THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 10, 1995 TAG: 9508090055
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A La Carte
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
FRANKIE'S PLACE for Ribs has expanded, bringing its tangy, smoked baby backs and crunchy onion ring loaves to two new locations.
Owned by Frank Baumann Sr. and his son Frank Jr., Frankie's first Place for Ribs opened at 408 Laskin Road in 1982. The second Frankie's was opened at Fairfield Shopping Center; the newest additions are at 2947 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, and 146 S. Battlefield Blvd. in Chesapeake. They include ``kids' corrals,'' supervised play areas with video games, blocks, coloring books and more, to entertain children while parents linger over dinner.
The restaurants are open daily from 4 p.m. Call 428-7631 for Laskin Road, 481-9350 for Shore Drive, 495-7427 for Fairfield, and 546-0030 for Chesapeake.
12 taps
At the Taphouse Grill on 21st Street near Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk, you can tap into a dozen microbrews. Each is available in three sizes, from a 4-ounce sample ($1), to a pint ($2.95 to $3.95).
General manager Karl Dornemann calls this offshoot of Richmond's Commercial Taphouse ``a pub for the '90s.''
Virginia Beach native Nancy Cobb, who has cooked in Wisconsin and in Richmond, is in charge of the kitchen. The menu includes an unusual assortment of munchies, such as croutons baked with roasted garlic and served with goat cheese and crimini mushrooms.
The Taphouse also servers burgers, club sandwiches, and several entrees and salads. It's open daily from 4 p.m. Call 627-9172.
Southern specialties
Renowned Southern chef Edna Lewis will come home to Orange County, Va., on Aug. 20 to host ``Foods From Virginia's Fields and Streams'' at the historic Willow Grove Inn.
Southern cooking will be celebrated from 1 to 5 p.m. at the 18th-century plantation and Virginia Historic Landmark that Angela Mulloy converted to an excellent restaurant and charming inn.
The day's buffet will include fried spot, baked Smithfield ham, homemade blackberry cordial, Monticello tomatoes, silver queen corn, homemade vanilla ice cream and damson plum tarts. Monticello's viticulturist Gabriele Rausse will select the wines.
Chefs from notable restaurants - among them Jimmy Sneed of Richmond's The Frog and the Redneck - will contribute to the buffet. Peter Hatch, director of grounds and gardens at Monticello, will talk about the gardens and conduct a tasting of heirloom vegetables. Poet Nikki Giovanni will read.
Proceeds benefit the Society for the Revival and Preservation of Southern Food, founded by Lewis. Cost is $75; reservations required. Call 800-WG9-1778.
International cafe
A touch of Thai, a soupcon of French, a pinch of Italian and some American specialties meet under one roof at Eurasia.
Chef-owner Amarin Reelachart won a following when he cooked at Pasta e Pani and at the Big Tomato. Now in charge of his own Virginia Beach kitchen and open only a few weeks, he demonstrates his talent with surprising and pleasing offerings.
Reelachart's spring rolls, for example, are light and fresh, surrounded by tangy tamarind-ginger sauce. Continental training shows in a bowl of Italian seafood stew overflowing with shellfish. Even the baked chicken is special, stuffed with just enough spinach and cheese to add a nouvelle American touch to a classic.
Southwestern and Cajun dishes and local favorite flounder bring additional variety. The menu is small, the mood informal, the servers enthusiastic and the food delicious.
Eurasia is open for lunch and dinner at 4000 Virginia Beach Blvd. (at Loehmann's Plaza). Call 463-7146. by CNB