622 North

Date
9/25/2011

Location
North end of downtown
622 North Main Street

What I ate
Wisconsin cheddar ale soup
Linguine diavolo

Who went
Kelly, Justin, Jackie, Courtney, Curtis, Sheree, Tim, Sara, Emily, Chris

Website
622 North

Thoughts
I've driven past this place dozens of times without giving serious thought to eating there.  It's a pretty unassuming location - close enough to downtown to be lumped into that strip but far enough from the more highly-trafficked areas not to get that much notice.  We were in the dining area, but the bar menu looked pretty good and, while it's a bit small, the bar seems like a good place to catch a game.  That said, they should clearly mark where each section is.  It was a little off-putting to walk into the bar expecting a fancy dining room.

They did a good job with the decor, going for the quaint-but-fancy bistro look.  We were all a little surprised at the space, rather the lack thereof.  Our waiter was attentive and nice; our drinks were out quickly and quickly refilled.  Our food, however, took quite a while to make it to our table.  They have an impressive roster of beers and wines as well as a fun menu to read.  We spent a while discussing the range of options.  The 3- and 4-course tasting menus look interesting, though they aren't much of a deal compared to those items individually.

Once it arrived, the food certainly did not disappoint.  My soup was really good - I'm going to have to try to turn some homebrews into something similar.  Courtney got a massive salad that probably could've passed for a meal itself.  My pasta was one of the better ones I've had in a while.  The sauce was great - multiple people can attest to that - and the vegetables with it were surprisingly good.  The corn added a good texture and the peppers were tasty, too.  With any luck, the rest of the group will weigh in on what they had - there was a good variety of soups, salads, entrees, and desserts all around the table.

Recap
Good - really tasty food, nice ambiance
Bad - slow service
Overall - The food was great and it's a nice place for a good dinner out as long as your group likes conversation.  I'll definitely be back.

Amelia's

Date
9/16/2011

Location
Christiansburg, just off of 460
1130 Cambria Street NE

What I ate
Chicken of Modena (with tomatoes and broccoli, balsamic vinegar sauce, over breaded eggplant)

Who went
Will, Jess, Seth, Rachel, Cassie, Jay, Laura, and Sara

Thoughts
First impressions are not always the best impressions.  Amelia's is just off of 460, in a little residential area, and doesn't look that great from the outside.  Not bad, just nothing special.  Inside, it has all the hallmarks of "generic Italian place from home" right down to the little vending machines in the lobby.  I'm fairly certain we were in the room reserved for parties, so I didn't really mind the folding tables.  All of these things together were making me start to doubt the good reviews I had heard before making the trip.

The review were certainly vindicated shortly after we sat down.  Our waitress was nice and willing to give honest opinions about her favorite dishes which was very helpful because a few of us were paralyzed by the paradox of choice.  The menu had a bunch of interesting dishes (see: what I ate) to go along with a bunch of Italian standards.  There was also a good selection of sub and pizza options.  My chicken was really good, especially when I could pull together a bite of all of the elements of the dish.  There was more breading than eggplant under the chicken, but eggplant wasn't the focus of the dish so I wasn't too disappointed.  All in all, it was plenty of tasty food for a pretty good price.

Recap
Pros - Good food, friendly service
Cons - Nothing glaring unless you have restrictions on carbs or dairy, but then you shouldn't be getting Italian food...
Overall - Definitely worth the trip.  I admittedly haven't explored many of the options around town, but I'm certain Amelia's is among the best Italian places near Blacksburg.