
DATE: Sunday, October 26, 1997              TAG: 9710280512

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: RESTAURANT REVIEW

SOURCE: TAMMY JAXTHEIMER, RESTAURANT CRITIC 

                                            LENGTH:  107 lines

TAKE A GAMBLE ON A GOOD TIME VIRGINIA BEACH WATERFRONT ESTABLISHMENT OFFERS ALL THE RIGHT STUFF

AT THE OCEANFRONT on Rudee Inlet, among the fishing boats and luxury cruisers, the watermen, locals and tourists have a new haven.

Ease of entry from the docks to Calcutta's deck makes it irresistible for boaters, if the lure for libation and wide menu selection are not enough. Since June, the restaurant and bar has been serving guests from an expansive menu on the deck and in the casually elegant dining room.

We enjoyed both venues on our visits. Indoors a sleek granite bar runs the length of the room separating diners by a half wall of etched glass. Outdoors the moonlight over the water or sundrenched backdrop makes for an ideal appertif of what Calcutta's serves up.

The location mandates seafood and you can get it all in Captain Calcutta's Steamed Seafood Extravaganza. For $37.50, a pound of snow crab legs, six oysters, six clams, half pound of shrimp and a lobster can be yours.

When the evening's chalkboard specials were described to us, we were told that Jimmy Babb, the chef, does some ``tricky'' stuff. Based on that, we skipped the raw bar in anticipation of Babb's creations.

Crispy Baby Crabcakes appetizer with ``trio of stone crab mustard, papaya ginger chutney and creme fraiche,'' ($7.95) was missing the creme fraiche and had more crawfish and julienne potatoes than crab. The two cakes were moist on the inside but overdone to a black color on the outside. The stone crab mustard sauce and papaya ginger chutney were nice complements to the cakes.

The mustard sauce is the replica of Miami's infamous Joe's, where stone crab is king, says Robert Staples, who owns Calcutta's with his wife, Linda.

On the second visit, our server recommended the Crabcake Sandwich ($7.25) and because the menu indicated ``backfin,'' we believed that it would be crabbier than the appetizer. It too contained crawfish. The fresh watercress and beautiful tomato slice with the stone crab mustard sauce made the sandwich recommendable, but don't expect a ``backfin crabcake.''

Conversely, the Hearts of Palm, Corn and Tomato Salad had a generous amount of backfin and caper vinaigrette over baby field greens. Bread or crackers with the salad would have been welcomed.

The other sandwich we tried, a Four Grilled Cheese ($4.95) included roquefort, Swiss, havarti and cheddar with a hint of basil and was a delight on Texas toast that tasted like Sally Lunn bread. When you add the Charred Chive Potato Salad to this plate it was a bargain that satisfied.

Sandwiches come with your choice of cole slaw, fruit and berries, seasoned fries or potato salad. The fries were hot, potato salad fresh and cold, and both plentiful.

A real value was a chalkboard special - Chicken and Cucumber Roll Up served with choice of the above sides and a bowl of Aztec Chicken and Rice Soup for $6.25. Thin slices of cucumber, chicken and dill havarti were neatly nestled in a red pepper flour tortilla with chive and cucumber dressing. The Aztec soup lived up to its name with a well seasoned broth surrounding turtle beans, corn, rice and chicken.

On the other hand, the Seafood Bisque would more appropriately be named fish chowder. Cubes of fish and potatoes laid in a spicy cream base lacking seafood flavor. The dry and bland spinach fritter garnish disabled the $4.95 soup further.

An appetizer of Blackened Sea Scallops With Tomato Vinaigrette ($6.95) were blackened with spice instead of the searing heat of a pan. Nonetheless the six plump artfully presented scallops were savored.

Among the entrees were Sage Marinated Beef Tenderloin With Lemon Pepper Couscous and Snow Crab Sauce, ($19.95). The two medallions of beef, perfectly rare as requested, basked in the buttery crab sauce with a lone crisp asparagus.

The ``Euro-braised'' Tuna, a steak of substantial thickness, also requested rare, was dry because it was cooked medium-well.

Entrees at Calcutta's are served with French bread and a bountiful salad of mesclun and dressings made on premise, except for the no-fat ranch. Go ahead and splurge.

A limited yet balanced wine list is available as well as other bar beverages. A featured red and white wine is available by the glass. On the night we were there a California chardonnay and merlot were the selections.

Calcutta's dessert tray with half a dozen choices was covered in frost. The Key lime pie had a tinge of freezer flavor but the chocolate mousse cake did not. Both came with tired whipped topping that did not aid the flavor of what our waitress said were commercially produced concoctions.

The servers and the Staples were eager to please on both visits. Linda says either she or her husband try to be at the restaurant during business hours and there are times, even when the kitchen is closed, they have made sandwiches for hungry boaters.

That did not surprise me based on the warm hospitality that welcomed us, and the slogan on the menu ``we answer to the beach.''

Calcutta's isn't named for the port in India or the ``Oh'' play in the nude. It's named for the winner-takes-all side bet used in fishing and golf tournaments. When dining at Calcutta's, it is no gamble that you'll enjoy food with a view.

ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

ROY BAHLS

Calcutta's location on Rudee Inlet...

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CALCUTTA'S RESTAURANT AND BAR

Address: 530 Winston Salem Ave., Virginia Beach

Phone: 428-4070

Hours: Monday through Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday,

11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Summer hours are extended with lunch served

daily.

Prices: Appetizers, sandwiches, soups & salads, $3.95-$7.95;

entrees, $13.50-$24; early bird specials Monday through Thursday.