Broken Egg Bistro - Chesapeake, VA

I am by nature a planner, so when my friend randomly suggested yesterday evening that we go out to dinner at Broken Egg Bistro, I surprised us both by answering "Yes". The truth is, I have wanted to check this place out for a while now. Thursday nights is their pasta special, AND one kid eats free for every adult ordering an entrée. Nice!

We beat the dinner rush, arriving right around 6PM with our 3 girls in tow. Usually we like to sit at adjoining tables so we can allow the kids a little freedom while we dish the dirt, but they were already getting full at 6. We were seated at a 6 top in the corner next to the swinging kitchen door. Not the best seat in the house, but one where I assume a lot of our demographic may get seated. The vibe of BEB is modern diner. There is a combination of booths, tables and a bar. Overhead the open ceiling exposes industrial joints, wiring and such, which is camouflaged with black paint. The walls are warm terracotta in color. The noise level is medium to high with all the hard surfaces exposed.



Our server was very nice and on top of things, getting drink orders quickly while we scanned the menus. They have a fantastic kids menu serving kids up to age 12. There are 11 different entrée selections and 12 sides you can mix and match. Something for every picky eater in the bunch! My girl chose a grilled cheese with green beans.

I wasn’t really interested in the Pasta Special. Wanting something a little more on the light side, I checked out the menu. The “grown up” menu is segregated by category: Appetizers, Salads, Sandwiches, From the Ranch (beef), From the Coop, From the Sea, Pastas and lastly, Desserts. I love Tuna and never fix it for myself. Their Tuna bite appetizer sounded interesting. “Our blackened tuna served with Pico de Gallo, homemade guacamole and flour tortilla chips.” ($9) There is an option to have it grilled versus blackened, which is what I selected. I paired it with a standard Caesar Salad ($7) and a glass of Italian Pinot Gris ($7).

The wait was not long. The kids were served first (I like this), then the adults. The Tuna was excellent. Unfortunately, the Pico de Gallo was a bit too spicy for my wimpy taste buds. I took two or three bites before throwing in the towel. The guacamole was really good, which completely surprised me. The Tuna was slightly overcooked (I ordered Medium Rare), but not to the point where I would send it back. There was still pink to it. It was covered with a sweet teriyaki flavored glazed which paired up nicely with the Mexican flavors of the guacamole and pico de gallo. The Caesar was nothing crazy, but it was good. I liked the croutons, which were small, well seasoned and proportionate to the salad.

My girl’s green beans looked delicious, so I stole a few during the kids’ third field trip to the restrooms. Served al dente, lightly buttered and seasoned with garlic, they were fantastic. My daughter came back to her seat and polished them off. She loved them. The grilled cheese was also history. Success!

Food-4
Beverage-4
Restrooms-I did not use...
Value-3

Broken Egg Bistro
757.410.8515
501 Kempsville Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23320

Passion the Restaurant - Chesapeake, VA

Passion is the in corner of a small sized shopping center that has experienced quite a bit of turnover throughout the years. Several restaurants have come and gone, but Passion has persevered. I have been trying to talk my husband into going here for years. Yes, YEARS. Finally, the planets were perfectly in line (and he heard a good review from a friend whom he respects). When I suggested Passion on Saturday, I received a positive response. Game on!

Passion has a modern but cozy feel to it. There is a nice, rather large, open bar at the entrance. We were immediately met with a friendly greeting and seated. Half of the tables are lined up along the wall with one booth seat, and one facing chair. I like to see what’s going on, and grabbed the both seat. The kitchen is open to view, and although it is busy, there is no overwhelming noise or distraction for diners.

The menu has a nice variety of fish, poultry and meat. There is even a Vegan option, so our vegetarian friends don’t have to doctor up an existing entrée by removing the meat and adding something else. We felt obligated to try out their She Crab soup. It is a recent First Place winner in Critics Choice category of the East Coast She Crab Soup Classic. My husband ordered a cup and I promised to limit my intake to a spoonful. Always a sucker for specials, I ordered the "Maytag" Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon for my entrée and my husband ordered the Grilled Porterhouse of Veal. Usually a white wine drinker, I opted for Pennywise Petite Sirah 2009, California to pair up with our meat. I liked it, but believe $11 a glass to be a bit steep. I did a little online "recon" a few days later and discovered 2008, 2009 and 2010 Pennywise Petite Sirah online for about $10 a bottle. I know restaurants mark up wine, but it is silly when the price of a glass equals the price of the entire bottle.

