THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412290036
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 234 lines
WHAT ARE your favorite restaurants in Hampton Roads?
Each year since 1991, Flavor has asked a panel of frequent diners to think about their top 10 dining spots. ``Tell us where you like to eat,'' we say. ``Name the restaurants you like best, and tell us why.''
Asking for ``favorites'' instead of ``the best'' recognizes how individual such judgments can be. A favorite restaurant, after all, may offer service or atmosphere at an appealing price - perhaps elevating the experience of ordinary food. The eatery may be just right for a hectic Wednesday when nobody has time to cook.
Some favorites prepare exquisite food with imagination and personal attention, for which we're willing to pay a premium. We may, however, reject a restaurant that serves fine food if the service is negligent.
The conscientious staffs and pleasant surroundings of some favorites lure us back; they win our loyalty with consistency and quality.
Favorite restaurants change with the seasons. Every summer with the first full moon, our favorite eateries have fresh soft-shell crabs; in autumn, our favorites serve hearty homemade soups.
In spring, we want to sit at an outdoor cafe with a sandwich or pasta salad. In winter, we want to linger over the daily paper in a coffee house or bagel shop.
Favorite restaurants change according to our schedules, our wallets, or whether we feel like dressing up or down.
When we're celebrating a special occasion, our favorites have candlelight and meals that take extra effort.
When we're on a deadline, we prefer a place close to the office.
When we're shopping post-holiday sales, our favorites have the shortest mall food-court lines.
When we're seeing a play or movie, our favorite is near the theater.
Favorites always reflect our lifestyles.
And like the menus of many of our favorites, our tastes are eclectic. We like the finest cut of the freshest fish, poached delicately in court bouillon with home-grown herbs.
But we also like the thinnest cut of the biggest potato, poured from a freezer bag into a wire basket and fast-fried in boiling oil.
So our favorites sometimes are a surprising melange.
Selecting this year's favorites were: Tammy Jaxtheimer of Chesapeake, director of admissions at Johnson & Wales Culinary University in Norfolk; Aubrey Escoffery of Chesapeake, assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs at Elizabeth City State University; Sam Martinette of Norfolk, restaurant columnist for the Compass, a community news section of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star; and I, an English instructor at Tidewater Community College, and Flavor restaurant critic since 1981. I live in Virginia Beach.
The panelists chose restaurants in South Hampton Roads. Quality of food counted for 50 percent of the score; service and atmosphere were 20 percent each, and value, 10 percent.
Twenty-nine restaurants were named; the eight restaurants with the highest ratings - all listed by more than one panelist - are Flavor's Favorites for 1994.
Our choices reflect the diverse interests of busy people who eat out several times a week and enjoy a wide variety of good food.
Our favorites, in alphabetical order:
Bienville Grill, 723 West 21st St., Norfolk, 625-5427.
Chef-owner Mike Hall trucks in crawfish and Louisiana oysters, stirs up serious gumbos, and creates a Big Easy atmosphere with jazz on weekends (usually no cover charge) and annual Mardi Gras festivities.
Billy Marquez oversees the front of the house. Not limited to Louisiana specialties, the menu always includes duck, chicken, beef, and local seafood.
Sunday brunch includes pain perdu and eggs sardou but, alas, no beignets. Seasonal menu changes add variety.
Bistro! 210 W. York St., Norfolk, 622-2310.
Intimate atmosphere and intriguing dishes make this bistro a best bet. Almost anything may turn up as the base for soup or pasta, often to wonderful effect.
Thai influences, California trends, Continental classics and local products meet here in wonderful ways.
The excitement of an unexpected combination draws people back to see what chef-owner Todd Jurich and his talented team of chefs have wrought.
And the menu always includes a few standards for traditionalists (but what a steak, and what onion rings!). Bistro! also was a Favorite in 1992 and '93.
The Bistro and Rotisserie at le Chambord, 324 N. Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach, 486-3636.
Brand new, this big bistro is behind and adjacent to its fine-dining parent restaurant.
At the Bistro, you're invited to dress down. But it's an elegant sort of casual restaurant with the same fine-quality food that owners Frank and Louisa Spapen serve next door.
Chef Jonathan Keegan is in charge of the open kitchen and rotisserie, where chickens, pork, lamb (and during the holidays, turkey) rotate in a glass case.
Here's a place to stop in for a bistro supper or for superior soups and salads or an extraordinary burger. And the desserts are the same lush offerings as next door.
Le Chambord, 324 N. Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach, 498-1234.
Elegant and showy with its big-city curved banquettes, white linens, serving teams and grand bathrooms, Le Chambord is romantic and energetic.
Talented chef Alain Jacqmin, who came here from a fine Belgian restaurant, brings special touches to the continental and American cuisine, stirring exquisite sauces and baking irresistible confections.
Where else can you order sweetbreads with lobster sauce or wild boar tenderloin with marinated dry figs while your companions eat crab-lobster cakes or basic white fish? Le Chambord also was a Favorite in 1991 and 1993.
Dumbwaiter - An American Bistro, 117 Tazewell St., Norfolk, 623-3663.
A smart choice for interesting fare, the Dumbwaiter is fun and friendly. If you go a couple of times, the staff will probably remember you.
You'll certainly remember the entertaining assortment of local art and artifacts, the shower-curtain room dividers and the upscale warehouse decor.
Chef-owner Sydney Meers stirs up family recipes from Mississippi, fresh seafood from local waters, homemade biscuits and breads, and scrumptious desserts. He offers affordable meals in sizes for all appetites.
