To anyone who reads this, it's Restaurant Week in Norfolk (both downtown and Ghent) and Virginia Beach right! If you have a chance, go out and try something delicious! If you're going to Terrapin tonight, I'm jealous!
http://www.destinationghent.com
http://www.downtownnorfolk.org
http://www.vbrestaurantweek.com/
Showing posts with label downtown Norfolk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downtown Norfolk. Show all posts
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, October 3, 2008
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!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Voila! - Restuarant Week #2
For dining experience number 2 of restaurant week I headed to Voila! with my husband and in-laws. Somehow we had yet to experience this wonderful little French bistro-esque place, but luckily Restaurant week remedied that! The atmosphere inside the restaurant is really quaint yet hip at the same time. The decor varies from a Korean robe to impressionist art work, showing the varied international fusion to which the restaurant claims its name.
Before our meal came out the chef had prepared an amuse bouche, which is always a nice little treat. This time it was cucumber topped with smoked salmon and some type of creme based sauce. It was just enough to tempt my palate.
For my appetizer I had the Fromage de Chevre en Croute, or chevre cheese wrapped in puff pastry drizzled with strawberry sauce. It was delicious, but as my husband pointed out, more of a dessert than an appetizer due to its rich creaminess. My husband had the ceviche which was amazing though. The lime juices cooked the tuna and scallops just the right amount and the scallops and the cilantro paired with it brought a fresh taste.
For the entree I had seabass en papillote, or seabass on top of julienne vegetables baked in parchment paper. The seabass was wonderful and extremely moist, partially due to its being cooked in the parchment paper. My husband had the veal, which though I am not typically a veal eater, it was well done (not temperature of course) and extremely well paired with the forest mushrooms and sauce.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, perhaps my favorite dessert, that was excellent. It can't be a French inspired restaurant without amazing creme brulee in my personal opinion! The cheesecake and apple tart were also delicious.
Overall, well worth a visit outside of restaurant week to see the full menu!
Food: 4 forks
Cost: $$$ (for restaurant week)
Atmosphere: 2 thumbs up
Before our meal came out the chef had prepared an amuse bouche, which is always a nice little treat. This time it was cucumber topped with smoked salmon and some type of creme based sauce. It was just enough to tempt my palate.
For my appetizer I had the Fromage de Chevre en Croute, or chevre cheese wrapped in puff pastry drizzled with strawberry sauce. It was delicious, but as my husband pointed out, more of a dessert than an appetizer due to its rich creaminess. My husband had the ceviche which was amazing though. The lime juices cooked the tuna and scallops just the right amount and the scallops and the cilantro paired with it brought a fresh taste.
For the entree I had seabass en papillote, or seabass on top of julienne vegetables baked in parchment paper. The seabass was wonderful and extremely moist, partially due to its being cooked in the parchment paper. My husband had the veal, which though I am not typically a veal eater, it was well done (not temperature of course) and extremely well paired with the forest mushrooms and sauce.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, perhaps my favorite dessert, that was excellent. It can't be a French inspired restaurant without amazing creme brulee in my personal opinion! The cheesecake and apple tart were also delicious.
Overall, well worth a visit outside of restaurant week to see the full menu!
Food: 4 forks
Cost: $$$ (for restaurant week)
Atmosphere: 2 thumbs up
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
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
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