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

California Pizza Kitchen - MacArthur Center - Norfolk, VA

Alex and I had not been to California Pizza Kitchen (herein after referred to as CPK) for quite some time. We both had favorite entrees which had been eliminated with a menu update earlier in the year. I hate when this happens. CPK has a fairly extensive menu, but with our favorites gone, we didn't see much reason to return. Additionally, CPK is a bit on the pricey side and these days most of us our watching our budgets a little closer. If I am going to spend a bit for "gourmet style" pizza, I'd rather be at Fellini's. Although, I have to admit that CPK's White Pizza is wowza good. 


I can't remember the source, but somehow I was recently made aware of yet another CPK menu update. Interestingly enough, some of the old favorites were making a comeback under the guise of new names. We decided to check it out and bring our buddy *Brianna along. Brianna loves the fish tacos there, but noticed a new item, Tacos Carnitas; slow-roasted pork, homemade avocado salsa verde, red onions, cilantro, Romaine and shredded Napa cabbage served with tortilla chips and roasted tomato salsa. Sounded pretty good to everyone and she decided to give it a try. Alex of course, honed right in on the Crispy Mac 'n Cheese.  CPK' version is "classic mac ‘n’ cheese lightly fried with panko, served on creamy cheese sauce". Seeing the picture on their website, it does not appeal to me at all. It looks like a Mac 'n Cheese burger. Click here to see what I mean. Surprisingly, Alex passed on the starter and we both ordered the Roasted Vegetable Salad; Roasted artichoke hearts, asparagus, eggplant, red & yellow peppers, corn and sun-dried tomatoes served warm over Romaine tossed with homemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette. Topped with avocado. This is suspiciously similar to our old favorite "Grilled Vegetable Salad" and we were glad to see it back.

The meals took a while to arrive. This happens sometimes at CPK. They were packed on Tuesday, so the wait did not surprise me. The tacos arrived loaded with the salsa verde and Brianna instantly regretted her order. In retrospect she wished she had asked if they were spicy. They were a bit hot, but the bigger disappointment was the meager chunks of pork in the taco. Resting on the bottom layer were tiny, 1/2 inch, flat pieces of overcooked pork. Bleh! Should have stuck with the Fish Tacos!! Our salads looked good and the server even got the salad dressings right, which only happens about 50% of the time at this location. I always order Fat Free Balsamic on the side. Sometimes I get nothing, sometimes I get it on the salad, sometimes I get regular Balsamic and etcetera. This was a good start! After four or five bites into the salad I realize the eggplant is MIA. Ditto for Alex. We request some and it is brought out to the table within a reasonable amount of time. Next, the avocados. I want you to look at the photo of this salad here. Do you see all that avocado! Man, it is a mountain! Now, look at the photos below. We were both able to locate 2 measly little chunks. Sad. I know it is difficult to get ripe avocados, and they are expensive and blah, blah, blah. I have already heard all that. If you can't deliver the product, don't advertise it. Simple as that folks! We didn't even bother complaining about it. How many times can you complain about a salad to your server?

And by the way, our server did a good job. She kept our drinks full and had a pleasant demeanor. I learned long ago not to fault the server for the sins of the kitchen. I am pretty sure we each tipped her at least 20%, which is our usual  M.O. even for poor service. It's a tough job.  I know from experience. Plus, I am always thinking, that could be my kid, or my nephew or my friend. A salad at CPK, with no extras will run you about $15. This doesn't really bother me because their salads are hearty. They aren't just serving up romaine with cucumber and tomato. The Tacos are in a similar price range.


As usual the company was outstanding, and we had a fun meal. I'm sure there are more CPK lunches in my future. One thing I really like about CPK is that they post their nutritional information online. I wish more restaurants, at least chains, did that. Ut oh...the White Pizza has 1080 calories and 119 g of carbs. I plug that into my handy dandy Weight Watchers calculator and see that racks up to 22 points plus. Maybe next time I order the White Pizza I will only eat half...


_Laine


California Pizza Kitchen

300 Monticello Ave # 149
Norfolk, VA 23510-4400
(757) 622-7190

Open Mon-Thu 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-shredded Napa cabbage served with tortilla chips and roasted tomato salsa

Laine and Alex Top 5 - Reasons to Dine at Fellini's

1. Consistently delivery entrées with outstanding flavor and quality ingredients over course of two decades +
2. Consistently deliver good service
3. Generous portions for reasonable prices
4. Warm, relaxing atmosphere
5. Mass appeal to all ….even Laine and Alex’s moms!


