Jenna's Cafe- Virginia Beach, VA (Chic's Beach)

Entrance

Back in the days when I lived in the Lunatic Fringe zip code (AKA Chic’s Beach)  I used to frequent Jenna’s pretty regularly. Jenna’s does a couple of things really, really well. They have the best, fresh out of the oven pita bread. Their hummus is extra special. It has a great taste and a nice smooth consistency. Their pita sandwiches are hearty and fresh. Two people could easily split one pita sandwich and be satisfied. Oh yeah, and pizzas. I am a firm believer that the crust makes or breaks a pizza. They make a great pie.

I haven’t been to Jenna’s in a  few years now, and I decided to pick up a lunch to-go order for myself and my mom. They were running a special on Saturday, two pita sandwiches and a Greek salad for $16.99. That’s a great deal! I got the turkey and cheese for my mom. They have a roasted red pepper pita with provolone and feta, but since I love their hummus I asked to sub that for the provolone. I was told there would be a couple dollar charge to do that, and I told them to go for it. The one person working the counter and serving all the tables told me that the kitchen wasn't that busy and the wait wouldn't be too long. This is what my mom calls “Famous Last words”. The guy who came in behind me also ordered the special and grabbed a table to dine in.

My view for 40 minutes

Now the wait begins. Jenna’s is not in any way fancy, which is fine. Considering the location I don’t think anyone really expects it to be. It has blue-gray walls, red chairs, with cheap, TJ Maxx looking art on the walls. Low overhead. About 15 minutes into my wait I see the server come out with a big Greek Salad. She serves it to the guy who came in after me. Several minutes later his table gets their sandwiches AND the couple who came in after him get their hummus platter. Hmmmm….. I ask the girl what’s up? Is my order ready to go? She has to check on that. More minutes pass, more food is coming out. Cooked food, like pizzas, gyros….The girl now tells me that my food was dropped on the floor and they had to start over. Okay, I am glad they don’t serve food off the floor, but why did that incident bump me to the back of the line? People have finished eating and are leaving as I sit and wait. I call my mom and tell her that I might be there in time for dinner. I am regretting that I paid for this food when I ordered, otherwise I would have simply left and gone to Taste Unlimited or some other spot along the way. After waiting 40 minutes I go up to the register and beg for my food. Now I get a sea of excuses “its all made from scratch” “it’s all freshly prepared” blah, blah, blah. What she failed to understand is that everyone else’s order which came in after mine, but was served before mine, was also “freshly prepared”. Patience is something I struggle with every day, and I was really biting back my usual spew of sarcastic venom when miraculously my order was ready. Choirs of angels began to sing Hallelujah as I bolted out of the door. Seriously, an apology and maybe a free cookie would have gone a long way at that point.

My poor mom had to listen to this rant, which she did as always, with infinite patience. As soon as I started eating, I got less and less ticked off because the food was so freaking good. The Greek salad is really nothing special. It is iceberg, a few slices of cucumber, 2-3 chunks of tomato, a couple of peppers and herbed feta. Their vinaigrette is interesting. It is slightly orange and has a host of mystery herbs and spices (maybe some paprika?). It adds some interest to an otherwise boring salad. You are given a full pita with the salad, and these are nice, thick, hearty pitas. The sandwiches were heavenly, and packed with ingredients which came oozing out of the sides with every bite. I got half of the pita eaten and had to throw in the towel because I was full.

Note to self: Next time, call in the order ahead…because there will be a next time.

_Laine

Greek Salad, comes with a full pita. It had a decent amount of feta cheese, but it drifted to the bottom of the container.

My concoction, a marriage of the roasted red pepper and the hummus pitas 

Jenna's Cafe
2104 Pleasure House Road
VA Beach, VA 23455
Phone:(757) 460-0973

Dockside Restaurant and Marina - Virginia Beach, VA

A recent family event had me looking for a nice place for the entire family to dine that was on the water in VA Beach and had good food. Should be easy, I know, but there’s a lot of mediocre out there and the kicker was that my 7 year old was going to be on board too. Also, I don’t “do” lines. I simply will not stand in line waiting to eat. Take reservations or count me out. My original thought was Bubba’s. I haven’t been in years, but I used to like it. They don’t take reservations, which didn’t surprise me. The Bubba’s idea lead me around the corner to Dockside. Another place I have not been in about 10 years, but used to like. Ownership has changed, and I had no idea what to expect. They don’t take reservations, but do preferred seating for parties of 6 or more. What is preferred seating? If there is a wait, you go to the top of the list. That was good enough for me.

