In honor of Elijah's last swimming lesson, another simple weekend in Roanoke was in store. We headed out to lunch in Grandin Village at The Isaacs, a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant. It's one of those places where the atmosphere is elegant but not stuffy--you can go in wearing jeans and feel like you must be wearing something nicer. Kim had a beautiful meze of smoked Gouda and eggplant, Justin and Don had gyros, and Elijah became a fan of the minestrone. If you go, don't miss the pita fries--they are healthy and delicious! The Isaacs is food you can feel good about: often organic, often local, healthful, reasonably priced, colorfully presented. Excellent! Also worth a stop in Grandin Village? The Grandin Theatre, a not-for-profit movie house often showing independent films; Too Many Books, an excellent used book store; the "Co-op", a locally-owned grocer; and Black Dog Salvage, a place for unique furniture finds. If you aren't familiar with Roanoke, you'll want to know that Grandin Village is a lively, diverse community.
By night, we headed to the Salem Civic Center for the Roanoke Symphony's now-annual rock symphony night, part of their Pops series and a fundraiser for the group. We've attended all three to date, and this year's A Night at Woodstock may be the best yet! (That's saying something for Kim, who has enjoyed the Cirque element of previous shows--absent this year--particularly.) Jeans 'n Classics, a tremendous band, played 60s genre hits with the symphony, and the RSO volunteers dressed as hippies to set the mood. Elijah loved it so much that the 2011 show may provide a venue for his second birthday party! Much to his parents' happiness, he can "rock," scooting about and clapping to Joe Cocker and Jefferson Airplane in particular. The annual fundraiser is a casual and lighthearted way to experience the symphony--highly recommended.
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