2008.12.15
Issuing an opinion on lunch
If all has gone according to plan, there's a new lunch spot open in downtown Roanoke today called The Judge's Chambers. It's located in the old peanut shop on Jefferson Street, across from Thai Orchid and the post office.
Owner Waqar Malik and his wife, Martha "Randy" Taylor (who helped open The Isaac's Restaurant but have now relinquished their stake in that spot) are clearly hoping for some business from the court crowd -- they are located next to the BB&T building, which houses the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI's Roanoke staff. But I'm sure they would welcome anyone to come in and check out the breakfast wraps, paninis and salads.
The motto at The Judge's Chambers is "Heart healthy food for a life sentence!" They use ingredients like lean meats, turkey bacon, turkey pepperoni and lite mayo to lighten up their dishes. I was excited to see several vegetarian options, too, including "The Innocent," which I ordered at a preview luncheon last week. That was a panini topped with grilled zucchini and yellow squash, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. It was very fresh and tasty and I would order it again.
All of the dishes at this eatery sport cute judicial names like The Defender, 10 to 20, Misdemeanor and Jury's Verdict, and the walls are adorned with artwork of courtroom scenes by Taylor's mother. Check it out and let me know what you think.
I went to the post office at lunchtime today, and did not pay attention to what was across the street. I'll have to check that restaurant out when I'm down that way again.
Comment by Debbie — December 15, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
How cute! I will have to check that out one day (maybe after the holiday rush). Thanks for keeping us in the loop!
Comment by Amy Hanek — December 16, 2008 @ 9:47 am
I stopped in this morning for breakfast. Very quick, and affordable and the staff was super friendly. I got a breakfast wrap with turkey bacon, egg, and cheese. It was grilled on the panini press so the cheese was gooey and melty. I'd definitely recommend them!
Comment by Erin — December 16, 2008 @ 11:28 am
I went by twice in the past week or so - once for breakfast and once for lunch.
For breakfast I got the "Habitual Offender", egg, cheese peppers, onions and either turkey sausage or turkey bacon in a wrap, bagel or a croissant. I got it on a bagel. He then makes it panini-style.
It was very tasty and and welcome alternative at 7:30 a.m. to a Tudor's biscuit (hey - I love the biscuits, but the lining of my arteries don't always agree). My only issue was that it seemed like the egg was premade - I'm not sure because I didn't watch the whole time, but it seemed like it was one of those preformed patty type things. Still, it was good.
For lunch today I got the "Not Guilty" on wheat bread with pasta salad instead of chips. It was marinated/grilled mushrooms, onions, fresh baby spinach, tomato, pepper jack cheese and lite mayo -- again, all panini-style.
It was very tasty. I especially liked the bread, which had some kind of seed in it and had a nutty flavor. The spinach was fresh and he didn't skimp on the veggies. The pasta salad was average - nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either.
There are very few restaurants where pretty much everything on the menu looks good, but this is one of them. I plan on making them a regular downtown lunch stop.
Comment by Jordan — March 27, 2009 @ 12:47 pm