Path - Norfolk VA

One of my favorite sayings is ‘[insert action here] seemed like a good idea at the time’. This applies to life so frequently, as it did for our experience at Path. Laine and I were pretty excited to try this newer place, a 100% vegan restaurant in Norfolk. Initially, they only offered delivery, which I thought was a tad odd, but by the time we ventured to the Ghent location, they had dine-in service. Having no worries in the world about this adventure, we convinced our friend, Emma*, to tag along, though she was timid about the faux meat business and I do not fault her here, as some of the faux stuff out there can be pretty bad.

It was a nice Friday, as we hopped in the car to head to Path. At the time, it was situated in a tiny structure on Boissevain Avenue. I know this building was a hair salon at one time, as my mom has visited pretty much every salon in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and I believe it may have also been an art gallery at some point. Street parking was a limited but we found one spot, thankfully. We did not need that hurdle with what we were about to endure. We walked in and were greeted by the lone employee, who was pleasant but not overly friendly. I immediately spied the empty dessert case and was perturbed as Path is always posting photos to their Facebook page to showcase their temping desserts. Where were they? Nervousness could not explain my state of mind at this time.

We had perused the menu beforehand, but took another look and went for it. I was torn between the ‘Chicken’ Salad and the Raspberry ‘Chicken’ and finally settled on the former. We had a choice of Cole slaw or potato salad, of which I chose the slaw. Apparently, the vegetable chips and fries were only offered at the Path location situated inside The Edge, near ODU. They have the fryer there, along with desserts and other things that were well out of our reach this day. Then the menu advertised bread, but all they had was wraps. The gal said the bread was white and did not have much nutritional value, and these vegan wraps were better - please update your menu. I prefer bread over a wrap, but what was I going to do, the choices were dwindling by the minute. I was bugged and Laine was right there with me. Emma went with the Club which has tempeh bacon along with the faux chicken and the potato salad - two faux meats for the timid one!

While I appreciate the effort to eat all natural, I need my diet soda, the all chemical drink alternative. No go at Path - the choices were Dr. Pepper (no diet!), bottled water, a drink with the word grass in the title and the now infamous Kombucha tea. Because I have an aversion to regular soda or drinks made from carrots, grass and such and I’m not a fan of paying for water when we have decent tap H20, I gave in to the Kombucha, but only after Laine and Emma chose the same. It came in cute dark glass recycled bottles, which had hand-drawn designs. Emma and I opted for the last two bottles of the hibiscus haze flavor, which was okay, but I like regular iced tea better...especially after we were hit, or rather smacked, with the price - it’ll put you in a haze. To round off the meal, we ordered a lemon pound cake topped with coconut shavings.

We encounter the coupon debacle pretty often. You think you are getting a deal, but what you get is hosed. Not every time, but Laine and I have definitely had this experience more frequently that we would like, and Path is another example. I had a coupon worth $20. I figured we might pay another $10 for the three meals. As she rang up our food...and tea (this is important), I almost choked. $45 for three sandwiches (each about $8), one lemon cake ($5) and then the darn tea. That means that the three bottles of Kombucha ran us somewhere between $13-$14. For that price, a drink needs alcohol in the ingredients and as I stated, we did not think this was a revolutionary drink. We all stared at each other, forked out too much money and went outside to sit and wait for our food. For a place that does not cook anything, only heats up, the prep time for our food was lengthy. Our food arrived and while my sandwich was quite good, as was Emma’s, we both were disappointed in how little ingredients were in our sandwiches. The contents were about half of what you would expect inside a wrap. The sides of vegan slaw and vegan potato salad were tasty, especially the slaw, which was very fresh, but unfortunately, our overall experience was less than stellar at Path.

We cut the lemon cake back at the office and that was actually wonderful and for $5, it is a deal and easily feeds 2-3 people. I just wish we had been able to try some of their other desserts as well, such as the many different flavors of donuts they promote on Facebook. The vegan donuts were what really caught my eye.