Open Mon-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 4pm-9:30pm
Fellini's
3910 Colley Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23508-2627
(757) 625-3000

The Vineyards Trattoria and Pizzeria - Norfolk, VA

Alex and I have dined here several times now. The food is always good. The wait to get your food is always long. They have fantastic garlic knots that they give you while you wait. They must go through a lot of these.... It is rather small inside, with tables close to each other. There is no buffer from the entrance to tables. You really feel the weather when the door opens, regardless of where you are seated. Today there were monsoon-like winds blowing downtown, and it rippled through the restaurant every time the door opened. I ate lunch without removing my coat.

I choose the Grilled Salmon Salad, and my buddy ordered her favorite sandwich, the Chicken Parmigiani. She says the chicken is so tender it melts in your mouth. I can only attest to the fact that she was a member of the clean plate club and said it was delicious. My salad was an interesting combination of Salmon with walnuts, dried cherries and goat cheese. The salmon was a little on the well done side for me, but tasted fine. Service was okay, but wasn't very soliticous. This has been my experience on most occassions. Their service does not set the world on fire.


Overall I would rate this restaurant as just "okay". I don't mind going there, but it isn't on the top of my list due to variables other than the food.
_Laine

The Vineyards Trattoria and Pizzeria
147 Granby St
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 222-0431

Il Porto Ristorante, Alexandria, VA

It was cold, we were hungry, Italian cuisine fit the bill. Maryland and I left Dupont Circle and headed to Alexandria to meet my college friend, Majorly. At her suggestion, we sought out Il Porto Ristorante on King Street. With Maryland’s good prep, we found King Street easily and after a few minutes discovered a parking garage that was only $3/hour on South Fairfax Street near the intersection of Wales Street (make a mental note). Most other garages were $5/hour or a $7 flat rate. Once parked, we strolled up to King Street and decided to pop in Pop’s Old Fashion Ice Cream Company since we had a few extra minutes. Homemade ice cream in a variety of unique flavors placed Pop’s at the top of our evening dessert list. See the review on Pop’s **

We arrived at Il Porta slightly before 7pm and were quickly seated by the fireplace upstairs. This was a plus since we had been walking in the cold and sampling ice cream (who does that!). Once Majorly arrived, we made our selections. She and Maryland both chose one of the specials, a cheese tortellini with chicken in a tomato cream sauce. The waiter told us that everything is prepared to order and customers are encourage to change the pasta type or sauces to make their desired dish. I was torn between the Fettuccine Alfredo, the special sans the chicken or Capellini Primavera. I consulted the waiter and he said if I was hungry, go with the Primavera and that I could change the sauce to a cream variety. I said that was splendid and I EVEN changed the pasta to whole wheat fettucine since I prefer fettuccine to other long pastas. Il Porto offers whole wheat spaghetti and fettuccine. Finalized, it was a Fettuccine Primavera with cream sauce. Customization is key, especially without griping from the kitchen!

Fresh, hot bread arrived and soon thereafter, our entrees. Maryland and Majorly were quite happy with the special, as I was with my own version of primavera. The portions were hearty, but none of us had a problem finishing our dishes. We sat and enjoyed ourselves for a while after dinner. The waiter allowed us to relax after our meal and chat without shoving the bill under our noses, as some other servers do.

We did view the dessert menu, but already had Pop’s Ice Cream in our heads. Some of Il Porto’s dolce offerings were a white chocolate mousse, a white raspberry truffle, Tiramisu, Cannoli and a few others. I am fairly certain these would all be fabulous, from what we experienced with our entrees.

We did not need a reservation, but I am sure it would not hurt to make one, especially if you have a larger party. Il Porto Ristorante is open 364 days each year (only closed Thanksgiving Day) and serves lunch and dinner daily.

Thumbs up!
~Alex

Il Porto Ristorante
121 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone: (703) 836-8833
http://www.ilportoristorante.com

The Vineyards Trattoria and Pizzeria - Norfolk, VA

Recently, I dined twice at The Vineyard Trattoria and Pizzeria in downtown Norfolk. A few nights ago, a friend and I went to dinner after the Art Everywhere event downtown. It was a hard choice from the many appealing menu items, but I decided to order the Four Cheese Manicotti and my friend, Zola, ordered the Focaccia Salad. My entree came with a side salad and the waitress brought garlic knots for us to enjoy while we waited for our food. The restaurant was not busy and our food came within a reasonable amount of time. The manicotti was a generous portion, good and $10.50. Zola's salad was set on top of pizza crust, which I sampled and it was fresh and delicious and lead me to think the Vineyard pizzas are great choices. The salad portion of her meal was not huge and only $7, but if you are looking for more greens than pizza dough, order another salad. They have quite a few from which to choose. I figured I would give the dessert menu a look and wanted the white chocolate cheesecake, but they were out of that (my luck), so I chose the Tiramisu and was very pleased, thankfully. I have had one or two versions of Tiramisu that had too much liqueur and was not able to eat them. I was nervous, but The Vineyard's take on this dessert was just right. We received 15% off as the restaurant participated in the Art Everywhere event; a nice little discount. My bill before tip was less than $15. Not bad, especially at the dinner hour.

