Dining Out!
Big Bird Bounds Onto The Dining Scene

   In case you’ve had your head in the sand about healthy eating, ostrich, with its low fat and cholesterol and mild beef-like taste is being touted as a healthy alternative to the meat from cattle.
   Antonio Vieira, who with wife Melinda, own Vieira’s in Burnt Chimney, takes the subject of ostrich very seriously. “We have a dinner entree and an appetizer and people love it.”
   According to statistics from the USDA, ostrich meat is lower in fat and calories than turkey, chicken, pork and of course beef. “I thought I’d try it as a special and people told me I was crazy but it went fast,” he says, adding that people travel from Martinsville, Lynchburg and Roanoke for the delicacy.
   Vieira, who is originally from Brazil, offers the best of his homeland on the menu - Seafood Amazon,which includes jumbo shrimp and scallops simmered in a picante Brazilian sauce and served with pasta and vegetables. and scallops. There are five additional Brazilian dishes to choose from along with veal, poultry, beef and seafood entrees.
   Vieira worked at Luigi’s in Roanoke for four years; The Pilot House at Smith Mountain Lake for three years and then went after his dream of owning a restaurant.
   “I love to cater to customers...make what they like.” And cater he does. If a customer has a special dish that’s not on the menu,  he will prepare it with ample lead time. He also prepares the “catch of the day” for fishermen who have made a haul.
   His wife Melinda runs the dining room, and does the bookkeeping. Trish English assists Vieira in the kitchen.
   Much to the dismay of Lake residents, there are no plans to move closer to the Lake. “I don’t really want to. I make enough to support my family, keep my customers happy and myself...why expand?”