THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406210064
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: DONNA REISS
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH: Medium
Mahi-Mah's opened Memorial Day weekend - and none too soon to judge by the folks manipulating chopsticks around pinwheels of rice and seaweed swirled with fish and vegetables.
{REST} Sushi selections can be ordered from the lounge and dining room, as well as from the small, curved sushi bar tucked in the corner, not from the outdoor patios.
Watching the Boardwalk and beach while ordering flounder, tuna, octopus and salmon wrapped around rice, we thought manager Chuck Sass had made a savvy decision.
Named for the Mah family, co-owners, as well as for the famous fish, this spacious spot on the oceanside of the Ramada Inn at Sixth and Atlantic also offers a full-service menu designed by Sass.
Wielding the sushi knife is Tomoyushi Yakimora; cooking in the main kitchen is Harry Boyer. Both are big-city imports: Yakimora is from New York and Boyer from Boston. Sometimes Sass, known locally as an excellent chef, takes a turn in the kitchen.
The lounge is large, handsomely decorated in dark woods and wrought iron. Its long bar is partially divided from the booths and tables and their ocean view. A small more elegant dining room is separate.
Bands, including Steel Drums from Trinidad, will play on afternoons from 4 to 6 (3 to 5 on Sundays). Call 437-8030.
Seaside dining
Some people like to surf, sail, swim and fish. For others, the only worthy aquatic activity is waterside dining.
Recently, we drove to the restaurants along the Lynnhaven River in Virginia Beach, enjoying soft-shell crabs and soft summer breezes.
Boaters can dock beside the decks and dine aboard or go inside; others can watch the parade of large and small craft or peer across the water at the grand estates. Everyone can enjoy the sunsets.
Chick's Marina & Oyster Bar is the smallest of four restaurants. Its tiny deck is mostly covered. Lively and rustic, Chick's also is the least formal, a place where you can order mussels by the bucket. Pasta with shrimp or scallops is sauteed behind the bar; there's a long list of imported beers.
Chick's neighbor, Angler's Cove, is in the former Anchor Inn. More spacious than Chick's, the Cove has a more extensive menu as well, including combinations like broiled scallops on a potato pancake topped with melted cheese and bacon.
Around the curve of the road and the river, Bubba's beckons with its water-washed deck. When the tide's up, ducks swim right up to the railing and docking boats slosh water on customers' feet. More than one family has made a tradition of taking out-of-town guests to Bubba's for crab feasts, piling the tables high with steamed jimmies.
Biggest, most commercial and site of a spectacular cylindrical fish tank, Henry's also is home to perhaps the brightest restaurant sign in town. Its blinking lights advertise fresh fish and jet-ski rentals. Still, the double-decker deck is expansive and elevated, making the view one of the best on the river. With its several dining rooms upstairs and down, Henry's accommodates more folks than the other eateries. It features a full menu of seafood favorites and a Sunday breakfast buffet with omelets to order.
Quick bites
The Distinguished Restaurants of North America, an organization of restaurateurs throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, has awarded its 1994 DiRoNA awards to a half-dozen Virginia restaurants. Included are the Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn, the Dining Room at Ford's Colony and the Inn at Little Washington. The honor is given for ``an extraordinary dining experience with absolute quality and value.'' . . .
Had enough of nautical themes and nostalgia motifs? The Paragon chain thinks we're ready for a mountain lodge mood at Carvers Creek, which emphasizes prime rib, beer cheese soup, mashed potatoes and other American favorites. One local link is a brand new stone-fronted restaurant on Laskin Road; the other is a renovation in Chesapeake, formerly just plain Carvers. They're scheduled to open this week. Call 425-2621 for Viginia Beach, 523-6188 for Chesapeake. by CNB