Mother's Day Brunch - Todd Jurich's Bistro

Mother's Day should probably be renamed "Mothers Refuse to Cook Day". Based upon the masses of families heading out to eat on Mother's Day each year, I think it is pretty safe to say that everyone else in the family refuses to cook on Mother's Day too. Back in the dark ages when I waited tables, I dreaded Mother's Day. It was the busiest day of the year AND the day you made the lowest percentage of tips. Nothing like taking mom out to eat and stiffing the server!

Now that I am a mom, I like to go out to eat too and Mother's Day for me means brunch. Even restaurants that aren't normally in the brunch game dip their toes in the water for Mother's Day. I have been going to the same places loyally now for about 8 years, and was ready for a change. It's no secret that Todd Jurich's Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants. The brunch menu looked good to me, so I booked a reservation through Open Table. I have started to use Open Table more and more. It is easy to use and has a Dining Rewards program through which you earn points which can eventually be redeemed for Open Table Dining checks. Not bad, considering it is a free service.


We arrived on time and were promptly seated in a booth located in front of the door. A great spot for people watching, and in close proximity to the salad / soup bar. I was very curious about the salad bar. The Bistro converts their bar by covering it with linens. Viola! No rocket science required. There were three soups offered: She Crab Chowder, Spring Gazpacho, Spicy Coconut Milk Lobster Bisque. The salad bar consisted of four prepared salads: Tomato and May peas, Spring mix greens, Chick Pea salad, Fresh Cucumber and Sweet onion. There was also a meat and cheese platter. I tried the Lobster Bisque (delicious with a little kick) and the Tomato and Cucumber salads. The vegetables were all fresh and nicely seasoned.


The menu was slightly different than the one posted online. There were a few ommissions. I was sad to see the Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie with brown sugar-cinnamon Ice Cream was no longer an option. For the children we ordered the pasta dish of May peas, morels, shaved aged pecorino Romano, fettuccini and Local Cage Free Farm Eggs. They really liked this. I ordered Eggs Benedict Norfolk: Homemade Black Pepper Biscuits, Surryano Ham, Local Cage Free Farm Eggs, Lump Crabmeat, Lemon Hollandaise. This was exquisite! The biscuits were special, and I loved the ham. The Mister ordered exactly what I anticipated, Chesapeake Bay Soft Shell Crabs: Crab-Bacon Slaw and Sweet Pickle Tartar Sauce. You never know what you will see when you order a soft shell. This one looked great. Lightly battered, served on top of the slaw and sauce. It received two thumbs up! The original menu listed Old Bay Gaufrette Potatoes, but this was changed to sliced ‘chip’ potato or croustilles (not waffled). As you can see from the pictures, the presentation on everything was lovely. We ordered dessert early as suggested to make sure it was reserved for us. All three girls went chocolate with the Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème. I added a shot of espresso to round it out. This was a rich decadence which none of us could quite finish.



_Laine

Food-5
Service-5
Beverage-5
Restrooms-5
Value-4
Ambiance-4

Todd Jurich's Bistro
150 W Main Street, Norfolk, VA 23510
(757)622-3210

Todd Jurich's Bistro

Another Friday, another great lunch with Alex and guest. Continuing our quest for a great meal, we headed to one of my personal favorites, Todd Jurich's Bistro. They did not disappoint! We had three wonderful entrees (pictured below): Cobb Salad, Calamari with sweet walnuts, apples, Bleu Cheese dressing and a special for the day Deviled Egg Sandwich. Service was professional and watchful. Overall, a fantastic dining experience!

Vintage Kitchen - Downtown Norfolk

After a number of big disappointments in downtown dining, I was ready for something different. It has been 2-3 years since we last visited Vintage Kitchen. We were under-impressed on our last visit. It wasn't bad, it just didn't wow us. We booked a reservation through Open Table for lunch today, requesting a window seat. We were promptly greeted and led to a sunny window table with a sweeping view of the Elizabeth River. It was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun after all the cold, clouds and rain from recent weeks.

They have a great lunch menu.The one online is a bit outdated, as the current one has more choices. For starters we decided to share the Black And White Mac’ and Cheese With Truffle, Nutmeg, And Marshall Farms Cheddar $9. There was no need to take a vote on this one. Hands down best Mac and Cheese ever. Truffle can be a powerful flavor and is frequently overdone, ruining many a great dish. Not so here. This was rich and creamy decadence.  We would go there again and just get that. My main dish was Grilled Portobello and Gruyere with pesto on Focaccia $8.95. It came with a dill pickle slice and a bag of Route 11 chips. Delicious!

