THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409080056
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
WITH THE OPENING of Mahi-Mah's, Chuck Sass promised the first sushi bar at the Oceanfront, plenty of outdoor seating and a lively atmosphere.
Sass - executive chef and food and beverage director for the South End Ramada Inn that houses the restaurant - kept his promise.
The expansive first floor of the hotel features a sushi bar at the end of a long bar. Handsome wood and glass appointments complement the bright seaside setting of the cafe-lounge with upbeat charm; French doors and white linen create a more sedate and more formal dining area.
Wielding the sushi knife in the front corner is Tomoyushi Yakimora.
We ordered a la carte: flounder, salmon, shrimp and tuna, plus an eel hand roll. The latter cone of seaweed was filled with mildly flavored rice, strips of daikon radish and smoky strips of eel.
In addition to the various sushi combinations, a diverse raw bar includes shrimp steamed with assorted seasonings, mussels in white wine or marinara and tasty stuffed clams topped with spicy sausage, Parmesan cheese and herbed bread crumbs.
We began with excellent thick beer-battered onion rings, a cocktail of spicy bronzed shrimp, and Cheddar-stuffed jalapeno poppers. These bar standards were much more pleasing than a watery crab and corn chowder with little crab or corn.
A house salad was huge with crisp leaf lettuces and better-than-usual tomatoes. The starters we didn't try included battered zucchini, chicken wings, calamari, smoked mahi-mahi, clam chowder and several salads.
As a resort-area hotel restaurant, Mahi-Mah's must appeal to a broad audience. It does, with sandwiches including chicken breast, roast beef, a burger and a south beach favorite: bronzed tuna burrito.
Pastas with pesto should please vegetarians; pasta with shrimp and scallops, or with crab and sun-dried tomatoes, should satisfy seafood fans.
Dinner offerings present fresh fish prepared several ways, flounder amandine, tuna grilled or barbecued with cucumbers, red onions, and feta cheese, southwestern chicken smothered with salsa and cheese, and prime rib, plus many combination dishes.
Although the menu was extensive and intriguing, several evening specials tempted us most. For example, Jamaican jerk chicken brought two large breasts crisply blackened and served with buckwheat noodles and chickpeas for a cool contrast to the spice of the meat. The chicken, however, was slightly overcooked.
Spaetzle seemed an unlikely offering, but Mahi-Mah's paired these light little dumplings with shrimp, crawfish, scallops, shiitake mushrooms and a buttery wine sauce for an unusual and satisfying blend of culinary styles.
More straightforward was a large fillet of sea bass tinted with red pepper pesto (we would have liked another couple of dollops of this tasty puree), as well as red beans and brown rice enlivened by a touch of Cajun sausage. Least satisfactory was the prime rib, a hunk of meat with acceptable flavor. However, a baked potato with crispy salted skin was a fine old-fashioned touch. Sauteed squash came with most dinners.
Along with a friendly, helpful, but occasionally absent-for-too-long server, we enjoyed such touches as a $10 bottle of Springbok South African wine with hints of citrus and grasslands and a microbrew of the week called Wild Boar. Microbreweries - including Black Voodoo, Olde Heurich and Pete's Wicked Ale - are featured here.
Good coffee and waning light over the ocean brought our evening meal to a satisfactory end.
Among desserts, Key lime pie was just tingly enough but overburdened by whipped cream. Chocolate mousse pie was well-balanced; Heath pie was a premium version. A cake-textured brownie with vanilla ice cream was elevated beyond ordinary by crushed strawberries and its presentation on a plate flat enough for attack.
Among the most spirited of Oceanfront restaurants with its handsome decor, lively mood, varied menu, sushi selections and the skilled hand of longtime local chef Chuck Sass, Mahi-Mah's is a welcome addition. MEMO: Reviews are based on a single, unannounced visit by a party of four,
unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star pay for
the reviewer's meal and those of the guests. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROY A. BAHLS
Mahi-Mah's, a handsomely decorated restaurant in the South End
Ramada Inn, is a welcome addition to the Oceanfront.
by CNB