Table 50 Restaurant
…Celebrating a Year of Sweet Success;
Looking Towards a Bright Future

Written by Mark Hurley
Photography by Doug Miller

Eric DiLauro and Mike Caudill, owners of Table 50 restaurant at 309 Market Street in downtown Roanoke, will celebrate their first year anniversary since opening their doors on June 14 last year. As the two owners reflect on their inaugural year, they do so with a sense of satisfaction for their impressive accomplishments, coupled with a thoughtful commitment to learn from experience.

And the good news, it seems, is that Table 50 should be around for a long time. After only being open a year, Caudill and DiLauro’s “wow affect” has impressed many Roanokers and visitors of the Star City, which explains why the restaurant has become such a sought-after destination for foodies in the know. I have dined many times at Table 50 and on each occasion, I have been treated to a sumptuous meal and attentive service. Chef Caudill creates most of his recipes from scratch and has a knack for mixing the right herbs and spices to make any patron’s meal a truly unique and satisfying experience. Some of standout menu items have earned a buzz around the Valley, including the She Crab soup, a delectable cream based crab bisque; the Prince Edward mussels, mussels sautéed in a savory white wine saffron broth; the pan seared crab cakes topped with a tarragon remoulade, and one of my favorite sandwiches in the Valley, El Fidel Cuban sandwich, a grilled roast pork and ham sandwich topped with melted Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on a Ciabata bun. My sweet tooth is always tempted by Caudill’s sinful selection of homemade desserts, from the various creamy cheesecakes, to light and fluffy crème brulée, to a heavenly chocolate mousse torte topped with English toffee.

Caudill says that even though they have been successful in their first year, the business is an “evolution and we are trying to get better.”  Caudill plans to add new items to the menu this summer, including a slew of fresh seafood options. A recent innovation is that Table 50 has begun offering boxed lunches for business meetings at a reasonable $8 per person.  DiLauro adds that one of their goals is to improve on their already extensive wine list, eventually vying for a Wine Spectator Award, which would them one of only a handful of restaurants in the Valley to tout that honor.

For DiLauro and Caudill, it seems like yesterday that the two first met working at Frankie Rowland’s steak house four years ago, where DiLauro was the general manager and Caudill the executive chef. While working together they developed a solid working relationship and a common passion to branch out on their own. “My whole life I wanted to own my own restaurant,” says the 40-year-old DiLauro. He found his calling early in his childhood, watching his father Anthony, who owned a restaurant many years ago across the street from Table 50’s current location. Caudill, 37, honed his culinary skills from the venerable Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has over 17 years of industry experience. Locally, Caudill’s talents have graced such famed establishments as the Landing, the Library, and Corned Beef & Co, in addition to Frankie Rowland’s.

When 309 First Street restaurant was up for sale last year, DiLauro recalls that he felt strongly it was “now or never” to take the plunge. For Caudill, opening up a restaurant was a long time dream and when the First Street location became available, he felt in his bones that “the time was right.”  The two owners decided that they would name the restaurant Table 50, after the most requested table by patrons of Frankie Rowland’s.

“We didn’t know much about construction,” DiLauro readily admits; it was one of the biggest challenges both owners faced when starting out. Caudill adds that they were not going to spend their initial efforts on “fluffing” the appearance of the restaurant, but rather focus on what they were skilled at— providing delicious, innovative dishes and superior service. So the two owners smartly avoided major construction costs stuck to the basic refurbishments—with the exception of beautiful new dining furniture that features gleaming and stylish copper top tables. The result is an ambiance that Caudill summarizes as “upscale …with a casual feel.”

The transition from restaurant management to restaurant ownership has been an eye-opening experience for Dilauro and Caudill. Caudill describes a major difference as “some of the headaches have become all of the headaches and some of the problems have become all of the problems.” Another aspect that DiLauro and Caudill have learned is that ownership requires you to be on-site, all of the time. As DiLauro explains, “You don’t punch out and forget it about it.” But the two owners don’t mind working long hours because it is work they enjoy and feel passionate about.

Patience is something both owners have learned through working at Frankie Rowlands during its formative years. DiLauro, who was managing at Frankie Rowland’s when it first opened, remembers that “business was slow in the beginning [for Frankie Rowland’s] and it took time to develop a clientele.” Caudill adds that they understand that word of mouth is an integral piece to any marketing plan. This takes time. That is why the owners are focused on providing a wonderful experience for their guests, or as Caudill call it, the “wow affect”—with superior service and delicious food.

Table 50 is open Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 am until close. Reservations are recommended by calling 540.904.2350.

Posted: June 1st, 2007 under Taste of the City.

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~Mark Hurley’s passion for food was sparked early in life. Born in Mexico City, he grew up with authentic Mexican cuisine and after moving to New Jersey, was privy to some of the finest restaurants in and around New York City. Mark is a Roanoke College graduate who began his fifteen-year restaurant career working and managing at Corned Beef & Co. He later opened and ran the popular neighborhood restaurant, Hurley’s Restaurant, on Grandin Road between 1994-2000. Mark resides in Roanoke with his wife Joan. He can be contacted in care of City Magazine at 540.345.6300 or contact@citymagazineonline.com.