone cheeses, to the luscious catfish sandwich ($5.25) on a kaiser roll with a side of cole slaw, to my favorite, the barbecue pork cutlet sandwich ($5.25) with sweet sauteed onions on a Kaiser roll and a side of cole slaw.
The dinner menu is restrained and affordable. There are five regular entrees ($5.95 - $9.95) and three weekly ($9.95 - $14.95) specials. I enjoyed two noteworthy dishes, the angel hair pasta with oyster mushroom sauce ($10.95) in which the intense garlic and ginger bursts forth into taste-tingling blossom, and a tremendously filling, chicken black bean burrito ($9.95). I took the house recommendations for wine and sipped a full-bodied Rioja ($3.50 per glass) with the burrito and a Ste. Chapelle Merlot ($3.50 per glass) with the pasta and mushrooms.
Owner Steve Van Metre's love of fishing inspired the restaurant's name. Although he has had extensive professional cooking experience in New York City and Roanoke, he has a natural ability when it comes to food, and he easily creates dishes from other cuisines. His well-seasoned, satisfying meals are a bonus for those of us who enjoy eating out on a budget.
Angler's is a real tribute to Van Metre: It is an unfussy, comfortable place where delicious food is affordable and everyone is treated like an honored guest.
Angler's Cafe
310 Second Street
342-2436
Hours: Lunch: Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dinner: Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Closed: Sunday and Monday
Beverages: soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, tea, beer and wine
Price range: Lunch: $2.25 - $6.25. Dinner: $3.95 - $14.95
Credit cards accepted: none; cash and personal checks accepted only
Reservations? recommended for dinner
Non-smoking section? entire restaurant
Handicapped accessible? No
Evaluations of restaurants' accessibility to the handicapped are made by
Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, a nonprofit organization.
LENGTH: Long : 120 linesby CNB