Loose Leaf Notes

– The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 29, 2015 (with the exception of the last two photos.

In the nearly four months that Hillsville’s Hardware Bar & Grill has been open, the restaurant has had two ribbon cutting ceremonies, has hosted birthday and retirement parties and has been open for Monday night football.  In late July, Virginia Tech head Coach Frank Beamer – a past Carroll County High School quarterback – had lunch at the restaurant with his old school mates during a Coming Home themed camera shoot that focused on Beamer’s early life.

Serving Southern-inspired American cuisine with gourmet flair, the restaurant is owned by Floyd residents Logan and Kelley Tiebout.   The couple, who are the parents of two-year-old Emery, has 20 years of restaurant experience between them. “We looked for a location in Floyd, but when a friend showed us this place, we saw the potential,” said Logan Tiebout, who worked at Chateau Morrisette for 12 years.

Tiebout explained that the restaurant building, situated across the street from the Carroll County Courthouse, was once home to a hardware store.  About ten years ago it was renovated into a fine dining establishment, the Hardware Company.   More recently, it was home to a Mexican restaurant.  The Tiebouts restored the south-of-the-border themed space to relaxed elegance, adding new touches and doing the work themselves, which included scrapping fiesta-green painted chairs down to the original wood.

The restaurant includes a dining room with tables and booths, an upstairs bar with more seating and a large basement, where they discovered a treasure trove of historic framed photos that now grace the restaurant walls.   Original wood floors and a silver tin ceiling are striking features that frame the décor. Regional craft beers are on tap, and some of the wines served are from the Chateau Morrisette Winery.

The food, which brings flavorful blends and artful presentations together, has been drawing positive attention.  Some of the lunch menu selections are named with hardware themes, such as the Pitch Fork, the Tool B(e)LT and the Sledge Hammer, a house ground burger with cheddar cheese and bacon.

Dinner choices include crab-stuffed salmon topped with lobster bisque, shrimp and grits in cream sauce and slow roasted pork tenderloin with mushroom marsala and seasonal vegetables.  The showstopper desserts are a reason alone to keep customers coming back.

Last Saturday the restaurant served about 130, Tiebout said with a smile.  He figured those customers were locals, people coming off the interstate and tourists who were in the area enjoying the fall colors.  Another reason for Tiebout to smile:  The Hardware Bar & Grill was just named #1 Hillsville restaurant on TripAdvisor, an online traveler’s choice awards site that features customer’s ratings and reviews.   – Colleen Redman

Note: That’s me and my dear friend Juniper (pictured below) who took each other out for our birthdays. We had been trying to do it since mine in May. Hers is this week. Happy birthday, Juney!

Photo #1 is of restaurant owner Kelley Tiebout. Photo #3 is of is pastry chef Ann Christian, head chef Dushan Sumanasyriya and restaurant owner Logan Tiebout, who treated us like queens.

The Hardware Bar & Grill is opened Thursday – Saturday for lunch from 11:30 to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 – 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.   Mondays they are open from 6:30 to 11:00 p.m. Call 276-728-3141 for more information.  Visit Hardware Bar & Grill online and on Facebook.