My next visit to Vineyard was for lunch. Laine and I, and two other friends, ventured over a little after noon and snagged one of the last open tables. The waitress took our orders and brought the garlic knots and then wait began. All four of us were pretty hungry and had a few garlic knots while waiting. The knots were flavorful and the waitress was not shy about bringing more when we had eaten the first round. I ordered the Mona Lisa Panini, roasted red peppers, eggplant, spinach and mozzarella on focaccia bread. When it finally came, forty-five minutes later, it was wonderful, very fresh and came with a side salad, always a nice addition to any sandwhich. Two of our party ordered the Chicken Parmesan Sandwhich and both were pleased. Theirs also came with a side salad. One ordered a cannoli to go, so Laine and I will have to find out how it is. My food was wonderful and the prices are more than reasonable, but the wait was entirely too long. When we arrived, the two-top next to us had just started their salads and then they had pasta and had paid their bill and left before our food even appeared. We had heard that wait was a little long from some co-workers, but forty-five minutes for a salad and a few sandwhiches is a bit extreme. I definitely do not want to blacklist The Vineyard, but I know the next time I visit, I will push them a little and ask for the check as soon as my food arrives. Most of the patrons are on their lunch hour and it is called a lunch HOUR for a reason. I cannot imagine how long it would have been if we had had a larger party. Eek. Highly recommended but watch the time.

~Alex

The food was great. I ordered a steak salad that is not listed on the Newport News menu, but probably should be. The steak melted in my mouth. Ordered medium rare and cooked to perfection, it nicely complemented mixed greens and a light balsamic dressing. As for the garlic knots, they saved our lives. This meal took forever. If they want to cater to a business lunch crowd they seriously need to work on timing. Sandwiches and a rare steak don't take 45 minutes. This may be a better place for dinner when time is not an issue.
_Laine

The downtown location does not have a website, but refer to the Newport News location's site for the menu. www.thevineyardskilncreek.com

147 Granby St
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 222-0431

Federico's Italian Restaurant - Virginia Beach, VA

I used to eat lunch and occasionally dinner at Federico’s when I worked off Baxter Road and lived in that area. However, that was about 6 years ago, and I haven’t been there since. A social function placed Alex and me near Virginia Beach Town Center a couple of weekends ago, looking for a place to eat dinner. I’m sure the Town Center group wouldn’t like hearing this, but there just aren’t any restaurants in the Town Center that get me very excited. They are all upscale chains which lack the passion and originality that you can find in a privately owned and operated restaurant. When you have a person pouring their heart, soul and life’s earnings into a business interesting things happen.

Pulling up to the front of Federico’s was a bit shocking. Who had the great idea of painting it yellow and red? Bozo the clown? For a brief moment I wondered if it was now a Mexican Restaurant, but a peek inside proved me wrong. Egad, the interior was yellow and red too. For the record, I am not a hater of yellow and red. In fact, I have a chair that is yellow with red piping…very tastefully done, but this was a little bit too much “in your face”. That said, no emails from the People for Ethical Treatment of Colors, okay. Check out their website and you will get an idea of what I am talking about. Shocking contrast. Plus, there is a typo in the website header. The spelling is r-e-s-t-a-u-r-a-n-t, not r-e-s-t-a-r-a-u-n-t. Note to owner: Hire a professional designer. If you don’t know any, I know several good ones I can refer.

We were kind of early, arriving at about 6:30 PM and they were empty with the exception of two large parties. A senior prom table of about 12 and a senior citizen table of about 12, another contrast. Both seemed jovial and were wrapping up their meals. Of course, we get seated right next to one of these tables. Why spread us all out? One of the senior gents moved his chair around to chat with one of the ladies at the table. He might as well have just sat in Alex’s lap. He was literally at our table, completely blocking the walkway or access to our table.

