Proctor in Admiralty

OBX Bound for Beach and Beer

Meal: Lunch – Shrimp burger, chips and homemade salsa

Restaurant: Full Moon Café & Grille, Manteo, NC

Last weekend we ventured down to the Outer Banks to spend the day at the beach and getting some nice photos of the kids.  Even though it is a bit further, we decided to go over to Manteo, on Roanoke Island for lunch and to show my sister-in-law the quaint village as she had never been. 

Full Moon Café and Grille stands on the corner of Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth Streets, has both inside and outdoor seating and features an extensive wine and beer list featuring a list of locally produced beers.  There is also an attached and related art gallery and the framed items for sale extend into the dining room.

The menu featured several vegetarian items and everything sounded very nice.  I chose the Shrimp Burger, a half pound burger of Angus beef topped by a chopped shrimp salad made of local shrimp and your choice of cheese (mine was provolone).  Served on the side were tortilla chips and homemade salsa.  The meal was very good.  However, I do need to comment that neither my wife nor sister-in-law were overly impressed with their meals and the kids’ mac & cheese looked like it was out of a box.

Next time in Manteo, we will likely try another restaurant.

One note if you are heading down to the Outer Banks.  As you drive down 168/158 otherwise known as the Carotoke Highway, you pass the Weeping Radish in Jarvisburg, North Carolina.  The Weeping Radish is a brewery, a butchery and an eco-farm. I first learned about the Weeping Radish when I met the owners at the Five Points Market in Norfolk, where they were selling their delicious homemade sausages and beer.  Now, we cannot pass by their establishment without picking up some of the German lager and weizen style beers along with nitrate free bratwurst made with grass fed beef and free range pork from sustainable local family farmers.

I have a strong interest in supporting local sustainable farming since reading The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and try to purchase all of our meat from local family farmers who practice such methods.  We even get our milk delivered in glass bottles from a local dairy farm every week.  Check out the Weeping Radish - you will be very impressed.

 

"Hey George, the ocean called; they're running out of shrimp."

Meal: Lunch - Spicy Dynamite Roll Box

Restaurant: Sakura Sushi Bar, Norfolk

I enjoyed the company of two friends and former colleagues Ms. C. and Ms. A for lunch the other day at a Sushi restaurant near their office.  Lunch included Miso Soup, and a bento box containing 6 pieces their spicy tuna roll, 4 of the dynamite roll, 3 pieces of California roll, salad with ginger dressing, rice and orange slices.  The sushi was fresh and the conversation lively.  The meal started with the sushi chef sending over a few pieces of a roll containing tuna, shrimp and avocado that was dipped in tempura batter and fried – yum!  Ms. A. enjoyed it so much, she ordered it for her lunch.

Ms. C lives in the country and along with her husband, they grow and supply many with an almost endless supply of fresh fruit and vegetables all summer.  This time, she had a special treat for me – a jar of honey from their first season of tending honey bees along with a jar of fresh salsa from their abundance of tomatoes.  I am very excited to give them both a try.

Ms. C is an avid reader of my blog and she has encouraged me to write about our eating adventures in Marseilles and Paris with her when we traveled together on business.  I explained that in order to make it into a full fledged post, she will need to escort me back to her homeland and accompany me to some wonderful meal.  That being said, I will comment that I think I ate France out of most of their seafood on more than one occasion.  C’est la vie!

Indian Buffet and the Legendary Thor's Hammer Vodka Drinking Club

Meal: Lunch – Indian Buffet

Restaurant: Nawab, Norfolk VA

I had lunch the other day with one of my favorite lawyers in the world, Draughn.  She is always up for Indian so we indulged in chicken saagwala,  tandoori chicken, paneer makhni,  chana masala, vegetable pakora and of course naan.  I really didn’t need to eat the rice pudding and orange slices for dessert, but I did anyway.

Nawab has several locations around Hampton Roads and I have eaten at the ones in Virginia Beach and Newport News in addition to the Norfolk location.  All are wonderful and I always enjoy the visit.

