Twist Martini & Associates - Va Beach, Town Center

Twist Martini & Associates has a prime, corner location directly across from the Sandler Center, which led me there Sunday evening. We walked directly across the street to Twisted after waiting among others at the hostess stand of McCormick & Schmick’s for about 5 minutes. After waiting a completely flustered hostess announced to no one in particular that the “kitchen was running behind”.  Don’t these places prepare for concert nights?

The clock was ticking so we headed on over, checked out the posted menu and decided to give Twist a try. There were about 3 groups eating outside, and the inside bar was similarly full, but the dining area was empty. It also smelled like smoke. Not food smoke either, cigarette smoke. Usually I would have left at that point, but we were running out of time. A host/waiter showed us to an outside table and gave us menus. 

Once again…we wait. No water, no nothing. Some girl who worked there was decorating the sidewalk tent sign like it was going to go on display at the Chrysler Museum. She was 10 feet away and never budged from the sign. The table next to us was served, and still no recognition for us. Finally, our server arrived and we order everything at once. We are brown liquor lovers, so it was Jack Daniels Manhattans for us both. In my world all bars are judged on their ability to make a good Manhattan. Since Manhattans (and brown liquors) have risen in popularity over the past several years, most bars have improved on this item. Ten years ago, it was a different story. My husband ordered the Baby Spinach Salad from the Apps menu. It is served with strawberries, candied walnut, goat cheese and a Vanilla-Balsamic Vinaigrette.   We both opted for light fare entrée’s. I selected the Petite Fillet with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables; he selected the Grilled Pork Chop, with Wild Rice, Apple Butter, Fried Onions and Bourbon-Thyme Drizzle. 

The Manhattan’s were excellent. I inquired about the fantastic cherry; one of the servers was very knowledgeable, explaining to us that they were Luxardo brand Maraschino Cherries, imported from Italy.  Additionally they use top shelf vermouth, Contratto Roso. Its details like this that take a drink up a notch or two! My husband said the salad was superior. Or course, this meant I had to taste it. The spinach was very fresh, but I think it was the vinaigrette that put is over the edge. I was excellent. My petite fillet was cooked to perfection, and the small plate is plenty for a meal. 

So, here’s the big miss. My husband’s entrée never arrived. Well, let me correct myself. We got the check, (from which they removed the pork chop), paid, and then the pork chop arrived. It looked awesome too…but we will never know how it tasted. Everyone was very apologetic, and we were offered complimentary drinks after the show for compensation. However, it was a work night, and we decided not to take them up on the offer. 

_Laine

4517 Commerce St
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

(757) 995-7878

Food-5

Service-2

Beverage-5

Restrooms-NA

Ambiance-3

Steinhilber's Restaurant - Virginia Beach, VA

This weekend was time to revisit an old favorite, Steinhilber’s. Boy, did we time it right! Saturday’s weather was unseasonably mild, with low humidity, low temperatures and a nice breeze. That’s the perfect combination for dining al fresco on the water in Virginia Beach! Whenever you dine at Steinhilber’s, make sure you request a table with a water view, available both inside and outside. If the weather is nice, I recommend dining on the patio. I noticed that they have added several gas fueled fire-pit tables to their outside assortment. These would be great on cooler evenings.

After taking drink orders, our delightful server was quick to mention that they had a bounty of fresh vegetables, especially tomatoes, originating from the garden next door. How’s that for local? Two of the salad specials for the evening took full advantage of this bounty. They offered their twist on the classic Caprese and Tomato with Lump Crab. She had me at “Lump Crab”. My husband ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna Appetizer.

For his entrée he ordered the Baked Seafood Combination, which is a 3 oz. lobster tail, 3 scallops, shrimp and lump crab. My husband happens to be a soft shell crab fanatic. If a restaurant has them available, he is going to order one. They had them so he added one on to his order. I selected one of the specials; a bone in pork chop cooked with a peach barbeque glaze, served over a succotash of black eyed peas and corn. We ordered cocktails which we enjoyed while munching on cornbread and enjoying the view.


