ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 14, 1997 TAG: 9703140002
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: DINING OUT
TYPE: RESTAURANT REVIEW
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI THE ROANOKE TIMES
The new Hooters in Roanoke offers solid service, a fun-loving atmosphere and decent food.
I've been to Hooters and back. I kid you not. I've made two trips and I'm here to tell you all about it. My assignment was to review the food, and not too much of anything else. Not the fashionable beach attire worn by the wait staff, not the doo-wop '50s music that nearly flipped me out of my chair into a Let's Go To The Hop mode, or the gorgeous huge-screen TVs.
Just the food. Does anyone go there to eat?
Well, some people do. It's a Virginia ABC regulation after all that a bar has to sell food, too.
Still, without a doubt, Hooters is first and foremost famous for its socializing. Food takes a back seat.
Surprising to me is that there are no restrictions on the wait staff sitting at the tables and chatting with the customers. That, too, is part of the great socializing at Hooters.
Of course, we all know what the Hooters name implies and I must admit that the moving scenery may make your eyes open as big as an owl's from time to time.
But I did hear hooting during my two visits. It came from the unusual way the wait staff sang, clapped wooden dishes, and brought good-natured, noisy attention to the birthday folks on hand celebrating their birthdays.
For further information about Hooters, I plugged into the Internet and found more than 1,000 web sites. I discovered that Rick Mast was their NASCAR team driver and that there are already more than 200 restaurants in the chain, including locations in Singapore and Aruba.
The "Hooters Saga" on the back of the menu says that a group of men got together and developed this "soon to be relatively famous concept." Their intended purpose was to put a "gleam in all men's eyes by serving chicken wings and beer while they watched a winning football game."
And for those with deep pockets, a gourmet chicken wing dinner with a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne is offered for $119.95. According to manager David Dix, the restaurant sells an average of five or six of these expensive combinations each month.
I opted for the more modestly priced 10-piece "naked" Hooters chicken wings ($5.35) with medium sauce. These unbreaded (the meaning of naked) wings were crispy, zippy and greasy. They cleared my sinuses and glossed my lips, two unexpected bonuses. And they were served appropriately with celery sticks and a dipping sauce.
I also sampled the Philly cheese steak ($6.35) and the chicken breast sandwich ($6.35).
The cheese steak was served on a great hoagie bun and layered with thinly sliced steak, mushrooms, peppers, and onions, all brought together with stringy, hot cheese. I tried not to pay attention to the dripping fat accumulating on the plate.
The smothered chicken breast sandwich, with its fillings of provolone cheese, onions, green peppers and mushrooms, quickly drained its oil on the soft bun it was resting on. But, Golly Miss Molly, it was tasty, especially those sliced onions.
Not so good was the Hooters (more than a mouthful) burger ($5.55). This chunk of ground meat was a flat, dried-out hunk, just like a worn tire at the Daytona 500. Fortunately, a side order of saucy, sweet baked beans came to the rescue. I poured them all over the burger and made an edible, if not heroic, sandwich.
Better was a dish that was neither greasy nor dry - the grouper's cousin sandwich ($6.95), a grilled white fish delight that came topped with cheese and sides of slaw, pickle, lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce. It was delicious and as healthful a meal as you will find there.
Good, too, was the gourmet hot dog platter ($3.60). This fetching item of indescribable girth and length comes in a soft bun with a side of chili (55 cents) that I didn't think too much of, and a pile of curly fries ($1.80) that I could have eaten til the cows came home.
Steamed shrimp served hot and ready to peel ($9.25), crab legs served with drawn butter ($15.25), and a sampler platter ($15.25) of shrimp, crab legs, seafood salad and chicken extend the meal options. And although there's nothing unusual about the salads, they are freshly prepared. A grilled chicken breast with greens ($5.95) and a chef's salad ($5.75) with ham, cheese, bacon, and eggs are sensibly priced and good choices for those who want to eat relatively light fare.
An interesting crowd fills Hooters. Certainly, there are more men patrons than women and, not surprisingly, it's a fun-loving crowd. One evening I witnessed a birthday celebration for a happy 16-year-old young man who was there with his father and uncle.
The wait staff may be scantily clad, but they provided solid service and displayed an impressive ability to balance four dinner plates loaded with food along with three or four drinks without missing a beat.
The menu is entertaining as well, written in whimsical exaggeration, emphasizing again that a meal at Hooters is, in the end, supposed to be a hoot.
There aren't too many place around deserving kudos like that. Hooters' founding fathers have indeed established a winning pit stop. The checkered flag is waving.
Hooters
4627 Williamson Road, N.E.
362-9464
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, noon-11 p.m.
Beverages: Wine, beer and nonalcoholic drinks
Price range $1.75 -$119.95
Credit cards MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diner's Club,
Discover
Reservations required? For groups of 15 or more.
Nonsmoking section? Yes
Handicapped accessible? Yes
LENGTH: Long : 110 linesby CNB