I have another coupon, so Laine and I will try Path again, but we will have to travel to either their location at The Edge or a newer location on 35th Street, which seems to have replaced the Boissevain address. The gal who took our orders this day told us to to to The Edge before 10pm, the time it becomes shady. Interesting marketing to warn your patrons about the times to NOT visit your other location. We were surprised that Path would put itself in a college bar, but maybe they get enough business from Edge supporters that want a vegan alternative. We will not be lured into buying any Kombucha ever again, though, and if prices had been posted (they were not anywhere in the restaurant or online), we would never have purchased it - we should have asked but who knew it would cost that much for tea! For almost $5 a pop, I can think of a lot of other things I would rather drink, preferably something with alcohol. Hopefully, the veggie chips, fries and donuts can help Path make a comeback for us. To be continued...

~Alex

If I were to construct a top five list of worst restaurant experiences, this would be on it. In their defense, they did close this location about a week later, which is probably why they were out of so many things. However, food supply was only the tip of the iceberg.

I am not going to rehash what Alex so perfectly describes, but the whole “no bread, no dessert, no soda, no fries” thing was a pretty big let down. Right then I should have redirected the group to a nearby favorite, but we chose to persevere. Stupid. Seating inside was two, 2 top tables and it was rather warm, so we chose to dine outside. They had one table out front, again with only two seats. Shortly after being seated we realized it was located in a driveway, which doubled as access for the rather busy business next door. Excellent. I can eat my healthy, vegan food whilst I inhale exhaust fumes. I'm not sure this is "a kinder way" to dine.

 We were the only group dining in that day, but the food did not arrive quickly. We were pondering our teas and getting a bit antsy when the food started to arrive. I had ordered a cheese melt with fresh fruit as a side, and the watermelon looked perfect. The wrap looked like a brown paper bag that was burnt on the corner. I have long ago learned that you cannot necessarily judge food by the appearance, so I dug in with gusto. If I were to construct a list of top five worst sandwiches, this just might make #1. There was almost no cheese on my cheese melt, and what was there was not melted. The generous portion of mustard on the other hand, was strong, spicy and overpowering. All this was rounded out by a lonely little slice of apple and a chunk of tempeh. It was inedible. The lone cook/server/cashier did not say a word when she removed my full basket of picked apart wrap. Thank goodness for the lemon poppy seed cake. My one third of that cake, which was excellent, got me through until cocktail hour when I tried to drink away the memory of lunch. (It didn’t work.)

Alex may have to knock me unconscious and drag me by the hair in order to get me to try Path again.

P.S. I was not a fan of the tea either.

_Laine

Path

617 W. 35th Street

Norfolk, Virginia 23508

Path @ODU

4814 Hampton Blvd

Norfolk, Virginia 23508

http://www.pathnorfolk.com

The Brown Bag Cafe - Norfolk, VA-NOW CLOSED

The Brown Bag Cafe from City Hall Ave

When you are a hot shot restaurant reviewer with some financial backing like the NY Times, LA Times, and others, you will review a restaurant based upon a series of visits over the course of several different days, at different times and sampling different entrees. While Alex and I like to think of ourselves as hot shots, we definitely are lacking in the financial backing department. Our reviews are real life. We visit a restaurant and it gets one chance to make a first impression, then we write about it. It’s just like any other business encounter, isn’t it? If you don’t get a good feeling on that first phone call, first handshake, first meeting, you probably are not going to pursue the relationship. If things aren’t totally disastrous and you like the people, you might try them again because you liked the people, provided it isn’t going to cost you an arm or a leg.

Greek Salad - No Olives

Today I had a limited lunch break, and decided to give The Brown Bag Café a visit. Alex and I have had them on the list for a while, but a recent relocation to City Hall Avenue renewed our interest. Open Monday – Friday 7:30AM – 3:30PM, they definitely cater to the business crowd. Their menu has all the lunch basics, with a few breakfast items to cater to those who like to pick up something on their way in to work.

Wanting a Greek Salad (a recurring favorite of mine) I noted that they have one for $5, including a drink and a cookie. Folks, that is a deal anywhere! You can add any meat for a meager $2 extra. Still, at $7 this is a great deal. I called in my order a little before noon and requested chicken added. I really like when local lunch spots let you call or fax in your order so you don’t waste precious lunch minutes waiting for order preparation! I was told they were out of chicken. What is it lately with places running out of menu staples? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on the chicken as this is a new location and they may still be adjusting their inventory due to be busier here than their previous location. The phone was answered promptly and the call was handled quickly for which I award brownie points. When I arrived 10-15 minutes later to pick up my salad, I was told they were out of olives, so they were only charging me for the Garden salad. Really? Out of 2 items now?

