DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709090126

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: ON THE TOWN 

SOURCE: Sam Martinette 

                                            LENGTH:   70 lines

CHECKING MANGO'S, CHEAP TACOS AND THE MYSTERY RESTAURANT

Look for a Latin-American Carnival-type atmosphere in Chef Mike Hall's new Mango's, currently under development on 22nd Street. The 132-seat establishment is being built in the 4,200-square-foot space formerly occupied by Sudsy's in the Center Shops, just across the street from the Gene Walter's Marketplace.

``We're going to do an island of Caribbean-American fusion food,'' Hall said last week. ``We'll have wings, ribs, Cuban black beans, jerk chicken, tortilla-wrap sandwiches, some quesadillas - south of the border type foods. But it won't be all Caribbean, we'll also have a cheeseburger. I'm so excited to be selling french fries, I can't tell you.

``It's going to be down-scale compared to the Grill,'' he explained, referring to his decade-old Bienville Grill on 21st Street, famous for its Creole, Cajun and American Regional cuisine. ``Mango's will be an entertainment center, with pool tables, televisions, a VCR, and we'll have theme nights, like a Jimmy Buffet night or a raggae night. It's going to be a fun place, and everything's going to be under $10.''

Mango's (738 W. 22nd St.) should open by mid-to-late October, seven nights a week.

As for the Bienville Grill (723 W. 21st St., 625-5427), Hall said he has added acoustic music on weekends.

``I love the jazz, and we'll never abandon jazz, but I want to use some of the better-known acoustic acts from time to time.''

Call the Bienville Grill to find out who's playing.

I don't know the name of the new restaurant opening soon in the space formerly occupied by the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coffee & Tea Co. in the old brownstone building on the corner of 20th and Debree Avenue, but I can tell you a little about what's going on there. I talked last week with the eatery's general manager, Lori Melanson, who said she was recruited from The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach by the restaurant's owners, Dennis and Donna Fenley.

Melanson said she wasn't trying to be mysterious about the name, but that it was still being researched when we talked. She said the interior of the former coffee house is undergoing massive renovations.

``We've taken out the stairwell and relocated it to the back of the building, and removed all of the coffee equipment except for the roaster up front. We're expanding the kitchen as much as possible to accommodate Executive Chef Mark Hammond, who we're bringing up from The Breakers.''

Melanson said the menu and service will be upscale, but not stuffy.

``We'll have tempura-crusted lamb chops, rosemary-venison chops with a sweet-garlic flan, sesame-crusted cobia, oakroasted sea bass, sweet potato salmon, and a 16-ounce ribeye steak with a port demi-glace,'' she said, naming a few items. ``If everything goes according to plan, we should be open somewhere around the 16th of September.''

Call 622-7779 for information.

If you were wondering what returning students at Old Dominion University were doing on the first night of school, it seemed they were all having 50-cent tacos at Mi Hogar Mexican Restaurant (4300 Hampton Blvd., 440-7705).

We found out that hard tacos are four-bits each every Monday night at Mi Hogar, while soft tacos sell for 75 cents each, from 5 to 8 p.m. The little Mexican restaurant, which opened about a year ago in what was Arnold's Sandwich Shop, has quickly become a favorite among many West Side residents, including both students and faculty from ODU. The prices are low, the Mexican food as good as you'll find anywhere in the city, and the staff is extremely friendly.

Reader Sandra Scott called a while back to say she was ``saddened'' by my description of the food at the old Trolley Restaurant as quick and simple. By simple, I meant it was more traditional fare than you'll find at the 219 Restaurant, which replaced it on Granby Street. I enjoyed many meals at the Trolley, and preceding that, at the old Alpine Room and George, Marie, and all of the folks (including the late Popeye) who made the Trolley a one-of-a-kind experience will no doubt be missed by many downtowners.

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