Our waitress was sort of out there, as in outer space. I ordered a vodka martini and received it sans garnish. Gasp! The olives are the best part. When I mentioned the oversight, I got a loopy ‘oh yeah’ response, and the drink returned with three fat olives. Then she asked if we were ready to order, but we had not been told the specials. “Oh yeah”… again. She stumbled though the specials, which were completely unexciting, and we ordered.

Their menu is quite broad. I ordered the Pesce Rosalina, red snapper filet panko encrusted and pan seared over butternut squash stuffed ravioli and artichoke pesto topped with tropical jumbo lump crab salsa. It is the second most expensive menu item, next to a steak dish. When I asked the waitress if she would recommend it, she said she didn’t know. She’d never had it. Jeez, time to just give up on her. Our meals arrived in a reasonable amount of time. When not at work, we are a bit more relaxed about time, and Alex and I are never at a loss for topics of conversation. The dish was quite a lovely presentation. Breaking it down into pieces, the ravioli and artichoke pesto was to die for. That could and should be a standalone dish on the menu. The snapper was just okay. The fish was cooked perfectly but the encrusted layer was completely blasé. It had no discernible flavor. The salsa was incredibly delicious, but cold. I felt that topping the warm ravioli, with warm fish, and then cold salsa to be a bad layering combination. The salsa needed to be warm too. It just didn’t seem to go together well.

Obviously, Federico’s did not impress me. If someone else wanted to go there, I wouldn’t get upset, but it is not a destination I would choose. They are closed on Monday, offer wine specials Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, and have early bird specials daily from 4-6pm.

_Laine

Like Laine, I had been to Federico's in the past when we worked nearby, but honestly, I cannot remember my meal. Bad sign? Not sure, but I was up for Italian and we were in the area, which is a rarity these days. I agree with Laine in that our waitress needed to check back in to her job. She was pleasant, but just not connected and while I do not want a server sitting at my table with me, I expect them to know the specials and serve what was requested quickly. Federico's has good bread, usually a positive sign of the meal to come.

I am glad the gent from the nearby (too near) party did not end up in my lap. The center tables are a little close to the outer booths. This might be due to the two large parties Laine mentioned, but with almost the rest of the place empty, I think we could have been seated in a better location. I do not care if the waitress has to walk a few extra steps; the place is not that big. The colors reminded me of the Mount Gay Rum shops in Barbados. While the red and yellow works on those buildings, it does not work for an Italian restaurant located in Virginia Beach. It seems Federico's is trapped between the old school red and white checked Italian decor and trying to be somewhat modern. Stick with retro.

I ordered the Tortellini Alfredo which came with ham and mushrooms. When I asked if I might have the dish without ham, she said no problem. Good answer, as I was not in the mood to haggle on this particular evening. I was hungry and glad the food arrived quickly. My dish was good. I am a sucker for a cream sauce and this one was just the right consistency, not too thick or watery as some can be. The price was $12, which is standard for similar pasta dishes elsewhere and portion size was very fair. Laine and I always have a good time and it was nice to not be on the one hour clock watch and outside of downtown for once.

I would recite the entire dessert menu, but it is not online and the waitress read it to us. No memory now except what I ordered, the Italian Lemon Cake. Very light with a hint of lemon and quite good, as it should be for $8.

I concur with Laine that I might not go out of my way to suggest Federico's but would go if someone suggested and I was in the area.

~Alex

357 Independence Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23462-2822
(757) 497-1445
http://www.federicos.biz/

The Spotted Pig - New York, NY

For three years now, Nikki has been wanting to visit The Spotted Pig in the Village. The first year, we passed it up for a restaurant of my chosing and I have never heard the end of it. Finally, we took the subway to the Village and found it tucked down a residential street. We almost passed it, but I spotted the pig hanging above the doorway. We arrived around 11am, early to ensure we nabbed a seat for brunch. The Pig has a pub atmosphere and a friendly staff, of which there is a lot. We had three waiters in the first few minutes. An eccletic list of songs plays as you dine. We were seated at a small table by the window, good for watching the Village life outside. Nikki had read that the deviled eggs were out of this world, so I insisted on ordering those, even though I also ordered the Frittata with Asparagus & Ricotta (sometimes the asparagus is a subsitute for broccoli rabe). Eggs and more eggs. Nikki ordered the Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese, about which she had heard good things. When I told the waiter I would like a side of homefries, he did warn me that the burger came with fries, but I had no idea he meant a mountain of fries, so I insisted on my $7 side because as Laine and I always say, we are made of money. (Note sarcasm here.) The deviled eggs arrived and you get two for $3, and trust me, these are well worth it. Sundried tomato and parsely top the eggs and the deviled meant that the egg was almost a whipped consistency, very creamy and sinfully good. Nikki has the recipe from a write up in The New York Times and I have already commissioned her to make them soon. Demanded, really. (For Deviled Eggs Recipe, Click HERE.)

