Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505090038
SECTION: DISCOVER NRV PAGE: DNRV-16 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It was a plum assignment, one I was sure all the other staffers would clamor for.
"Take $200, please," the bosses said. "Eat, drink, make merry. Just be sure to bring back the receipts."
The goal: Show the diverse opportunities for entertainment in the New River Valley. Surprisingly, other staffers were eager to prove their frugality by cruising the valley with only a full gas tank, or stretching $50 on a jam-packed day of family fun for four.
Turns out, I was the one who drew the tough assignment.
With only two days notice between picking up my check and heading out on the adventure, I racked my brain for the most appropriate way to cavalierly blow the bucks.
After much debate (a limo? bed and breakfast? 200 Lotto tickets?), I settled on dinner for two for starters. Just look around at the proliferation of eateries in the New River Valley of late - heck, just stand in the New River Valley Mall parking lot and watch people grow old in the line stretching outside Ryan's - and it's easy to see that food is a favorite pastime.
There are too many choices for fine dining here - the Farmhouse and the Outpost in Christiansburg, the Blacksburg Marriott and Alleghany Cafe in Radford are just a few examples. That we picked Anchy's was only because a decision had to be made before my deadline passed and before my husband grew weary of my vacillation.
Just inside the door of the North Main Street, Blacksburg, restaurant, I spied two lobsters in a fish tank. "I'll be seeing you in a few," I said resolutely as I tapped on the glass.
But within minutes of being seated, I had to change my mind for fear of staring at the lobster dead on my plate and trying to crack the full body open.
The waitress suspected something was up when I ordered a bottle of Korbel champagne.
"Is this a special occasion?" she asked.
Thinking fast, my husband replied, "It's her birthday."
As far as we know,she was none the wiser, unless she caught me taking notes on the sly during the two hours it took us to finish the bubbly in between bites of appetizers, salads, the main course and dessert.
Here's what we had, in our effort to drop two C-spots in one place.
nAppetizers: Mushrooms (six) stuffed with crab meat ($5.95) for me. Fried mozzarella sticks - 10 of them - ($6.95) for David.
nKorbel Brut Champagne ($22.95)
n"Surf and Turf:" Two orders of filet mignon and crab legs. Included salad, baked potatoes and sides of a pasta and vegetable medley. $28.95 each.
"That's a nice, tender steak, even for well-done," my husband David noted, pushing aside the vegetable medley and digging in.
We fumbled with our crab-crackers and seafood forks before finally getting the hang of how to properly attack crab legs, careful not to overturn the melted butter on the side.
"Here we are all dressed up making a mess," we laughed as we cracked open a pound of legs each, in search of the small strips of crab meat.
nKentucky Derby cheesecake. Just one. $3.29.
Total tab for two hours of decadence? $103.12. Feeling flush, we went slightly over the recommended 20 percent tip and left Noel $25.
Problem! That left $72.88 to spend, and we were pooped! David chose to go home, and I headed off to a special late-night bingo game in Christiansburg. The Christiansburg High School Demon Booster Club has bingo games every Tuesday and Saturday night at their hall in the Hills Shopping Plaza off Roanoke Street. On the second Saturday of each month, they play an 11 p.m. game that lasts until about 3 a.m. Dreams of doubling my money didn't pay off, but I had fun and donated to a good cause. I paid $35 admission for five packs of cards that lasted the whole evening, and spent $15 for extra papers for two $500 jackpot games and a winner-take-all.
Problem! That left about $23 to spend.
On Sunday, we took a drive through the back country roads of Montgomery and Pulaski counties, ($5 for gas) and bought all our favorite cook-out foods at Kroger. Hamburgers and all the trimmings, barbecued chicken breasts, chips, crabmeat (sensing a pattern here?) salad and drinks pushed us up to the $200 limit.
All right, so we weren't up to the challenge. But here are our 20/20 hindsight recommendations on how you and that special someone can make the most of $200 in the valley.
nTake your nearest and dearest on a dinner cruise on Claytor Lake's Pioneer Maid. The dinner cruise will set you back a paltry $33 each. To make reservations, call 674-9344.
nRent a limo to take you to your favorite restaurant. Around Town Limousine Service, 381-5595, charges $50 an hour, with a two-hour minimum.
nA week-end at a bed and breakfast. Per Diem, 401 Clay St., Blacksburg, offers a guest room for $75 a night or a two-room suite for $85. Bonus: swim in the heated pool under the lights until 10 p.m.
nWant to share the wealth? Take 99 of your closest friends to the Star Lite Drive-In, Roanoke Street, Christiansburg. This local institution started its 43rd year of operation in April. Admission is $2 for adults; $1 for children. 383-2202.
by CNB