I (Alex here) ordered the soup du jour, a Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda combination. It was the biggest bowl of soup I have ever seen but managed to polish it off. Creamy but not too heavy and the amount of Gouda was just right, not overpowering. For once in this day and age, bread was served at the table. Two heated rolls rolled in a dash of salt and oil, a really nice touch.

As if that wasn't enough food, we decided to top it all off with dessert. A bittersweet chocolate mousse topped with sea salt caramel and peanut brittle $7.95. It was served in the cutest cup with heart handles. This too was delicious. The bittersweet of the chocolate overpowered the caramel and peanut brittle a little but, but it was still amazing. We had a similar dessert recently at California Pizza Kitchen, that blended caramel, sea salt and chocolate. It's a good combination. Service throughout was top notch. The decor is a clean contemporary. A calm, quiet atmosphere that lends itself well to conversation. It is quiet, but not the kind of quiet where you feel like your neighbors are hearing your every word. It is the kind of quiet where you can relax a little and not have to shout over music or racket from the kitchen.

We rolled out of Vintage Kitchen well fed and happy.

_Laine & Alex

Food-5
Service-5
Beverage-3
Restrooms-4
Value-4
Ambiance-4

Vintage Kitchen (Inside Dominion Tower)
999 Waterside Dr, Norfolk, VA 23510

Black And White Mac’ And Cheese

Omar's Carriage House $10 Entrees

Omar's Carriage House is a funky little restaurant tucked back a little bit off the beaten track on West Bute Street. They have good food and I enjoy their eclectic ambiance. Omar has been running this special annually for several years now. It is popular and a good deal. We recommend that you give them a try if you haven't already, and make sure you book a reservation.

In celebration of our 14th anniversary, Omar's will have $10 entrees and $10-$20 bottles of wine every night of April, Monday-Saturday, 5-10pm.

We do this every year as an appreciation of our customers' continued support for the last 14 years!!

http://omarscarriagehouse.com/

313 West Bute Street, Norfolk, VA 23510

(757) 622-4990

Downtown Delectables - Norfolk Restaurant Week Cookbook

Introducing a new feature of Restaurant Week – Downtown Delectables! The cookbook features recipes from Downtown Norfolk chefs and friends. You can view the cookbook on your computer, print it out as a hard copy or print the recipes that you like best. Downtown Delectables also includes biographies from the contributors.

I think this is a great idea. As part of Restaurant Week, Downtown Norfolk is sponsoring an online cookbook featuring select recipes from featured restaurants. You can view it online HERE, download and save the pdf or even print it if you are into killing trees. I might have to try that Chili recipe from Byrd & Baldwin, it sounds interesting. Thanks to all the restaurants for sharing.

_Laine

Norfolk Restaurant Week

Alex and I always look forward to restaurant week. Per the usual we will be trying out some of our old favorites and some we haven't explored yet. I'm not seeing a huge amount of creativity with lunch menu's, which is not a big surprise. Considering the number of people who regularly dine out for lunch downtown I think they are missing a great opportunity to introduce new customers to their specialties. For example, soup and a turkey sandwich is not going to keep me coming back to your restaurant!. I am a bit disappointed to see that Todd Jurich's Bistro has the same menu as last restaurant week, but we will probably go there regardless, because everything was so phenomenal last time. Check out the menu here and plan your week. Look for some new reviews from Alex and Laine soon!

219 An American Bistro, Norfolk, VA

Alex and I probably go to 219 once or twice a month and our friend Brianna tags along on most of these trips. 219 is a solid Granby Street restaurant. The food is always good. Always. The prices are very reasonable and their specials are downright deals! Below is pictured what we had today. The quiche was interesting because all the ingredients were layered versus mixed together. I rather liked that. The egg layer was unbelievably smooth and creamy. The bacon was a little bland and I would have liked a bit more, but I can't complain for $6.99. When we were walking into the restaurant a buddy of ours was outside eating the Meatloaf Sandwich. The seed was planted in Brianna's brain and that is what she ordered. (Alex and I helped her with the generous portion of fries). Alex stuck with her lastest favorite twist of the Southwest Caesar Salad. Everyone enjoyed their entrees.
Our server was David. He was quick and did a great job keeping the beverages full. All in all, a great lunch.

Canadian Bacon and Spinach Quiche with fresh fruit - Daily Special $6.99

Meatloaf Sandwich (with tomato sauce on side as requested) with Fries $13.99
This is same price as Lobster roll, but check it out. It is a substantial sammy!

Southwest Caesar with Portobello $6.99 for Caesar plus extra for chicken, portobello, etc.

