THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501260061
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
MAYBE YOU'VE never thought about Le Chambord for an early evening snack, late-night cappuccino or quick bowl of bouillabaisse. Perhaps you didn't want to dress up after a hectic day.
Relax. Now you can come as you are to the Bistro and Rotisserie at Le Chambord, behind and adjacent to the elegant continental restaurant at Great Neck Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach.
Diners dress up or down as they wish for this spacious and sometimes bustling informal eatery. It specializes in excellent French country food, rotisserie chicken and meat, and lighter fare - at reasonable prices.
To keep the mood bistro-casual, the chefs wear chili-pepper-emblazoned caps and cook in an open kitchen behind a handsome dining bar; guests can peer into the saute pans and watch the chickens spin on the glass-fronted rotisserie.
When the 150 seats are filled, voices echo through the room, and service is erratic but upbeat. Co-owner Louisa Spapen and manager Kathleen Faulhaber pour coffee and carry plates to keep up the pace. But this food is worthy of a short wait.
My guests agreed that a crusty Italian loaf baked in the stone oven at Le Chambord was a fine way to wait for the first course; herbed olive oil on every table offered an alternative to a plate of thick butter slices. Alas, however, we had to wait far too long for second helpings. (Why not a basket on the table with several slices for each patron when the staff is busy?)
We began our repast with exceptional Mediterranean fish stew, a bouillabaisse variant with mussels, shrimp and scallops; I have made a fine light meal of this soup plus a salad.
French onion soup was a slightly sweet blend dense with onions and a thick glob of melted cheese that I gladly scooped from my companion's bowl. Fried calamari was delightfully crisp and peppery; hot crab dip was tasty and sufficient for a foursome.
The house salad of impeccable crisp field lettuces was enormous, garnished with Belgian endive and plum tomatoes; the kitchen Caesar with a few spinach leaves amid the romaine was as good as some tableside versions we've been served. This one was lightly lemony, with the eggiest sauce beneath the leaves for diners to sop or not.
On several visits the house rotisserie chicken has impressed us, succulent and reasonably priced at $8 for half a bird, $13 for the whole. This time we sampled the rotisserie duck sausages, soft mildly seasoned links with crisply browned casings and a side of sweet-sour red cabbage.
Also from the spit came leg of lamb, several slices with lots of juicy drippings to swirl into the mashed potatoes. Perfectly cooked rockfish was dotted with fragrant lemon-basil salsa, a buttery blend of diced red and yellow peppers with herbs; baked new potatoes worked well as a simple accompaniment.
The menu offers surprising variety, including a deli Reuben sandwich and an Angus beef burger as well as chicken-and-guacamole tacos. There are several pastas (the penne comes with pieces of tender chicken from the rotisserie plus leeks and thick bacon), several fish dishes and a superior steak.
Vegetarians can (and should) feast on wild mushroom lasagna rich with cheeses; or they can simplify with spinach pasta and sauteed vegetables.
On Sundays, an exceptional and moderately priced brunch buffet lines the Bistro. The salad bar has crisp field lettuces and fresh clean spinach; salmon comes smoked or poached; turkey, ham and roast beef are carved to order; eggs benedict are plumply poached.
Thin slices of lush creamy quiche from Louisa Spapen's personal recipe invite abandonment of cholesterol counts. But fresh fruit cups are available for diners with discipline. Crusty bread is delicious; heavy baking powder biscuits are unworthy.
Except for an astonishing silky crustless cheesecake, the weak link is the desserts, both at dinner and at the Sunday buffet. In the evening, a creme brulee was dense, a frozen souffle mundane. Caramel fudge pecan torte at least was rich and creamy. On Sunday, the cakes and pastries were little better than supermarket style. Surely the fine kitchen of Le Chambord can do better.
Service was fairly adept for an overburdened staff. We never could get a cappuccino after dinner; however, our server kept us informed of the delays and maintained composure despite the pressure. On other visits, including Sunday brunch, we've had excellent espresso, cappuccino and cafe au lait.
Go to the Bistro at Le Chambord for the value, for an upscale casual big-city atmosphere and for some of the best food at the Beach. The menu offers many delights, and the management is eager to please, giving us hope for improved service and sweets.
Sample the seafood soup, the mushroom lasagna, the rotisserie chicken and the incredible cheesecake. And be sure to call for reservations on weekends. MEMO: Reviews are based on a single, unannounced visit by a party of four,
unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star pay for
the reviewer's meal and those of the guests.
ILLUSTRATION: ROY A. BAHLS
The Bistro and Rotisserie is a spinoff from the elegant continental
restaurant Le Chambord.
BILL OF FARE
Bistro and Rotisserie at Le Chambord, 324 Great Neck Road,
Virginia Beach, 486-3636.
Cuisine: Excellent country French and eclectic continental and
American dinners and an exceptional Sunday buffet brunch.
Atmosphere: Comfortably upscale informality with imported bistro
furnishings and artful stone columns and sculpture.
Prices: Starters, soups and salads from $3.95 to $7.50;
sandwiches from $5.95 to $6.95; main dishes from $6.95 to $12.95;
desserts from $3.95 to $4.50; children's portions on request; Sunday
brunch, $10.95; children under 10 dine for $5.95.
Hours: from 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; from 6 to 11
p.m. Friday and Saturday; Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reservations: Recommended on weekends and for Sunday brunch.
Smoking: 33 percent.
by CNB