THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504190050
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A LA CARTE
SOURCE: Donna Reiss
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
AS FAMILIAR as forsythia in spring is the reopening of Virginia Beach restaurants that have been dormant through winter.
Here's a sampling:
Ciola's. Every year since they opened in 1949, Alice and Dominic Ciola have taken a break from January through mid-March. Their namesake restaurant at 1889 Virginia Beach Blvd. near Oceana is a traditional family-style Italian restaurant with a loyal clientele of old-timers and many fans among new residents who enjoy the old-fashioned comforting mood and food. Call 428-9601.
Ocean Eddie's. Another landmark is Elkan Lachman's Ocean Eddie's, since 1950 the place on the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier at 14th Street, and about as beachy casual as you can get. It opened for 1995 on April 13. For 26 years Donald Jones has cooked the seafood, pasta and steaks. Call 425-7742.
Dough Boy's. A newcomer since 1990, Dough Boy's is polishing the counters and the menu for the full-service California pizza parlors at 19th and Atlantic and at 24th and Atlantic. Open since mid-March, owner George Kotarides says the restaurant closes for the winter at the end of October. It serves up pizzas with varied toppings and sauces. Call 422-3211 or 425-7108. Jazzy dining
The annual jazz festival in New Orleans, a party that rivals Mardi Gras for crowds and conviviality, is from April 28 through May 7.
If you're going to this city of great eating, here are a few recommendations, based on two visits in the past year:
For the best basics, go to the Acme Oyster House, 724 Iberville St. (504-522-5973), where crawfish, catfish, and oysters are the staples.
If the Acme's mobbed, try Felix's across the street. Don't expect amenities, just fine fundamentals. And don't skip the de rigueur tourist thing at Cafe du Monde near the river and Jackson Square at 800 Decatur St. (504-581-2914), where the chicory-laced cafe au lait will keep you going any time. The sugary, square doughnuts called beignets are large enough to share.
Stop by any of the groceries in the Quarter for a po-boy sandwich or hefty meat-cheese-olive-stuffed mufulleta. Or visit any gumbo shop for savory soup or for rice-based jambalaya or the spicy seafood stew called etouffee.
For the most exciting upscale cuisine, reserve a table at Emeril's. Chef Emeril Lagasse works some pricey but worthwhile magic for lovers of fine fusion food. We splurged on the degustation menu ($65) with six small courses followed by two desserts; beverages and gratuities were extra.
Save about $10 a person at Lagasse's high-tech-looking French Quarter place, Nola, 534 St. Louis St. (504-522-6652). The offerings are less extravagant but no less excellent. Even that traditional New Orleans rice-and-pork sausage, boudin, is elevated by the treatment, stewed in beer and served with caramelized onions.
A short cab ride from the Quarter to the elegant LaFayette Hotel on St. Charles Avenue (504-523-1709) will take you to Mike's on the Avenue. More New Orleans fusion food here.
Another cab ride away is Dooky Chase, 2301 Orleans Ave. (504-821-2294), a classic soul-food restaurant with elegant appointments for private parties, a fine collection of African-American art, and a comfortable mood for chicken Creole, veal panne and fried seafood; sweet potato bread pudding was a treat.
Although we tried to avoid the most famous places like Commander's Palace and Antoine's, we ventured upstairs at popular K-Paul's, 416 Chartres St. (504-524-7394), where, our server said, namesake Paul Prudhomme rarely comes to cook. We were pleased with our entree of crawfish etouffee but unnerved by the $24.95 price tag, the wilted lettuce in our a-la-carte salad and the gloppy serving of bread pudding.
We followed a trail of publicity to Brigtsen's, 723 Dante St. (504-861-7610), a $10 cab ride to the suburbs for a good but hardly great meal in an old house in need of more renovation. Local magazines declaring Frank Brigtsen the darling of new New Orleans cookery misled us. Norfolk jazz and Cajun
If you can't get to New Orleans, go to the Bienville Grill, 723 W. 21st St. in Norfolk, instead. Louisiana native Mike Hall offers free jazz on weekends and a selection of dishes inspired by his home state, as well as local favorites. When the kitchen is at its best, the Bienville rivals many of New Orleans' finer restaurants. Call 625-5427. MEMO: Send restaurant news, along with your name and a daytime phone number,
to a la carte, c/o Flavor, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150
W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510, or send e-mail to
dreiss(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: STAFF FILE PHOTO
Dominic Ciola's namesake Italian restaurant is open.
by CNB