THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 1, 1995 TAG: 9505270158
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On The Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
It's that time of year when three-quarters of a million of our closest friends get together along the downtown waterfront for Harborfest. A grand mix of people, food, fun and games, one of the highlights of Harborfest always is the Saturday night fireworks.
But where is the most comfortable place to watch them?
Unless you've been invited to a private party in one of the downtown office towers overlooking the river, you might want to consider one of the many eateries facing the festivities. In Waterside alone there are more than a half-dozen restaurants with a river view, offering several hundred seats.
``We'll have a picnic atmosphere on the Back Deck, with soft shell crabs, fried shrimp, steamed shrimp, pork barbecue, corn and watermelon,'' said Mimi Burns, Marketing and Group sales manager at Phillips' Seafood Restaurant (627-6600). The musical group ``The Perpetuators'' will play on the Deck Friday and Saturday night. Phillips also will offer a special of salmon roasted on an oak plank and topped with macadamia nuts, made possible by the folks at the Fetzer Vineyards.
``They are shipping planks over from France that come from the barrels they age the wine in,'' Burns said.
Phillips has 100 seats on the deck and 400 in the restaurant, Burns added. It's first come, first served, except for parties of 10 or more, who can call ahead to book a table. In that case a deposit is required, but it will be deducted from your bill that night.
It's also first come, first served at Reggie's British Pub (627-3575).
``We're always jammed, although it has slowed down as compared to years past,'' general manager Carl Costa explained. ``We've just extended the patio so we'll have about 70 seats outside.''
Reggie's will have live music all weekend, with ``Joel King & Along for the Ride'' appearing on Friday and Saturday night ($3 cover charge).
``On Sunday night around 8 p.m., we'll have a `crew party' for the people aboard the boats, and that's open to the public,'' Costa said. ``Even though it's been down-sized, Harborfest just seems to get better as it goes along.''
``We'll have reserved seating both Friday and Saturday night on our renovated verandah,'' said Steve Ratier, food and beverage director at the Omni Waterside Hotel (622-6664). The Verandah Cafe, just outside the Omni's Riverwalk, has a new turquoise awning that covers about three-quarters of the deck.
``That way some people can still sit in the sun if they like,'' Ratier said, ``and the awning is high enough that it won't block the view of the fireworks.''
A light snack menu will be in place on the verandah, but patrons may still order from the dinner menu as well.
The nearby Waterside Marriott (627-4200) was nearly booked solid when I talked last week with Ken Hawkins, director of sales and marketing, and having a room reservation is the only way you can get to the sixth-floor pool area overlooking the Elizabeth River.
``We're having a cookout, with barbecue and a bar set up to serve hotel guests,'' Hawkins said.
With only half of the Marriott's 404 rooms overlooking the action, the sixth floor's outdoor deck becomes very popular, Hawkins said.
``We have about 250 seats outside, but you can also see the fireworks from Legends, which has a lot of windows,'' said Phil Ryan, promotions director for Waterside Live! Charlie Wiseman will be playing piano at Il Porto, he added, while four national alternative music acts will appear at a party in the Bait Shack, sponsored by radio station 96X and open to the public at no charge. The groups ``Fleming and John'' and ``Wanderlust'' will play at 5 and 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by ``Sleeper'' and ``Dag'' at 4 and 6 on Saturday. The Bait Shack will have a cover charge after 9 p.m. each night, when ``One Step Beyond'' will play.
``Bennetti & Dunn'' will play at Schooner's Harbor Grill, and there will be a deejay (and a cover charge) at Legends. I'm told you can make reservations at Schooner's and Il Porto. To reach any of the Waterside Live! restaurants or clubs, call 625-5483.
I asked Phil Ryan to describe what it was like at the Waterside Live! complex last year during Harborfest:
``I don't know if I want to use the word madhouse to describe it, but you definitely feel as though the festival continues on into the night.'' by CNB