While waiting for our food to arrive, we were served bread with seasoned, dipping olive oil. The bread was slightly sweet in flavor and paired well with the salty, herbed oil. The She Crab soup arrived with the claw tip exposed, as is their signature flair. It really was good! The cream base was rich and a perfect consistency. There was plenty of crab meat. The flavor was excellent. There were nice subtleties to the seasonings. Nothing overpowered the flavor of the cream and crab.

The Veal entrée has a dramatic presentation. It is impressive, served on its side next to a beehive shaped mound of garlic mashed potatoes. It is also accompanied with mushroom Demi Glace, and Sautéed Spinach. He gave his best try, but there was no way my husband could finish it. My Filet was delicious. The meat was very tender and the proportion of Blue Cheese was right on. Blue Cheese can be overpowering. A little bit goes it long way. It was served on top of slices of Cheddar potato Gratin cake with sauteed spinach. I don’t know what was in the sauce that covered the plate, but it was delicious as well.

We finished off the meal with dessert. Alex has really gotten me hooked on bread pudding. They had a white chocolate bread pudding with Frangelica sauce that immediately caught my eye. My husband ordered Key Lime Pie. Again, my husband could not quite finish off his dessert, but the bread pudding was a goner on my side of the table.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the service. Our server was very good. He was very professional in appearance and demeanor. He kept drinks full, the table clear and courses moving along at a leisurely, but not slow, pace. When we were walking out, we received warm thanks from the friendly kitchen staff. Passion was a big hit with me. I will definitely be a repeat customer.

_Laine

Food-5
Service-5
Beverage-5
Restrooms-did not use...
Value-4
Ambiance-4

Passion the Restaurant
1036 Volvo Pkwy #3, Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 410-3975
www.passiontherestaurant.com 

Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar - Kitty Hawk, NC

Flounder Special

Previously, I have mentioned how much bad food there is on the Outer Banks. This is still the case. Stick with restaurants that have limited seating and do not serve the masses, have a dress code of sorts (people are not wearing baseball hats at the bar or tables!) and where waiters are professionals, meaning they do this for a living and take pride in it.

Ocean Boulevard is one of the chosen places I will dine. Prior to last fall, I had not been since I became a vegetarian as I was unsure of my options. My mistake! Ocean Boulevard has a completely separate (and full) vegetarian menu. It is not a restaurant where they piecemeal together random vegetables to make a wannabe dish (this drives me insane). They have appetizers, salads and entrees that are completely vegetarian, i.e. they do not contain seafood, and care has been put into the ingredients.

Pinot Nior Risotto

Last fall, Nikki* and I decided to give Ocean Boulevard another shot once I discovered they had a vegetarian menu. That evening, I enjoyed a rustic vegetable gnocchi with a light white wine sauce. I needed something with carbs but not too heavy as I was running a half marathon the following day. The gnocchi was homemade with spinach, Brussels sprouts, garlic and white wine. Homemade pasta is one of my absolute favorite entrees and Ocean Boulevard did not disappoint in their creation. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and the sauce was just what I needed that evening. Nikki and I split the White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Tart. This is an absolutely fantastic dessert. The pastry is made from scratch, which makes me never want pastry that is not, and topped with caramel ice cream. Could it get any better? It was just the right size to split the night before my race. I wanted something sweet but not a dessert to myself. Nikki is not quite the dessert addict that I am, but she took one bite of this dessert and decided she would surely get her half this time (I usually take care of three-fourths of desserts when we ‘share’). The presentation is worthy of the Food Network and the flavors are as well. There are always five or six desserts and a few varieties of homemade ice cream for the choosing at Ocean Boulevard.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Tart

This past weekend included another half marathon and therefore, the increased rigidness of my schedule and diet. Our waiter, who also served us in the fall, was very professional and knew the wine and food well and from the wine selection, Nikki chose a half bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc ($24). The fresh bread and soft butter also win praise. Out of the four vegetarian entrees, I chose the Pinot Noir Risotto ($17), which came with sautéed asparagus, roasted tomatoes and red onions and honey. The honey meshed so well with the other flavors in this dish. I was thrilled and would love to have this again. Nikki ordered the special, lightly fried flounder with asparagus in a white wine bacon sauce ($30). She said the sauce was watery and would not order this again, so Ocean Boulevard missed a five on the food rating.

_Alex

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

Ocean Boulevard
4700 N Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
http://obbistro.com/index.php
Open for dinner 7 days a week, all year long
Open Table Reservations Click HERE