Another year. Another award…or six.

                Whether it’s in The Roanoker, Virginia Living, the nationally-read Southern Living, or our own Smith Mountain Laker.com, when restaurants get praised, The Landing gets noticed. So how does an eight-year-old restaurant in a small community get such recognition?

                They must have a recipe for success. While they probably wouldn’t give us the recipe for their famous She-Crab Soup, figuring out the ingredients that make them such a widely-recognized restaurant was pretty easy.

Artistic Flair to taste

                The perfect combination starts by mixing four open minds. The Schlosser family made just the right team. After starting and running several restaurants since 1979, they had the experience, dedication, training and know-how. Howard explains, “There’s no reason to be in the restaurant business unless you love it.” Andy added, “We bring our comforts to work because this is home.” Understanding that the ordinary just doesn’t set you apart in this business, the Schlossers constantly look for new options. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” said Howard, “We want consistency. Consistency of quality and consistently having something that you can’t get anywhere else.”

                Throw in a pound of variety. It is truly the spice of life, and the Landing knows just how to use their spices. Not only do they constantly change their menus, rotating dishes seasonally and adding new delights, they offer at least two menus at a time. Howard explains, “We want to offer the find dining that is needed at the lake. Many people base their decisions to move on retail shops and restaurants. Many realtors have told us that a visit to our restaurant encouraged their clientele. At the same time, we need to offer a menu for people who just want casual dining.” Andy likes that the fine dining spills over into the casual quality. “We have a standard for our fine dining, so even though our casual menu is priced a little lower and offers burgers or sandwiches, it’s the same quality of food.” They keep the variety going with a Sunday Brunch and special event meals such as their St. Patrick’s Day specials. The change is so frequent that Howard says as soon as they type up a menu, they find something new to add to it.

                Add a heaping spoon of travel. Andy explains this special ingredient, “Many of our dishes are inspired by the food from our travels. My sister, Karin Mott lived in Paris and brought her inspiration to the menu. And we picked up a lot of combinations in our trips to the Caribbean, Montreal and all over the world.” From their Jumbo Lump Maryland Style Crab Cakes to their Australian Rack of Lamb, while mostly French-based, their menu pulls in a little from everywhere.

                Toss in 6 dashes of experience. The Schlossers actually run two restaurants and rotate their six chefs between the two. They run Metro in downtown Roanoke and while some might think that divides their interest, it works out to give them the most advantages. Howard said, “The two restaurant balance each other. Metro is busier during the winter when the Landing slows down and the Landing picks up in the summer when everyone heads to the lake.” Andy adds, “We can offer the highest quality seafood because Metro has Sushi and that takes us to higher level distributor.” While both restaurants offer similar items, the biggest advantage is the experience the rotation gives their chefs. “The Metro has the largest chef-training area in Southwest Virginia. We actually train chefs who then move to other restaurants or rotate between our two. The benefit of the rotation is that no one gets burned out,” said Andy. He has actually trained two of his employees who are now Head Chefs at  popular Roanoke restaurants. “We want to co-operate with other local restaurants. Together we can all compete with national chains that dish out many frozen, pre-made dishes. We teach that everything can be home-made fresh and the highest quality.”

                Don’t forget the Cup of Presentation. If it seems too pretty to eat, they did their job. Don’t let that stop you, it probably tastes better than it even looks.

                Add artistic flair to taste. Whether you’re on the deck listening to the jukebox, or inside the elegant dining room looking out over the water, it’s the small details that make The Landing a place that had to turn away 800 interested patrons on Valentine’s day. Just like with their food, they offer the perfect combination of fine and casual.

                When you mix all the ingredients in a beautiful location and stir them with dedication and creativity, you get the Schlosser’s recipe for success. Let it simmer as the sun goes down and boaters are looking for a great place to hang out late, and then serve it up in style for visitors and special occasions, and you’ll have a restaurant that will always be talked about.