THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407120117
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: On The Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
The unfinished ceilings, cracked walls, exposed duct work and the Americana Room with its beef hoof lamp and cowboy print sofa are only part of what make the new Dumbwaiter on Tazewell Street the most revolutionary Norfolk restaurant to open in memory.
A hand-painted, life-sized Elvis cutout looms over the stairs leading up to the main dining area on the mezzanine that chef and owner Sydney Meers built with the help of his father.
What's been called ``Norfolk's most irregular bar'' is a rough-hewn marble counter that meanders here and there beneath lopsided spirit racks that are topped with a host of vintage chrome and Bakelite cocktail shakers, and no longer serves as a mere waiting area as did the old Dumbwaiter bar.
Nooks and crannies allow customers intimate dining spots. A sofa situated at the front of the mezzanine, under potted palms, overlooks the front door. Diners may relax among the vintage floral-design pillows and observe those arriving below. A large table in the back seats large parties, or Meers may combine smaller groups at his whim to stimulate the mix.
The unfinished look, the raw art and the occasional eccentric customer all seem to contribute to a familiar feeling, as if you've been there before, in New Orleans or New York or San Francisco. But make no mistake about it, there's no other place anywhere like the new Dumbwaiter, with Meers' unique balance of respect for the things of his 1950s childhood and his slightly skewed sense of humor.
``We started rebuilding in late September,'' Meers explained. ``My father and mother came up from Mississippi to help and Dad stayed four months. Employees helped with the demolition. We did everything we could do without needing a license.''
The 7,000-square-foot building dates to 1925, and stands on the site of the old Tazewell Plantation, according to Meers. It last was a savings and loan office. The two floors in service now total about 3,500 square feet, a lot more space than the old location a block away. The Dumbwaiter was forced to move when its landlord, Commonwealth College, took back the space. So after five years and three weeks on College Place, Meers and associates packed up and literally carried the restaurant to its new location.
``We were dealing with trying to move into the d'Art Center and realized we would have some of the same space problems there,'' Meers said. ``One of my friends owned this building, so instead of doing a 10-year lease we decided to buy the building.'' Plans call for ``dumbapartments'' to be built on one of the four floors and the other will serve as an office and home for Outer Fringe, a business Meers has started to recover period furniture with vintage fabric.
``Customer response has been more than what I expected,'' Meers said. ``I was afraid people would say it's different from the old Dumbwaiter, but they seem to like this. I'm happy because I was closed for three weeks and lost a lot of money.''
As for the Dumbwaiter menu, lunch still offers small, medium and big courses: items such as grilled tuna with roasted elephant garlic spinach and smoked tomato with lemon butter ($4.25); an open-faced sandwich of smoked beef tenderloin, grilled red onion and pimento cheese ($5.85); and grilled chicken on capellini with shiitake mushroom and Danish blue cheese sauce ($5.85).
A small course at dinner might be the grilled, peppered charred tuna on red oak, with a roasted elephant garlic tomato coulis ($4.50), while the ``bigger dishes'' might be a grilled smoked beef tenderloin with horseradish grits and a crimini mushroom reduction brown sauce ($15.75), or the excellent vegetable saute of portabella mushroom, tomato concasse, spring onions and spinach with a turmeric and oregano rice mix ($8.50). ILLUSTRATION: Sydney Meers says customers like the new Dumbwaiter.
AT A GLANCE
What: The Dumbwaiter
Where: 117 Tazewell St., 623-3663. On-street parking.
Food: New Southern, regional; full ABC; extensive wine list.
Prices: Dinner entrees $3.50 to $15.75.
Hours: Lunch from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; dinner from 5 to 11 p.m.,
Mondays through Thursdays; 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturdays;
closed Sundays.
by CNB