 All plates arrived in a reasonable time frame. We never felt rushed, and we never felt like we were waiting. The tomato did NOT disappoint, and the lump crab was very generous. The Ahi Tuna was also delicious. A tender cut, with a nice avocado sauce drizzle. The chop and succotash was special. Pork can be a tough meat to time right. It needs to be cooked through, but not over cooked. This chop was perfection. It was tender and juicy. I loved the peach glaze and it paired very well with the succotash. The seafood, including the soft shell crab, was another home run. 

Although I forgot to photograph it, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention dessert. I ordered the pecan pie with vanilla ice cream, noted to be a family recipe. Wow. This is a serious piece of pie people! The crust was very unusual. It reminded me of peanut brittle. It was crunchy with a distinct nut flavor, not at all your standard flour crust. The pie filling was heavenly. An extra spoon was brought out for the Mr., but I’m pretty sure he didn’t get more than a bite. I wasn’t into sharing my pie…which he is used to by now.

_Laine

Food-5

Service-5

Beverage-3

Restrooms-NA

Ambiance-5 - outside on this day!

 

Toast Bar - Norfolk, VA

Toast, how we love thee...

Tuna Melt

Today was our first experience at Toast.  We liked Field Guide, have heard great things about Handsome Biscuit and figured this had to be another endeavor in food excellence.  Located in a spacious, new-old (read: hip, renovated) building at the corner of Colonial Avenue & 24th Street.  We were greeted by a very pleasant guy I recognized from Field Guide.  We grabbed a booth by the window to get ready for what would be one of the best lunches we have had.  The server was extremely helpful with the menu and any questions we had (we ask a lot if you remember). 

 

I debated between three savory toasts, the Tuna Melt, the Eggy Weg and the Egg Salad.  After the three starving parties at our table agreed to split the Tuna Melt as an 'extra', I settled on the Egg Salad with lime chili oil and kimchi, based on that being the more unique of the two egg toasts, according to the server.  Our third musketeer ordered the Texas Pig with peppers, micro greens, pickled onions and sour cream, which she thoroughly enjoyed.  She was slightly nervous about the Tuna Melt (she does not like tomatoes) but we convinced her to give it a whirl and she could not believe how much it tasted like bolognese.  We thought the same - this is a winner.  The egg salad was creamy, not too heavy and with the lime chili oil and kimchi had some texture.  I find egg salad needs something extra to balance the softness of the eggs and mayo.  

Egg Salad

Texas Pig

 All of that led us to dessert, the main attraction.  In reality, we had looked at dessert first and Laine and I could have lived in just that BUT to give a fair review, we wanted to eat a 'real' lunch first.  The server recommended the churro which sounds really good but we had our hearts set on the Tres Leches and the PNUT.  The Tres Leches is 'lighter' if a dessert of bread, condensed milk and butter can be called light.  We went 'all the way' with the PNUT by adding the recommended malted chocolate ice cream.    This dynamic combo consists of peanut butter, homemade jam, ice cream and chocolate chips on top of the waffleloafle bread, a Toast specialty for their sweet toasts.  This was out of sight and put us over the edge.  We had all had one and a half regular toasts and split the two desserts so I would say we can give a well-rounded review...Toast is wicked good and we will be back, soon.  As Laine mentioned, this would be a good spot for post-ODU football game dining.

_Alex

The premise is that each dish is served on top of a piece of Toast, hence the name. The thought of this brought haunting images of chipped beef on toast to mind, but after checking out their Facebook page, I decided to give it a try. Toast is just across the railroad tracks on Colonial Ave, close to Handsome Biscuit. It’s nice to see businesses exploring options and succeeding in Park Place. They have their own parking lot (bonus) and a cute outside dining area. The outside dining is right next to the street and the parking lot, making it a little less appealing. Since our lunch coincided with a torrential downpour, we opted to dine in.  There is counter seating overlooking the outdoor eating area, about 15-20 seats around the bar and several booths. It has a solid urban vibe with exposed brick and minimalistic décor. I like the look of the open kitchen with the large brick archway.

