THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 10, 1994 TAG: 9408100031
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A La Carte
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
IT WAS ONLY the shell of a defunct go-go bar when James, Aleta, and Paul Otley decided the 60-year-old structure on Shore Drive needed a little island spirit.
In April, they opened Positive Vibes, under the supervision of experienced executive chef and Hampton Roads native Richard Christy. Christy brought a total vision: fresh island fruits and seafoods, steel drum bands to enhance the tropical mood, and a play area for children.
Tuesdays feature island sushi with exotic fruits; Thursdays celebrate crabs with a dozen jimmies and a bucket of beer served on the deck for $16.95. Wednesdays and Thursdays, bands play calypso and reggae music from 7 until 10 p.m.
The menu travels the tropics with inspirations from Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique - and that least tropical of places, Great Britain, birthplace of the owners.
Featured are fruit relishes, moderately spiced sauces, and Christy's own take on crab cakes, shrimp creole and scallops. A steak comes bathed in a rich red sauce; pork loin is deftly spiced. Sometimes a Jamaican jerk chicken chalkboard special merges the heat of Scotch bonnet peppers with the delicacy of a chicken breast.
A large bar area, two dining areas and a deck are decorated with bamboo, thatch and parrots. Specialty beverages combining papaya, mango, kiwi, and guava with rum or fruit liqueurs are served in tall glasses, garnished with monkeys climbing paper umbrellas, paper flamingos embracing straws and plastic flamingo stirrers.
Positive Vibes is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday (brunch) and from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday (dinner).
Lunches cost from $4.25 to $6.95, dinners from $4.95 to $10.95, and brunch from $3.95 to $8.95. Parents of small children will appreciate the kids' corner, a section with tiny chairs, toys, books, chalkboards and crayons to occupy the tots while the adults linger over dinner or dessert. Items on the children's menu range from $2.99 to $3.25. Positive Vibes is at 3656 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach. Call 460-0456.
New Mexican
Two new Mexican restaurants have opened in Hampton Roads since May.
At 6031 High St., near Tyre Neck Road in Portsmouth, La Tolteca is the offspring of a 4-year-old Williamsburg restaurant with the same name. Chef Jose Baragas cooks fresh authentic Mexican food, says co-owner and manager Francisco Onate, but with the more healthful vegetable oil instead of the traditional lard for frying. A house specialty is camarones al mojo de ajo, shrimp sauteed in garlic and butter. Familiar fare is offered as well, from tacos to fajitas, under $5 for lunch and under $9 for dinner. Baragas and Onate are both from Jalisco in Mexico. Call them at 484-8043, or stop La Tolteca from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; and from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
At El Azteca at Hilltop, First Colonial and Laskin roads in Virginia Beach, meals are ``more like authentic Mexican than like Tex-Mex,'' says manager Alberto Ornelas of the food prepared by his partner Ruben Leon.
Both came from San Jose de la Baz in western Mexico, by way of South Carolina. Leon begins with a large pablano pepper for a fresh-tasting unbattered chiles rellenos with a bit of crunch left to contrast the soft melted cheese within. Sauce mole, a tricky recipe that sometimes comes out bitter or heavy, was a well-balanced topping for chicken enchiladas.
Bright white walls with green trims and mauve upholstery make a clean casual setting; umbrella-covered tables on a walled patio allow outdoor dining. At a recent lunch visit, service seemed inexperienced; we had to ask three waiters before learning that the white dipping sauce with the complimentary tortilla chips at meal's start was commercial white salad dressing mixed with chopped peppers.
More to our liking was the red salsa, fragrant with fresh cilantro and a slight peppery bite. And the chips were high quality as well, not the salty supermarket variety. Sample El Azteca from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday; and from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Call 437-1890.
At Chicks Beach
Looking for a casual night out? Amy Hogden and Michele Majane bought the laid-back Chicks Beach Cafe in December 1993 and opened with the new year.
Hogden manages the front of the house, Majane the kitchen, where Rod Podrasky is chef. Glass bricks, pale woods, cool pastels and splashes of bright tropical color create an airy mood within, contrasting the dark exterior at 4600 Lookout Road in Virginia Beach.
Early one July evening, we enjoyed appetizers from the chalkboard listing: nicely steamed oysters and a quesadilla that enclosed slices of bright orange mango and a touch of brie in a flour tortilla. A substantial fresh-looking salad was served to an adjacent table. A dozen and a half tantalizing menu offerings included blackened tuna with apple-pepper chutney, soft-shell crabs with fried red onions, lamb fajitas with guacamole, chicken breast with garlic-ginger-peanut sauce, assorted pastas, and grilled or blackened red snapper.
Salads and bread are included in dinner prices of $8.95 to $16.95. Chicks Beach Cafe is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 460-2580.
Quick bites
Casanova is just around the corner if you live in Kempsville. At Providence Square Shopping Center, Jerusalem native Samih George has opened an Italian-Mediterranean restaurant, open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Phone 495-3873. Freshly made sauces and homemade dough are features of this family restaurant. Along with pizzas and pastas, Casanova cooks Eastern Mediterranean specialties like stuffed grape leaves, souvlaki, hummus and falafel. . . . Homegrown tomatoes, Carolina crab cakes and fresh fish are among the summer specialties featured at Bistro! at 210 W. York St. in Norfolk. New Age Pork from Smithfield Foods - it's 95 percent fat-free - is skewered with lobster and scallops. Todd and Barbara Jurich's talented team of sous chefs always write a few surprises on the chalkboard, as well. Call 622-3210. . . . The Kitchen at Powhatan Plantation in Williamsburg is offering three-course Early Bird specials for $16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are a must for the small restaurant managed by C. Meredith Nicolls. Call 1-220-1200 for information. by CNB