_Laine

Original Post 7/21/11
Laine told me that one of our friends really likes 219’s Southwestern Caesar Salad ($6.99), so I decided to give it a go this week during lunch.  The restaurant week options did include an appetizer size of the this salad but with nothing in the entree category, I had to order off the regular menu.  One mistake 219 made with their new regular lunch menu was nixing the Asian Noodles with Tofu.  First, I wanted to try that dish and never did.  Second, it was supposed to be a really great entree.  Third, the tofu could be added to any salad or used as a substitute for chicken, shrimp or fish in some of the other items.  I hope they reconsider that change.  Tofu is not complicated to keep, nor is it an expensive item to keep on hand.  Without this as an option, I requested a portabella be added to my salad just to give it a little something.  The $2 up-charge was very fair and beats the time I was charged $3 for fries - I’ll never get over that and 219 never responded to my email after Laine was only charge $1 for a substitute side.  I digress.  This is one of my new favorite things at 219.  The salad is much larger than I expected and while tofu would have been a great addition (hint, hint, 219), the portabella sufficed (a few more slices would have helped).  The roasted red pepper and chipotle dressing makes the dish.  
My friend ordered the Vegetarian Lasagna (around $8.99), a newer menu item that caught my eye recently.  I did not try it, but it was a large portion and looked divine.  It is certainly on my ‘soon to try’ list.  
This was not my idea, I promise, but my friend thought we should order a dessert since he knows I have a sweet tooth.  How could I resist and I had yet to try 219’s Red Velvet Cake ($6.99).  It is a standard piece of cake but they serve it sitting on the icing side.  A little odd, but it does a lot for presentation.  You do need to knock it over, as cake is usually served, to eat.  The whipped cream was homemade, as it should be, and we had no problem finishing this delectable find.  
I was disappointed that 219 did not have a vegetarian restaurant week entree option, as they have some good ones on their regular menu, but I had a great salad and dessert and a nice lunch overall.  Service was stellar and our waitress was right there to refill my iced tea each time I downed a glass (this is a feat on its own).  
~AlexI hit 219 for lunch on Tuesday with my regular Tuesday lunch buddy, Brianna. We go here fairly regularly as it is one of Brianna's Granby Street favorites. I have NEVER seen it as busy as it was Tuesday. They were turning people away. Every table was seated, including out door seating and bar area. The Restaurant Week lunch menu completely unimpressed me. Roast Beef Sandwich or Chicken Salad Sandwich....YAWN. Blackened Fish? I am not a fan of anything burnt. However, the specials peaked my interest, and I ordered the Fish Tacos with Black Beans and Rice. Brianna ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger, selecting American Cheese. Moments later the waitress returned to let her know they were out of American Cheese. Out of American Cheese, well that is just un-American! What is it with restaurants running out of food!? She opted for provolone in its place, and we got on with our gab-fest while we waited for our orders.

Fish Tacos with Black Beans and Rick

Bacon Cheese Burger

I anticipated a wait due to the crowd, but our meals came out very quickly. The Fish Tacos hit the spot, and Brianna enjoyed her Burger too. Here's the best part. The total on my check was $7.79. Yes, that's correct. The special was $6.99 and included my beverage. Considering the crowd, our waitress Grace did a phenomenal job keeping drinks topped off, delivering requests to the table and handling the check. All in all, a very nice lunch.
_Laine

219 An American Bistro
219 Granby Street

http://www.downtownnorfolk.org/enjoy/events/restaurant_week

Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 416-6219
Open Mon-Thu 11am-10pm; Fri 11am-11pm; Sat 5pm-11pm

Todd Jurich's Bistro, Norfolk, VA

Two words, Lunch HOUR, note the capitalization. Laine, myself and one of our favorite friends decided to try Todd Jurich’s Bistro for restaurant week. I had not been there in a few years and the last experience included Nikki’s* dish having to be sent back for salt overkill and then bagged potato chips...remember, Jurich’s falls under the fine dining category. I hoped this time would be better for Jurich’s sake and for ours, but only half of my wish was granted. I made a reservation to avoid waiting since we would be on our lunch hour. Proactive thinking does not always result in a positive outcome. We were seated quickly, but as you will read, our lunch too longer than many dinners. It was at least five minutes before our waitress appeared at our table to take our drink orders. Bad sign and we should have ordered our food right then. Our two iced teas and one water came back in another five and the missing straw took an additional five minutes and two requests, one to the manager. I could have made a straw in that time and I am not crafty!