Seating Area

The interior hasn’t really changed much since the former City Line café days. The atmosphere is definitely low overhead. Varieties of small bags of chips are in a bin on the counter, versus the usual clipped hanging displays or shelves most places have. Diners have to dig through the bin to see what’s in there and pick their choices. This doesn’t seem very conducive to protecting the quality of whole chips. Drinks are selected from a cooler full of ice. They were nice and cold. It reminded me a bit more of picnic style versus restaurant style.

My salad was very good and the portion was generous for $4. The lettuce was fresh, feta flavorful and not overdone, good tomatoes, some grilled red pepper (bottled kind, my guess) and 5 Peperoncini. The dressing was reminiscent of Craft zesty Italian. This is the one item I think they could improve upon. The salad wasn’t exactly what I wanted or ordered, and they let me down twice, but all things considered, I know I will give them another try.  _Laine

The Brown Bag Café

205 E. City Hall Avenue

Norfolk, VA 23510

757-963-6671

Kebab Shack - Granby Street, Norfolk, VA - NOW CLOSED

The Kebab Shack or ‘K Shack’, as I now endearingly refer to it, is a new found treasure for Laine and I. Tucked away in a small spot on the 300 block of Granby, the K Shack is a narrow space that used to be a no frills deli or pizza spot. It reminds me of a small secret that you find in a large city; nothing fancy, but great cuisine.

We arrived a little after noon and the only delay was our deciding what to order. Prior to seeing the menu, I planned on ordering falafel, but after seeing the menu, I rethought my initial decision. A vegetarian sampler caught my eye. Two grape leaves, a side of hummus, babaghanoush, sheperd salad, white bean salad and Mediterranean eggplant served with pita. All sounded great...except grape leaves. To date, I am not a fan. I asked the gal at the front if I could have something else, falafel or tabouli, instead and after checking with one of the cooks, she said yes and tabouli was the replacement. Fine by me. I was excited about my choice which only set me back about $10, and that included my $1.59 soda (deal!). You place your order, pay and then either grab your soda, juice or water from the fridge or for a better deal, grab your cup (plastic dine-in or disposable take-out) and fill your own soda from the fountain. I prefer a fountain soda to canned or bottled most days, especially if you fill it yourself and refills are aplenty.

We sat ourselves in a booth and within five to six minutes, our food arrived. We ordered separately, so it came out likewise, but still within a minute or two or one another. My platter was extremely (very, very) generous and everything looked fresh and delightful. Our food was served on real dishware, which was festive and a nice change from plastic baskets, which are popular at casual lunch places. Each plate was different, some Mediterranean themed, some striped and some polka-dotted. I enjoyed the dishes as much as my meal. My hummus was full of taste and I was ecstatic, as some can be bland (another local restaurant that I do not prefer is guilty of this). This hummus had tons of flavor, as did the tabouli, white bean salad and sheperd salad, which consisted of fresh tomatoes, green peppers, red onions and Kirby cucumbers in a light olive oil vinaigrette. The pita pieces were warmed, which was another plus. Every sampling was stocked full of taste and undoubtedly fresh. When I ordered, I could not remember if I liked babaghanoush and upon trying, decided I do not, but that is no fault of the K Shack. I think I will try to substitute something for that when I order the sampler again (if they do not mind, of course). I devoured my meal, but it did not leave me feeling too stuffed, which is good since we had to go back to work. I could not believe my meal for $10! I cannot wait to go back to the K Shack and try another item on the menu, red lentil soup and the falafel pita, possibly. From the sizes of the portions, I think any of the appetizers and soup would easily constitute a meal.

We had time to refill our drinks, sit and chat after eating, which shows how fast our food arrived and how fast, and happily, we consumed it. The folks come to clear your dishes as you finish and I would too, if I were them, to get those pretty dishes back in their hands. I think Laine and I have a new spot to add to our regulars list and of course, we will report back after the next visit.

The Kebab Shack is open daily from ** to **. They will put together take-out meals as well, so grab a menu on your way out the door.