When our entrees arrived, my jaw hit the floor. My frittata was a good size and the homefries were fine, but the burger came with a Mount Everest side of shoestrings. Literally, the fries were piled five inches or so up on the plate. I told the waiter he was not kidding when he warned me. My frittata was extrememly tasty and the home fries were very different in a positive light. They were cooked in a reduction type of sauce or glaze. Worth $7? Probably, but I do wish I had listened to the waiter because we had way too much food. Nikki said the burger was good, but Roquefort cheese is very salty and she had slight meal regret and wishes she had tried another brunch item. Next time, of course, because we both enjoyed our time at The Pig and look forward to another meal there. I did not opt for dessert, as we were sure we would see something while walking through the Village. See Magnolia Bakery and prepare for mouth watering.

There are quite a few brunch items. Eggs cooked a variety of ways, cornbeef hash, oysters, duck egg, French toast and a grilled cheese are a few. In addition to the deviled eggs, you can order chicken liver toast, a pot of pickes and a few other appetizers. The prices are mid-range. The burger was $17 and the frittata was $15, not including the $7 homefries. The Spotted Pig is well known and you may have a wait if you arrive during prime time, especially during dinner. It is worth the wait though and you can give you name and cell number and the hosts will call you when a table is ready. Tour the West Village while you wait. They have maps! Another plus about the Village is you might run into a familiar face while you are walking around. Many celebrities live in the Village and I would imagine feel more comfortable walking around there than somewhere like Midtown. We saw Alan Rickman on our way to The Pig.

~Alex

The Spotted Pig is located at 614 W. 11th Street @Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10014. They are open Monday thru Friday for lunch, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and every day for dinner.

www.thespottedpig.com

Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, Nolita - New York, NY

Nikki read this review in The New York Times on Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria in Nolita, the latest from Keith McNally of Odeon in TriBeCA, Cafe Luxembourg, uptown on the West Side, Lucky Strike on Grand Street and Nell's on 14th Street. Sunday, we again arrived early since this restaurant was covered recently in the paper and when that happens, everyone rushes to try out the new kid in town. At 10:30, the restaurant was almost full and very lively. We waited about five to ten minutes, but were enjoying the atmosphere. The Times noted the pizzas, which included breakfast version in addition to the lunch and dinner varieties. I cannot think of a restaurant in Norfolk that has a breakfast pizza, so I knew that is what I would choose, but it was hard as quite a few other breakfast dishes and pizzas sounded superb. Nikki noticed the raddicio, citrus and pancetta salad, so we began there. This is not a dinner salad, but more of an appetizer to share or combine with a small pizza. I do not eat pancetta, but it was easy to pick around and the salad was extremely refreshing. Radicchio, honey infused orange slices, sunchokes, pecorino and a light dressing, something of a vinegar base. This was an ultimate combination for a refreshing salad. I had not had sunchokes before and I have certainly been missing out on this delicious vegetable. Sunchokes look almost like a mushroom, but are chewy and chocked full of flavor. I am now on the hunt for this item and this is another dish Nikki plans to replicate, lucky for me.

For the entree course, I settled on the Spinaci breakfast pizza, topped with spinach, grana, mascarpone and egg. Nikki ordered the Salsiccia, which came topped with bacon, sausage, egg and white cheddar. The pizzas are on a thin crust and a small is very managable. If you are hungry, opt for a large. For a reference, the small and large are both larger than Fellini's small and large sizes and the breakfast pizzas are less in terms of cost. I also spotted the Frutta, another breakfast pizza topped with sugar, cinnamon, pears and pecorino. The waiter brough that after our entree pizzas and we each sample some and I packed the rest for the road. I like it a lot, but it is more of a dessert to share than a meal. To really make the most of the meal, I had to spy the dessert menu. A newer addition, the **hazelnut torte, caught my eye and I am glad it did. The 'torte' was the consistency of a very soft bread, generously topped with hazelnut pieces and paired with granita, cream and a light, carrot based sauce. The combination sounded so novel and the taste was astonishing. The torte part was not very sweet so that it did not overpowered the rest of the flavors. This was a light, moderately sweet dessert that would I believe most would enjoy.

