After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last…read moreyear, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those established ones that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And The Maridor is the perfect example. This historic mansion, built in 1916 and restored many years later, received its name from its its third owner, Marion Augustus Smyth, President of National Business College who re-named the home "Maridor" after his two children, Marion and Dorothy. Maridor. It is located in the highly regarded area of the historic Grandin Village, in Roanoke, Virginia. Established in 1993, The Maridor offers a versatile event space for weddings, corporate functions, and social gatherings. And also has a very unique restaurant that currently is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 4:00 to 9pm. One can book a reservation through their website to dine in either the Restaurant, the Bar, the Dining Room, or the Patio, and enjoy some excellent cuisine from Director and Executive Chef Seth who offers southern-style cooking with International comfort food flavors. What he has created is a place with a diverse menu, where one can go and dine in, enjoying the history of the house with some nice food and drinks at a reasonable price. With Seth's background in Asian cuisine from his Food Truck days, he created a menu with two sides: A West Side and an East Side, providing in it something for everyone's tastes. But his ultimate vision is to create unforgettable dining experiences that inspire and delight his guests. With this amazing background information, I was tempted to go try it out, and thought of all the other restaurants I had discovered in this same way. By driving by them several times until I decided it was time to go experience what's inside. I made a reservation for a Friday at 6:30 pm. When I arrived the house was so big I couldn't find thr entrance at first, but I phoned them and they told me I was at the right place and how to reach the front door. I was warmly greeted by a charming lady with a great personality and taking to the dining room of the house. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review for a better sense of the feel of this restaurant. I was seated at the table of my choice. My server Sharon had the bartender make me a Mocktail to start off with and I had a treat ordering from the menu. For appetizer some Crab Rangoons, followed by a Classic Shrimp Cocktail, and Rockefeller Oysters. As the main course, the Beef Brisket Bao Buns, and for dessert, I later order their Maple Pecan Bourbon Bread Pudding. My server came to check on my at the right times and to fill me in with the History of this house and restaurant and I had a one of a kind dining experience. I highly recommend this place for a couple's night out, or to dine with family and friends. The place provides a comfortable yet distinguish environment in which to enjoy quality time with your loved ones.

Cannot recommend this venue...contract changes by venue up to wedding week, unprofessionalism by…read morewait staff and guests had to empty overflowing garbage cans during rehearsal dinner...

Chef Claytor's food was some of the best I've ever tried. The staff are incredibly friendly, and I…read morewould gladly return. Everything is freshly made and reasonably priced, making it a fantastic dining experience.

Chef Claytor's Dream on a plate is just that! The food is delicious, and presented nicely too…read more We've tried quite a lot of things from his menu, and have been very pleased. We have recommended to our friends and even treated friends to lunch, to which they said was delicious. Ever since we discovered Chef Claytor's food, we've been ordering food every week, sometimes twice a week.

I like my wine like I like my humor: hella dry. I also have a natural apprehension toward wines…read moremade east of the Mississippi. (I know -- I am too much, sometimes.) So I was a little unsure whether the wine selection at Beliveau Farm Winery would be for me. But I'm happy to say that these guys are making some great wine. Yvan and Joyce, the owners, know what they are doing in terms of grapes and wine, because they have traveled and enjoyed wine from all around the world. They have a good thing going on here. When I visited, I did a wine tasting, which was paired with different flavored potato chips. So I got to taste several different wines. I'm more of a red wine gal, but one of my favorites at Beliveau is the Crazy Professor, which is a white wine blend: Vidal Blanc, Chardonel, Pinot Gris. They also have a tasty Cab Franc (one of my favorites, too), and another Crazy Professor wine, but this one is a red called The Professor's Crazy Estate Blend, which is Cab Franc, Syrah, Merlot and Tempranillo. Almost all of my favorites in one bottle! So, yes, you will find some great Virginia wines here. You can enjoy a glass indoors or outdoors. I hope you sit outdoors, though, because the grounds are beautiful and expansive. This place is kid-friendly and pet-friendly, too. There's lots of open space for kids to run around, and some big rocks for them to climb on.

Amazing view and lovely property! The wine was super great and staff was super helpful. Sweet…read moresurrender (?) was my favorite!

I just attended a wedding here last night and couldn't get over how lovely it was! The staff was SO…read morenice, the grounds were beautiful, the food was awesome, LOVED the dance floor and how they still had the up lighting outside with the covered roof. The waterfall outside during cocktail hour was such a nice touch and so were the twinkle lights and beautiful benches that went from the ceremony to reception as the perfect places to sit and relax. I can't wait to see the photos from this wedding. Bravo to the entire team that made this happen and congratulations to the beautiful couple!

The buffet is always good and has enough food to please everyone's palate . Desserts are good as…read morewell .

Went to watch Virginia Tech football. But the service and food were amazing. Sat at the bar with…read morethe coolest chilled area for your beverage. Will be back!