~Alex

On the front of their to-go menu it reads “We owe it to ourselves EAT HEALTHY”. Ah yes, I love guilt free calories. Growing up, I wasn’t served foods with any kind of interesting ethnic background or seasoning. I was raised on straight up, plain Yankee cooking: A meat, a starch, a vegetable. I didn’t have my first taco until I was about 25. I cannot recall my introduction to Mediterranean cuisine, but I have been a fan ever since. I enjoy the seasonings, flavors and combinations. In the Mediterranean lifestyle, meals are not just a time to eat, they are festive gatherings of family and friends. The food is the centerpiece, meant to be shared and savored. In my experience, Mediterraneans are always very proud of what they put on the table. Compliments are welcome (and expected). Complaints or dislikes on the other hand, I have learned are best kept to yourself.

Lucky for me, no complaints on our visit yesterday. First thing I noted was that the staff was very friendly. There is an open counter looking directly into the kitchen. A couple of kitchen staff said hello along with the counter girl. I was hungry and everything looked so good. I settled on a Schawarma pita; a mixture of lamb and beef seasoned with Mediterranean spices and grilled on a rotisserie Skewer. These come topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, shredded red cabbage and a garlic white sauce. In addition, I ordered White Bean Salad, which caught my eye. You might expect them to have a gyro, but don’t look for one on the menu. It isnt’ there. No worries, there are plenty of other options.

The food arrived in a timely manner. Even though you are given a number when ordering, if they aren’t busy, they will carry your food out to you. Nice touch. The food was so delicious. I have already done some research and made notes on how to duplicate the White Bean Salad. It was so good! The Schawarma was very tasty. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the pita used. The flavor was fine, but it didn’t hold up to the different liquids of the sauce and vegetables very well. Not that it fell apart, it didn’t, but it got limp and rather unstable. I notice that the side servings of pita were different, and looked like they would have better served the sandwich too. It came with a little side of something green that I couldn’t quite figure out. It smelled of cilantro to me, so I dumped a dollop on my pita. Why would anyone in their right mind do that? After a big bite I quickly determined it was H-O-T. Note to self: Do not do that again.

Our friend Brianna* joined us again, ordering the same sandwich as me, with a Baba Ghanoush side. I think I ate more of her Baba Ghanoush than she did. I loved it. I agree with Alex that it is a little different that what I have had in the past, but I really enjoyed it. All pitas are $5.99 or you can get them as a wrap for $6.99, adding a dollar to all for Beef Kabab. They don’t have any side accompaniment; fries, side salads, etc. are a la carte, ranging from 2.99 to 3.99. This will make your average sandwich meal around $10, plus a drink. Kebab platters are probably a better “deal” at $7.99 - $8.00 for most, coming with a small salad, rice and pita bread. Considering that everything is fresh and made there, I find the prices very reasonable. Portions are generous. I recommend you check it out! For a limited time, all TCC students receive 10% off with a valid ID.

_Laine

Kebab Shack
319 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-533-5665
Mon-Thur 10:30AM-10PM
Fri-Sat 10:30AM-2AM
Sun 12PM-10PM

Ooka Sushi - Granby Street, Norfolk-NOW CLOSED

The first thing that grabbed my attention about Ooka Sushi was the front door.

OOKA Sushy
BATHROOM FOR CUSTOMER ONLY
NO CHANGE MADE
NO LOITERING

Hmmm. was the ‘y’ on the end of “sushy” a cutsie, on purpose spelling or a typo? In the neon sign above the door it is spelled “Sushi”. On the front of the menu it is spelled “Sushi”. My guess is that it is a typo, because I also found sashimi spelled sashini on one occasion in their menu. And wow, what is happening on this end of Granby Street? Are they overrun by loiterers asking for change and use of the bathroom? I had just crossed over the invisible line past which Granby Street transitions from kind of nice to kind of questionable. I had been to this same location previously when it was a Chinese restaurant, the name of which escapes me. The inside had not changed a bit. The décor is very simple, bordering on austere. Nothing is on the tables except folded, white paper napkins. In keeping with the theme of the front doors, I suppose this provides an undesirable element with little to pilfer.

I was dining with three other co-workers on our lunch hour. Ooka has a good special where you can get any two rolls for $7.50 or any three for $9.99. Most rolls are $4-5 a la carte, making this a financially sound ordering decision. Two diners went for the “3-for” deal, I opted for Sushi and Sashimi lunch, and the fourth diner ordered an AAC roll. I had to ask what that was…avocado, asparagus and cucumber. To me, that sounds a bit boring, but apparently to a vegan it is very exciting!

