THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508290499
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
LOCALS WHO LAMENT the loss of Virginia Beach's historic homes will be pleased to see another saved from destruction and transformed to a cozy new restaurant, Tautog's.
Retaining the flavor of the Winston cottage's 1926 origins, the new owners kept the wood trims around doors and preserved the wooden floors. Walls have been removed to open up the downstairs dining room. On the left is the bar; on the right, a stone fireplace. Meanwhile, the wide porch and a lower deck provide alfresco eating for pleasant evenings. Green stripes and hanging baskets suggest an urban garden.
Along with the delightful setting, Tautog's has an enthusiastic staff, several of them former employees of Wesley's. An upscale traditional American restaurant during the early 1980s, Wesley's occupied the site where the Blue Moon now stands. Scott Ferguson cooked there and at Wesley's Connecticut location; now he oversees the seafood at the more casual Tautog's.
To underscore the seafood emphasis, the menu has only one category of main dishes, ``Fish.'' The only non-fish dish, harbor chicken, is listed at the end as though it were a mutant form of fish. There's no nod to beef eaters here. On the other hand, the sandwich menu does offer roast beef or turkey or fresh chicken salad. Other listings are several good fresh salads, a soup, oysters and clams, and four desserts. Specials are offered from time to time.
Our waiter was smart to suggest Benny's oysters, named for the son of the former owner, born the year the Winston cottage was built. Priced at $5.95 for half a dozen and $9.95 for a dozen, these bivalves are lightly baked with just a touch of pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and Havarti cheese. The kitchen did poorly, however, on two tests of the Maryland crab soup; the menu promised ``a Chesapeake Bay Tradition,'' but what arrived was a watery vegetable soup with a few shreds of crab.
Brandy gave a kick to a generous serving of baked sea scallops sprinkled with bacon and orange zest: An unusual combination of flavors, it was interesting if not exciting. Jack's Rajun shrimp scampi was similarly satisfactory, not very reminiscent of the French Quarter except for the cayenne sprinkled around the edges of the plate for dipping. But the shrimp were large and tasted fresh.
Most special was an evening special of rockfish, a huge filet of creamy white fish with a lightly lemony sauce, perfect for a summer night.
The star of the menu is the one that seems too good to be true; Wesley's World Famous Crab Cakes. It's been almost a decade since we tasted Wesley's crab cakes; the cakes at Tautog's were worthy of some boasting. Puffy backfin crab without noticeable filler was lightly sauteed, good enough to eat alone or with a squirt of lemon. The Granny Smith tartar sauce was a tartly entertaining twist.
Side dishes were less than memorable, although the herb-dusted new potatoes were far superior to the rice. Side salads with dinner orders are only $1 extra and well worth it. Our waiter said no bread came with our meal, so we sprang for a generous basket of herb-encrusted bread ($1.75) .
Joanne's baked goods were serviceable, a fair apple strudel and tall coconut cake. But the bread pudding warmed with sugary whisky sauce was lush and lovely. And the brownie sundae that was a Wesley's signature dish has been reborn as Chocolate Tautog, a rich brownie with fudgy sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Instead of a printed wine list, servers recite the rotating featured wines, usually eight offerings.
While the current owners of the house - Bill Gambrell, Scott Ferguson and David Tuttle - were converting the cottage into a restaurant, Gambrell and his family lived on the second floor. Now that the restaurant is open, the upstairs apartment remains in use as needed by staff. The three owners of the cottage and their spouses did much of the renovation themselves, aided by local contractors. They have been joined in the restaurant ownership by two other former Wesley's associates, John Culbreth and Jim Graziadei.
In the two months since it opened, Tautog's has improved every time we visited. Based on conversations with the enthusiastic owners, we expect this trend to continue.
MEMO: Reviews are based on a single, anonymous visit by a party of four,
unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the reviewer's meal
and those of the guests. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
ROY A BAHLS
Tuna Martinique ($10.95) features tuna marinated in lime, garlic,
olive oil and red onions. Side salad is $1 extra.
ROY A. BAHLS PHOTO
Tautog's owners - Bill Gambrell, left, John Culbreth and Scott
Ferguson - renovated the building with their spouses' help.
Graphic
BILL OF FARE
Tautog's, 205 23rd St., Virginia Beach; 422-0081
Cuisine: Seafood specialities, sandwiches, rich desserts.
Atmosphere: Casual, cozy beach cottage with double decks for
outdoor dining.
Prices: Starters and side dishes $1.75 to $10.95; main dishes
$4.95 to $10.95; desserts $2.95 to $3.50; children's portions
available on request.
Hours: Nightly from 6 p.m.; late night menu from 11 p.m. until
midnight Monday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. weekends.
Reservations: Not accepted.
Smoking: Variable.
by CNB