THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509180288
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On the Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
``Dinner is Served'' this weekend at 50 area homes to benefit Full Circle AIDS Hospice Support. Hosts are serving up their own chow to friends for donations to help end-stage AIDS patients.
It's probably too late to hope for an invitation to dinner, but there are still limited tickets available, in exchange for a donation, for the big finale of the evening at Stockley Gardens, where champagne, coffee and desserts will be served under the stars to the music of the Connie Parker Jazz Trio.
``Everyone invited to a dinner is automatically invited to join us at 9:30 at Stockley Gardens for some fabulous desserts, courtesy of area chefs,'' explained Martin Mendelsohn, director of Full Circle, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.
``This is our second year,'' Mendelsohn said. ``Last year we had about 20 dinners and had between 250 and 300 people show up at Stockley Gardens. This year we're having approximately 50 dinners and expect 600 at Stockley Gardens.''
According to Mendelsohn, Full Circle has supported 65 clients with AIDS since January 1995 by delivering more than 4,000 donated meals, as well as providing volunteer ``buddies'' and drivers to deliver the meals.
``The party at Stockley Gardens is our way of saying thank you to all of the people who are participating in the `Dinner is Served' evening,'' he said.
For information, call the Full Circle office, 622-2989.
The folks at d'ART are planning to turn up the heat on Friday, Oct. 6, with their annual art auction. This year's theme is d'ART Deco d'LIVE from South Beach. D'what? You ask.
For a ticket donation of $15, patrons may browse and bid for art during a silent auction and reception that will feature complimentary hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer. There will be a cash bar during the main auction out back under the big top. Participating eateries will include The Dumbwaiter, La Galleria, the Town Point Club, Maude's, Open Wide, the No Frill Grill, the Harbor Club, Freemason Abbey and the Marriott Waterside.
Those attending are encouraged to dress in Latino-South Beach inspired attire. The South Beach area of Miami is oh-so-hot now, with its deco hotels, trendy shops and pleasure palaces catering to the Northern jet set that heads south for fun and the South American jet set that comes north. We're talking tropical cool here, post-Miami Vice threads with an attitude.
I'm told there will be some celebrity auctioneers on hand to assist William Summs of Atlantic Auctions in soliciting bids, and based on the auctions I've attended in past years, there should be plenty of great art for sale. The party begins at 6 p.m. Call d'Art (125 College Place, 625-4211) for information.
The last time I mentioned Bobbywood (7515 Granby St., 440-7515) the restaurant had not opened yet. We went for dinner last week with a group of six and found the food to be excellent. Everyone sampled a bit of each other's meal, which gave us a good overview of that week's menu.
Our soups included chilled cream of avocado with lump crab meat ($4.50), pan-roasted Surrey sausage, arugula, orzo and chicken au jus topped with a tomato concasse ($4.25), and a cream of roasted garlic with oven-dried tomatoes and parmesan croutons ($4) that was quite wonderful. An additional appetizer of peppered, seared tuna with grilled onions, peppers and summer squash on baby greens with a roasted shallot vinaigrette ($6.25) was rare enough to preserve the fresh taste of the fish.
Our table's entrees included grilled lump crab cakes with garlic grits, grilled summer squash and a papaya cocktail sauce ($16); bow-tie pasta with blackened chicken and snow peas in a creamy parmesan sauce ($11); a creamy risotto, tossed with rock shrimp, scallops and mussels ($16); a very tender filet mignon served on Yukon Gold mashed potatoes with roasted shallots and garlic in a natural reduction ($17); and a braised lamb shank with a creamy mushroom risotto, stewed vegetables, a tomato demi-glace and fried carrots ($16) that was as tender as it was huge. This was followed by two of Chef Bobby Huber's calorific chocolate desserts. Whew!
It would be hard for me to pick a favorite out of the bunch, having tried a bit of all. My filet was wonderfully done, as was the lamb shank. The bow-tie pasta with chicken was rich and dreamy. The mushroom risotto was divine. It was a feast.
If this was a screen test for Bobbywood, I can't wait for the sequel. by CNB