
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 1, 1995                   TAG: 9511010086
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

ALLEGHANY INN BUILDS REPUTATION ON SERVICE, VARIETY|

In a recently renovated turn-of-the-century mansion, local restaurateur Jeff Jarvis and executive chef Jud C. Flynn have created a restaurant where crisp linens, candlelight and fresh flowers are standard and service is, you might say, out of the ordinary for the New River Valley.

At the Alleghany Inn Restaurant in Radford, "we're trying to do things differently from anyone else. Nicer and better," Flynn said. A lot of pampering and French-style service are offered by a highly-trained wait staff.

A fancy butter pat, for example, is lifted singlehandedly with two spoons to your butter plate. Your waiter transports a warm roll to the same plate with silver tongs.

"We knew there was a market for this type of restaurant because of the number of requests we get at the cafe for a private dinner in a more intimate setting," Jarvis said, referring to his casual Radford restaurant, the Alleghany Cafe.

Half of the menu is subject to frequent changes. "There are more seasons to a year than four," Flynn said. "We want to give our dining guests things in season, fresh ingredients that are indigenous to the area."

Soups such as chilled peach or warm asparagus and crabmeat bisque are offered, along with appetizers such as mushroom caps stuffed with homemade sage sausage, baked brie en croute and smoked salmon.

Because of its popularity, the sauteed fresh Greenbriar trout will be available always. It comes with toasted pecans and grapes and a brown butter vinaigrette. Changing entrees include roast duckling, northern Italian tomatoes and artichoke hearts, steak and lobster au poivre vert, and Cornish game hen with cornbread stuffing and cranberry Grand Marnier marmalade. Entrees can be prepared to accommodate low-fat diet requests.

The dessert selection includes homemade sorbets and ice cream, key lime pie and tiramisu, an Italian cake soaked in spirits and espresso coffee and served with Anglaise and chocolate sauces.

What sets their desserts apart from others, according to Flynn, is that each one is designed to be served with a complementary sauce.

"We're also focusing on the light side of dessert with our homemade sorbets and some of the special desserts."

This is not a place where you'd want to go light on dessert, however. Chef Flynn, who has won several gold medals for his cuisine, is an accomplished pastry chef as well. He completed his chef internship with the New England Culinary Institute as head baker at Virginia Tech.

If there's an outside chance that you'll be too tired to drive home, you can book into one of the Alleghany Inn's bed-and-breakfast rooms on the second floor. The four antique-furnished guest rooms have been renovated with new bathrooms and fresh paint in soft taupe and peach shades. A one-bedroom apartment on the first floor is handicapped-accessible.

Margaret Springer, Jarvis' sister and owner of the building, wanted to have a bed and breakfast after staying in several small inns. The nursing home administrator has been collaborating with Jarvis for close to a year to find a suitable property.

Although Springer commutes more than an hour to her job, she hopes eventually to live and work at the Alleghany Inn.

There's a link with history here, as well as plans for the future. Flynn's ancestors, the Hoges, owned the property on which the restaurant building now sits. Local artist Carol Hoge is Flynn's mother.

In 1903, the land was sold to J.H. Barnett, Radford city treasurer, who built the house. Nine years later, two families purchased the building. One of those families was also related to Flynn.

A smokehouse has been built on the side of the restaurant, and Jarvis is going to make and market smoked country hams from an old family recipe. Winemaker's dinners are in the plans, and Jarvis said the inn is already busy with wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners and special events.

Alleghany Inn Restaurant

Address: 1123 Grove St.t, Radford

Telephone: 731-4466

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 5 until 10 p.m.; closed on Sundays and Mondays

Specialties: Smoked country ham, fresh trout, assorted desserts

Beverages: Full bar

Price range: $11.95-16.95

Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, American Express

Reservations: Preferred, but not required

Handicapped accessible

Smoking section: Yes, outdoor porch dining only

Accommodations: Alleghany Inn Bed and Breakfast open all year, seven nights a week. $85-125 per night, double occupancy. Room service available with full menu and bar.

by CNB