It's been at least 10 years since I've visited Bull & Bones. This establishment opened in 2008 in a…read morenew shopping center that highlighted Blacksburg's growth. I remember my visit was a special one as it was busy, yet the service and food were impeccable. Bull & Bones put their best foot forward that night and I left Blacksburg thinking that B&B was one reliable dining spot. Neal & I returned on 11/15/25 to check out Tech's football game at Florida State (our hotel wasn't televising the game). We were in town to check out VT v. Charlotte - a basketball game that featured some promising young talent for the Hokies. Of course, I arrived at B&B with high hopes since my previous experience was a memorable one. Unfortunately, my latest visit wasn't quite as good. The evening began well enough - there were plenty of available seats at the bar and we were greeted almost immediately. Our server was nice and pleasant, and returned with our drink orders promptly. We took a few minutes to look over the menu and we were able to order without issue. We weren't in a rush, and the vibe was fairly chill. I didn't expect top tier service, but there were stretches in which an employee couldn't be located in order to get continued service. For example, our server was cut (yet no one informed us) - we didn't see her after she took our dinner orders. I looked around constantly to ask for another round of drinks, but she wasn't around. While waiting for our entrees, what appeared to be the manager on duty stopped by to tell us that our entrees may take a while because our ticket was sent to the kitchen right behind a 40-top's order. He was apologetic, but we were cool with it because of the game. Surprisingly, our food arrived less than 10 minutes after the manager's table visit - we probably wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong if he hadn't said anything. I appreciated the transparency, though. I saw it as one of the evening's highlights. After the food arrived, it was a constant struggle to find any available server (as a reminder, no one told us she was cut). Refills and/or more rounds of drinks were held to a minimum. That irked me - it got to the point where I went to bar whenever I needed something (I wouldn't have minded doing that during the visit, but they set the expectation by providing table service - meaning I want table service for the duration). Neal ordered wings, while I decided to go big with a ribeye. Neal devoured his entree but I wasn't happy with mine. I ordered the ribeye rare - it came out nearly well-done. My entree came with two sides - I ordered sweet potato fries and rice. The sweet potato fries were overcooked and burnt. I tried one fry and one fry only because it was charred and inedible. The rice wasn't much better as it was cold and mushy. Since a garlic parm fries appetizer was already at our table, I loaded up on that since they were pretty good. The steak was passable since it wasn't completely dry, so I ate about half of that before I became full. So, B&B was a miss, imo, this time around. It would be easy to dismiss this as things going haywire during a busy Saturday night dinner service but, outside of the 40-top, they were empty. So, this visit felt like B&B's quality has gone downhill. I hope this isn't the norm for B&B because they honestly are a good place. But after time, some businesses lose their focus, and it felt like B&B reached that stage. Hopefully they can re-evaluate, reinvent, refocus and improve, but if their food quality continues to suffer, they won't last. Thank you, Bull & Bones. JV

A Wedding at Nesselrod on the New: A Beautiful Day Marred by Broken Promises…read moreWeddings are meant to be magical and stress-free. When we began planning ours, we envisioned an intimate micro-wedding with about 50 guests on a crisp November day. We chose Nesselrod on the New, under new ownership, for its rustic charm. Unfortunately, what should have been a beautiful experience was marred by disorganization, broken promises, and unprofessional behavior. When we first toured the venue in July, Brittany, the new owner, promised the barn would be fully enclosed with permanent walls and heated floors by our wedding date. She also offered to decorate based on a Pinterest board I sent. However, early signs of disorganization appeared: Brittany gave different price quotes, delayed the contract (which still had the previous owner's information), and needed multiple reminders on details we had already discussed. The major issue arose two weeks before the wedding when Brittany casually texted us that the barn walls would not be built; instead, she would hang cream-colored tarps. A week before the wedding, she added that the heated floors might not work either. At that point, with guests' travel already arranged, it was too late to cancel. The night before our wedding, while we were in the middle of a special family dinner, Brittany sent a picture of the barn with clear plastic stapled up around it. Her accompanying message was, "I like it better without the tarps, brings in more natural light." I responded, "The main thing is to make sure it is warm. It's going to be dark. We want the tarps." Her response? "I'm not going to use them, they cost a lot for one-time use." This was the moment everything came to a head. She had promised tarps. She had promised walls. And now she was choosing, unilaterally, to back out of those commitments the night before the biggest day of our lives. Her tone grew increasingly defensive and dismissive. She claimed she'd gone "above and beyond" for what we had paid, even though she hadn't delivered what was contractually promised. She even said she had sold a car to afford the plastic sheets, which she insisted were superior to the tarps anyway. Her texts continued to get more hostile. When I began crying, my family insisted I cease communication. On the wedding day, Brittany and her husband were still stapling plastic up hours before the ceremony. Our florist arrived to install floral arrangements on the arbor, and Brittany's husband--Joe--helped her while muttering curse words and angrily saying, "Who the f** holds a wedding in November?"*. That is not something a vendor should ever say, let alone at the actual event. Guests had to wear coats indoors because the heated floors were non-functional. Brittany and Joe spent the reception sitting at the edge of the dance floor in casual clothing, scrolling on their phones. They looked completely disinterested and detached--like they were bored employees at a DMV, not hosts of a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Two teenage girls--wearing jeans and sweatshirts--wandered through the barn mid-reception holding a small dog. They helped themselves to food, stood around the drink table, and chatted with Brittany like it was a casual get-together. They even let the dog run around the dance floor, posing a tripping hazard while people were dancing. These girls made it into our wedding photos. Let that sink in. After the event, our family stayed behind to help clean up. We had been told that we only needed to remove the trash and that the venue staff would take care of the rest. However, someone had apparently gotten sick in the bathroom--and rather than quietly taking care of it as a venue host should, Brittany confronted my family and asked indignantly, "Who is going to clean the bathroom?!" My father and daughter-in-law ended up cleaning the mess in their wedding clothes. As our family packed up the decorations, Brittany casually suggested they leave them for her to use. She also wanted to keep the extra plates, cups, silverware, and food. It felt exploitative and incredibly presumptuous. At this point, our family was so done with the situation that they only left behind a box of crackers--which Brittany said she could use to feed her chickens. Brittany may be new to owning a venue, but there's no excuse for this level of disorganization, broken promises, and rudeness. What was most disappointing wasn't just that things didn't go as promised--it was the lack of professionalism, the gaslighting, and the hostile tone she took when we asked her to follow through on basic commitments. Our wedding ended up beautiful because of our loved ones and in spite of Nesselrod. Brittany's behavior added unnecessary stress to what should have been a joyful occasion. If you're considering Nesselrod on the New for your event, I strongly urge you to reconsider. A pretty venue is meaningless without professionalism and trustworthiness behind it.

