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Restaurants in Roanoke


weill

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I guess it depends where you go downtown. Establishments such as Awful Arthurs, Cornerstone, Corned Beef and Billy's are normally very crowded on weekends; frequently at fire marshall capacity. There is frequently a line outside of Cornerstone for hours. I guess maybe a place that's less 'clubby' or popular or somewhere else farther from the market might not get as crowded, and the Kara O'Caen's spot is over a block away from the nearest nightspot. Still, with all the residential growth coming to downtown, there will be more people (with some money to burn) close to the Jefferson St. Corridor.

And how can you have an 'authentic' pub in a strip mall? You need to be in a traditional urban environment for it to feel like a real pub. Everyone that goes to Annie Moore's will have to drive there and will have to drive again to go anywhere else. I think its a bad idea for drinking destinations to be completely automobile dependent.

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I guess it depends where you go downtown. Establishments such as Awful Arthurs, Cornerstone, Corned Beef and Billy's are normally very crowded on weekends; frequently at fire marshall capacity. There is frequently a line outside of Cornerstone for hours. I guess maybe a place that's less 'clubby' or popular or somewhere else farther from the market might not get as crowded, and the Kara O'Caen's spot is over a block away from the nearest nightspot. Still, with all the residential growth coming to downtown, there will be more people (with some money to burn) close to the Jefferson St. Corridor.
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BGW, bummer you came and it was such a dud dowtown. It really can be more lively than that on most weekends. I agree that your experience was likely less representative than average. Often can't get into Metro, you can count on Corned Beef allowing little elbow room, and many of the restruants are pretty packed during the weekend. In fact, if it wasn't for the weekend, most of them could not afford to operate. The bigger crowd form late though. That being said, there certainly are slow weekends. I suspect holiday time is one of those periods. Come here in May or October and see what it is like.

The burb location may not make it any less authentic on the inside. I'm sure they will do a good job creating an authentic feel. However, for me, you can have two identicle places and I'll take the one in a central walkable district. The car oriented aspect takes something significant away from the experience imo. I agree that it is hard to think of it as a special pub and not just another suburban restruant if I cant walk to get to another place of interest. I'v talked to a couple people at work who have expressed the same hesitations, so we're not alone McClaw.

I'm also not saying this is a bad business decision. The Valley View restruants are always packed on weekends and most weekdays. Brambleton Deli does a great business at it's location. Just also think a pub would feel more like a pub downtown and if done well, would do just fine there.

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I think entertainment areas in all cities have their ups and downs when crowds pack in and when they don't.

McLaw, I'll be in Richmond March 28 thru April 2. Let me know if you will be appearing anywhere after 10PM. I have dinner plans earlier on each of the evenings.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Raleigh Court's All Sports Cafe will be opening a 2nd location in May on Main Street in downtown Salem, less than a block off Roanoke College campus. Expect the same menu as the original spot- Sandwiches, burgers, ribs and wings that put Hooters & BW3 to shame- as well as the same mix of live sports on TV and live music.

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Raleigh Court's All Sports Cafe will be opening a 2nd location in May on Main Street in downtown Salem, less than a block off Roanoke College campus. Expect the same menu as the original spot- Sandwiches, burgers, ribs and wings that put Hooters & BW3 to shame- as well as the same mix of live sports on TV and live music.
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  • 4 weeks later...

I went by 202 Market Saturday night. Unfortunately they have a rather annoying dress code, preventing my date from entering. Flip-flops, which in this case were $45 leather rainbow sandals, are not allowed. It looked really nice through the windows, and there was music on both floors. In my opinion, the sandal ban is a very dumb idea. We were both pretty pissed and were going to call it a night, but on the way back I remembered Annie Moore's had just opened. We sat at a table near the bar and enjoyed a few drinks. It was warm and cozy inside with lots of woodwork, and the prices were decent.

