THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505180059
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F7 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
WHEN I moved to Virginia from inland Georgia, friends insisted I try a soft-shell crab sandwich.
Biting through the cushion of bun into an unexpected crunch, I thought, ``This shell isn't soft at all.''
And so I was initiated into the local rite of summer.
Now, I devour fresh soft-shells during their too-short season.
Not far from my Virginia Beach home, I've had them Vietnamese-style with a light ginger sauce at La Caravelle or sauteed with garlic and lemon at Le Chambord.
Sometimes I toss a few on the grill with chunks of garden vegetables on the side for a simple charcoaled summer supper.
But fried is a local favorite.
Thickly battered versions are available just about everywhere; when the cooking oil and crab juices soak into the bun, the result is delicious.
My preference, however, is the variation at the Coastal Grill on North Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. Chef-owner Jerry Bryan and sous chef Mo Cucchiaro serve a limited menu of classic American and continental dishes of uncompromising quality.
Always absolutely fresh and prepared to order, the crabs are lightly battered, cooked until crunchy but magically greaseless, and arranged on edge around a dollop of scallion sauce with the restaurant's signature acorn squash or grilled corn-on-the-cob.
In Norfolk, my first choice for soft shells is Bistro! on York Street. Todd Jurich's team of chefs always offers an innovative turn on the ordinary. The restaurant started this season with a soft-shell appetizer lightly battered and fried, served on a bed of greens and surrounded by herbed russet potatoes and a fresh lychee with its distinctive rough red skin.
New at the Oceanfront
Tautog won't be the only fish on the menu at the restaurant under construction at the Winston family cottage on 23rd Street at the Oceanfront.
Partners Bill Gambrell, Jim Graziadei and Scott Ferguson plan ``a small restaurant with a big attitude about food and service,'' Gambrell says.
Bringing their experience from Wesley's, a continental and classic American restaurant that once stood where the Blue Moon now operates on Holly Road, they will offer raw bar items, steamed seafood, a small selection of seafood combinations and fresh fish, prices averaging $11.
Scheduled for a Memorial Day opening, Tautog's will serve three meals a day.
Summer Oasis
Celebrate summer's start with a Virginia wine tasting dinner at Le Chambord, North Great Neck Road and Virginia Beach Boulevard, at 7 p.m. May 24.
Oasis Winery will match its Virginia wines with five courses from chef Alain Jacqmin, who will prepare fillet of sea bass with asparagus and lime-basil sauce, crawfish bordelaise, and muscovy duck and quail in cherry sauce.
Reservations are essential for the $55 inclusive dinner. Call 498-1234.
Pier Cafe
Soothing gray tones, expanses of glass for year-round comfort, and outdoor seating on the fishing pier characterize the new Pier Cafe at Lynnhaven Fish House, 2350 Starfish Road in Virginia Beach.
Hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily in summer. The menu includes sandwiches, snacks and inexpensive entrees.
The priciest item is $11.95, but most dishes are under $8.
Acoustic music accompanies the meals from Wednesday to Sunday nights. Call 481-5950. 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