Sitting down with Draughn is always fun because we catch up on people, discuss maritime law issues (I swear we do and we don’t even fall asleep in our plates), and inevitably turn to discussions about Savannah, Georgia.  Like me, Draughn used to live in that beautiful city until some jerk (I write from the heart and that’s why it hurts) pulled her out to come work with him in Hampton Roads. There are truly wonderful restaurants, bars and people in Savannah and I look forward to visiting them all (not necessarily in that order) again soon and writing about everything from oyster stew to crab-cakes; pork barbecue to low country boils, travelers to vodka drinking clubs and everything else I miss about Savannah.

I probably could just keep going and finish this post up but I think I should stop and explain vodka drinking clubs.  A long time ago, a delightful and somewhat eccentric Carolina Panthers fan named Larry decided to start hosting drinking parties at his home.   These parties were mainly attended by professionals in the hotel and tourism business in Savannah but others were welcome.  The rules were simple - all alcohol consumed must contain vodka.  Very quickly these parties outgrow Larry's house and he started convincing bars and restaurants to host the parties in private rooms in their facilities.  The drink of choice was vodka and the brand of choice was Thor Hammer.  Thus began the Thor's Hammer Club of Savannah.

It is hard to understand but please believe that these parties took on a life of their own - a young entrepreneurial owner of a coffee bar, found a viking helmet on Ebay, and the tradition of having every new Thor Hammer drinker wear the helmet was born.  Then there was the claw hammer which served as the symbolic Thor's Hammer, awarded at every party to an individual who went above and beyond to helping the Club grow.  There were annual Christmas parties where the buskers on River Street were invited up to perform for the party, and there were theme parties including Leif Garrett Day (held on Leif Ericsson's Day - ask your Scandinavian friends...) and the blow out Thor Hammer Down by the River, which was held at the Police Camp on Wilmington Island and featured live music by the Effing Hammers.  The local liquor distributor even got the importer of Thor Hammer vodka to attend one of the parties and presented us with logo schwag - (I am still known to wear my Thor's Hammer golf shirt).  Unfortunately Thor's Hammer departed on a Karve and was never heard from again so the "Club" went looking for replacement vodka and for a while there was competition including Tito's Handmade (a personal favorite) and even Grey Goose but the ultimate winner was Firefly. Now there is a Firefly Vodka Club of Savannah and if you make it down to Savannah - look for the annual Christmas Party or the toast at 2 or one of their other excuses to drink and make sure you find Larry and say hello but don't look for a beer.

Breakfast with DMB and Grits a la Vincent Gambini

Meal: Mediterranean Omelet with fresh spinach, tomatoes, garlic, feta and provolone cheeses

Restaurant: The Broken Egg Bistro, Chesapeake Virginia

My daughter LOVES breakfast, so much that often her favorite dinner is breakfast.  Around here, we call that Brinner (breakfast for dinner) and her favorite breakfast is French toast with bacon.  Usually she consumes her order of bacon, followed by her sister's, and any other bacon left on anyone else’s plate and then she starts on her French toast.   It only made sense therefore that we would go out to breakfast during her birthday weekend (she had school on her birthday so it had to keep until the weekend).

One of the best places for breakfast in Hampton Roads is The Broken Egg Bistro.  Owned by Dave Mathews Band fans, (their  license plates even proclaim “DMB FAN” and “DMB STAY”) the menu includes items such as 2E's Two Step – two portions of peppered bacon wrapped asparagus, charbroiled and topped with homemade hollandaise sauce, served with two eggs any style;  Cinnamon Swirl French Toast and the Kitchen Sink Omelet - a twelve egg omelet with your choice of four items.  If you can eat this omelet and sides, the restaurant waives the bill.

This visit I had the Mediterranean Omelet which contains fresh spinach, tomatoes, garlic, feta and provolone cheeses along with real grits (not the instant kind of mush), wheat toast and a great cup of coffee. 

