DATE: Thursday, July 24, 1997               TAG: 9707210341

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: On the Town 

SOURCE: Sam Martinette 

                                            LENGTH:   81 lines

CHILDREN INVITED TO LEARN HOW TO MIND THEIR MANNERS AT DINNER

Watching the Flying Martinettis - as I refer to my three animated offspring - plow through a meal, I am reminded of the lost art of manners.

The subject was drummed into children of my generation by mothers, grandmothers, and other earnest elders determined to hold back the barbaric impulses natural to the young. That was before television replaced well-mannered children with miniature wise-guy role models, quicker with a one-liner than a thank you.

The Education Department of the Chrysler Museum of Art has set out to remedy that situation, at least in the case of table manners, with the ``Mind Your Manners'' program, set for 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The event features a catered dinner and a workshop presided over by Lynda Dyer, president and founder of Pretty Me, Inc. According to the museum staff, Dyer has offered charm and etiquette classes to more than 20,000 students at Belk department stores along the East Coast.

The program, which costs $30 for a dinner for two, was originally intended for Dads, Grandpas, etc., and little girls, but public response has caused the sponsors at the Chrysler to rethink the plan.

``There have been so many inquiries from parents who thought the idea was absolutely lovely, and who wanted to make it a family affair, that we've decided to open it up,'' explained Ann Dearsley-Vernon, curator of education at the Chrysler. Now any and all members of the family may attend and polish their manners.

``I think it would be lovely if the dads brought the daughters and the mothers brought the sons,'' she added. ``It's amazing what you can do with children if you take them away from your own kitchen table.''

A special tour of the ``Art of the Silversmith'' exhibition will be included in the evening, highlighting fine silverware. ``It encompasses the Tiffany and the silver,'' Dearsley-Vernon added. ``And it shows that tables don't have to be dull.''

The dinner will be catered by Tandom's Madison Grill of Norfolk, and reservations are required. Call Lynne Priest at the Chrysler Museum, 664-6268, for information or reservations.

Today is the second anniversary of the Taphouse Grill in Ghent. Chef Andy Doyle, who was part of the original crew, and his new sous chef, John Rennau, have been celebrating with ``Cold Specials for Hot Weather.''

The menu additions, which will run through this weekend, feature such chilling dishes as Orange Iceberg Cherry Soup, a fresh cherry broth with an ``iceberg'' of oranges and triple sec, served with sweet croutons ($4.95); a sliced steak salad of medium-cooked steak, sliced thin over a bed of greens with mixed vegetables and your choice of dressing ($6.95); a smoked salmon club sandwich, with avocado, and a cucumber and red onion spread on three layers of wheat bread, served with two sides ($8.95).

Doyle has added a number of Vegan dishes - totally free of meat, diary and animal byproducts - partly due to his PETA clientele, but also because, ``I found vegetarianism complicated, as to the degree of who ate what, and it was easier to go Vegan.''

On the other hand, John Rennau, who joined Doyle in the Taphouse kitchen in June, has extensive experience with beef, having recently cooked at the Red Lion Inn in Boulder, and at Gorky Park in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

As for the festivities,``We'll be doing some drink specials, and we'll have live music, probably tonight, and at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday,'' said General Manager Karl Dornemann, who seemed understandably happy about surviving two years in a spot where a number of other restaurants have come and gone over the years.

The Taphouse Grill (931 W. 21st St.,627-9172) has not only survived and built a loyal clientele, Dornemann said, it has prospered to the point that owners Jim Dickerson and James Talley, who also own the Commercial Taphouse in the Fan District in Richmond, are opening a brew pub in Virginia Beach, tentatively called the Taphouse Brewery. Located in Marina Shores Shopping Center off Great Neck Road, it should open this fall, Dornemann said. Closer to home, the Taphouse Grill will host the music of the band ``Roundtree'' this Saturday, with a $2 cover charge.

Brewbakers Coffeehouse on Spottswood Avenue in Ghent has closed, at least for the time being. Attempts to reach the management have been unsuccessful. More later. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE

Chef Andy Doyle, left, and sous chef John Rennau of the Taphouse

Grill in Ghent are celebrating the restaurant's second anniversary.

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