Geisha - Chesapeake VA

Perhaps it was not their best night? There was some high school dance in Chesapeake this weekend and the place was jam packed. At 6:30 on Saturday night there was a 1 hour and 45 minute wait. We had reservations but were told upon arriving that they were running behind. We ordered drinks at the bar while waiting to be seated. It is a decent sized bar, nicely serviced.

We were hibachi bound and dinner was just okay. For a hibachi it is a bit on the pricey side,with most entrees starting in the mid twenties. Service was not horrible, it was non existent. I don't know if they were overwhelmed or just bad. I had to request my steamed rice from the hibachi chef as it was never brought to the table. The waitress took initial orders at the table, and we never saw her again. My husband had to go to the bar to get our second round of drinks. Really? We are spending over $100 for 4 people to eat and have to get our own drinks?! Very sad indeed. The food was good, but with service like that, I'll go to one of the other 999 restaurants in the area.

_Laine

741 Eden Way N
Chesapeake, VA 23320
www.gogeisha.com

Town Point Club - Norfolk VA

Town Point is not the kind of place I go very often....but I'd like to. It is one of my favorite places to dine, and has been for the past 9 years. I've seen some changes in that time. It's not quite as formal as it used to be, which has both positives and negatives, but all of which probably needed to occur for economic reasons. The important thing that has not changed is the food service.

We dined there on Saturday, to celebrate my birthday. Since it falls on Valentine's Day weekend, I inevitably get the Valentine's menu. Happens everywhere, all the time. Usually if you have a special event that you announce when making the reservation, you will be seated with a nice pre-printed menu that says "Happy Birthday/Anniversary ". I was told when making my reservation that I would not be getting this service. Okay, I get that too. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been too terribly difficult to put my name on one of the menu's, and this is the type of place you expect people to go above and beyond for service, but ... no biggie.

I love the lounge at Town Point. I prefer arriving early, starting out with an apéritif, then moving to the dining room for our meal. The lounge interior is cozy, with dark cherry woods and killer views of the water. There is outdoor seating for days that it isn't 20 degrees and windy. Their bartender's are fantastic. Our past two visits we have had the same person. His name slips my mind, but I recall he is originally from Connecticut. Nice guy, makes killer cocktails and nice conversation.

As soon as I saw the menu I knew what I wanted. I love Rockfish. L-O-V-E I-T! When it is in season that is practically all I order when dining out. For starters I ordered the Oysters Rockefeller and Two Hearts Salad. The oysters were a huge disappointment. The topping was just a dry, sandy lump on top of an overcooked oyster. Very sad. My husband ordered the Ravioli which was fabulous. I felt guilty (sort of) trading him one of my oysters for it. He concurred with my oyster description.

The salads were nice and light. I love hearts of palm and artichoke. For me this would have been hard to mess up. My entrée was delicious. Sometimes you order something like this with a sauce and it comes out smothered, completely ruined. This was perfectly proportioned. You were able to distinguish the flavors of the fish, crab and sauce in each bite. It was served on top of cheesy rice, which I found interesting. I had grilled Rockfish at Steinhilbers several weeks ago, and the fish was served on top of macaroni and cheese with crawfish (IT WAS KILLER). Interesting the two locale chefs pair the fish with a cheesed up carb. It is a nice match. I tasted my husband's filet. It was perfection.

The dessert was triple chocolate whammy. Very, very, very rich and yummy. After dinner we headed back to the bar for a digestif. Here's where they get some high marks. My husband ordered a Sambuca but they were out. Upon inquiring about ports and admitting to our naivete, were were presented with a "mini" port tasting to see which one was preferred. Very nice. An excellent way to wrap up another fantastic meal at Town Point.

Town Point Club serves lunch and dinner. On Friday's they serve a grand lunch buffet which truly is grand. They also have a ClubExpress menu with very reasonable pricing which is not exclusive to members only, but open to everyone.


_Laine

Town Point Club
101 West Main Street
Norfolk, VA 23510-1622
(757) 625-6606

Famous Uncle Al's - Chesapeake VA

Not all Al's are created equal! This particular one is a family favorite. It was standing room only at this location on Monday. As luck would have it, we snagged three seats at the counter right as we walked in. This is a great location. They are always busy. The food is consistently good. The same people have been working there for years and years. Service is always friendly from the servers to the cooks. Consistency pays off!

I had a hot dog with chili and onions and... onion rings. Al's has great onion rings. My daughter got a dog and fries, by husband a cheeseburger and fries. Everyone was pleased. My only negative is the restroom. It is not dirty, but looks 'old'. At the very least, it could use a fresh coat of paint on the door. (Oh yeah, and paper towels or SOMETHING to dry your hands.)

