THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160655
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: On The Town
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Monday night seems like a good night for a glass of wine, especially if you're fond of Beaujolais Nouveau, which will be sampled at Il Porto at The Waterside, or any of a number of fine wines from the Oasis Vineyards, which will be coupled with the eclectic food styling of Bobbywood.
The Il Porto event will benefit Samaritan House, a United Way-affiliated agency that is owned and operated by Virginia Beach Ecumenical Housing Inc. Samaritan House provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless families. The second annual Noveau Nite is part of a continuing campaign to pay off the remaining $70,000 of the building loan for a domicile that provides temporary shelter for seven families fleeing domestic violence.
The practice of sampling Beaujolais Nouveau wine is largely a media creation, but a fun practice nonetheless. The new Beaujolais is destined to be red table wine in bistros and eateries all over France, but some marketing whiz came up with the idea of flying it to America with great fanfare, and a new autumn wine custom was born. The wine itself is simple and mellow and easy to enjoy, even if you aren't strictly a red wine aficionado.
At Il Porto on Monday, the chefs will prepare a number of dishes to accompany the 1995 Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, and a representative of the French winemaker will be on hand. A new product produced closer to home also will be sampled - Norfolk's own Steamship Microbrewery's Captain's Lager and Raspberry Ale. There will be a silent auction featuring a Bermuda cruise, weekends for two at an Edenton, N.C., bed and breakfast, and at The Lodge in Colonial Williamsburg, as well as many other items.
Tickets for Noveau Nite at Il Porto are $40 per person ($75 per couple), and include wine and beer samplings and ample eats, I'm told. Entertainment will be provided by The Buckman-Johnson-Spicer Trio. Advance tickets are available at Il Porto (627-4400) and Samaritan House (430-2642).
Across town at Bobbywood, the wines of Virginia's Oasis Vineyard will be paired with Chef Bobby Huber's fine food. Bobbywood, by the way, has opened to rave reviews, both from food writers and the critics who count: the customers. On our last visit every seat in the house was taken, and we arrived for a late dinner at 9:30 p.m.
These are the pairings of food and wine for Monday night's dinner: the first course will consist of crawfish, ginger and Napa cabbage spring rolls with a spicy pecan ettouffe, served with an Oasis brut sparkling wine. That will be followed by a nutmeg-laced puree of pumpkin with bourbon-glazed walnuts, champagne-poached oysters and coconut-fried shrimp, accompanied by an Oasis Riesling.
The third course will be spaghetti squash, tossed with applewood-smoked bacon, a half-quail, roasted and stuffed with wild mushrooms, and served with a peppered chardonnay cream. An Oasis Barrel Select Chardonnay will accompany the quail. Next up will be a seared Hangar steak with stone-ground yellow grits in an intense cabernet reduction with roasted garlic and shallots, with frazzled onions and fresh morels, served with a '93 Oasis Cabernet.
Still hungry? Last but not least will be a ``tower of white and dark chocolate,'' filled with a Frangelica mousse and fresh berries, and served with a raspberry coulis. The dessert will be accompanied by an Oasis extra dry champagne-method sparkling wine.
Monday night's dinner at Bobbywood will cost $55 per person, plus tax and tip, which will work out to $71.50 per person and must be pre-paid. Call the Ward's Corner restaurant for details. Bobbywood (440-7515) is located at 7515 Granby St. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
Steven Johnson and Dana Buckman will provide entertainment at
Nouveau Nite as two-thirds of the Bukman-Spicer Trio.
by CNB