A note here about grits . . .I am a Yankee and a Jersey one at that .  As such I am supposed to love home fries instead of grits (don’t even get me started about Taylor Ham.)  My wife apparently has the right Northeast DNA and wouldn’t eat grits if they paid her.  As for me - I love ‘em., if they are real grits, where you can almost taste the texture of the individual “grit”.  The instant pablum they serve at many restaurants as grits are not worth even a spoonful.  As Maury Chaykin told Joe Pesce, “No self respecting southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits”.  I just wish Chaykin’s character, Sam Tipton would convey that to more restaurateurs as the preparation of real, not instant, grits seems to be a dying art form!  However, at the Broken Egg, real grits are in evidence.  Get over to the Broken Egg Bistro, try one of their wonderful omelets and get the grits as your side! 

Sushi and the Eighth Wonder of the World

Meal: Chef's Choice Sushi and Sashimi, Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy Beach Roll, Banzai Roll

Restaurant: Haiku Sushi, Chesapeake, Virginia

Last night I had dinner with my good friend Marcus, his business partner Steve and my corporate big brother, James Q. 

Marcus and Steve run a collections firm based in New York and think of Hampton Roads as a bit backwater, or maybe that's tidewater, but in any event seem to spend a good deal of time in the area and always go to the same restaurants. So, we decided to try a Japanese restaurant I had not explored before, looking for both sushi and entrees.  What we wound up with? Well, read on.

We ventured to Haiku Sushi, a restaurant in Chesapeake described by reviewers on Yelp as follows:

I love this place.  They have the best sushi prices in town and the quality is awesome! 

I would recommend Haiku to anyone who really appreciates good Japanese food.

Too bad this seems to be an unknown...it's a hidden gem, with great service, creative rolls, and the freshest fish. 

Reviewers at the local newspaper, The Virginian Pilot, gave glowing reviews too, including:

Outside of Tokyo itself, I have never had better Sushi/Sashimi. Decor is plain, but you go for the food.

I have had sushi all over the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and DC. This place ranks at the top of my list, and it's right around the corner. The sushi is always fresh and excellent. The kitchen dishes are fantastic also.

In fact, there was not a single bad review on either site or anywhere else I looked, so I figured it was worth a try. 

About my dining companions:  I used to work with James, (he likes to think of himself as my older brother) and we try to catch up, usually over lunch, every couple of months.  Marcus is a good friend (the kind of friend who takes you to opening day at the New Yankee Stadium) and we both share a love of good local food, grass fed beef, maritime law and the New York Yankees - not exactly in that order...and Steve is a really funny guy, though truth be told, I don't know him as well but always enjoy a good meal with him.  Anyway, Marcus and I get competitive from time to time about obscure facts and he regularly enjoys besting me - wasting no time to whip out his blackberry to prove me wrong (he usually does!)

During dinner, we discussed the fact that Marcus and Steve drove down via Rt. 13 over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  For those who never heard of it, the CBBT is a 23 mile long bridge-tunnel road with two "cuts" or tunnels allowing for shipping traffic to pass overhead.  It is fairly incredible, the first time you go across to come up from the first tunnel and feel like you are driving in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay with ocean going ships passing behind and in front of you.  I happened to mention that the CBBT is often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World. Marcus retorted - "You mean, 8th Wonder of the Modern World".  I explained that I never heard the qualifier, which seemed to me equal to an asterisk, a la Roger Maris. My good and well intentioned friend pulled out the handy blackberry and proclaimed that there was no reference to the CBBT as the 8th wonder of the world, because it was not in Wikipedia as such.  

I am a huge fan of Wikipedia, and in fact, I often turn to it for information but I do not think of it as dispositive on any subject including the bestowing of a title.  So, please let the record reflect that Google Books has digitized a copy of The Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel, the eighth wonder of the world, written by Robert White Hill and published by the John Day Company in 1972!  However, in fairness to Marcus, in the 1965 the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World."  So it seems that more than one title may apply. 

