THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608270061
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: 73 lines
MICHAEL DULONG works underground.
He's in charge of the food service at the Church Point Manor House in Virginia Beach, where, instead of a wine cellar, there's a wine and dine cellar.
Beneath the red brick structure that is a 19th century farm house turned country inn, owner Jahn Summs has converted several charming rooms into a pub, a billiard room, and a smoking lounge as well as a dining room.
A kitchen was carved from the former root cellar; and the old stone foundations, topped with cushions, have become wall-hugging benches.
New England transplant Dulong, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, imports ingredients to sustain his five-course prix fixe menu, which changes every weekend. The cost is $35 for dinner, $75 with wines.
A recent menu featured applewood-smoked loin of rabbit, scallop ceviche with Key limes, and herb-encrusted lamb with risotto.
Dinner is served Fridays and Saturdays, brunch on Sundays. An elegant three-course brunch is $25 and includes a platter of fresh fruit.
Several a la carte items are available for a lighter midday meal.
The Cellars at Church Point is located at 4001 Church Point Road, Virginia Beach. Phone 460-1012.
New Bella Monte
With the reopening of Bella Monte in its new building at 1201 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, owner Robin Tuite has expanded her market and her dining room menu.
Thai spices and French wines are among the staples that join the familiar Italian groceries in the shop. Here you can buy all the makings of dinner and the vessels to cook them in. Kitchen and cooking accessories and gift wraps fill one side of the store.
Above the enlarged deli counter, neon letters spell ``Gourmet to Go,'' so we picked up an assortment of cold items for a picnic on the deck. Cherry peppers stuffed with cheese and prosciutto garnished our homemade sausage with peppers and onions.
Busy diners can order hot meals to go as well. Apple strudel and chocolate truffle torte were pleasing testimonial to the specialty of new chef Peter Frost. What a treat to find a Napoleon with classic pastry cream between the puff pastry layers, not just whipped cream.
Frost, who formerly ran his own bistro in Chicago, forsook the Windy City for ocean breezes and Southern warmth. He has lightened the salads and internationalized the menu with such dishes as sesame-crusted tuna, Greek olive and feta pizza, and paella, as well as the Italian dishes Bella Monte has been known for. Phone 425-6290.
Barbecue bash
Two local barbecue booths will be competing for Best Sauce, Best Ribs and the People's Choice awards in the seventh annual Budweiser River Ribfest at Town Point Park Sept. 6-8. Johnson's Bar-B-Que, 1903 S. Military Highway, Chesapeake, 545-6957, and Bo's Blazin Baby Backs by Bo and Kathy Edwards, who carry their cuisine to festivals throughout Virginia, will throw their ribs in the ring. Competitors come from as far away as Australia.
You can sample assorted barbecue platters for $3 to $6 - including side dishes such as slaw, corn, beans, and flowering onions - and listen to country, zydeco and rock music; watch cloggers; or cheer on the armadillos during the derbies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
For more information on this family food and entertainment festival, contact Festevents at 441-2345. MEMO: A la carte is published in Flavor every other week, as space
permits. If you have personnel or menu changes, openings, closings or
other restaurant news, send a brief note along with your name and a
daytime phone number to: a la carte, Flavor section, The
Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Items must
be received 10 days before publication. by CNB