THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508020036
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
SOURCE: DONNA REISS
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
THIS SEASON brings an abundance of activity to the restaurant scene in Hampton Roads.
Bobby Huber, formerly executive chef at Ships Cabin in Norfolk, is putting the finishing touches on Bobbywood, at 7515 Granby St. in Norfolk.
The handsome wooden horseshoe bar of Jerry's, the former neighborhood hangout in the location since 1942, will remain as the centerpiece, separating two new dining areas.
Still under construction but scheduled for completion by mid-August, the eclectic new American restaurant already has a yellow wall with painted film strips and cartoonish paintings. King Kong wears a Bobbywood T-shirt; the famous hillside Hollywood sign reads - you guessed it - Bobbywood.
An open kitchen with brick trims and a wood-burning oven will be the stage for such productions as cream of roasted garlic soup, chicken leg stuffed with Smithfield ham and a side of garlic grits, and onion crusted salmon fillet with spinach potato cakes, Huber says. Lunches will feature sandwiches Italian-style, and soups and salads. Call 440-7715 for more information.
Meanwhile, at Ships Cabin - the 30-year-old upscale casual seafood restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay at Ocean View - Gary Day has taken charge of the kitchen. Day cooked at the Cabin for two years, under Huber's supervision.
Traditional seafood and an impressive wine list remain the highlights of the menu, enhanced by influences from California and France, where owner Joe Hoggard has traveled. (For reservations, call 362-4659.)
Hoggard also is rejuvenating what used to be Fellini's, at 123 W. 21st St. in Norfolk's Ghent. The result will be a still-unnamed cafe with fresh Italian, French, and California casual foods, Hoggard says.
Anne Ribar, who was a partner for many years at the 21st Street Fellini's, will join Hoggard to manage the kitchen.
Regular readers might recall that Fellini's moved to 3910 Colley Ave., the former Wilima's Chili Parlor, in May. The Parlor's Wilma Stocks is still in town, and looking for a new kitchen.
Whew!
Look for Hoggard's new restaurant to open by summer's end. BISTRO WINE & DINE
Pride Mountain wines will be featured at the Bistro! at 210 York St. in Norfolk from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday. Chef-owner Todd Jurich is designing a menu to match winemaker Bob Foley's Napa vintages.
Barbara Jurich, Todd's wife and an organic gardener whose fresh fruits and vegetables often grace the restaurant's dishes, describes Foley as ``an-up-and- coming California winemaker'' who not only makes a remarkable Merlot but also plays the guitar and may well sing after supper, along with Jim Stansberry of Country Vintner.
A few seats are available, at about $60 plus tax and gratuity. Call 622-3210. CIGAR CHOMPIN'
Areo Sea Grill on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach will celebrate the second month of its new cigar room on Aug. 16, a five-course meal, and wines and cigars.
At the first cigar dinner in July, about 20 people gathered in the restaurant's back room, which has a sophisticated smoke ventilation system, says restaurant manager Michael Scaramellino Jr.. A visit to Sam and Harry's, ``a cigar-friendly restaurant in Washington, D.C.,'' inspired this first cigar room in town, Scaramellino says.
Cost for the event is $75; call 428-0111 for reservations.
by CNB