The menu is very interesting, with a lot of variety and very reasonable pricing. They have eggs, chicken, tuna, pork, beef, bacon and vegetarian selections. There is a bar, so mixed drinks and brews are available. Since we had to return to our jobs working for the man, I tried their in house Ginger Beer. It was awesome; very crisp tasting and sweet like a Sprite, but with the added zing of ginger.

The portions are hearty. As a first timer, you might think that the entrées will be “less than” a sandwich, but you would be wrong. They are “greater than” the average sandwich! The delicious bread is at least one inch thick, with a hearty crust. It is, of course, toasted. Next, your choices are piled high on top. It can only be eaten with a fork and knife. I liked that they provide an oversized serrated knife. This lets you cut all the way through the toast without destroying your dish. 

PNut

All of our choices were stellar. The Tuna Melt is very unique. The server warned us that it tastes more like Lasagna than a Tuna Melt. Say what?! He was right and I am still not sure how that can happen! When it was all said and done, my heart belonged to the PNut. It sets the new standard for dessert decadence. We will be back.

_Laine

Toast Norfolk

2406 Colonial Ave

Norfolk, VA 23517  

Food-5

Service-5

Beverage -5

Restrooms-NA

Ambiance-3

Zushi Japanese Bistro - Virginia Beach Town Center

View of bar area and entrance

Friday nights traditionally mean sushi at my house, so B.B.King at the Sandler Center on a Friday night meant finding sushi at the Town Center. Getting to the Town center at 6PM on a Friday is no fun. It starts with a traffic backup on the interstate exit ramp that leaves you sitting at a dead stop  while people fly past as they try to enter the highway. If you survive this trial, you next have to endure creeping along at a snail's pace while you merge in and out of traffic trying to make your turn onto the roads that will get you to a parking garage. However, by the time you make it to your destination, this garage may be full and you will have to maneuver once again through the traffic to another garage. Can you tell I am not a fan? Why the city built this destination without any upgrade to the highway is a mystery to me. It took 30 minutes to go 1 mile. Make sure you add this travel time into your planning if you need to be somewhere at a specific time.

Sushi Bar

We made it to Zushi just in time for our reservation. The interior is nice, modern with dimmed lights and a natural color palate. A full bar is located up by the entrance if you need to wait, as well as a comfortable seating area. Several tables were marked as reserved, one of which was ours. We were promptly seated and orders were taken for drinks. The menu is basic sushi restaurant. There is some variety in the sake menu which isn't seen everywhere. Dinner entrees come with choice of miso soup or salad. We ordered the Sushi Dinner and I got the Chirashi bowl. The restaurant really started to fill up and by 6:35 there was a wait. There were three sushi chefs in view and our orders came out quickly. Once we were served, our waitress kind of disappeared. They have metal chop sticks, which were extremely slippery, and the fish seemed to keep slipping around. My daughter, who is still working on her chop stick skills, could not master them. The fish was good quality, and well proportioned. The sticky rice was slightly sweet, just the way I like it. It didn't take us long to finish, but we had to track down our server for the check. Once we got it, we had to stop the hostess to pay. Our server appeared to be in the weeds, as they say.

Overall, I liked Zushi and would definitely return if I was at the Town Center again on a Friday night. It would not be a destination place for me though. The sushi chefs were very friendly and pleasant, but service was slow and inattentive. I also thought it was overpriced. What can I say? My heart still belongs to Kyushu which is less that 3 miles away.
_Laine

Zushi Japanese Bistro
4540 Main Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone:(757) 321-1495

Seating Area

Sushi Dinner

Chirashi Bowl

Zushi Japanese Bistro
4540 Main Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone:(757) 321-1495

The Daily, Richmond, Virginia

The Daily opened this past July and is located in vibrant Carytown in Richmond, Virginia. One word comes to mind when I think of The Daily...hip. This restaurant is chic and is packed with a well-groomed crowd to match. Based on a friend's glowing recommendation, we decided to swing in The Daily on a Sunday and hoped to get a seat. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Fortunately we had our choice of inside or outside. The Daily's patio is comfortable even in the chilly weather as they have turbo heaters between the tables. The patio flows into the interior through two large glass garage-like doors with a feng shui orientation. There is a large bar where you can also grab a meal if seating is full or if you just prefer eating at the bar. Our server was very helpful and included 'groovy' in his description of a meal...he was professional but still had a personality.