_Laine


Famous Uncle Al's
Crossways Shopping Center
1412 Greenbrier Pkwy
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 424-5705

The Red Cat - New York City

I came here for a late night dinner on the last Saturday in January after a show. Reservations are needed and we had one for 10:15. It was standing room only at the bar when we arrived at 10. We had arrived early and after only 5 minutes we were seated. That's nice because for some reason a drunk at the bar thought one of my friends was interested in talking to him. She wasn't! Tables are tight and this place is loud. No real insulation to absorb any noise with their wooden floors, walls and tin ceiling. For some reason this just ads to the ambiance. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.

They have a nice wine selection and a few interesting cocktails. One friend ordered the Cherry Masher cocktail. It was delicious! For a restaurant whose website plays Willie Nelson, I was a bit surprised that the bar lacked Jack Daniels. I was offered Jim Beam as a substitute, which in my opinion is a poor substitute at best. I'm pretty sure I made a face of some sort. Oh well, Makers Mark filled in as his second suggestion. On the plus side, they had fantastic marinated cherries for my Manhattan. They made the drink.

For dinner I ordered the Pan Roasted Salmon, with warm Brussels sprout salad, carrot ginger puree and walnut pesto. I don't even like Brussels sprouts. They were delicious! Clean plate club. My dining companions ordered the mussel appetizers, Fontina macaroni, herbed french fries, oven roasted cauliflower. I could go back just to work my way through the appetizer and vegetable menu.

Service was excellent, prices very reasonable. I would not hesitate to go back here again or recommend to anyone needing a dining option in or near the Chelsea neighborhood.

_Laine

The Red Cat
227 10th Avenue
(between 23rd St & 24th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 242-1122

Mon-Thur 5PM-11PM
Fri-Sat 5PM-12AM
Sun 5PM-10 PM

Lunch Tue-Sat 12PM-2:30PM

Fred's at Barneys - New York City

The food or people watching? It's hard to decide which is better at Fred's, because both are so darned good! Two weekends ago I had a late lunch with two of my college buddies at Fred's. The restaurant was packed, but we were able to get a table in under 15 minutes, which was just this side of miraculous. This is supposed to be a place where celebrity sitings frequently occur, but we didn't spot any that day. Who cares? The food was awesome! Fred's has a very nice lunch menu. I had trouble deciding what to order because so much of it was appealing to me.

To begin my meal, I ordered a glass of 2007 San Bonifacio Pinot Grigio. Theirs is not an overly extensive wine list, but there are certainly sufficient and varied options for most any diner. I started with the Sautéed Chicken Livers appetiser. I am so sorry that I neglected to take a photo of this. It was a work of art! Sautéed chicken livers stacked high on a crostini, covered in port wine sauce. This was rich, but so delicious. I shared it with my friends and still had more than enough for myself. If you like liver, GET THIS!

For my main course I had the Lobster Club. This is a sandwich to make Dagwood drool. Heaped full of lobster, bacon, lettuce and tomato on 7 grain bread with garlic mayo. I don't know the origin of the bread, but it made the sandwich as it was some of the most flavorful bread I have tasted. The sandwich is served with Belgian pomme frites, elegantly served in a pilsner shaped glass. Wow, even the fries are excellent.

I saw a lot of salads come out to tables and they looked beautiful. Extra care is taken with presentation. No skimpy portions at Fred's. If you have a hearty appetite, this is the place to go. Prices are a little steep, but it is Barneys and it is New York city. Make an online reservation directly with Fred's or through Open Table if you know this is where you want to dine. I would imagine that Fred's is also a great place to grab dessert and coffee. I was too full to indulge further, but If I'd had any room left, I would have tried their Profiteroles. Next trip!

_Laine
Fred's at Madison Avenue
Open for Brunch, Lunch and Dinner
Mon - Fri: 11:30am - 9pm
Sat: 11am - 8pm
Sun: 11am - 6pm

Perfectly Frank-Chesapeake VA

I ran in for a quick lunch last Tuesday with my 6 year old. We were on our way to the Target near Edinburgh and I remembered seeing this restaurant in the adjoining shopping center. (There are actually a few restaurants here I would like to try.)I like this place. It is VERY clean. Service was quick and the hot dogs were good. Prices very reasonable. They have a menu board of daily specials and a nice kids menu. There is a lot of menu variety, but I went there because I wanted a hot dog! I commented on the Famous Uncle Al's T-Shirts that the two girls working there were wearing. Both are former Al's girls who opened up this franchise together. Nice story. Service was pretty brisk for a late Tuesday lunch. Everyone was getting dogs!

_Laine

236 Carmichael Way Ste 300
Chesapeake, VA 23322
(757) 432-0212
www.perfectly-frank.com