The Roanoker January/February 2022 - 60

dining
careful with wordage. "
Case in point. Tate and Dye say it took
months of conversations to come up with their
restaurant's name. What they finally decided
on is layered in complexity. " Cast " plays on the
" cast of characters " -the owners and staff-
who make Cast happen. It's also a head nod
to the restaurant's Hollywood-themed decor.
Finally, there is the cooking reference to
the cast iron skillet. The rest of the name took
shape naturally around Cast's food and drink
menu, as well as the partners' vision for the
kind of place they wanted Cast to be.
" We wanted a place that serves good food,
yet you can feel comfortable coming into it
wearing whatever you want, " explains Tate.
This is Cast Plates & Pints in a nutshell.
Since its opening in November 2020, Cast
has become a regular part of my dining-out
life. I have eaten at Cast in date night attire
and my favorite comfy clothes. I've been there
for evening celebration events and afternoon
lunches with friends. During last fall's football
season while our boys were at their Thursday
evening pre-game dinners, my husband and
I often made Cast our own pre-game dinner
tradition. Every time I eat at Cast, my affection
only grows.
The atmosphere at Cast is fresh and modern,
60 JAN/FEB 2022
wide-open and yet somehow cozy, too. In
many ways, their menu reflects the same. Dye
explains his goal when developing Cast's menu
was to hit a lot of bases, creating a restaurant
where one can come and get a filet or a
Chicago dog, chicken tenders or shrimp and
grits. At Cast the goal is to open up the options
with both food and drink.
" [At Cast] you can have a craft cocktail and
a burger, " says Dye.
Tate chimes in with a grin, " Or, you can
have a Busch Light. "
What is most wonderful about Cast's wide
range of options is the quality of every Cast
dish. From the salmon dip and tempura chicken
tenders appetizers to the blackened chicken
pasta salad and shrimp and grits main dishes,
everything on the Cast menu has culinary
shine to it.
This is all Dye's doing. He is insistent that
everything coming out of the Cast kitchen
be made from scratch and fresh as possible.
All the sauces and pasta are made in-house.
Dye buys his produce daily from local sources.
He procures his oysters from Hays, Virginia.
All these details come together in the kitchen
under Dye's expert care. The result? An entire
menu of satisfying choices.
In my early dining experiences at Cast I
ordered from my " safe " list: steak tacos, the
Original Cast burger, and the pulled pork sandwich;
those foods I enjoy even if not prepared
with a " five-star " kind of flair. Except at Cast,
they are prepared this way. This has made
branching out easy and helped me discover
an ever-expanding list of favorites. When I'm
looking for comfort food I order Cast's fried
green tomatoes or shrimp and grits, both made
with pleasing warmth and a touch of kick. I
choose their caprese flatbread, smoked salmon
caprese, or ahi tuna tacos when I want lighter
fare. And when I want an old favorite re-imagined,
I order Cast's blackened chicken pasta
salad, a delightful blend of Cast's homemade
penne pasta, Green Goddess dressing, fresh
veggies and pimento cheese.
Every time I eat at Cast, I leave content in
every way, and already looking forward to the
next time I might find my way back again.
" We just want to be in the conversation
people are having when they're talking about
where to go eat, " says Tate. " I think we've
achieved that, and we're excited about it. " I
3555 Electric Road, Roanoke, VA 24018
540-799-7200
castroanoke.com
For Reservations: opentable.com
Hours: Mon - Sun: 11AM - 12AM
TheRoanoker.com
http://www.castroanoke.com http://www.opentable.com http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker January/February 2022

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