THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407020048
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
THE COYOTE CAFE, at 206 22nd St. in Virginia Beach, has two faces.
One is a pleasantly casual dining room with southwestern and regional specialties; the other is a lively bar packed to the walls with young locals.
A central hall ensures that never the twain shall meet, except by choice.
For the past year, Gary Black and Richie Boner have owned the site that survived several changes of ownership and management.
Since February 1994 Pat Galiardi, formerly at the Coastal Grill and the Lucky Star, has run the little open kitchen that maintains its southwestern flavor with seasonings of lime, cilantro, roasted corn and black beans.
We slipped in for a tasty dinner of red chili pasta, the noodles bathed in a light pesto cream and topped with scallops, asparagus and shiitake mushrooms.
A Caesar salad with lime zest was a perfect light meal or starter for a summer night.
Along with the menu of upscale burritos, enchiladas, grilled tuna or steak or lamb, and roasted duck, the Coyote features nightly chalkboard specials and a dozen wines by the glass. Call 425-8705.
Bagels in Ghent
Every sandwich comes with a hole in the center at Bagelworks' new place at 742 W. 21st St. in Norfolk.
The large shop is a short walk from several other popular Ghent eateries.
Already familiar to Beach people from neighborhood shops at J&B Center, Holland Road and Great Neck Village, the local minichain bakes the bagels fresh daily in such flavors as banana, pecan, spinach and even pumpkin in the fall.
Of course, you can still buy a plain, sesame, pumpernickel, or onion bagel one at a time or by the baker's dozen.
Also on the menu: blueberry and banana nut muffins and Sweet Street frozen candy-bar pies such as Heath Bar crunch.
The new Bagelworks is open daily at 7 a.m.; it closes at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 622-2955.
Fire and Ice elegance
Packed with music lovers filling up before a five-hour marathon of music at the Hampton Jazz Festival in the Coliseum across the boulevard, Fire and Ice was a rosy respite from the afternoon heat.
Gone is the eponymous mural of a frosty volcanic world, replaced by sponge-and-feather-painted faux wallpaper that my companion compared with New York bistro decor.
As eclectic as ever, chef-owner Michael Toepper continues to combine ingredients in surprising and tempting ways.
Despite our plans to order just a snack, we were unable to resist a flatbread, really a gentrified pizza, with a splendid blend of tangy goat cheese cheese and still-crisp pencil-thin fresh asparagus; chilled Caribbean black bean soup with more than a soupcon of nutmeg and a beautiful presentation, criss-crossed by paths of creme fraiche, yellow pepper cream, and tomato concasse; and a stunning substantial salad of thick slices of eggplant with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, roasted peppers, a very wheaty and splendidly seasoned tabouli atop just enough tiny lettuce leaves and tinged with a sesame tahini sauce.
Had time allowed, we would have indulged in the other evening specials, crab ravioli over sauteed swiss chard or Dijon herb-crusted double chicken with black-eyed peas and garlicky grits, or monkfish and scallops over fennel puree with a lemon-shrimp-olive oil emulsion.
Nearby tables displayed elegant dishes looking and smelling as fine as the ones we sampled. To reserve a place, call 1-826-6698. MEMO: A la carte is published biweekly in Flavor. Send restaurant news to: a
la carte, Flavor section, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150
W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Items must be received 10 days
before publication.
by CNB