Still I'm more interested in the former Kara O'Caen's, at 303 S. Jefferson St. An occupancy application for that location has been submitted for 'Gunthers O'Darby pub.

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No, I don't think dancing is at the top of the venues list of activities. I believe they are trying to keep the place as fancy as possible (don't understand the acid washed jeans). It could be that they are trying to cater to an older crowd, (who are less likely to wear sandals). Alas, I will attempt to return soon so I can experience the place firsthand and form a better opinion.

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What I would recommend Burt, is to order a nice salad with pan-seared tuna. (that way it's still cooked on the edges, and you can mix each bite of tuna with salad). That was my first experience with 'raw' fish. Much like a great cut of petit filet mignon, the less it is cooked, the better the flavor will be. As for sour cream, do you enjoy yogurt? I find plain yogurt to be a good tasting and healthier substitute for sour cream.

Funny that though I've had mild food poisoning several times but never from sushi. In fact, I usually feel energized after eating raw foods.

I have heard a story on NPR, that the 'Reverend' Sung Yung Moon controls a large percentage of the 'sushi' grade fish supply in the U.S. That, as far as I'm concerned, would be the only reason not to eat sushi.

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It's kind of like places that ban jeans or sneakers. That's not to say all jeans, sneakers or flip-flops are bad, but the tendency is for patrons to sink to the lowest common fashion denominator, like the acid-washed jeans, and mess up to looks of the place for everyone.
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  • 2 weeks later...
I am glad it is doing so well. I hope it continues because though it is not a place that fits my stage of life right now, it adds to the urban feel that is slowly growing downtown. Sure beats the vacant building we had there the last two years. I hope to get there sometime on one of our date nights! :thumbsup:
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I am glad it is doing so well. I hope it continues because though it is not a place that fits my stage of life right now, it adds to the urban feel that is slowly growing downtown. Sure beats the vacant building we had there the last two years. I hope to get there sometime on one of our date nights! :thumbsup:
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I am glad it is doing so well. I hope it continues because though it is not a place that fits my stage of life right now, it adds to the urban feel that is slowly growing downtown. Sure beats the vacant building we had there the last two years. I hope to get there sometime on one of our date nights! :thumbsup:
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I am glad it is doing so well. I hope it continues because though it is not a place that fits my stage of life right now, it adds to the urban feel that is slowly growing downtown. Sure beats the vacant building we had there the last two years. I hope to get there sometime on one of our date nights! :thumbsup:
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If the owners/management were discriminating against him by cutting his hours, why did they hire him in the first place. Perhaps there is another reason why his hours have been cut. I went to 202 on Friday night, and I certainly saw a fair number of patrons who were black, asian, latino etc.

I have mixed feeling about this place. First the negatives:

-I'm still confused over the dress code, because I saw some people wearing sandals just like the ones that were singled out when my friend wasn't allowed in.

-The cover charge is about twice what it should be.

-My mojito came in a short glass, and the mint wasn't muddled sufficiently ( I just muddled it with my straw and it turned out fine)

-There are too many bluegrassy bands. They need to book more jazz/funk/latin/rock/etc.

Now the positives:

-the sound is amazing. They must have spent a kings ransom on the sound system/acoustic baffling etc. No matter where you are in the place, the mix is perfectly balanced and a good volume. I've never attended any music event that came close to having this quality of sound. (this almost justifies the high cover charge)

-The piano bar is set up nicely. The bar around the piano is cool, and the upstairs area has a warm, intimate atmosphere. (acoustics are great upstairs also)

-the Hammond B3 organ and leslie cabinet are very nice. This is the real deal in organs, and very pricy. My 3 professional keyboards combined are worth less. James Pace allowed me to play it, and I joined the piano guy for a half-dozen songs.

Undecided:

I havent yet sampled the food, I expect it to be good

Bar has good selection but the staff seems a little bit wet behind the ears. I'll wait until my next visit to decide my opinion of the bar.

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