Wines from an extensive list are available in flights and half bottles. And now there's a Dumbtraminer house label white. Dumbwaiter also was a Favorite in 1991, 1992, 1993.
Locks Pointe, 136 N. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake, 547-9618 or 436-0845.
Water views contribute to the charm but excellent food is the primary appeal of Locks Pointe, where chef Steve Wiles has been bringing distinctive touches to this seafood house since 1989.
The lumbering weathered-looking building has an upscale casual ambiance within, a cheery wooden deck outside. Wiles offers excellent variations of popular appetizers, plus his own crawfish cake, lightly blackened.
Luscious bouillabaisse and a fine filet mignon share the menu with seafood of every sort, including seasonal specials.
Pasta e Pani, 1065 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, 428-2299.
Now featuring a waiting area-bar, Pasta e Pani is more comfortable for people waiting for their tables.
The extensive menu includes fresh homemade pasta, hearty bread and terrific seafood specials.
Pastas flavored with lemon or black pepper, stuffed with mascarpone cheese or simply sliced for fettuccine are fundamentally good; chef-owner Angelo Serpe's sauces are wonderful.
A tiered dessert cart shows off luscious cakes; homemade Italian ices and ice creams also are available. Pasta e Pani also was a Favorite in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Ships Cabin, 4110 E. Ocean View Ave., Norfolk, 583-4659.
Firmly anchored on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Ocean View, the Ships Cabin has been a favorite of locals for three decades.
Fresh flavored breads, fresh seafoods, trained servers and talented Bobby Huber in charge of the kitchen mean diners can count on good food.
Owner Joe Hoggard always searches for interesting approaches to his basic menu, bringing back ideas from travels to Europe and California. His wine list and expertise are well known in the community.
Best of all, the Oysters Bingo appetizer is always available. Ships Cabin also was a Favorite in 1991, 1992 and 1993. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
FILE PHOTOS
Bistro! in Norfolk features intriguing dishes and an intimate
atmosphere.
The Ships Cabin, on the Chesapeake Bay in Ocean View, has been a
favorite of locals for three decades.
At the Bienville Grill in Norfolk, chef-owner Mike Hall creates a
Big Easy atmosphere with Louisiana-style cuisine.
Graphic
HONORABLE MENTIONS
These restaurants, in alphabetical order, round out our list of
favorites in Hampton Roads for 1994:
Bangkok Garden in Virginia Beach is the only restaurant in South
Hampton Roads devoted entirely to Thai food; soups, pud thai and
curries are noteworthy.
Bavarian Inn in Norfolk is small and straightforward with its
schnitzels, wursts, imported bread and inexpensive German entrees
served on blue-checked tablecloths.
Cafe Europa in Portsmouth brings Old World romance to downtown
Portsmouth, with Continental and some Eastern European specialties
including exceptional veal.
Carvers Creek in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake is an updated
version of Carver's Steak House; the prime rib is especially popular
at this upscale chain.
Chicks Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach, about as casual and close to
the water as you can get, lightly steams seafood with fresh
vegetables and mild seasonings.
Coastal Grill in Virginia Beach features chef-owner Jerry
Bryant's consistently superior appetizers and entrees in a popular
neighborhood cafe setting.
Coyote Cafe has made an old Beach house into a delightful little
restaurant with upscale Southwestern specialties.
Crackers in Norfolk is about as intimate as you can get, a tiny
restaurant with a big following for chef-owner David Blackwell's
specialties.
Five-0-1 City Grill, urbane and bustling, is a hot spot in
Virginia Beach; Cory Beisel and Mike Atkinson do new American with a
flair that draws crowds.
Freemason Abbey's weekend brunches and nightly specials, such as
lobster every Wednesday, add a casual note to the handsome
renovation of an old downtown Norfolk building.
Harry's Famous Barbecue in Norfolk is deliciously seasoned and
generously portioned, but don't overlook the ribs, fresh fried fish
and slow-cooked greens.
Kin's Wok in Norfolk stirs up an abundance of takeout items;
Singapore style mai fun - rice noodles with meat, crisp vegetables
and mushrooms - is recommended.
Lockhart's in Norfolk is an old-fashioned family restaurant that
has changed little over four decades. It serves local seasonal fish,
fried, poached and broiled.
Magnolia Steak in Norfolk's Ghent has received national
recognition for Tracey Holmes' steaks and Southwestern fare; spa
cuisine has updated the menu.
Monroe's in Norfolk is the newest of Monroe Duncan's culinary
adventures; here, he showcases favorites from nearly three decades
as a leader in the local restaurant scene.
Nawab in Norfolk was our first successful Indian restaurant and
remains a favorite place to explore this fascinating, cuisine either
with the lunch buffet or the extensive a la carte listings.
Orion's features haute cuisine in a haute location atop the New
Cavalier at the Oceanfront.
Riverwalk at the Omni International Hotel in Norfolk has an
updated decor with river view, sleek padded chairs and a modern
American menu.
Tabouli in Norfolk has redecorated the site of a 24-hour diner
with comforting creams and greens as backdrop for Middle Eastern
specialties.
Tandom's Pine Tree Inn in Virginia Beach is famous for its
extensive salad bar and traditional dining in a warm, dignified
setting.
T-bird Cafe at the Oceanfront has a boardwalk patio for warm
weather and is cozily casual in winter; inexpensive surprisingly
varied foods include hand-packed burgers and lacquered grouper with
black bean relish.
- Donna Reiss
by CNB