Some restaurant week menus include three items, an appetizer, an entree and a dessert or side. I’m sure I did not read the fine print, so I was ready to order my three items for $12, when the waitress corrected me that it was only two. Bummer. I figured I would go ahead with the gazpacho and the Tillamook Cheddar Truffle Mac & Cheese and then just order the dessert ($7) separately, but then the wheels turned faster as I eyed the soup price ($4). How about ordering the entree and the dessert and then add the soup as an extra? Laine and I are made of money, but its always good to save a buck (note the sarcasm). Our waitress said adding soup was only $3 - bingo! Laine and our friend did the same. We just saved $12 between the three of us - that’s another restaurant week lunch. After interrogating the server to ensure we would each get some of the popover, Laine and I split the Bistro Bread Basket ($3) which also included cornbread that was cut in the shape of a potato wedge and a baguette. Well worth it and the popover was huge, so there were no issues of anyone being slighted. The cornbread was great but the popover was phenomenal. Nikki makes those from time to time and they are a real treat. The gazpacho arrived and we were all pleased with it, even if it took 10 minutes for a cold soup that is already prepared. Speedy.

Salmon Cakes-A late Restaurant Week Menu Addition

Finally, our entrees arrived after more gray hair appeared on my head. My truffle mac & cheese had cute presentation, a bowl of the mac with the Chevre Toast almost looking like a straw (that’s where the straw went!) and a small side salad. It was all darn good as were the Truffle Fries that I ordered as a side. The mac was a smaller portion but it was rich and after I had turned my focus to the fries, I realized I needed a to-go box for my mac.

There was such a delay between us finishing our entrees and dessert, I wanted to take a nap. Finally, my Brioche Bread Pudding with Whiskey Custard and Crème Anglaise arrived and while it took too long to show up, it was some of the best I have had and I never miss the opportunity to order bread pudding. As Laine said, I am trying to order bread pudding at every restaurant in Norfolk. It is very possible I will. Just call me the resident expert on the subject matter. About an hour and forty-five minutes later (yes, that’s what I wrote), we got our checks. We dropped our cards in the bill folder and when she returned them, she never ran mine, so I had to wait even longer and ask another waiter to run it. Give me a break! I needed the ‘took forever discount’. We finally left, I forgot my to-go and had to run back to get it. In sum, great food, LOUSY service. Let me finish with the two keys words for today’s lunch...Lunch HOUR.

~Alex

I have to concur with Alex. From the moment we were seated, there was a service vacancy. You might let that slide in another establishment, but when you go to Todd Jurich's your expectations for everything are a notch or two higher. Our server seemed to have brought a bad day to work with her. She never smiled and appeared completely distracted. Maybe she was in the weeds because they were quite busy, but hey, not my problem. It was hot, hot, hot outside on Friday, and we slammed our Iced Teas in minutes. The empty glasses sat on the table forever until someone else came along to fill them. Service never improved.

The food, however, was wonderful. I love Gazpacho, and their Iced Garden Gazpacho was some of the best I have had. It was not overly chunky, and mildly seasoned. The bread basket caught my eye on the regular menu, specifically the Popover it contained. I had to try it. After going back and forth about it, Alex and I decided to split one. It was large and easily shared. For an extra $3 (or $3.95) the bread basket is well worth it. I also enjoyed the cornbread. It was sweet with a hint of hot pepper. The bagette was ho-hum. As my main entree I ordered the Mediterranean Cold Plate, which featured Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, Hummus, Pita, Seasonal Fruit and Pickle/Olive assortment. The salads were very good. The Hummus was mediocre. The cantaloupe was some of the most flavorful I have had this summer, and I have had some GREAT cantaloupe. I would have liked to see a more interesting variety of olive, versus the standard kalamata and green variety. Cornichons were a nice pickle choice and had a tangy zap to them.

Dessert led me to chocolate. For me, that is as predictable as Alex and her bread pudding. The Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème was $2 extra and worth every penny.  I was not disappointed. It was rich, and thick. I scraped that ramekin clean.