Great service, incredible property, and wonderful rooms!…read more My partner and I loved staying at this charming cozy inn. Our room, the Lily of the Valley, was clean, spacious, adorably decorated and exceedingly comfortable to stay in. We loved the wallpaper, elaborate seating, and wooden furniture accents. Most of all we loved the huge bathtub surrounded by gorgeous green tile. The inn keeper, Jeff, offered a delicious home-made breakfast in the morning and was a joy to talk with! Are you tired of staying at hotels that nickel-and-dime you and don't care about your comfort? Ditch the hotels and stay at Nesselrod of the New, you won't regret it!

Best selection and prices! The Middle Eastern take out…read morefoods are fresh and so delicious. A must try. Friendly family business with excellent personal service.

Just came here for a wedding and it was really gorgeous…read more PreWedding: The guys get to get ready in the barn and the girls get ready in the beautiful farmhouse. I didn't see the guys' area because I was in the farmhouse with the girls. It was such a cute little house - with 2 large bedrooms, one for the bride and one for the bridal party. Large bathroom connecting the rooms. There was also a sitting room where we were able to take pictures and sit a little before the wedding. There's a beautiful (but small) porch overlooking the front so we did some pictures there but it was small so wasn't ideal for a large group. Wedding: Ceremony took place outside right in front of the farmhouse and it really was scenic with the vineyard being the main view. It was cloudy and rainy when I was there but I can imagine it being magical on a better day. The pic shows about 100 guests but I can imagine it fitting more. It was lovely overall. The cocktail hour was held below the main house and it was a small stand up area. A bar in the corner and barrels for table tops otherwise. It was a bit small but if the day was nicer, we could've moved outside too. I liked the string lights above. The reception was in the main house and it was nicely decorated with string lights above. The place provided mason jars and that added a rustic simple touch to the wedding. There were only 2 bathrooms to be used though so that might not be convenient for a bigger party (I think one got clogged up during the night as well....oops). I was disappointed in the food served here. I didn't particularly liked many of the options - it was buffet style and the food was mostly cold by the time I got to it. I disliked how they did not keep the food warm.... esp. the meats! I liked the Mac & Cheese, flank steak and the cinnamon butter bread. Did not care for the bacon wrapped chicken (too dry), the veggies, and the mashed potatoes. I also did not like how they were skimpy with the food. We were the last table to go and they were still hesitant to give us an extra scoop of food..... After we sat down they announced 2nds for everyone else.... Just give us the food man.... Overall, I think it was a really quaint place to get married. Beautiful scenery (just beware of bad weather and it gets extra windy on the mountain top) and classic farmhouse.

I got married in May of 2015 at Doe Creek Farm. Allison, who runs the venue, was great from the…read morevery beginning. We only looked at a few venues because after meeting Allison who was so relaxed and friendly we felt really comfortable working with her. Besides having someone great to work with the venue is gorgeous. We got very lucky to have a gorgeous day with a backdrop that would be hard to beat. The packing house was transformed into a beautiful reception area. My wife was allowed to get ready in the old farmhouse that is on site and was never rushed and the staff bent over backwards for us on a couple of occasions. There are a ton of beautiful wedding venues around, but I can't imagine any being better to work with.