On to the most important topic, the food. We started with the edamame which had a sweet soy reduction. This gave the appetizer a little twist...something easy to add at home as we eat edamame a few times each week. I tried a blueberry lemonade cocktail which was good but the bourbon threw me (I should have read closer, I assumed the liquor was vodka). I am just engineered for lighter-tasting spirits. All in all, The Daily has an interesting cocktail list as well as a nice beer and wine list. They even carry O'Connor's, one of our Norfolk brews.


I pondered and pondered over what to order. I was in the mood for a sandwich, and was playing mental ping pong between the vegetable Panini and the veggie burger and then the twist in that mix was the vegetable plate option you can build. I was sure The Daily would have a great veggie burger but those sides were screaming at me - so many choices. Upon asking the server, he also added the curried lentil bowl as one of his favorite vegetarian dishes. I was really in a quandary. After another few minutes of decision agony, I opted for the Panini, as the server said he would choose that over the veggie burger and that was my first inclination. Sweet potato fries were a must and I had to throw in a side of the Brussels sprouts - another suggestion from our server. My carnivorous half went with the beef stir fry and a side of whipped potatoes. Who says you cannot order potatoes when you have a rice dish...no one in this camp.


My only disappointment, we did not have time for dessert - unbelievable but true on this Sunday. The Daily's pumpkin bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream has haunted my dreams since our meal. I would really like to visit again before pumpkin season ends (and I do love this time of year for all of the pumpkin offerings!) I wonder if The Daily would ship this creation on dry ice to me...

The Daily is a must if you are in the Richmond area. If you are out, make a day of grabbing a meal there and enjoying the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (A Hollywood Costume exhibit starts soon!) and other fun activities the city has to offer.

The Daily
2934 W. Cary St, Richmond, VA 23221
(408) 714-1489
Hours: Mon - Sat 11:00am - 2:00pm, Sun 10:30am - 2:00am

Tortilla West, Norfolk, Virginia (oldie but goodie)

Tortilla West is well known as one of Ghent's treasures. Located in the back of West Ghent, T-West, as many fondly call it, is a southwestern spot with great food and a plethora of tequila. We are huge fans of T-West and dine there once every other week, at least. The cheese dip is our go-to appetizer and T-West's seasoned chips are my favorite chips around town. Tortilla West does not have a cocktail menu per se but they do have a ton of liquor choices. For the second time, the nice bartender made me a fruity concoction of mango vodka and pomegranate liquor combined with pineapple, orange and lime juices. This is a pretty delicious drink on a hot day. This particular night, along with the mandatory chips, I started with the gazpacho soup special. A smoky flavor and topped with avocado, T-West's version of this Spanish cold soup was well done. I would eagerly order this again.

Gazpacho

For my entree, I typically choose the Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadilla or the Vegetable Quesadilla but I wanted something out of the norm. Let's be honest, how many vegetarian quesadillas can one eat? In my quest, I spied the Grilled 3 Cheese under the sandwich heading and decided to give it a whirl. Feta, mixed cheese (cheddar and Monterey Jack) and Manchego with bacon and tomato on ciabatta. The sandwich had me at Manchego (I love this cheese) and I substituted avocado for the bacon. Sandwiches come with a side and I opted for the zucchini and squash. The result? This sandwich is my new staple at T-West and the Manchego hoisted it into the exceptional category. The zucchini and squash side is always dependable and gave me a vegetable to balance out the cheese dip and my cheese sandwich. Cheese anyone?

Grilled 3 Cheese with zucchini and squash

My boyfriend loves T-West's soft tacos and this day, tuna was the fish of choice. Cooked to his liking, the tacos combined with the mac n' cheese hit the spot. Typically, the mac n' cheese comes with jalapenos but we nix those.

Tuna Soft Tacos with beans and rice

Mac n' Cheese sans jalapenos

Last but certainly not least, dessert made it's way into my mind. T-West makes their desserts from scratch and I have always liked what I have ordered. Peanut butter pie and carrot cake were our picks for the night. The pie filling was perfectly gooey and almost had a custard consistency, making me want more. We wanted to take a second slice to go, but I nabbed the last one. Lucky me! The carrot cake was of the standard variety but good nonetheless.

