Portland, ME - Walter's

This restaurant was amazing. It was recommended by a summer-Maine-r and he did not guide us wrong. First the menu was great - so many things I wanted to try!

We finally narrowed it down and started with the calamari. I thought it would be a small portion since it was an appetizer, but it was quite a nice size. It had a jalapeno and basil sauce on it (the one complaint of the whole meal was that there were probably a few too many fresh jalapenos). We then decided to have a side dish as a kind of an app to share and went with the bok choy with adzuki beans and togarashi seasoning. This was a little small for two to share, but definitely would have been a great size for one as a side. Oh and they were delicious - I especially loved the use of adzuki beans in it!

For entrees I decided to go with the scallops which were perfectly cooked and served alongside hummus samosas and sauteed spinach. The spinach had preserved lemon which gave an amazing light and fresh flavor.  My husband had the shrimp that were seasoned with togarashi and served atop a cold wasabi noodle salad. The contrast of the hot and cold with the spice from the wasabi was fantastic.


Our server was also excellent. This was probably one of the best meals I've ever had, and I want to return to Portland, if just for a meal at Walter's! (Don't worry Green Onion and Duner's, you're still up there in the top 3, you just have new competition!)

Duner's Restaurant - Charlottesville

This post can be summed up in one word: YUM. But diner's be warned: you may have to wait for your food, and no reservations are taken. Despite this, you will certainly leave happy and full, for a reasonable price. Duner's is located just west of Charlottesville on 250 near Ivy, you'll probably only find locals at this spot. The menu changes every day. Literally.

If you're an appetizer lover or come in starving, you can't go wrong with the calamari or the brie. Or anything else I'm sure. I've never had a bad item here, so I would be inclined to encourage trying anything that sounds good! You really don't have to order an appetizer to leave full though, so don't feel like you have to! Appetizers tend to run around $8-10 and can easily be shared between 2-3 people.

There are always about 20 entree choices which still boggles my mind. Even though its 3 hours by car to the coast, the seafood is always excellent. You'll also find some local meats and river trout, in addition to a few vegetarian options. I guarantee any of these will be excellent. I'm a sucker for seafood, so I tend to order some kind of fish. (See two of these in my pictures including salmon crepes on the right and rockfish below.) All entrees come with a nice salad and fresh (delicious!) bread, so for an average of $25/entree, you're not breaking the bank. Pair it with a pint of Starr Hill, a carafe of house wine, or a bottle of a local wine and you've got one great meal!

The deserts are also awesome at Duner's and I always find myself wanting to finish my meal with one. They'll pack it up for you to go if you like. The chocolate dome cake had me the first time I saw it, and it was every bit as good as it looks. Other seasonal options are always available to, so those are always a good option.

Duner's is definitely a classic and a stable in this part of Virginia, so if you haven't gotten over there, go tomorrow night!

Louisville - Seviche

The restaurant scene in Louisville never ceases to surprise me. Having experienced the rich Cuban flavors of Havana Rumba should have prepared me for the Caribbean flavors of Seviche, but somehow I was still happily surprised. From the delicious fresh seviche for appetizers to the new twist on classic cocktails, Seviche left me wanting to return for me. (Unfortunately, I went on the weekend I was moving out our house, but more about that later.) But before starting my review, let me first voice both a compliment and complaint: they do online reservations through Open Table (2 thumbs up!) but we still had to wait 20 minutes for a table (2 thumbs down for poor planning). Now on to the good stuff!

Having just driven from Virginia, a cocktail was needed immediately. I decided to try a fun drink that I forget the name of (sorry!). It was basically a caipirinha but it used mango vodka instead of cachaca. Yum! They also had a nice wine selection in addition to the various Caribbean drinks.

For an appetizer we had to get a seviche of course and decided to try the wild Salmon special of the day. It had a hot red aioli alongside it (whoa!) but was so light and fresh like any good seviche should. We also tried the pecan crusted brie with habenero jelly which a surprisingly large portion to share for our table.

For entrees we each had something different including the (pictured from the top, clockwise) macadamia crusted black cod, the Muggs bistec, and the Pacific halibut and crab cigar. Each were so different and so flavorful and served with a delicious sauce that complemented and decorated the plate. The cod had a nice crunch from the crust. The bistec had a nice fried egg on top that lent to the creaminess of the steak. The crab cigar was nice and crunchy with a spicy red chili ginger butter. The fish was all of superb quality (thank you to the UPS hub in Louisville) and the flavors were all fresh and flavorful. Overall, I would definitely recommend Seviche to anyone visiting Louisville or locals who just haven't had a chance to visit! Oh and the last perk? They are a Louisville Original so you can earn mad points towards another great meal!

