THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410260050
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: DONNA REISS
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
WE RECENTLY revisited two ``sister'' restaurants in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
Il Giardino and La Galleria are bright and lively restaurants, owned by Ruth and Richard Tavss and several partners. Both restaurants serve Italian fare with a flair.
Upscale and upbeat, both restaurants suggest the classics with their stone and tile decors, yet they are contemporary. Woodburning stone ovens bake focaccia bread; a large assortment of pastas, veal dishes, and seafood with fresh-tasting sauces comes from the kitchens. Garlic is treated with the respect it deserves: no holds barred. Portions of everything are generous.
The newer of the two, the Norfolk restaurant, is the bolder. Norfolk residents dining at Il Giardino (Italian for the Garden) at the Beach had asked for a version closer to home. So the the owners traveled to New York to see what was exciting, Ruth Tavss says.
Renowned restaurant architect David Rockwell created an urban appeal for La Galleria (Italian for the Gallery), which opened in January 1989. Two cavernous rooms resonate with cheerful diners; the award-winning light scheme casts a warm glow over soft white walls.
The name La Galleria and the decor of stone picture frames complement the d'Art Center across College Place. French doors create a sense of privacy for the smaller dining room when the huge square bar in the main room is busy. It always is, especially late on Friday nights when bands and local musicians come to play.
Chef Joey Fontaine's menu is about to become more adventurous with such additions as risotto, paella, carpaccio, portabello mushroom appetizers and black pepper fettuccine.
The Beach restaurant is the former Tenth Street Cafe, owned by Anthony Gargiulo. It became Il Giardino in 1982.
Gargiulo manages this garden spot; Felix Paulino is chef. Solarium sides create a garden mood and a vantage point for watching cruisers and strollers along Atlantic Avenue. An alfresco area on 10th Street places diners even closer to passersby.
Large dining areas often are tightly packed with celebrants enjoying large platters of seafood-laden pasta. Piano music from the lounge wafts into the dining rooms.
Amenities include valet parking and rest-room attendants. In fact, Il Giardino and La Galleria may be the only restaurants in town with staffed bathrooms. ``I hate being all dressed up when I go out for dinner and having the ladies' room not be clean,'' Tavss says.
Such services, along with plentiful portions and an always festive mood, keep the crowds coming to the gallery and the garden. MEMO: Send restaurant news, along with your name and a daytime phone number,
to a la carte, c/o Flavor, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150
W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510, or send e-mail to
dreiss(AT)infi.net. by CNB