The Southern Oven

The Southern Oven

The restaurant I visited is called the Southern Oven. It opened just two months ago, the same week as parents weekend, and it welcomes any guest seeking to experience great food and a homey atmosphere. It is located on 221 Progress St. behind the Wachovia Bank here in Blacksburg. Any student who wants to eat hearty and eat right, should definitely make the walk to Southern Oven.
The moment we entered the restaurant, we could tell there was a home-style theme. The tables were all wooden and placed in just the right spaces so that everyone could see the huge sixty inch TVs that were set up in almost every room. The walls were covered in beautiful sketches and paintings of old farm houses. The Southern Oven draws a group together and makes you feel like family. We were guided to our table and our waiter was already there waiting for us. He was extremely friendly and explained that the goal of the restaurant was to make you feel at home while eating great food. After the brief introduction, we ordered our meal. The meal is designed differently at Southern Oven because the restaurant is all you can eat but is served family-style, meaning that as a group, you choose an assortment of main and side dishes and they are brought out on platters and in large serving bowls. This style could be potentially problematic because, as a group, there must be some consensus about what to order. Our group of six, however, had little trouble and agreed upon the fried chicken and roast beef for our meats and mashed potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, and macaroni and cheese as our sides. Additionally, the meal was set up in was set up in a four course fashion.
The first course was an appetizer of chicken noodle soup. This was not any ordinary chicken noodle soup. It came out to us steaming and filled the air with its aroma. This soup was home-style; thick, tender, delicious chunks of chicken, carrots, celery, and noodles that were all cooked just right, causing flavor to burst from every bite. The soup was complimented nicely by the first of many baskets of fresh cornbread muffins.
The next part of the meal was salad and, as salads go, I would rate it an eight out of ten. It consisted of the normal vegetables, ice-burg lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and olives. All the vegetables were fresh and it was brought out only after everyone had finished their soup. The waiter was extremely adamant in making sure we had everything we needed.
After our salads, we moved on to the main part of the meal. They were brought out one by one in generous portions. The mashed potatoes and corn were still steaming when they reached the table. The macaroni and cheese was a creamy yellow with a crusted parmesan top. The beans and corn were average and didn’t come with any butter on top. Although somewhat unimpressive in presentation, it was nice to see good vegetables at the table just like mom would want.
The meats came shortly after and looked delicious. The roast beef and fried chicken consumed the room with their mouthwatering aroma. We wasted no time dividing out servings, passing the dishes, and digging in. The mashed potatoes were some of the best I have ever had. They had a dense consistency with a buttery taste. The macaroni was creamy but also had the crunch of the crusted parmesan. The beans and corn were surprisingly flavorful in contrast to the bland presentation. Then came the meats. The first batch of fried chicken was amazing. The batter was not too greasy and the chicken inside was tender and juicy. The all-you-can-eat style, inevitably led to us ordering a second batch. While the first batch was great, the second was a little bit too greasy, which displayed potential inconsistency in the cooking. The roast beef was the pinnacle of perfection. Both batches had all the right flavors and were juicy and tender.
When we had finished our fill of the main dishes we moved on to dessert. This consisted of a peach cobbler that was no less than a ten out of ten. The warm cobbler was topped with chilled whipped cream.
The waiter had done his job flawlessly and made sure we had everything we needed. Drinks and the check arrived promptly when asked for. We left Southern Oven with a new appreciation for home-style cooking and the content feeling of a full belly.