THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609240038
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Morsels
SOURCE: Ruth Fantasia
LENGTH: 72 lines
SOMETIMES, all it takes is the right man.
GreenTrees Cafe, at 112 Bank Street in Norfolk, is now open for dinner. For years, owners Hershel and Helene Blum resisted suggestions to expand their breakfast-lunch-catering-gourmet market business into the dinner hours. But in order to hire executive chef Kevin La Civita away from Norfolk's venerable Harbor Club, the couple had to open at night.
The new dinner menu isn't big, but what La Civita does, he does well. During last week's opening, we sampled a sauteed wild mushroom appetizer, crabcakes with pommery honey mustard sauce and roasted herb-crusted lamb chop with port wine demi glace. All were prepared to perfection. Beef, chicken and pasta dishes round out the menu and imaginative entrees, such as venison meatloaf with Jack Daniel's blueberry sauce, will bring us back again.
La Civita, who is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., is known for his sauces and his ability to pair them creatively with foods.
You can finish off the meal with an espresso or one of Helene Blum's desserts, such as pear sour cream pie and triple chocolate cheesecake.
GreenTrees serves dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. The cafe and market is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Parking for dinner customers is provided at the Nations Bank garage at Plume and Bank streets. Call 625-2455 or 625-7041.
Chicago-bound
Sages, the trendy bistro on Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach, has undergone some changes. Executive chef Pat Gilardi resigned to accept a position at Charlie Trotter's, a nationally acclaimed Chicago restaurant. Gilardi became part of the Trotter's staff on Monday.
The coupon report
It's no surprise. According to our informal and unscientific InfoLine poll, Hampton Roads residents don't want to lose their coupons.
Eighty-eight percent of the callers said they use coupons regularly. Another 11 percent said they could do without them if manufacturers reduced prices. The remaining 1 percent said they hate coupons, the things are too much trouble and the world would be better off without the extra trash.
The big surprise is what some Hampton Roads residents do with the savings from coupons. Grace Dail of Norfolk says the money coupons have saved her over the past 20 years has sent her to Europe, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Other callers said they put the money aside for Christmas presents or just ``other things.''
But perhaps the most significant result from our poll is the number of people who would abandon name-brand products if coupons were discontinued. Nearly 20 percent of the people who use coupons regularly said they would save money by purchasing store brands or generics instead of name brands.
Alicia Finney of Norfolk said it best: ``If they want me to be a loyal customer to their brand, they better make sure I have a coupon in my hand.''
How was the food?
As the first season of the Virginia Beach Amphitheater comes to a close, The Virginian-Pilot will take a look at what the new arena has brought to the area. One of the topics we'll look at is the food. Was it good? Was it priced fairly? How do you think it compared to the fare in similar venues such as Harbor Park, Scope and Hampton Coliseum?
If you'd like to comment, call 640-5555 and press category 3663 when prompted. Please leave your name, city of residence and daytime phone number with your message. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
RICHARD L. DUNSTON
The Virginian-Pilot
Chef Kevin La Civita comes to GreenTrees Cafe from Norfolk's
venreable Harbor Club. by CNB