THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601090079
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: RESTAURANT REVIEW
SOURCE: Sam Martinette
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
When Bettie Dexter and her sister Merri decided what to call their new cafe, a saying of their father's came to mind.
``Dad always used to say that everything is copacetie, copacetic,'' she explained. ``It's a family joke.''
The Copacetie Cafe has opened in the former Gus', on the corner of Granby and Charlotte streets. Its menu is both healthy and inexpensive, which should make it popular with downtown workers and, the sisters hope, with TCC students this fall.
As bright and open as Gus' was dark and foreboding, the new cafe offers a whimsical approach to dining. There are more dots per square inch on the floor than Howdy Doody had freckles. Add tables designed as puzzle pieces - Bettie Dexter insists that she can fit them together - and you have 2,500 square feet of a very unusual eatery.
Dexter recently returned to Norfolk after 15 years in New York City working with a public relations firm.
``I've always wanted to do this, and one of my sisters, a social worker, was complaining about spending $8 or $9 for a sandwich at lunch, so we designed a menu that would keep lunch under $5 for a sandwich and a drink.''
They chose downtown because of the promise that TCC offers and because space was cheaper. With a dozen tables and several counter seats, the Copacetie Cafe is offering a healthy rather than a heavy lunch.
Sandwiches come with a choice of salads from the three or so served daily. For a dollar you can add a bowl of soup. The sandwiches include the 5th Avenue pita, stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, snow peas, cucumbers, egg and sprouts and a yogurt sauce ($3.50); the California Baked Cheese of homemade sourdough bread with tomatoes, cheese and sprouts or avocado ($3); and the popular Bon Appetit, a large croissant with mounds of chicken salad prepared with a dash of cayenne pepper, almonds and walnuts, and topped with sprouts or lettuce ($3.50).
Carnivores may choose the New York-style ham and cheese on homemade rye ($3.75), or meatballs in a marinara sauce covered with mozzarella cheese and served on an Italian roll ($3.75). There are chicken or tuna platters with a mound of slaw, salad and bread ($3.75), a crab meat platter and a variety of quiches.
Soups offered on a rotating basis ($2 a bowl) include potato, French onion, lentil, split pea, tomato basil with cheese ravioli, and a very good clam chowder.
Currently open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, the cafe will add appetizers and change hours next month when it receives its ABC permit. Colorful and clean, the Copacetie Cafe (455 Granby St., 623-2761) is definitely different.
New Art/New Wine 1996 opens Friday night at the d'Art Center (125 College Place), with a 6 to 8 p.m. reception showcasing the works of resident artists, as well as the wines of Virginia's Oasis Vineyards and Broudy-Kantor Co. Inc., which is celebrating 100 years in business. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
``We'll have all sorts of art in the show, from artists in the Center as well as from several alumni,'' explained d'Art's executive director, Susan Bernard. ``It's a chance for the artists to display their new art of the new year and highlight what goes on here all year long.
``Some artists will be showing things that are different from what we've come to expect. For example, Vonnie Whitworth has been known for her watercolors for years, and she'll be showing oil paintings. Bob Holland, known for his realistic depictions of nautical scenes, has produced some abstract work. It'll be the first chance to see it all.''
Bernard expects 30 to 35 artists in the show, which will hang at the d'Art Center until March 3.
``We'll have wine tasting at several locations throughout the Center tomorrow night, and good food will be available,'' she said.
Restaurants set to be on hand include La Galleria, Freemason Abbey, Open Wide, the Way Off Broadway Java Bar, and Bobbywood.
``There will be door prizes and some art for bids at a silent auction, so people can sip and bid for what they want to buy in different galleries,'' Bernard added. ``It's a good way to chase away those after-holiday blues.''
For information, call 625-4211. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
Owners and sisters Merri Dexter, left, and Bettie Dexter flank
Copacetie Cafe manager Linda Reingruber.
by CNB