THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409140062
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Al La Carte
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
FOLKS AT the Beach have been flocking to Phil's Grill at 205 11th St. The restaurant even expanded not long ago.
Now chef-owner Phil Haushalter plans to serve the lunchtime and after-work crowd in downtown Norfolk, as well.
Phil's still-unnamed other grill will be at 120-124 Granby St. An open kitchen and raw bar are in the design for the now-vacant spot that's being renovated to seat 70 to 80 customers.
Haushalter says to look for its ``pubby and contemporary urban atmosphere'' by the end of October. Meanwhile, you can fill up with cheap eats at the original location. Call 491-7674.
Ragin' to the occasion
AC (as in cool) and ABC (as in license) spell good news for fans of the Ragin' Cajun. Owner/chef Jack Graff has more than doubled seating with the move from 23rd Street near the Oceanfront to the EconoLodge at 3108 Atlantic Ave.
Graff plans a 99-cent breakfast of two eggs, toast and coffee, fancy pancakes and New Orleans specialties like beignets.
Behind the bar that wraps around his open kitchen, he'll also stir up jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice along with changing nightly features.
One of Graff's culinary mentors was brother-in-law Chuck Mamoudis, whose Yorgy's was a cutting-edge Beach eatery in the '80s and who occasionally guest-chefs at local restaurants. Call the Ragin' Cajun at 491-8267.
Cold tuna
At Hot Tuna's Samurai Sushi Sundays, the sushi comes from the kitchen rather than from a front-of-the-house performing chef. The hand behind the scenes is Japanese-trained Chef So, who also runs the Sushi Wholesale Market in Newport News.
Co-owner Brett Kassir also says sales have soared with the addition of such recent offerings as veggie roll, California roll and spider roll (fried soft shell with flying fish eggs). Sip a 22-ounce Sapporo to authenticate the experience, at 2817 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach. Call 481-2888.
Around the campfire
La Fogata occupies what was Lista's, at 3900 Bonney Road in Virginia Beach.
The interior, once filled with Mexican memorabilia, is more sedate. And instead of flounces, servers wear pale pink polo shirts.
But the menu is extensive. Co-owner Jose Moncada, who worked at nearby Mi Casita for two years, recommends fajitas rancheros at the restaurant whose name translates to mean ``campfire.'' Call 463-6039.
Cattle call
Magnolia Steak on Colley and Princess Anne roads in Norfolk is sprucing up for the February issue of Southern Living magazine.
Chef-owner Tracey Holmes says photographers from the magazine will soon photograph the southwestern steak house.
Photogenically decorated in rust and teal, with a signature steer print on every chair, Magnolia is adding some light dishes for dieters and some heavier sauces for winter warmth.
Stop in for a varied menu of quesadillas, chili, walnut-encrusted catfish, several sizes and styles of steak, plump Santa Fe chicken and lovely little corn muffins. Call 625-0400.
New on Shore Drive
The grand opening of Dockside Inn at Lynnhaven Seafood Marina, 3311 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, is a most welcome riverside seat on the Lynnhaven.
Behind the little shop, Angelique Kambou, her husband, Costas, and Dimitris Hionis have added a deck and upscale picnic tables for spreading out steamed blue crabs, raw-bar items, creamy crab-stuffed mushrooms and a selection of fish dinners.
We stopped in for a dinner of tender grilled cobia, lightly fried oysters, and a steamed combination with mussels, clams, shrimp and oysters. Call 481-7211.
Quick bites
The Trellis, on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, premieres its autumn menu at 7 p.m. Sept. 20. Along with a five-course sampling menu, diners will see art by faculty from the College of William & Mary. Reserve a place for $40 plus tax, tip and beverages by calling 1-229-8610. . . . Savor the flavor of more art, as Norfolk's Chrysler Museum and its Palette's Cafe open their doors from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays throughout this month. Crabcakes, vegetable lasagna, shrimp primavera and chicken kebabs are among the creations on the menu. Meander through the galleries before or after dinner. Reservations recommended. Call 664-6291. by CNB