THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511280082
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON THE TOWN
SOURCE: SAM MARTINETTE
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
As further evidence of the restoration and revival of the downtown end of Granby Street, live theater is to return at the new Way-Off Broadway Java Bar.
Located at 100 Plume Street West (623-PLAY), about a block and a half from the Virginia Stage Company's home at the Wells Theater, the new theater and restaurant opens this week, based on conversations I had with two of the four partners last week.
All four are show-biz pros who say that gives them the luxury of not having to earn their living from the operation right from the get-go.
``We'll open and serve breakfast and lunch at first,'' Ray Brown said. ``Once we get into our evening shows in mid-January, we'll offer full-length shows already produced in New York.''
Brown operated the Omni Dinner Theater for seven years but was quick to point out that the new venue is not dinner theater.
``If anything we're a cabaret theater,'' he said. ``We're into meatier substance. We hope people will come and have dinner and see the show, but tickets will be sold separately, in the $8 to $9 range, and that won't include a choice of chicken or beef.''
Jay Lockamy, another partner, is a veteran of the restaurant business on Colley Avenue - behind the bar at Intermission and as manager of Elliot's - and stand-up comedy as a member of the ``Open Season'' troupe. He said the Way-off Broadway Java Bar will in some ways re-create the atmosphere of the early Intermission, with 8-by-10's of area personalities mixed in with theatrical portraits.
``It'll be the kind of place where we encourage customers to bring a book and nurse your cappuccino,'' he said.
The other partners are Russ Stine and Mike Goldman.
The Java Bar will offer a dozen or so gourmet coffees, espresso, cappuccino and mocha blends, and should have an ABC permit in place by January. For now, sandwiches include the Brando (roast beef, Swiss cheese and house dressing), the DeMille (ham and havarti), and the Eastwood (three meats, two cheeses).
Lockamy said the resemblance to the Intermission is intentional.
``I was lucky enough to work there when it was the coolest place in town,'' he said.
For those who don't remember it, the Intermission opened in summer of 1976, when the Ghent restaurant district pretty much consisted of Dan's Hideaway (now Kelly's), Otto's Meat Market (a butcher shop, not a disco, in what is now Elliot's), the Amrit (a vegetarian restaurant popularly called the Armpit, in the space that now houses Magnolia Steak), and the long-gone Belmont.
I was the original manager of the Intermission and stuck away an open menu. I found it recently, in mint condition, a reminder of my salad days.
A look at Intermission prices is amusing; please note these are not prices for the new Java Bar. In 1976 a 10-ounce Delmonico steak cost $5.95, and a pound of New York Strip was $7.95. The top-selling steak - a marinated ``Hunk of Steak'' - was $2.95. An order of steamed shrimp (slightly less than a pound) cost $6.50, and a steak and lobster shish kabob on rice was $5.95.
Those 1976 sandwiches included The Duke (a half-pound burger with fries or potato salad), which cost $1.50, and a Critic's Choice (hot pastrami with grilled knockwurst and Swiss), which was $1.75. A large pizza loaded with everything cost $3.60. Sophisticates could buy a split of Cold Duck ($1.50) or a tiny bottle of Mateus for $1.75. A full bottle of Taylor Extra Dry Champagne, imported from New York, would set you back $7.75, and a bottle of Beaujolais was $6.50.
So much for another walk down memory lane. As for the Way-Off Broadway Java Bar, look for breakfast and lunch at first, then a theater that will comfortably seat 35 patrons.
``More if they're friendly with each other,'' Russ Stein said.
With its proximity to the Wells and Chrysler Hall, perhaps it heralds the creation of a downtown theater district.
The King's Head Inn and The Big Easy, two music venues that also offered food have closed. The venerable King's Head opened its doors on Hampton Boulevard in the 1960s and over the years has hosted many now-famous music names. The Big Easy, formerly The Jewish Mother, Colliponte, Colley Bay Cafe and the River's End, was located at the foot of the Colley Avenue Bridge. by CNB