My restaurant week $12 lunch ended up being somewhere in the neighborhood of $23. This always happens to me. I want what I want and all those extras add up! Should you decide to venture to Todd Jurich's Bistro for lunch be sure to bring your appetite, your wallet and some patience.
_Laine

Todd Jurich’s Bistro
150 W. Main Street, #100
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 622-3210
http://www.toddjurichsbistro.com/
http://www.downtownnorfolk.org/documents/restaurantweek/ToddJurichsLunch.pdf

Big Easy Grill & Oyster Bar, Norfolk, VA

I had not yet been to Big Easy, the newer restaurant by the group that owns 219, Bodega and a few others.  One reason I had not made the effort was their menu - they do not have a ton of options for a vegetarian (read: no seafood), but it was restaurant week, my date was interested and I figured why not try it, since I knew the dining company would be great.  
Do not bother parking in the Harbor Heights lot - this is now restricted for residential only, since The Market is no longer open.  Fortunately, Big Easy has a valet, for which my date and I are both suckers.  We did not have a reservation, which made me nervous but there were a few tables open and the hostess seated us immediately.  Phew!  
I asked our waitress if they had any accommodations for vegetarians other than the couple of items I saw on the regular menu and sadly, they did not.  That is always a slight disappointment, but the Red Beans and Rice ($4.29) and the Field Green and Goat Cheese salad ($5.99) would do this evening because, as I confessed, I had had a piece of Coconut Macaroon Bread Pudding at Havana around 5:30 that evening.  A lighter meal was probably in order.  My date stuck with the restaurant week menu and chose the Romaine Salad with Buttermilk Dressing and Tasso Ham, the Louisiana Jambalaya with Chicken, Smoked Sausage and a Creole sauce, followed by the warm brownie dessert, all for $20.  To start us off, the waitress brought cornbread with a honey, Tabasco and Creole spiced butter.  The cornbread was fresh and that is one of my favorite breads and the butter was unique.  I took a bite that must have had a heavy concentration of the spices and Tabasco - definitely a little heat, but I liked it!  The Hearts of Romaine Salad was mediocre.  The ham was almost non-existent and with a salad having so much potential, it was a disappointment.  The jambalaya was better than the salad but the chicken was slightly dry, tisk tisk. My salad and beans and rice were both good, but the salad needed more candied pecans.  Do not skimp on my nuts, which were a major part of the salad!  I really did enjoy the maple syrup and Creole mustard vinaigrette.  Big Easy should bottle and sell it.  The beans and rice comes with or without a hot sauce, so I decided to try it on the side.  Good move, one taste and I was making faces, not pleasant faces.  It was closer to a wing sauce, not one of my favorite things, but if you like wing sauce, go for it.  The brownie was pretty good, but it was unusually small.  Sometimes with restaurant week, portion size shrinks.  
Service was average at best.  Our waitress was nice, but she yanked the butter out from under us when bread was still on our plates, she served my meal with minutes in between my date receiving his (too long) and she just did not seem checked into the situation, our dinner, which is bad...for us, but for Big Easy as well.  I doubt either of us will be in a rush, or even a slow crawl, to get back there.  
The atmosphere is similar to that of Club Soda, the former occupant of the space, and actually is quite pleasant.  They do have a sort of discothèque, which is fun.  I have heard others give the same pedestrian review I am giving, but then Laine did mention that Big Easy is supposed to be known for their oysters, so if you are an oyster fan, maybe the experience will be better.  Good luck.  


~Alex 


Big Easy Grill & Oyster Bar
111 W. Tazwell Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
(757) 227-6222
http://www.bigeasygrillandoysterbar.com

Nordstrom Cafe, Norfolk, VA

Laine and I were so excited to see Nordstrom on the Norfolk Restaurant Week list, but when we finally got over there this week, neither of us ordered off that menu and instead went with some of our usual choices. I would have ordered for the soup and a salad but there was only one salad choice for the entree portion, the Strawberry Chicken Salad and while I thought about asking for more nuts and sans chicken, I gave up and went with the Blue Cheese and Pear Salad, which is always solid. My Blue Cheese and Pear was a little light on the ‘stuff’, the candied nuts and the blue cheese, but I gave our salad gal a pass, since I think she was having a bad day. She was not as chipper as she usually is, but restaurant week was most likely wearing on her. Those people would wear on my nerves too! Laine and I decided to split the Red Velvet Bundt Cake and I had to have the chocolate drizzle on the side. The cake was good, if a little dry, but the icing was out of this world. I hope Nordstrom keeps that little treat on their dessert menu for a while.
Back to restaurant week options, any soup and salad of your choice would have been a better route for Nordstrom to take, rather than limiting it. The salads are all close in price, as are the soups. Everyone would have won, especially Laine and myself!
I liked the looks of dinner options with the Rustic Vegetable Dinner as an entree, but much to my chagrin, that was not available until 4pm. Another comment from L&A’s always full suggestion box: why not offer the $12 lunch options AND the $20 dinner options for restaurant week? Nordstrom has the same menu all day, so it is not extra effort or preparation. We are always, always full of good ideas. We will even give them out without anyone asking!

I was glad Nordstrom participated in Downtown Norfolk Restaurant Week and maybe they will read our review before the next one.

~Alex