Front/Market Entrance

There is a lot going on at Dockside. Boat trips, retail fish market, restaurant. Unlike some other Shore Drive places (Croakers, Bubba’s, Chicks) they actually have a nice sized parking lot, where you can park you own car...for free. Other lots are too small (Croakers) or you have to pay valet (Chicks). Entering the restaurant takes you though the rustic fish market. Seriously, this section could be cleaned up just a tad to be more appealing. The restaurant restrooms are located in this section and are pretty disgusting. They still sell wine here too, but I didn't spend any time checking it out. Upon entering the main restaurant you see a big square bar to the left, a small dining area to the right, a larger room through the doors on the right, and a substantial deck. The deck is much larger that it used to be. The bar was packed. The decor is lackluster. The walls are golden colored wood ornamented with typical beach/fish/nautical junk. The view of the inlet is the scene stealer here.

Large Dining Room to right. Home of the famous melted fan.

We were seated and served promptly in the larger dining room on the right. Everyone commented on the fact that the tables were spaced out nicely. You are not jammed up next to your neighbor. The waitress was right there as soon as we sat down taking drink orders all around. She was very pleasant, and proficient. Foods orders were taken when the drinks were delivered, again this was done quickly. A couple of people ordered soup, salads and appetisers. These all came out in proper order and everyone dug in. I have to say that the quick arrival of our food surprised and amazed me. I was mentally prepared to wait as all tables were full and in the early stages of their meals. Everything was good. The She Crab soup was a big hit. The house salad was attractive with big red, ripe tomato chunks. Finally, a restaurant that serves a fresh sliced tomato (not grape tomatoes).

She Crab Soub

So far, so good. But I am still wary because it is the beach and it is the summer. Here come the entrees. They set down my mom’s flounder and I am deflated. It looks so good that I am afraid she out ordered me! It was about one inch thick, fluffy white meat, cooked to perfection. Then I see my stuffed flounder and I am happy. My husband ordered the Soft-shell Crab special. He is always a sucker for Soft-shells. These looked good too. The crabs were large for peelers and the portion was generous. Our Norwegian friend ordered a steak. I forgive him because I know he eats fish all the time. My daughter got the fried shrimp kids meal. Again, with my low expectations, I was thinking little, frozen shrimp. Not so! These were good sized, tail on, butterflied shrimp. This is my second time to be amazed and surprised! The best part of my stuffed flounder was the “stuff”. Big chunks of backfin, very minimal filler, lightly seasoned and buttered. When you have good crab meat there is no need to get fancy, just let the crab do the talking!

Kids Fried Shrimp

Stuffed Flounder (I requested no potato or veg)

Soft-Shell Crab Special

My daughter was dying to see what was going on outside with all the boats, and activity. My husband strolled her around the deck after eating, and reported back that there was a guitar player outside to entertain the deck dwellers. Nice little addition. On the downside he was singing Cheeseburger in Paradise, the obligatory summer-deck-guitar-playing-dude-song. We had to hear the 7 year old rendition the entire way home.... We received the check promptly, paid and were out of there in about 90 minutes, feeling pleasantly full, relaxed and happy. Success!
_Laine

Dockside Restaurant and Marina
3311 Shore Drive, Virgina Beach, VA 23451
(757) 481-0372

HK on the Bay, Virginia Beach, VA

After another glorious beach day, our group left the North End and headed to HK on the Bay for a bite to eat. Two friends were in from Richmond, so we tried to find something that was not completely out of the way for them (Ghent was out). When we first arrived, we found ourselves sitting outside. This did not seem like an issue at first, but after being on the beach for five hours or so, we craved air conditioning. Mel* took the reigns and got us a table, which had just emptied, inside. Phew, AC and I did not have to be the bully for once!

I have been to Hell's Kitchen in Norfolk a few times, but it has never wowed me. Their vegetable platter is decent and last time, I tried their vegan stuffed peppers. All fine, but I am never rushing to return. The HK on the Bay menu is similar, but they do not have the vegan items, so I was left with the vegetable platter, the vegetarian fajitas (ho-hum), or trying to vegetarianize another item. I did not see the pizzas that the HK in Norfolk has on the menu. I would have ordered their white pizza if given the option. I asked our waitress if the nachos or the quesadilla without meat was an option and she said yes, but she pushed the quesadilla as the better choice. I added a side of their fries after others in the group said how good they were. Three others ordered the fish tacos, Mel's beau ordered the seafood nachos and a fellow vegetarian asked them to make a grilled cheese for her. My quesadilla was good and I think they threw in some extra vegetables, which can make or break something like this. The fries were decent, if a little salty and were actually potato wedges. The nachos were huge and had she-crab soup poured over them - that's a new one. The grilled cheese was also gussied up, which surprised us all.

Service was good - we were dying of thirst and ran the server ragged with the need for water, but she did not seem to mind. HK on the Bay's bar was busy and all of the tables stayed filled while we were present, so it is a happening place. My meal was fine, but I still look at HK and HK on the Bay as bars. Bar food serves its purpose, as it did this day, but I would probably not put them on my regular schedule. How many quesadillas can one eat?

~Alex

HK on the Bay
4600 Lookout Road
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23455

http://www.hkonthebay.com/