Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 29, 1995 TAG: 9511290017
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DEBRA GORDON THE NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long
Chef and co-owner Amy Brandt is not above changing her menu every two or three weeks if that is what's needed to take advantage of the plethora of vegetables, seafood and meats available in eastern Virginia. And you can be sure her weekly specials will resonate with the pick of this week's crop.
``What comes through that door had better be the best,'' said Brandt, talking about the food supplied to her by local farmers and fishermen.
``Our success lies in the consistency of the quality of the product and the presentation,'' she said.
One list of specials, for instance, included an appetizer of grilled calamari over sliced tomatoes, Vidalia onions and fresh basil with a sherry vinaigrette, and an entree of herb-roasted pork loin chop served over a saute of tomatoes, garlic, herbs, Calamata olives and angel-hair pasta.
``I want the customer to look at the menu and say, `Gee, I never thought about putting those things together.' '' Brandt said.
Appetizers run from about $3.95 for the house salad to about $7.50 for the Bruschette Sampler, featuring rustic country-style bread rubbed with garlic and served with four toppings: roasted eggplant spread, smoked fish salad, tapenade and roasted garlic, and goat cheese.
Although the menu changes frequently, Brandt's signature dishes remain available.
Entrees like shrimp and chicken over pasta bows with sun-dried tomato cream sauce. Or tuna Strindberg, a tuna steak encased in a pepper-mustard-onion crust that is then baked and served with tomato apple chutney.
For a Caribbean note, Brandt serves the Bayou Banana Split, blackened tuna with sauteed bananas in a pineapple, brown sugar and rum sauce. ``So you have this hot, salty, sweet thing going on,'' Brandt said.
Entrees range from about $15.50 to about $18.50.
Desserts are baked on the premises or by the restaurant's former sous chef, who has opened her own dessert business. They include such delectables as Mocha Latte Cake, a chocolate coffee mouse cake; Blueberry Tart with Romanoff Sauce; and Savannah Sundae, a pecan cookie with vanilla ice cream and poached peaches.
Brandt came to cooking via her French/Swiss parents. ``They were very food-oriented,'' she said. ``Not haute cuisine, more country-style food, European food.''
Her parent's interest in food, coupled with her own passion for art - she paints when she's not cooking - lends her culinary work a flow and color not present in all dining experiences.
Brandt graduated from the Rhode Island campus of Johnson & Wales University, College of Culinary Arts. Her experience there was the first time she'd worked in a professional kitchen. These days, her domain is the kitchen, while her partner Butch Butt manages the restaurant and wait staff.
And the name Lucky Star?
``It just seemed everything fell into place for us to start this place,'' Brandt said, gesturing around the restaurant. ``It was like we were under our lucky star.''
Autumn Bisque
2 ounces canola oil
2 each yellow onions, peel and julienne
2 each butternut squash, peel, seed and cut into large pieces
4 each carrots, peel and chop
2 each Rome apple, core and dice medium
2 each russet potatoes, peel and dice medium
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Calvados or Applejack spirits
1 cup sour cream
1 each Rome apple for garnish, dice small
1 each Bartlett pear for garnish, dice fine
Heat a large broth pot over medium heat. Add the oil and onions. Saute until the onions are beginning to turn brown, or caramelize. Add the squash, carrots, apples, broth and potatoes. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Puree and return to the burner and heat over medium heat. Add the herbs, white pepper and cream. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Combine the spirits and sour cream.
To serve, ladle hot soup into prewarmed bowls, spoon the sour cream mixture onto the soup and garnish with the diced apples. (Serves 8)
| - Recipe supplied by restaurant; tested by members of the junior elemen of the Tidewater Chef's Association, American Culinary Federation and Johnson and Wales University College of Culinary Arts.
The Lucky Star
Address: 1608 Pleasurehouse Rd., Virginia Beach. Phone: (804) 363-8410. Specialty: Fresh-quality meals, creatively prepared. Price Range: Entrees $14.95-$17.50. Hours: Monday through Saturday 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; open Mother's Day. Reservations: Recommended. Dress: Casual to dressy. Payment: Cash, local check, VISA, Mastercard, American Express. Alcoholic beverages: Wine, beer, mixed drinks. No-smoking section: Yes; all seating no smoking except bar. Handicapped accessible: Yes. Additional information: Wine dinners
by CNB