The Big Easy

If you want a great, cajun/creole meal in Hampton Roads, The Big Easy is definitely the place to go. This new spot, located where Club Soda used to be on Tazewell Street in downtown Norfolk, has great ambiance with a laid back feel. Upstairs is a bit more formal while the downstairs has a really great mahogany bar with a private room for 10-12 people. It would definitely be a great place to visit when you want to go out to a nice bar without the loud thumping music that tends to rule on Granby Street.

For the menu, the options could be expanded and talking to the manager it sounds like it will be once the kitchen gets a few more cool toys. That doesn't change that what they did offer was excellent and definitely left me a few pounds heavier:)

For seafood, they have plenty of oysters, clams, shrimp, mussels, and crawfish. We had 1 lb. of littleneck clams ($15) and they were delicious (especially the fresh cocktail sauce with lots of horseradish). They also have several hot appetizers which we didn't try but looked delicious (including shrimp and grits, crab and crawfish fritters, red beans and rice to name a few). Salads and soups/gumbo are also an option. I had the fresh greens salad ($6) and the chevre and candied pecans on top made the salad.

For entrees there were about 8 options including pecan crusted catfish, flank steak, jambalaya, and chicken creole pasta ranging from  $14-$19. I had the shrimp and grits entree which was excellent and consisted of 7 oz. of gulf shrimp plus andouille sausage over stone ground grits with a deliciously spicy barbecue sauce topped with fried okra. Amazing. The sauce was a tad spicy on the back end, but the large grained grits really brought it al together. My husband had the pork belly special that came with red beans and rice and sweet potato mash. Also amazing. The pork was so tender and just melted in your mouth.

In case all we had eaten wasn't enough, we had to finish with the beignets. These weren't your normal Cafe du Monde beignets but were about twice the size and served with caramel sauce, honey and vanilla ice cream. I would happily stuff myself silly for these things any day!

For drinks they have a full bar and a few specialty drinks (the ginger margarita, $8, was good but a bit small) plus a decent enough wine list (considering wine and cajun don't really seem like the standard). They say a bloody mary bar to go with Sunday brunch is coming in the future and I will happily return for that!

Overall, The Big Easy is a great new place in downtown Norfolk, which is desperately in need of better reasonably-priced fine dining options. Overall I would give the ambiance 2 thumbs, the food 4.5 forks (out of 5), and the service a 4. Go tonight!

456 Fish - Restaurant Week dinner #1

One of my two favorite weeks of year...is the summer restaurant week. So obviously I had to go out at least once, this time I was lucky enough to go out twice! My first dining experience was at 456 Fish with some girlfriends.

Located at 456 Granby Street in downtown Norfolk, 456 Fish is where modern fusion cuisine meets decor of the early 1900's Norfolk. It's got a really cool vibe to it, complete with an amazing menu and wine/bar list. For restaurant week you are allowed to choose 1 each from 3 courses for $30. My critique of restaurants during restaurant week is what the menu looks like. First, do they have a good selection that is truly representative of the normal menu? And two, are they really trying to tempt your palate to bring you back to spend the full amount. 456 answered yes to both of these.

To start I had the sesame seared tuna sashimi. Delicious. I love fresh tuna and this was just awesome. Friends had the calamari, which was a huge portion for an appetizer (especially for restaurant week) and absolutely amazing. Again, great tastings from the full menu and great portions as well.

For the entree I had the grouper. This is on the regular menu and again, a huge portion for restaurant week. The grouper is cooked in a spicy tomato based sauce with spinach over fried plantains (the kicker for me). I really love grouper and I think it really held up to these strong flavors without being overpowered. Friends had the crab cakes and the sesame seared rare tuna. I did not try the tuna since I had already had the appetizer version of it, but it looked excellent they raved about the tuna and the wasabi mashed potatoes. I did try the crab cake and they were quite good. I'm pretty picky about my crab cakes, usually complaining about there being too much filler; the ones at 456 definitely had the normal filler but was at the edge of having just the right amount.

For dessert I was a bit disappointed the creme brulee ran out before I got some, so I had the guava cheesecake instead. The cheesecake was excellent and was clearly a classic Italian cheesecake made with ricotta (my preferred version of the delicious dessert). Guava sauce was poured on top and it was excellent giving just enough of a sweet taste to balance the creamy cheesecake. Friends had the chocolate sin cake which was very tasty, but also very rich. The portion looked the right size though luckily so it wasn't overkill on the pure chocolate.

So, here's the wrap up...

Food: 4 (out of 5)
Cost: $$$ (out of 5, restaurant week menu only)
Atmosphere: 2 thumbs up