
DATE: Thursday, August 7, 1997              TAG: 9708040388

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: On the Town 

SOURCE: Sam Martinette 

                                            LENGTH:   86 lines

THE 219, WITH ITS FUSION FARE, REPLACES THE DOWNTOWN TROLLEY

If you ever tried The Trolley - the eatery on across from the Federal Building - you recall red-painted windows, quick and simple food, eccentric characters at the bar and bread pudding desserts.

Now all that has changed. Brothers Roger and Tom Evens, and Tom's wife, Lisa, have opened The 219 restaurant on that spot, and it is as different from the Trolley as night and day, which you can now distinguish through the windows.

``It took us three days just to scrape the windows,'' Roger Evans said. The renovated eatery has new pastel-colored stucco walls, brightly appointed tables set with linens and a new central air-conditioning unit humming away. (They kept the old Greyhound ticket booth, the traffic light and the bar.) The Brothers Evans seemed relaxed for veteran restaurateurs from Virginia Beach who just opened up a business in downtown Norfolk.

``We like the location,'' he explained. ``It's a corner spot with high visibility, and we didn't come in with the idea that in two years downtown will be a vibrant place. We're not waiting for the (MacArthur) mall,'' he said. ``We believe if we are the best we can be, people will come downtown to eat. We want to be a place people can come into two or three times a week, a casual place where you can get upscale food at a decent price.''

Roger Evans, 35, worked a decade at Diamond Jim Brady's, waiting tables and learning the bar, then as general manager at San Antonio Sam's at the Beach and in Ghent. Tom Evans, 31, worked at the old Isle of Capri but spent most of his career at Alexander's On The Bay, perfecting his tableside service.

Tom's wife, Lisa, works alongside the brothers, and Roger's wife, Holly, designed the logo, menus and the cool T-shirts the waitstaff wears.

``We're so much a family place that we have a mother and son chef team in the kitchen,'' Roger quipped, referring to Marilyn and Erik Heilig. Erik came from Taboo, in Chesapeake, while this is his mother's first restaurant experience. ``She's a natural chef,'' Roger Evans said. ``Her home kitchen looks like Taste Unlimited, with all sorts of spices and condiments.''

As for the menu, it's fusion fare, with a definite touch of the Southwest, and a nod to nouveau Italian, with dinner offerings ranging from Mustard-Miso Scallops (pan-seared sea scallops on a bed of coconut rice and baby vegetables, ``drizzled'' with a mustard-miso sauce - $13.95), to Mom's Rustic Spaghetti (vermicelli topped with a tomato sauce with sausage, beef and crimini mushrooms - $7.95).

Other dinner entrees include Southeast Asian Catfish ($10.95), lightly dusted, fried and topped with a ginger-chive sauce, served with coconut rice and baby Chinese vegetables; Thai-inspired Grilled Chicken ($9.95); a spicy, marinated chicken breast served with lotus chips, baby Chinese vegetables and coconut rice, with a garlic dipping sauce; a lean-generation Tequila Pork Loin ($9.95), rubbed with chili and herbs, slow-roasted and spritzed with tequila-lime sauce, served with a poblano chile mashed potatoes and vegetables; and Asian Noodles with Tofu ($8.50), marinated tofu sauteed in chili-garlic sauce, tossed with Japanese noodles, shiitake mushrooms and watercress in a mirin-ginger dressing. At the high end of the entree list are the Grilled Tenderloin with Cabernet & Wild Mushroom Sauce ($15.95, with poblano-mashed potatoes and vegetables), and Marilyn's Crabcakes, market-priced.

Julie and I never made it past the appetizers, soups and salads, starting with a Black Bean Cake with Goat Cheese ($3.95), a surprisingly moist cake topped with liquefied goat cheese, scallions and spices and served with a rich pico de gallo and creme fraiche. Then followed excellent Crab-Tortilla Flats ($6.95), a crispy tortilla quartered and topped with avocado-corn relish and wonderful mini-crabcakes that made a mouthful with each bite.

Our soup was New Wave Mussel Stew ($7.95), mussels in a rich misty green seafood broth flavored with cilantro, green onions, jalapenos, ginger and cream, and served with a shell of ancho chili jam (save some bread for dipping).

There's much more, and you can try many of these dishes at lunch, as well as sandwiches and gourmet pizza - I'll have to return to The 219. It will be worth more visits. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE

Roger Evans, left, Lisa and husband Tom Evans have opened The 219 on

Granby St., across from the Federal Building.

Graphic

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: The 219

WHERE: 219 Granby St., 627-2896

FOOD: Southwestern-inspired, Asian fusion, nouvelle cuisine; full

ABC

PRICES: most dinner entrees $8-$12 range

HOURS: lunch, Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner daily, 5-10

p.m., or later