THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505100126
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On The Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Big things are happening along the newly fashionable north end of Colley Avenue.
Fellini's, with its fabled California-style gourmet pizza and Greek salads, has opened for business in the former location of Wilma's Chili Parlor. Down the street where the Jewish Mother in Norfolk (and River's End, Colliponte, Colley Bay Cafe and 52nd Street Cafe) operated, the Big Easy has opened, for lunch this week and soon for dinner and Sunday brunch as well.
You may recall the flurry of press coverage when Wilma's closed abruptly last month. I asked Mike Cavish of Fellini's if he felt like the most hated man in the restaurant business, and he laughed.
``I think anybody who has been in business would side with me in terms of how we closed,'' he said. ``To my knowledge, everyone on the wait staff and all of the cooks have found jobs. Wilma (Stocks) and I are still talking about opening another Wilma's in a different location.''
Fellini's opened on 21st Street in November 1988 and moved down the block to larger digs years ago.
``I had a five-year option left on the lease,'' Cavish explained, ``but I wanted a longer lease - 15 years or more - and the negotiations simply broke down.
``I looked at what it would take to convert this place, and we decided it would not be too difficult to make it look like and function as Fellini's.''
Upon entering the renovated restaurant last week, I was amazed by the newly constructed fireplace and mantel, a hallmark of the original Fellini's location. Also on hand is the deli case that has long served as a stationary dessert cart, now separating the two halves of what Cavish calls ``the largest bar in Ghent,'' an elliptical affair much larger than the bar in the last location, which served mainly as a staging area for tables.
What was once a game room has been remodeled to provide the open kitchen familiar to Fellini's regulars. In fact, the kitchen space is larger than the entire original Fellini's.
``We'll have a much larger saute line, with up to 20-some burners,'' Cavish said. ``We'll have more refrigeration, and it's Ann's (Ribar) and my intention to add some clam and mussels appetizers and put an Italian steak and some veal on the menu to give the place more of an Italian restaurant feel.''
But will the carriage trade motor north on Colley Avenue to dine?
``I'm a little concerned that some of our lunch business coming from downtown may think this is too far to drive,'' Cavish said, ``but we have 80 parking spots here and across the street, and once they realize how easy it is to park, I think they'll come.''
Cavish said he'll offer valet parking at night, with the attendants doubling as security.
As for the menu, it will remain the same for the first month, offering the 19 or so gourmet pizzas that have evolved over the years, such as a Thai chicken pizza of diced chicken, marinated in a peanut ginger sauce, with green onions, sauteed zucchini, julienne carrots and roasted peanuts, or the Cuban pie with a black bean sauce, mozzarella cheese, andouille sausage, red and green onions, and topped with sour cream.
Pasta dishes include linguini with a pesto sauce, angel hair with meatballs or Italian sausage, shrimp Alfredo, rigatoni with sweet sausage and more. The house specialty Greek salad is but one of five offered but clearly the star. Fellini's kitchen (40th & Colley, 625-3000) will be open from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 4 to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Cavish hopes to extend the hours soon.
Cavish's new neighbor at the Big Easy (5212 Colley Ave., 423-1100) is the sixth operator at that spot, a fact that manager Trish Peters said was in the restaurant's favor.
``My lucky number is six, and this is my sixth restaurant I've worked with, so we're here to stay,'' she said.
The Big Easy is open for lunch this week, offering the likes of a chicken Cordon Bleu croissant ($6.25) and lunch platters of Cajun catfish ($8.25), chopped sirloin ($5.95) or Dijon chicken ($6.50), to name a few. Dinners, which should start this week, include scampi, a mixed grill and tuna with Creole sauce. I'll have more later about the food at the Big Easy. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
Ann Ribar and Mike Cavish have moves Fellini's and its
California-style gourmet pizza to the formerr location of Wilma's
Chili Parlor.
by CNB