I had a couple of issues with Ooka’s condiments. I like light soy sauce, which is lower in sodium. Usually, the bottle is green for light, red for regular. Since a red bottle was brought out I requested the light version from the waiter. He told me that they are all light; they just put them in the regular bottle. Really? I’m not buying it. Next, they didn’t have Splenda for my tea. That’s okay; I can handle Sweet ‘n Low every so often. However, they didn’t have Sweet ‘n Low. They had some generic saccharin that was in packaging that made it look exactly like the name brand.

I also had an issue with the length of time it took to get our food. We were one of three tables in the restaurant. It took way to long to get our food. Most places on Granby know they are catering to a business lunch crowd who need to get back in their cages in as close to an hour as possible. Finally, once the food started coming out, it came in stages, rather than the entire table being served out once. That drives me nuts. At least with sushi you aren’t worried about your food getting cold as you wait for your entire table to be served, but that is really not the point.

Thank goodness the food was good. Everybody’s rolls looked fabulous, and seeing three clean plate club members confirmed that they all tasted good too. Mine was quite good. No overdoing of either fish or rice. Simply well proportioned pieces sushi, appropriately seasoned with dashes of wasabi. The sashimi slices were also nice sizes, very fresh and tasty.
Overall, I’d have to say Ooka is a toss up. On the plus side: prices are good and food is good. On the downside, they take too long and use condiments of indeterminate origin. After saying all that…I’d still choose it over Domo any day!

_Laine

Ooka is located at 411 Granby Street.

Bobbywood - Downtown Norfolk

Bobbywood is, by far, my favorite restaurant in the Hampton Roads area (Tidewater, for you natives). Everything about dining at Bobbywood is extraordinary. The menu has a number of appetizers, soups, salads and a slew of main courses. Appetizers include an Asian-inspired calamari, a crab salad topped with grilled shrimp, foie gras and pot stickers. The famous oyster stew is a regular in the soup selections and there is always a soup of the day. Duck, lamb, salmon, tuna, crab cakes, free-range chicken, filet mignon and meatloaf are some of the main course selections. The restaurant has a modern/post-modern design with the perfect lighting for fine dining. The kitchen is exposed so guests can watch the masterminds work their magic. The bar is also a nice spot, whether you are stopping by for a drink or having a complete meal. Another note on the bar, there is a happy hour Tuesdays-Fridays 5-6:30pm. The starters, soups and salads are half off, in addition to a variety of drink specials.
Last Friday, Leigh, Sasha and I opted for Bobbywood before the opera. We decided to dine at the bar, since we had a time constraint. It is also always fun to chat with Rob, the bartender. We started with the Chop Chop Greek salad. The display was as exciting as the taste. The greens are to one side of the dish and the tapenade, cucumbers, tomatoes and feta are layered in a circular fashion on the opposite side of the plate. The feta in this salad was certainly the best we have had. Butternut squash soup was one of the specials and I just had to try it. Wonderful.
Leigh and Sasha were torn between the parmesan-encrusted rockfish special and the meatloaf and in the end both ordered the latter, which came with a large helping of mashed potatoes and spinach. What a good decision. I must make one note, this is a very large portion, so you may have a doggy bag to take home, but it will be a nice treat the next day! Because it is delicious and I can never pull myself away from ordering it , I chose the onion-crusted salmon with spinach-potato cakes, sage cream and crispy spinach.
We would have ordered dessert had we not been in a hurry. To emphasize my love for Bobbywood, Norfolk has an annual restaurant week and I dined at Bobbywood three times during the week long event, I had no qualms about it. I have been there the past two years on my birthday, in addition to every other time I can round up my friends to go out for a nice meal. On my birthday, they printed menus with happy birthday and my name. That is the personal touch I seek. Reservations are not required but suggested and they always ask if it is for a special occasion.

Please visit Bobbywood for an exceptional dining experience. Bobbywood is open starting at 5pm Tuesdays-Sundays and is located 435 Monticello Avenue in Downtown Norfolk.

http://www.eatbobbywood.com/

~Alex