Show Pony — Restaurant in Roanoke

We visited Show Pony on a Saturday. We had a short wait, but were seated without any fuss. The hostess and server were both great. The restaurant is a bit loud, but I guess it's part of the vibe at a drinks forward kind of place - my only nitpick.

TL;DR fabulous, would visit again no hesitation

This is the first restaurant in a while that had me excited and interested because of their menu. What I had seen online was different than what was current (I learned later that their Instagram has current menus) but what we were offered was great.

We ordered drinks first; I had the Gold Velvet, a rum drink with bitters and cynar to offset the honey, lime, and ginger - amazing. My wife had the Holy Diver, anejo tequila, cassis, lime, ginger, and Fernet as a balancer - also very nice.

We started food with the chips and onion dip. The bagged chips, nothing unusual, were served with a top notch French onion dip that was creamy and punchy without overwhelming. We then had the mussels, Kung Pao cauliflower, and vegan mac and cheese.

The mussels were wonderful, like tasting the ocean in the best way. The trinity/sausage/cream broth was a great accompaniment, and the buttered baguette served alongside was some of the best bread we've had.

The vegan mac and cheese was a revelation. The cashew 'cheese' sauce was creamy and the tofu 'chorizo' was just the right level of spicy to set it all off.

The Kung Pao cauliflower was on the crunchy side, and I generally prefer a bit more cook to enhance its cabbage-y umami flavors, but it was served in what was maybe the best sauce I've ever tasted.

We finished up with the Guinness cake, a double layer of moist chocolate sheet cake served with a bit of chocolate (?) whipped cream on top sandwiching more cream and a bit of fruit. Also really...

Underwhelming food, whelming drinks. Owners seem to be trying to hard to be edgy. One lit a cigarette in the open kitchen and proceeded to smoke it through the restaurant out the front door leaving a lingering repugnant odor in a semi-full dining room. The food was not great. We had the salamied beet sandwich, kung pow cauliflower, and the trout reuben. The sauces on all 3 overpowered any food flavors. For example, I couldn't taste the Smoke in Chimneys trout (which I was excited about) in the reuben because the sauerkraut from a jar and presumably Hidden Valley 1000 island dressing were so overpowering. The kungpow sauce was tongue blistering and the beets were meh. The appetizer came out with the entrees which leaves something getting cold.

The atmosphere was excellent. I loved the decor and especially the Silver Jews poster (RIP David Berman). Also the lighting is better than the previous establishment.

The drinks were good, and the cocktails well made, but I got better pours of the same booze next door at the CI for about $6 less per drink.

I hope they figure the food out and they learn that smoking in your dining room during service isn't edgy,...

Show Pony isn’t a gay bar, but it is undeniably queer. The same things that people may critique for being “too cool” (whatever that means in adulthood and not the insecurity of middle school) - staff who are unapologetically themselves (tattoos and all), a tribute to Divine in the neon pink bathroom, the art, hosting a drag night - all make it an inclusive, unpretentious, and accessible space for people in the LGBTQ+ community to feel like they belong. In a city where the only official gay bar option is the Park, which is def not my (and let’s be real, most people who are not white gay men) vibe, Show Pony is a much needed & welcoming space. The craft cocktails are at the same caliber as Bloom, Lucky, and Sidecar (aka damn good) and I’d order everything I’ve tried there again. I regularly think about the corn custard pie & really hope I can convince my wife to recreate it. The oysters hit, the Mac and cheese is fantastic, and the vegan options are interesting and don’t feel like you’re sacrificing flavor, which is really hard to find. Show Pony is a great addition to Grandin &...