The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 77
DINING | NICE NICHES
Trade secrets. Tea Tavern owner Kim Arney relies on unique
ingredient sources for her menu items and teas.
In her decade of ownership, Arney has changed everything
from the front gift shop, to the recipes on the lunch menu, to
the teas themselves. She says when she expanded the tavern's
restaurant side, business grew. So much so, that White Oak Tea
Tavern overwhelmed its location: the old Cloyd House built in
the late 1700s. Something had to give as business was beginning to suffer. Yet, Arney wasn't looking to expand, either. "I
have grandchildren...I was praying for God to send Starbucks
to come and buy me out." Arney smirks at her admission.
God did not send Starbucks. Instead, he sent the Salem Historical Society. The Society needed just the right business tenant
to occupy the Preston House-Salem's oldest home-and Arney
needed just the right location for the Tea Tavern to thrive. Turns
out White Oak Tea Tavern is expanding after all.
White Oak Tea Tavern is a destination dining experience.
Arney believes her "trade secrets"-menu items and ingredients
that cannot be found elsewhere-are a primary reason for its
popularity. "I'm not going to sell anything here that you can get
anywhere else. Everything here is unique."
The Tea Tavern's menu is small. Arney offers two different
chicken salads-Baked Spinach and Artichoke, and Chilled
Cranberry-Almondine. Both are served with fresh-baked bread
and a choice of honey or balsamic-vinaigrette for dipping. The
warm creamy Spinach-Artichoke (served inside a bread bowl)
is a perfect comfort on chilly days, while the Cranberry-Almondine reminds me of a springtime picnicking. As for the
THEROANOKER.COM
dipping-sauces, I have rarely (if ever) tasted a honey more pure
or a balsamic-vinaigrette more balanced.
Arney also offers freshly baked bagel sandwiches with a choice
of deli meat, cheese and in-house made schmears (a word that-
besides being fun to say-finds its origins in Yiddish and means
"spread"). The bagels remind me of my own homemade attempts: lumpy and uneven, lending themselves to skepticism;
that is, until taking that first bite. Then chewy, soft wheat overwhelms the senses and the doubts. These bagels are delicious,
lumps and all.
The teas (a Virginia's Finest product), are the essence of White
Oak Tea Tavern, and one of Arney's primary joys. She is incredibly choosy about her ingredient sources-there are only two
distributors she trusts. Her tea blends are original and unexMARCH/APRIL 2017 | 77
http://www.THEROANOKER.COM
The Roanoker March/April 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker March/April 2017
The Roanoker March/April 2017 Table of Contents
Worth a Click
From the Editor
Lunch With . . .
Events
Streets of Roanoke
The Gist
Women Making Waves
The Next Chapter
Hollins University and Roanoke College Turn 175
Mall Wonder: Are Roanoke Shopping Centers Beating the National Trend?
Gardens, Gardens, Gardens
Delightful Dining Niches
The Dish
Where Are They Now?
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Intro
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Cover1
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Cover2
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 3
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 4
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 5
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 6
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Worth a Click
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - From the Editor
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 9
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Lunch With . . .
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 11
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Events
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 13
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 14
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 15
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Streets of Roanoke
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 17
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - The Gist
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 19
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 20
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Women Making Waves
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 22
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 23
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 24
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 25
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 26
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 27
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 28
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 29
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 30
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 31
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - The Next Chapter
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 33
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 34
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 35
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 36
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 37
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 38
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The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 40
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 41
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 42
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 43
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 44
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 45
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 46
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Hollins University and Roanoke College Turn 175
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 48
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 49
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 50
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 51
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Mall Wonder: Are Roanoke Shopping Centers Beating the National Trend?
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 53
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 54
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 55
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 56
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 57
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Gardens, Gardens, Gardens
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 59
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 60
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 61
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The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 69
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 70
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 71
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 72
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Delightful Dining Niches
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 74
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 75
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 76
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 77
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 78
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 79
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 80
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - The Dish
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Where Are They Now?
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Cover3
The Roanoker March/April 2017 - Cover4
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