No Frill Bar and Grill - Ghent - Norfolk, VA

Alex and I have been hitting our old favorites hard recently. Today we took a ride out to one of our Ghent Favorites, No Frill. It was nice to see a break in the rain and humidity, so we jumped at the offer for outdoor seating. The view added to our dining entertainment later in the meal as we watched a moron drive the wrong way down Spotswood. Unbelievable. I was hungry today and scanned the appetizer menu for something to eat before I ate. I pondered the Creamy Artichoke Dip ($7.99) aloud, and Alex said it was awesome. That's all I needed to know. In addition I ordered the classic house specialty, Funky Chicken Salad - Grilled chicken, bacon, Swiss cheese, mixed greens, fresh veggies 10.99. This is also available as a sandwich for $8.99. Alex had the Asian Portabella Salad - Teriyaki grilled mushrooms, mixed greens, roasted red peppers, mandarin oranges, red onions, crispy rice bowl, sesame-orange-ginger vinaigrette 9.99. If you are a loyal reader, you know by now that Alex always has to tweak her orders. She likes this salad with a veggie burger on top. The always accommodating team at No Frill doesn't bat an eye, and her order comes out right every time. Pictured below is our order. Their portions are beyond generous. After the three of us obliterated the dip, we still had to find room for our enormous salads. Don't worry, we were up to the task.

Creamy Artichoke Dip and a bazilloin Pitas

Asian Portobello Salad with Veggie burger add on

Funky Chicken Salad

Alex and I suggest you visit No Frill  frequently.

_Laine

Original Post 2/25/09

No Frill Grill. The place you head for a consistently good meal at a great price. Helpings are generous and service is fast. Laine and I ventured to Frill last week. We also brought a No Frill virgin, my friend Briana*. There was a line, which is not unusual, but remember two things, the wait is never very long and you can always sit at the bar. We opted for the bar since we needed in and out service in 45 minutes. The bartender's attentiveness was as good as a waiter or waitress at a table. I ordered the Grilled Pita Quesadilla. Frill serves this as an appetizer or an entree, with the entree including a side for only $1 more. That's a deal and I chose the poppy seed cole slaw. This is one of my favorite sides and measured up as usual. Briana ordered the Funky Chicken Sandwich, one of Frill's all-star menu items. This is the perfect blend of chicken, bacon, tomato and Swiss cheese on your choice of bread (they suggest sourdough). The sandwich is grilled and served with a side. Briana chose the garlic mashers. She loved the sandwich, but said the potatoes could have been better. If I remember they are not overly creamy, which is also my preference. The food came very quickly and our server brought our bills at the same time, which was helpful with our limited time frame. The menu includes a variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers and entrees. Some of my favorite items include the Spotswood Salad, which has blue cheese, granny smith apples and caramelized raisins and almonds, the Funky Chicken salad, the salad version of the sandwich described above, the Spotswood Melt, a burger with Swiss and cheddar cheese, bacon and grilled onions on grilled sourdough bread, the crab cake sandwich, the chili and the onion rings. I must promote these, the onion rings are to die for! Frill is always busy, which is a testament to its quality food, bright and helpful service and long-standing reputation as one of Ghent's best restaurants. I have to admit I have eaten there three times in one week and even twice in one day, if that says how much I enjoy a Frill meal. I highly recommend No Frill Grill for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch. It is a great place to go before your next movie at the Naro.

~Alex

Alex and I were stunned when we realized that we had never reviewed No Frill Grill. Why? Well, for starters, Alex would eat there 6 out of 7 days if her schedule permitted! Further, in our humble opinions, it is one of the best places to eat in Ghent. (Never been to the beach location, sorry). The menu has a lot of variety. Even your pickiest eaters can find something of interest. And, as Alex says, they are consistent with their service and preparation. Lunch last Friday at the Grill was fairly typical, except that I snagged a parking spot right by the front door. Thank you parking gods! There was about 10-12 people waiting to be seated, so eating at the bar was a good move. I arrived late, but Alex had my back when I called in my order (to her!). I ordered the Asian Portobello Salad. I realize that some of our loyal readers get tired of hearing about salads, but this one is a doosey! I must have told Alex about 100 times how good the mushrooms were. Service at the bar was great. She was friendly, but not overbearing. Being a bit on the short side, I sometimes find sitting at a bar uncomfortable, especially when I am not being anesthetized by martinis. However, they have really comfortable chairs, not stools, so I didn’t feel like a toddler with dangling feet or an octogenarian with a back ache. I could go on and on, but you get the point. If you haven’t been to No Frill Grill, put it on your short list of places to go, things to do. You’ll thank us (if you know who we really are;)!

_Laine

No Frill Grill is located at 806 Spotswood Avenue in Ghent and at 1620
Laskin Road at Hilltop and is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday
and Saturday 11am-11pm. A brunch menu is served Sundays 11am-3pm.

http://www.nofrillgrill.com/

*Name is changed