Burgers are served only after midnight (supper) and if you do not crave a pizza, there are daily specials, such as duck, goat meatballs and lets not forget the roasted grapefruit with muscovado sugar & mint in the morning. Pasta, lamb, roasted mussels and a NY Strip all appear on the menu as do various types of proscuitto.

Pulino's is bustling with energy and table service is very good, but this is not the venue for a quiet meal. The noise level is excitingly loud and bounces off of the subway tile walls and rustic brick interior. You can enjoy the constant hum of conversation from others. The only complaint we had was that the bartender did not warn Nikki that you cannot purchase alcohol in NYC before noon. We do not remember this from our prior trips, but its possible, we did not eat before noon on those trips. Nikki ordered one of the three or four bloody Mary's offered and the description included vodka, but he never told her that before noon, they are all virgin. She paid the $11 sticker price, plus tip, at the bar and was about to order another round at the table, when the waiter asked her if she knew they were virgin until noon. We were both shocked, not at the alcohol law, which is also in effect in North Carolina (not surprising there, but in NYC, really?), but at the fact that the bartender did not inform her when she ordered the first drink. $11 for tomato juice and spices is a bit extreme. During the 'virgin hours', these drinks should be half of the price of the full on beverage, or even less. That is just taking advantage and we were thankful the waiter was nice enough to let us know before we had a $25 bill for more tomato juice. Shame on you, Pulino's Sunday brunch bartender but thank you **, our nice and helpful server.

Pulini's is very busy during Sunday brunch and word on the street is it is also busy during dinner, so call and see if they will take a reservation or be prepared to wait at the bar (watch out for the drinks on Sunday mornings!). The restaurant is open from 8:30am-2am and the menu breaks down by time, breakfast, brunch, mini lunch, lunch, late lunch, dinner and supper, so you can go any time and try some of the fare. Pulino's is located in Nolita at 282 Bowery @Houston , New York, New York 10012.

Alex

Pulino's is featured as one of New York City's top 10 Summer Hot spots. To view the slide show Click Here.

www.pulinosny.com
*Website is under contruction, but menu is available here http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/pulinos-bar-pizzeria/menu

Mannino's Italian Bistro - Virginia Beach

This really should be a review of The Street Cook, but they aren't open on Mondays. Monday night, two weeks ago, my husband and I sat in the parking lot looking forlornly at the hours on their front door. We had just left the Town Center area to come here and did not feel like fighting the insanity of holiday traffic on Independence to go back there again to eat. I remembered a friend of ours telling me about this great little Italian place near The Street Cook, so we called him up and asked for the name and directions. He had the directions and his wife provided the name. (They are a great team!)We headed off in search of Mannino's.

We drove right past it on the first go around. I can't blame the directions either, they were perfect. It's just that you would not expect any place of merit to be in such a haggard looking shopping strip. Pulling into the lot we had our doubts, but these guys highly recommended it, so we were game.

My initial feeling upon entering was one of pleasant surprise. I didn't expect the interior to appear contemporary or new. It was both. We were asked if we had reservations, which we did not. The place was 75% empty, and we were taken to the back room and seated along the wall among the row of tables. Take note, the seating is tight. You are very close to your neighboring diners. It didn't bother me, in fact we conversed with both tables on either side of us, however it would feel a bit intrusive if a romantic dinner was planned. Save classified conversations for elsewhere.

The person seating us or bringing us water, I cannot recall which, apologized in advance by telling us he had just double seated our server and it may take her a minute to get to us. Okay, I appreciate the heads up, but I'm not sure I agree with the presentation. Is that really how you want to start your relationship with a new customer? Hi, thanks for coming in and choosing to spend your hard earned dollars here, we already screwed up. Just saying....

We ordered cocktails and watched the restaurant rapidly fill. All the food was top notch. The Street Cook has a great clam appetizer that I had really wanted so we started with their Clams Posillipo with white wine sauce. It was excellent. There is just a hint of crushed red pepper which really ads to the dish. We were both in the mood for fish, and ordered evening specials of Flounder and Tilapia. The Flounder was ever so lightly battered and sautéed. The Tilapia was encrusted with homemade breadcrumbs. Typically, I steer away from "encursted" because usually that means a thick crust that overwhelms the fish. Not so here. This melted in your mouth. The side of the night was some sort of special broccoli, which I am sorry to say I really despise. We both opted for the sautéed baby spinach. It was a bit on the oily side, but very flavorful, and not at all overcooked. Since everything was so good, I went for the slam dunk and ordered their house made Tiramisu. I barely let my husband get a bite or two out of it. It was delicious. I had pondered the Cannoli, which a neighboring diner ordered. Apparently he had pondered the Tiramisu. We were both happy with our choices. The Cannoli looked good!

