THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 18, 1994 TAG: 9412150082
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
WE CAN NEVER have too much garlic, or too many Italian restaurants.
The Scaramellino family now has two of the latter. Areo's Sea Grill is new on its eclectic chain of eateries that includes La Brocca on Birdneck Road in Virginia Beach, as well as the Captain's Table and Cafe Iguana on the Oceanfront.
The grill, on the site of the former Joe's Sea Grill, has an up-to-date American cafe atmosphere. Keeping all that was attractive about Joe's black-and-white-tile floors, glass brick walls, long wooden bar and big booths along the walls, Areo's is gently bathed in the ivory light of massive, domed ceiling fixtures.
Servers wear blue Oxford-cloth shirts for a casual but professional look. On two visits, they impressed us as friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the food.
Starters especially pleased our party of three. Zuppa di clams meant chunky marinara and a big bowl of little necks in their shells. Similar in style was the platter of mussels in a finer marinara, nicely spiced.
Delicious beer-battered shrimp used cream stout for a substantial coating. They were only slightly greasy and unquestionably good alone or dipped in spicy red sauce or horseradish-tinged white sauce.
Mozzarella with tomatoes was better when dressed with a fruity olive oil and red-wine vinegar that arrived in thick, homey cruets. Slightly dry and bland, the cheese came to life with a sprinkle of the condiments and a slice of better-than-average out-of-season tomatoes.
Other starters were fried calamari, steamed shrimp, tuna nachos Italian style (one of these days we'll need to try that unusual combination). On a previous visit we had enjoyed eggplant rollatini and seafood cocktail, the latter a combination of lightly sauteed shrimp, scallops and calamari tossed with vinaigrette.
A plus for the French onion soup was a light, not very salty broth. Clam chowder, on the other hand, was oily, overloaded with potatoes and stingy with the clams.
Dinners come with soup or salad and delicious white rolls with crunchy crusts. Included with dinners was a light but slightly oily vegetable soup with a touch of escarole. The dinner salad was a respectable iceberg mix; the a la carte Caesar was made to order at a table in the center of the dining room. Our waiter mixed ours for us with a generous splash of balsamic vinegar for an extra tang.
Plenty of possibilities are listed for main courses. Pastas come as full or half orders, including ravioli, rigatoni, fusilli and ziti, along with various thicknesses of noodles; sauces are as simple as primavera of vegetables in garlic and oil or as fancy as carbonara with onion, bacon, and cream.
Other dishes also offer multiple choices. Veal and chicken, for example, come in several styles. Eight types of fish come with a choice among 10 toppings. The options are almost overwhelming.
We settled on grilled veal rolled around spinach and mozzarella then topped with oyster mushrooms, a well balanced dish attractively priced at $12.95. Homemade ravioli circles were stuffed with a ricotta cheese that would have benefited from some seasonings and a livelier pesto. A winning special from the chalkboard was a large fillet of rockfish, tender and fresh, draped with sauteed red pepper strips and accompanied by rice and chopped grilled eggplant.
Desserts were unexceptional chocolate cake, cheesecake and peanut-butter mousse pie. Unfortunately, the espresso and cappuccino came from mixes, not from freshly ground beans.
But the earlier courses were good enough to bring us back. And the service was more attentive and knowledgeable than many comparably priced places. Chef-owner Michael Scaramellino is at the grill; his son, Michael Jr., whose middle name, Areo, gave the restaurant its name, manages the restaurant. 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
Areo's Sea Grill has a casual cafe atmosphere.
Graphic
BILL OF FARE
Areo's Sea Grill, 981 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, 428-0111.
Cuisine: Predominantly Italian with plenty of choices.
Atmosphere: Casual cafe mood with handsome appointments,
including dark woods, oversized dome light fixtures, brass trims.
Prices: Lunch from $2.95 to $5.95; dinner starters from $2.95 to
$6.95, main courses from $5.95 to $19.95, desserts $3.95; children's
portions on request.
Hours: Lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday;
dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to
midnight Friday and Saturday.
Reservations: Recommended weekends.
Smoking: Fifty percent.
by CNB