The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced today that they are stripping Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and giving him a lifetime ban from cycling. Armstrong has stated he will not fight these most recent charges by the USADA and seems resigned to the fact that the organization will not stop until it strips him of his titles for his alleged doping. The USADA has finally achieved the goal of stripping Armstrong's success from him, but I'm wondering what good it did for the sport of cycling.  

I don't know if Lance Armstrong took a banned substance or not - and frankly, I don't care. If there is anyone who could be given a free pass for taking a banned substance, it would probably be Armstong. He beat cancer and then returned to become one of the best cyclists in the world. That's ridiculous. And even as he has now been stripped of his Tour de France titles, he still serves as an inspiration to people around the world, especially those who are battling cancer.

So cycling took its most successful figure and pulled him down into the mud with the rest of the sport. Professional cycling is so corrupt it's laughable, even more so than Track & Field. In a sport that you would think to be relatively pure because of its very nature, cycling has regular suspensions, bans, and stripping of victories because of blood doping, taking banned substances, and other illegal tactics to gain a competitive advantage. A great example of how pathetic the integrity of the sport is would be how Jan Ullrich of Germany should now be awarded three Tour de France titles for finishing runner up to Armstrong. Only problem with that is that Ullrich has already been stripped of his runner up titles for doping. 

So the USADA has proven its point - Lance Armstrong was dirty. I don't necessarily believe them but I think it's funny that they are so determined to bring Armstrong down. It actually seems like it was a relatively equal playing field since almost all of the cyclists seem to be doping. And at the end of the day, what was actually accomplished from this announcement?

In the last two weeks, I've been to Cornerstone Bar & Grill in downtown Roanoke twice for lunch. I think I've now been probably five or six times for lunch or dinner, and I can't think of a meal I haven't enjoyed there. If you asked most people in Roanoke if they have heard of Cornerstone, they would say it's a bar that is downtown by the City Market Building but I don't think they would mention anything about the food, much less about the fact that they serve surprisingly good food.

Aside from the fact that they have a great location downtown, there isn't a ton of atmosphere for Cornerstone. In this sense, it's just a typical bar. However, they do have two additional floors for seating as well as some outdoor seating that is great for people watching in one of the more pedestrian-friendly areas of downtown Roanoke. Also, the past two times I've been, I was really impressed with the service. The waitresses were extremely friendly, checked our table multiple times to see if we needed anything, and the food was served quickly in both visits. Again, the little things people probably wouldn't expect when they drive by.

I think the food offers one of the best lunch deals in town, especially downtown where prices seem to be constantly rising (cough...Firefly...). I've ordered wraps during my last two visits and those are served with a side and drink for $8.00 I've tried the BBQ Chicken Wrap, Southwest Chicken Wrap, & Basil Chicken Wrap and all three were very good - the basil chicken being my favorite. Grilled chicken, basil, tomato, cheese, and balsamic in a wrap is a wonderful combination. And contrary to my ordering habits, they do offer things other than chicken wraps. For a side, I can't recommend anything other than the buffalo chips with a side of ranch. It's the flavor of a cajun fry in the shape of a potato chip and it's heavenly.

Downtown Roanoke isn't lacking in good restaurants and more seem to be on the way. Cornerstone Bar & Grill seems to be one of those good restaurants that stays under the radar and that's fine with me. I'll keep enjoying it while everyone else misses out.

Information:
Cornerstone Bar & Grill
24 Campbell Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24011
540.527.2789

Nicole and I are always looking for fun ways to spend a Saturday. When the weather is nice, we'll head over to the pool. Other times, we'll hit up the great farmers market in downtown Roanoke. And sometimes, we make our way down to Blacksburg to hang out there for the day. From our many trips to Blacksburg, I've noticed a number of cool local restaurants I wanted to try, and one of those was Our Daily Bread, which we tried for the first time a few weeks ago.

Our Daily Bread is a combination of bakery/cafe/pastry shop/restaurant all rolled into one location. Ironically, it is located in an old, rather unattractive strip mall. They also distribute bread to markets and restaurants around the region, including selling their loaves at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op. Nicole and I had stopped in once before just to see the inside of the restaurant and we sampled some slices of bread, but didn't end up ordering anything. This time, I planned ahead and was looking forward to finding something good for lunch. 

Sadly, the main word I'd take away from my experience would be "disappointing." While trying to figure out what to order for lunch, the entire set up was rather confusing. I was unable to find a menu and couldn't figure out where I was supposed to place my order. I eventually made my way over to the cash register and ordered and then was told that my food would be right out. As I was waiting at the counter for my food, another staff person asked me if I needed anything and I mentioned that I hadn't received my food. She proceeded to get my sandwich for me but I still felt like this was a very unorganized process. 

Once I started eating, the disappointment continued. I ordered the special for the day - a sandwich with turkey, provolone, pesto, tomato, & peppers on sourdough bread, and the sandwich was good. It was toasted and a little oily from the pesto but had good flavor and crunch. However, it was served with a side of a sort of avocado fruit salad. The flavors in this side are something I would normally like, but it was served hot and I considered it to be inedible. Again, the continued theme of me sitting there thinking, "What are they doing?"

In all, I was hoping for a lot more from Our Daily Bread. For $8.00 for my sandwich and side, it isn't something I'd be interested in returning for again. And I hope I was just there on an off day for the service and flow of ordering because that seemed to be an unnecessary frustration. If nothing else, I might just stick with regarding Our Daily Bread as a cool local bakery and pass on the restaurant.

Information:
Our Daily Bread Bakery & Cafe
1329 South Main Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060
540.953.2815
ww.odbb.com