Maninno's runs a 10 for $10 wine special. They offer a variety of 10 wines for $10 and will cork what you don't drink so you can take it home. Wow, why doesn't every place do this? I'm sure it costs extra on their ABC license, but I would have to think more people would order bottles of wine if they knew they could go home with whatever wasn't consumed. And not just $10 wines either, but perhaps there is more to this legally than meets the eye. Regardless, we selected a Italian (of course) Merlot. We ordered this at the same time we placed our appetizer, and entree orders. We finished our appetizer and cocktails, had some down time, watched everyone around us get their wines, tried to get our server's attention, got our entrees from another server, watched more people get their wine, tried to get our server's attention, ate about half our meal and then I just could not stand it any more. Everyone in the place was toasting their meals. People who didn't even have FOOD yet had their wine. I mean, we just could not get anyone to SEE us. I saw someone shoot behind the bar and I made my move. I pleaded with him to have someone bring me our wine before I was finished eating. I am serious. I actually said, "I am begging you." I know the girl was busy, I can relate, but one of my rules back in the table waiting days was KEEP THEIR GLASSES FULL, especially if they contain alcohol. Not only does it raise your sale (and tip), but alcohol makes most people I know happy.

Yes, we finally got our wine, drank some there and took the rest home to finish later. The server never apologized, and I honestly don't think she was even aware of the issue. It wasn't a huge deal, and it didn't ruin the meal, but when I go there again, and I definitely will, I will be curious to see if the service misses were a one time glitch or a business trend.

_Laine
Mannino's Italian Bistro
4402 Princess Anne Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Monday - Thursday from 5 pm-10 pm
Friday & Saturday from 5 pm-11 pm

Watch out...they are closed on Sundays!!!

Enrico's Ristorante, Norfolk, VA

After an evening of entertaining my grandmother, Nikki and I decided on Enrico's Ristorante. We have been in the past, but it was a good while ago. Enrico's has the traditional Italian and Greek selections and while I am slightly fearful of ordering something for $25 in a place I do not know that well, I am very comfortable ordering a traditional pasta dish. We started with the Spanakopita and the Keftedes (Greek meatballs made with lamb) served with a feta-dill-cucumber dip. The Spanakopita was a little dry but the Keftedes were phenomenal.


For my entree, I opted for the spinach and cheese ravioli in a roasted tomato sauce and Nikki ordered the lasagna. Both were very good and we were happy. Enrico's did have crab cakes, scallops and some other items on special, but I think Enrico's is a good place to order pasta. As for atmosphere, it is not as casual as say, A.W. Shucks, but it is not fancy either. In the middle (with cloth napkins - always a plus!) and while it was not packed on a Friday night at 9:15, there was a few tables of lively people. Prices are reasonable and our server was very pleasant and things moved along at the right speed. Enrico's is also in the Entertainment Book, so if you are unsure, you can go for the buy one, get one free for your first visit.

Enrico's serves lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturdays and is located at 4012 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23508.

~Alex

www.enricosristorante.com

Manfood Reigns at Bravo - and Alex Likes It! Town Center, Virginia Beach

Marietta invited me to have dinner with her family and Anthony Saturday evening. We met at Bravo at Town Center. I had been once before for lunch and remembered enjoying my meal, but that was some time ago. I tend to stick around Downtown Norfolk and Ghent, so it was nice to step out of the box for a change (I have a hard time thinking outside the box). There was a 30-minute delay for our seating, which was irritating but the manager made up for it by bringing our party two appetizer towers on the house. This type of gesture tends to cure any ill feelings that may linger. Marietta and I split the lasagna carnevale (we were still recovering from lunch), Anthony also had the lasagna (and was playfully mad that we did not send him the memo about splitting a dish) and Beau ordered the chicken marsala. Others ordered eggplant parmesan, a pizza and two scallop entrees. Everyone seemed pleased. The lasagna was nothing less than fantastic. Anthony was nice enough to give me his left over lasagna (it is a HUGE portion) since I do not ever have food in my refrigerator. Sad and unbelievable to some, but alas, it is true. I do not enjoy cooking and don’t see myself starting to like it anytime soon. A ‘look what I screwed up cooking’ blog does not sound like a good time to me. We left happy and it was great to see Marietta’s family. If in the Town Center area, I would venture to Bravo again.

