Local Roots is a farm-to-table restaurant in Roanoke, VA that highlights the lush farmlands of Southwest Virginia. We enjoyed the Sunday Supper which includes an individual choice of entrée, family-style salad, and two family-style sides to be shared at the table.
First, we chose a bottle of local wine - Red Blend, Blenheim Vineyards, Claim House. This winery is located in Charlottesville, VA and is co-owned by Dave Matthews, so is quite popular with the locals. Made up of 30% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 15% Petit Verdot, with only less than a third of the batch aged in oak barrels, leaves a very smooth finish with forward notes of cranberry, blueberry compote, and tea leaf. We quite enjoyed it!
Along with some freshly baked cornbread, we started with the salad of mixed greens topped with sunflower seed, carrots, radish, and a house vinaigrette that was creamy and tomato-based.
For my main dish, I chose the North Carolina Fish Stew with chunks of catfish, scallop, and mussels in a delicate squash broth with green tomato and kale. The fish was tender and the broth was full of flavor. I loved this dish!!
Keith ate the Heritage Braised Lamb served with Virginia peaches, red cabbage, and a jalapeño sauce. The lamb was pre-shredded and the cabbage was whole and grilled, adding interesting flavor.
For an extra $5 each we ordered dessert. The Brioche Bread Pudding tonight came with warm peaches, bourbon caramel, toasted pecan, and Chantilly cream. It was not overly sweet and delicious.
I preferred the delicate Buttermilk Vanilla Panna Cotta with blueberries, pistachio, and sorghum. It was so silky, and surprisingly made without any eggs. The custard like texture was heavenly.
Overall, I really appreciated the forward focus on local ingredients and the welcoming service. The wine offerings were also impressive for a small local restaurant, but was clearly competitive with all the awards they've received.
Total Rating: 4.45
Food: 5, Price: 4, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 5
