Pasha Mediterranean Cuisine

Pasha...really more of a Turkish place (which I visited earlier this year and loved) with wonderful mezze. For all of you who don't know, mezze are basically tapas or small plates. So you get to try a lot of stuff and share. They also have a few entrees averaging arounf $15-18 if I recall. The Pasha I visited (there are two) opened in Ghent a few months ago on 22nd Street between Colonial and Llewellyn. The atmosphere is great, they have wonderful outdoor seating (if it's not cold of course!) and the food is great.

Since it was mezze style I can't recall everything ordered, but I will say that I vividly remember the stuffed calamari which was awesome. We had to order a second plate! They also had a great plate of different spreads and vegetarian stuff that was really good. Several variations of meat on a stick were available and we tried a few, but the lamb and rice bowl was far better than those I thought. The wine selection is fairly decent and not too pricey. But you must save room for that cup of Turkish coffee which made me feel like I was back in Istanbul. Yum!

Overall I would give my experience an 85%
Food: Pricing - $-$$ (you can spend a little or a lot!)
Drinks: 2 wine glasses up
Atmosphere: 4.5/5

The Boot

Last night I went to the Boot for the first time in almost a year. I returned (after begging my husband) hoping that the service would be better. It was. Luckily the food was just as good as I had remembered!

For those of you haven't heard of the Boot, it's a ways from Colley down 21st Street, but it's well worth the trip. The menu is Italian inspired but uses mostly local and seasonal ingredients. They have a great selection of VA cheese, wines, and beer as well. (Tuesday is half price bottles of VA wine!)

For starters we got a cheese plate. My one critique is there isn't enough cheese on there, especially when they're all so delicious! We had a soft chevre-type, a medium gouda-type, and a hard cheddar type, all from VA. It came with a cut up Asian pear, honey, peanuts, olives, and homemade zucchini bread. Very good overall.

For my meal I decided to skip out on the full portion of pasta and instead do a salad and a half portion of pasta. Great idea because it let me try more! I had the arugula with dried figs, prosciutto and chevre. It was delicious! For a pasta, I had the shrimp and crab in a creamy tomato sauce over penne. A half-portion of this was great because it is a little heavier, but it was very good. My husband had the black angel hair with calamari, garlic, capers and tomato. It was excellent and so light and fresh. I would definitely recommend either of these plates! My husband also did the half-portion pasta and paired it with a fried oyster and grilled romaine salad which he said was awesome.

Although we didn't stay, another great thing about the Boot is the live music almost every night of the week. It starts around 9pm and includes everything from acoustic rock to blues. 

Cost: $$$ (out of 4)

Ambiance: 2 thumbs up

Deliciousness: 4 out of 5 stars

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!

No Frill Grill - Brunch

So last weekend we ventured out for brunch at No Frill Grill. I love NFG for it's food and atmosphere but somehow in the past 2 years had not been for Sunday brunch. The brunch menu is small but hits all your brunch favorites, plus they have the whole normal menu. To top it off they have $3 brunch cocktails, including Bloody Mary, mimosa, and others. Definitely ideal for the brunch-going crowd..

I decided to try the croissant "french" bread brunch item. Delicious. This french bread really stood out because it used croissants as the bread...yum! Super tasty and soft with just a little crust which is how I like it! All brunch options come with cheesy hash browns and a cup of fruit salad. The hash browns were clog yo' artery good, though a bit over the top since brunch tends to be carb-heavy. The fruit salad was decent, though I don't think I've ever seen too much fruit, and these were awfully small cups. My husband had fried chicken and biscuits topped with gravy. His was super heavy but extra delicious. I think he walked out waiting for a heart attack to hit him in the street. 

The friends we went with ordered off the regular menu, a salad and a crab cake sandwich platter. The salads at NFG are awesome and never disappoint. I didn't hear our other friend complain about the crab cakes, so I assume they too were tasty.

So yeah, NFG...great restaurant, great brunch, go tomorrow. But make sure you can enjoy the brunch cocktails...that's my only regret!

Cost: great deal, $$ ($8-$13)

Food: awesome, 2 thumbs up

Atmosphere: chill but nice, 2 thumbs up

Luna Maya

Stuck in the middle of a strip mall on 21st Street in Ghent, Luna Maya is the best offering of Mexican food I've had yet in Hampton Roads. The location could be better, but it never hurts for business so clearly they have no motive to move. However, once inside you don't realize that you're next to a paint store and cheap hair salon and you become immersed in the nouveau Mexican experience.

The menu is a bit pricier than your average La Tolteca or the like, but the food, drinks and options of each make up for it. To start with, the drink list is awesome. They make their own sour mix, so the margaritas are simply delicious with no trace of frozen "fresh" margarita stuff within a block radius.

So, onto the food...since no Mexican meal is complete without some guacamole, we started with that. The guacamole is awesome...fresh made and always amazing. The platter comes with salsa too, which is a nice addition but nothing compared to the guacamole.

For entrees there are several that I usually tend towards, including the pastel de choclo con chorizo (a delicious chorizo and corn casserole), the spicy shrimp tacos or burrito, and the tamales. This time I decided to try a special: a shrimp and avocado salad. I hate to say it but my salad was decent, while certainly nothing amazing which disappointed me a bit. The shrimp was tossed with some sort of chipotle ranch dressing, while it would have been better if it had had the spicy shrimp on top instead. I love avocado on a salad, but not when the salad is mostly made of shredded cabbage. So, sadly my meal was not as good as had hoped. My husband stuck with one of the classic dishes though: the tamales. He described them as a little sweet from the masa with perfectly seasoned pork. It is served in the corn husk with a sour cream sauce on top and beans on the side. Friends of ours had the spicy shrimp tacos and the vegetarian tamales. I didn't hear any complaints, but sadly didn't inquire to get their full opinion.

So, overall here's my rating for this visit
Food: 3.5 forks (I wish it could be higher, but my salad just wasn't that great)
Price: $$ ($7-$10 for margaritas/mojitos, $10-18 for entrees)
Atmosphere: 1.5 thumbs up (love the inside, but hate having to park in a strip mall)

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

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