Tortilla West is open Monday-Saturday 4pm-1:30am and Sundays 11am-1:30am when they also serve brunch. Laine and I still hope for the day T-West will reopen during lunch. We understand lunch everyday might not make sense for this restaurant, but how about one day per week, Fridays? We truly miss lunch there.

~Alex

Tortilla West
508 Orapax St, Norfolk, VA 23507
(757)440-3777

Bella Monte, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Bella Monte, located on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach is a restaurant I certainly should have visited in the past and consider myself fortunate to have gone recently with a good friend. We snagged one of the last reservations on a Saturday evening, so I do suggest making one.

We walked in to an energetic restaurant filled to capacity and I was instantly excited. The restaurant's slightly busier decor makes you feel at home but not claustrophobic because it was designed with good taste. Tables are closer together and I do like this style. You can focus on your own party's conversation but appreciate the good chatter of your neighbors. Who does not enjoy some interesting information gathered unintentionally! In all seriousness, it is nice to see others laughing and having fun over a good meal.

It took more than a few minutes for the server to bring our drinks, but after that initial delay, she was very attentive. We started our meal with the focaccia appetizer. There is no better way to start a meal than with hearty bread dipped in a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For my entree, I was torn between the gnocchi and the tortellini and the latter won due to its accompanying sun-dried tomato pesto cream sauce. If you like rich cream sauce, which I certainly do, this entree is for you.  Nice additions, the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes made it much more than your average cream sauce. My partner in crime ordered the penne alla vodka, minus the pancetta. She and I are both vegetarians and the server has no qualms in meeting her request.

Cheese tortellini, artichokes, fresh basil, sundried tomato pesto cream sauce

Penne alla Vodka

Our entrees arrived just as we finished our focaccia and we were both thrilled with our choices. The quantity was adequate and we polished off every last bite. I look forward to trying to gnocchi next time but it will be really difficult not to order the tortellini again. The trials and tribulations of eating at a nice restaurant. Last but certainly not least, dessert menus arrived. Apparently, our server is also a bread pudding fanatic, as I am, and when I said we were torn between a few of the choices, she revealed her loyalty to my favorite dessert and her love for Bella Monte's take on this popular dessert. That was an easy decision and we threw in the white chocolate cherry cheesecake for good measure. The bread pudding is made with Panettone and a rum sauce. As our server said, it was delicious but piping hot so watch your first couple bites. The cheesecake was rich and creamy and the cherries that sat atop the dish were perfect with the white chocolate. We managed to also finish these before finally resigning ourselves to asking for the check, but neither of us really wanted to leave.

Panettone Bread Pudding w/Rum Sauce

White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

I also ordered a take-out while we dined for a hungry boyfriend at home and he was thrilled with the chicken Parmesan. The only small blemish of the night was the side of meatballs I had ordered for him to go with the entree. I asked for a side of the Italian sausage and a side of the large meatballs in the prepared food case I spied in the back of the restaurant. I was explicit in describing them, even quoting the price. When I got home, there were much, much smaller meatballs in the box, so there was some mix-up between my order and the take-out box. Immediately upon discovering this mishap, I phoned the restaurant and the staff said to come by the following week and pick up the 'real' meatballs. We do not live close and while one of us will try to make it by the restaurant to obtain the bigger and better meatballs, I had hoped for some easier remedy. Something is better than nothing though, and as we know there are restaurants out there that would have simply done that...nothing.

There is a cute market attached to the restaurant. They have wonderful provisions for the cook, food lover or anyone who appreciates a nice gift for their home. I will definitely use them in the future for host/hostess gifts and will be able to find something unique, a little change from the typical bottle of wine. Bella Monte is also open for lunch, another meal there in my future.
Food-
Service-4
Beverage-4
Restrooms-5
Value-4
Ambiance-5


Bella Monte Gourmet Market and Italian Marketplace
http://www.bellamontevb.com/
1201 Laskin Rd #100 Virginia Beach, VA 23451
(757) 425-6290