~Alex

Bravo is open for lunch and dinner daily and is located at the Virginia Beach Town Center.

www.bravoitalian.com

California Pizza Kitchen, MacArthur Mall

I have been putting off writing this review for a couple of weeks now. I just couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for CPK. When I told Alex how I felt she nailed it by describing them as “solid, but not exciting.” I couldn’t have said it better! Things I like about CPK: menu variety (including good desserts) and consistent food preparation. Things I don’t like about CPK: menu variety and speed of service (it can take well over an hour to get in and out of there sometimes.) To clarify the menu conundrum, there is a good variety of pizza’s, salads, and entrees, most with either an Italian or Asian theme, however there are few options for someone looking for “light” fare. Most meals, even the salads, are loaded with cheese, or sauces, or pasta, etc. They do have a fat free balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing upon request, which I like. If you are watching fat, calories or carbs, you have to stick to salads at CPK, and even then, you will need to do some special requests when ordering. These days, most chains have nutritional food values available for their menu items. CPK does not. I emailed them requesting it for the salads and was told it wasn’t available. My guess is that once you know what is in an Alfredo sauce, or a cheesy cheese pizza, you may be less likely to indulge. They offer vegetarian information online for those interested.

Like Alex, I usually get the grilled vegetable salad, fat free balsamic on the side, and I like mine topped with grilled salmon. It is predictable and always very good. In the past I have had several different pizzas, pasta dishes, and appetizers. I have never had a bad meal. The food is always tasty and well prepared. There are a couple of servers there that we have gotten to know by face. When we see them we know our lunch will run smoothly and we’ll make it out of there in time. The ‘unknowns’ are the crap shoot here. It can take 10 -15 minutes to get your check or drink refills. If you're hungry and have the time, CPK is a solid choice for lunch at the mall.

_Laine

Laine and I frequent CPK often.  It is a staple on our lunch list.  CPK has a wide variety, but I tend to always get the same thing, the grilled vegetables salad.  I am not typically a fan of chains, but this salad is one of the best, mixed greens, grilled mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus, zucchini, corn, sundried tomatoes and avocado.  The Dijon balsamic vinaigrette goes perfectly with this salad.  Service is usually good.  We have had a time or two where the food took too long, but we have also had times where things are above perfect and the food has always been up to par.  In the past, I have also tried the white pizza which is great, the red velvet cake, which makes your mouth water and the caramel cheesecake, which is something out of this world.  All in all, this is a good choice, especially if you are in the MacArthur Mall or stranded in a city, where there is no sign of any decent, non-chain restaurant (been there before!). 

~Alex

Bocci's Italian Restaurant, Charleston, South Carolina

On a recent trip to Charleston, my friend, Tracy, some of her friends and I dined at Bocci's. If you are looking for fabulous, gourmet Italian cuisine, Bocci's is a must. The group started with the Calamari and a Tuna appetizer. Both were very tasty and of quite large proportions. Calzone, stromboli, pasta and entrees such as Grilled Salmon, Tuscan Duck, Veal Saltimboca and Chicken Conchiglia give the menu a wide variety. Our group had a mix of entrees, Chicken Parmesan, Baked Ziti, the Chicken Conchiglia, Ravioli Arrabiata and the Veal Saltimboca. We chose the Chocolate Almond Cassata Cake and the featured Cheesecake which was encrusted in pecans. The appetizers, entrees and desserts were fabulous and quite large in size.

Next time you are in Charleston, take your appetite to Bocci's for dinner.
http://www.boccis.com

~Alex

Fellini's Italian Restaurant

Located near the intersection of 38th Street and Colley Avenue in Norfolk, Fellini's has a reputation for great Italian cuisine and friendly atmosphere. Appetizers include calamari, Bacon-wrapped scallops, focaccia bread and many others. There are also salads, pasta, burgers (including a fantastic turkey burger), entrees, such as Chicken Marsala, gourmet pizzas and of course, homemade desserts, including a wide variety of cheesecakes. The portions are large and the flavors are spectacular. Fellini's is well known for its Greek salad. This salad, topped with tons of fresh vegetables, feta and Fellini's house dressing, gets my vote for best Greek salad in town. The pizzas are also a favorite. From the Bourbon Street to the BBQ Chicken, Fellini's has pretty much any type of pizza you can dream of. The white pizza is particularly good.

It is easy to get a seat and the staff are always friendly and familiar. 5-7pm on weekdays, the spot has a special: cheap pizzas and beers at the bar.

Open for lunch and dinner and moderately price, Fellini's is always a great choice.

~Alex