I know that this has been engrossing (snore) but frankly it ranked as one of the more thrilling aspects of the evening because the food was...well not exactly bad, but not exactly good either.  In fact, it was pretty ordinary and certainly not amongst the best sushi restaurants across the country, and the kitchen dishes - basically non-existent aside from udon noodles and typical teriyaki fare.

The one bright spot was the Spicy Beach and Banzai rolls which were extremely good.  The multiple layers and combinations of those rolls (for example: Banzai - shrimp tempura, crab, eel and spicy tuna) hid the lack of freshness present easily detected in the sushi and sashimi.  This is not to say the fish was old or otherwise a health risk, but rather that it lacked the "freshness" that I tend to associate with really top notch sushi.  I will not be going back anytime soon.

One Flew Over Virginia Beach

Meal: Breakfast - Nurse Ratched (Omelet with grilled red peppers, portobellos, spinach and hollandaise)

Restaurant: Doc Taylor's, 23rd Street, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Earlier this year I took at trip to Nicaragua as part of a familiarization tour of that country sponsored by Continental Airlines, National Car Rental, AirPlus and the Hilton Managua Hotel.  That trip included raising money and donations for several children's orphanages and a poor school along with distribution of donated clothing and toys and the bagging and distribution of food (rice, beans and sugar) to hundreds of families.  It was truly a life changing experience and I am working with a couple of friends to repeat the experience with a group of like minded lawyers.  If you want to come along or contribute to the effort, please let me know and I will provide you with greater details.

During the trip, I was fortunate enough to meet Keren and Abdhie - two sisters who are deeply involved in issues involving orphan children and the extreme poverty in their country. Keren had recently completed a Master's Degree in the US and Abdhie was completing law school in Nicaragua.  They both commented how much they love Virginia Beach, which I found odd at the time.  It turns out that they are both involved with a non-profit called Frontier Horizon, based in Virginia Beach.  When I returned to the US, I met the Chairman of Frontier Horizon, Dr. Vincent Rosini and learned more about the organization. Frontier Horizon's mission is the improvement of the health, education and general welfare of orphan children in Nicaragua and Ukraine. I was so impressed by the work of Frontier Horizon that I agreed to join their board.  For more information about Frontier Horizon, check out their website here.

Back to the meal . . . Abdhie just spent a few weeks in Virginia Beach and we wanted to get together before she returned to Nicaragua plus she had some delicious Nicaraguan coffee for me, so I needed to catch up with her.  Last Thursday, I met her and Vincent for breakfast at Doc Taylor's.  The restaurant, formerly a doctor's home office, is just one block from the beach.  It serves breakfast and lunch while it's sister restaurant, Tautog's (next door), serves dinner.  Both restaurants feature a wide ranging menu and are great - the lines in front of each indicate as well!  Parking in the back is appreciated given the dearth of free parking near the boardwalk.

I had a nice hot cup of coffee while I waited on Abdhie and Dr. Rosini and studied the various options including granola pancakes and a variety of omelets.  I decide on the Nurse Ratched - an omelet with grilled red peppers, portobello mushrooms and spinach, served with a side of hollandaise sauce and wheat toast.  The omelet was very tasty though the hollandaise was flat and lacked substance - I mainly left it to the side.  All in all it was a satisfying meal with excellent company.

Bruce Springsteen leads to Korean BBQ?

Meal: Lunch - Korean BBQ beef with Kimchee Fried Rice, Miso Soup

Restaurant: RAKU, An Asian Diner, 1900 Q. Street NW, Washington DC

This story begins on May 18.  It was a Monday evening and my wife and I were crushed into the bar at Rosa Mexicano, a mexican restaurant in Washington, DC.  We managed to snag a couple of seats at a two-top bar table (sharing it with two others) thus balancing the delicious Guacamole, prepared "table-side" (actually amidst the crowd of people), some entrees and a variety of overpriced but tasty margaritas and mexican beers on the edge of the table and on our knees.

