ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608290023
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Off the Clock
SOURCE: CHRIS HENSON
When Malik Hasan talked about the plans for his new restaurant over a year ago, he insisted it was going to be different than the one he owned then. That was when he owned the Capitol on Market Street, the blue-collar beer hall with a less-than-savory rep. Pool, paneling and a red-eyed, night-crawling clientele ... it all had to go.
Sharon McKeon, manager of Hasan's Mount Olive Grill and Bar on Jefferson Street, wants you to know that was then, and this is now. "We're still trying to get the nighttime clientele up," she said. "Most people still don't know we're here, yet."
She also believes that the people who know about Mount Olive's Capitol connection might have reservations due to the latter's reputation. "Look around," she said. "This is obviously quite a departure."
If you've ever been in the Capitol Restaurant you most certainly remember the gray and tan veneer, the smoky haze and the retro fits thrown by the mismatched decor, the tinsel and Scotch tape. You can still taste the coffee and grilled cheese.
And, looking around Mount Olive, you can see the difference. Start with the black, orange and white tile in straight, clean lines along the walls out front. Compare that to the 40-some-year-old turquoise scratch-and-dent facade at the Capitol. The old Scottie drug store was completely renovated for the new restaurant.
When, on Saturday night a group of nine wandered in for dinner, they were pleasantly surprised. "We didn't even know it was here," said Jenny Agee. "We were just walking by. It looked nice inside." They stayed for dinner.
"It's really neat," added 8-year-old Andrew Ross.
Inside Mount Olive, everything matches; the gray tiled floors with the ceiling, the dark wood-tone walls and the long bar, the live plants and brass chandeliers. Framed photographs by Tommy Firebaugh line the walls above the booths. There is a crisp tablecloth on each table. And it is remarkably clean.
"We're hoping we can have a place where grown-ups can come and have a nice dinner," McKeon said. "We're not trying to be a club. We're a restaurant."
McKeon lived for eight years in Manhattan before moving to Roanoke five years ago. "That's where I started in the restaurant business," she said. "I got a bachelor's degree in fine arts, I'm a sculptor, so naturally that leads to restaurant work."
At Mount Olive, she's keeping busy - after two months of being open, the restaurant is beginning to catch on. "When you come here at lunch it's all businessmen and women, bankers, lawyers," she said. "So lunch is going well. We're hoping to draw more people back for dinner."
For that Mount Olive is relying on a mixed menu of Greek and American food. It includes things like falafel, baba ghanouj, tabbouleh and a Mediterranean salad with feta cheese. "The kebabs are great because they're so healthy," McKeon said.
"I had the hummus with tenderloin bits and pine nuts," said John Langan. Knowing the Capitol connection didn't stop him and his wife from coming. "It's great food," he said. He'd recommend it.
"Malik and Jose do all the cooking," said McKeon. "All the time ... every meal. It's very consistent, very authentic, you know. And everything is made to order. People wonder 'can I have a kebab without this or with that?' ... yeah, sure!"
"I had the lamb," said Stephanie Skordas, part of the party of nine, "and it was wonderful. It was like I was in the old country."
The 'old country' meaning ...
"Why, Greece, of course."
One thing the Capitol had going for it was an amazing jukebox full of Motown hits. The late-night throb it produced seemed to shake that place like wet jeans in the spin cycle.
Instead, the Mount Olive stereo plays a mix of jazz and classical. You might hear Miles Davis after Smetana's "Moldau" for instance. McKeon is also trying live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 to generate a little night movement.
"We're just trying to create an atmosphere, right now," she said.
The Mount Olive Grill and Bar is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Live music is not scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, but it is planned for the weekend after.
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