The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 89
A Hidden Hershberger Gem
For some reason, I always overshoot Vina Cafe. Tucked next to the Uhaul store on Hershberger Road by Ferncliff Road, Vina Cafe serves some of the most unique Vietnamese
dishes in the valley. A tiny restaurant with only a few tables, the cooks and servers at Vina
are friendly and quick to help decipher the menu. While they serve phở and bún, I like
to visit for bánh xèo - Vietnamese crepes - and Bo Kho - a hearty beef stew. Bánh xèo
is one of my favorite dishes, and one I never thought I'd see here in Roanoke. Instead of
the flour crepes we're used to in Western cuisine, bánh xèo features a thin, crispy wafer
crepe made from rice flour, mung beans, coconut milk, and turmeric, with, at Vina Café,
shrimp and pork mixed in. In order to assemble and eat, you wrap pieces of the crepe
in lettuce, add some bean sprouts, and dip in a coconut water and fish sauce concoction that's both sweet and sour. It's messy but satisfying. Bo Kho, on the other hand, is
the polar opposite: a huge bowl of beef broth laced with lemongrass and star anise with
chunks of incredibly tender beef and carrots throughout. I liken it to a pot roast stew
of sorts and, during snowy winter days, it's the dish I crave the most in Roanoke. Like
everything I've sampled at Vina Café, the Bo Kho is warm and rich and like a hug from
your mother - if your mother were an incredibly talented Vietnamese cook who could
always be found cooking her heart out on Hershberger Road.
Vina Cafe | 2942 Hershberger Rd NW, Roanoke, | 540-366-2205
Vina Cafe offers unique
specialties like bo kho (left)
and bahn xeo (above) that
are worth seeking out.
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The Roanoker - May/June 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - May/June 2015
The Best of Roanoke 2015
Rockledge: The Grand House on the Hill
Fantasy Sports: Diehard Drafters in Every Season
Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks All in One Book
Tastes of Asia: Visits to 4 Vietnamese Dining Rooms
Letters & Worth a Click
From The Editor
The Flavor
The Calendar
The Gist
Get Outside
The Dish: Dining Guide
Where Are They Now?
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Intro
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Cover1
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Cover2
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 3
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 4
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 5
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 6
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 7
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 8
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 9
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Letters & Worth a Click
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 11
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - From The Editor
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 13
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - The Flavor
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - The Calendar
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 16
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 17
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 18
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - The Gist
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 20
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 21
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 22
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 23
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Get Outside
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 25
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 26
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 27
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - The Best of Roanoke 2015
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 29
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 30
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 31
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 32
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 33
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 34
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 35
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 36
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 37
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 38
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 39
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 40
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 41
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 42
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 43
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 44
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 45
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 46
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 47
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 48
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 49
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 50
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 51
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 52
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 53
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 54
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 55
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 56
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 57
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 58
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 59
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 60
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 61
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 62
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 63
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Rockledge: The Grand House on the Hill
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 65
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 66
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 67
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 68
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 69
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 70
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 71
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 72
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 73
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 74
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 75
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 76
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 77
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 78
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 79
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Fantasy Sports: Diehard Drafters in Every Season
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 81
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 82
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 83
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks All in One Book
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 85
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Tastes of Asia: Visits to 4 Vietnamese Dining Rooms
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 87
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 88
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 89
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 90
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 91
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 92
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 93
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 94
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 95
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - 96
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - The Dish: Dining Guide
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Where Are They Now?
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Cover3
The Roanoker - May/June 2015 - Cover4
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