Oh - the reason the bar and restaurant were more crowded than a subway train in Tokyo at rush hour? The heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, booty-shaking, earth-quaking, nerve-breaking, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary … E-STREET BAND, was playing that night at the Verizon Center, directly across the street and as loyal Jerseyites, we were going to see Bruce.  

Well, I had just dipped another tortilla chip into the guac when I was tapped on the shoulder and turned around to see Ms. G., a woman I had grown up with, attended school with from Kindergarten through high school, approximately 250 miles north of Rosa Mexicano in New Jersey.  I had not seen her in nearly 20 years.  Of course, she was en route to the concert as well.  We spoke for a little while, exchanged cards and vowed to get together my next time in Washington DC.  

My loyal readers, you are now caught up to yesterday...

Having meetings scheduled in Washington yesterday, I asked Ms. G. if she was free for lunch and she suggested Raku, in Dupont Circle and nearby to my meetings.  We had a nice outside table (it was a beautiful day) and were presented with an eclectic asian fusion menu.  Comment on the location - Raku is well situated just off Dupont Circle and is a prime spot for people watching, especially from the nice outside seating area.  

My lunch started with a cup of miso soup followed by a large plate featuring Korean bbq beef strips (a little tough but finished in a sweet and spicy glaze that was very nice) accompanied by a serving of fried rice, into which had been minced kimchee with some pickled beanshoots on the side.  The fried rice was very nice, and the kimchee really spiced the dish up.  The portion was large and I did not finish all on my plate.  Only complaint about the meal was the service - after taking and delivering our drink orders promptly, the waiter disappeared for an inordinate length of time and we had to hail him down to take our order and again later to bring us the check.  

Ms. G. and I will hopefully stay in touch and continue our conversation over another lunch in the near future.

Anyone for Panang Curry in Ward's Corner?

Meal: Lunch - Panang Curry with Chicken, Jasmine Rice and Green Salad

Restaurant: Rom Thai, 7512 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA

On Tuesday (sorry for the delay) I had lunch with a former colleague at a thai restaurant in the Ward's Corner section of Norfolk.  For those who are unfamiliar with Norfolk, Ward's Corner is one of those neighborhoods that you often hear of in connection with phrases like "redevelopment", "Mayor's Opportunity Fund" and "New investment"...it has a long way to go but makes for good political promises.

In any event, my former colleague works nearby so off we ventured.  Rom Thai is a bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming and fairly decrepit strip mall on the corner of Little Creek Road and Granby Street  The interior was nicely decorated in a Southeast Asian motif and we were quickly seated.

The lunch specials all come with a green salad and jasmine rice.  The salad was uninspired, looking like it came right out of a "salad in a bag" from the supermarket.  The dressing was flat, somewhat creamy and very sweet.

A word here about service - reaching over my dining companion's plate to unceremoniously dropping my salad with a clang in front of me, in order to avoid the 5 steps around the table, does not equate to good service!

The salad dishes were taken up and we were each reset with a fresh set of chopsticks for the entrees. The Panang Curry with Chicken, pictured below, was very tasty.  The heat of the chilies was balanced by the sweetness of the coconut and did not taste or feel greasy (a common ailment in cheaper Thai restaurants).  All in all, a decent experience and the price, $7.95 per meal, was certainly reasonable.

As I dropping by friend back off at her office, I noticed the famous cheap mexican restaurant across the street from her office.  It was formerly known as Speedy Gonzalez and had a dedicated following though I had never ventured there.  The Speedy Gonzalez sign was gone and in its place, a sign advertising Vietnamese Noodle Soup Kitchen - on its own, a sign of the times as restaurants seems to be failing with greater regularity (even institutions like Speedy's).  However, far more intriguing, and somewhat disturbing, were the signs on the plate glass window fronting the establishment.  These signs featured Vietnamese noodle soup, burritos, and cheese steaks.  I'm all for fusion cuisine but I am not sure that a Pho Ga Enchilada is in my future!