Tuesday's Taste: Restaurant Week

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - Last time I was here, we previewed the Virginia Beach Restaurant Week, which began this past Sunday and runs for a week; I kicked off my seven days of dining at Smokehouse & Cooler with a delish three-course offering featuring grilled salmon.

Now I have some information on the Downtown Norfolk Restaurant Week which begins Jan. 22 and ends Jan. 29.

Like Virginia Beach’s event, and similar upcoming Restaurant Weeks in Hampton, Portsmouth and Suffolk, this is a great time to explore favorite eateries and find new ones as special prix-fixe menus are offered at lunch and dinner.

In Norfolk, those restaurants serving lunch have a two-course offering priced at $10; at dinner, participating restaurants offer a three-course meal for either $20 or $30.

These are the current participating restaurants:

• 219 An American Bistro – lunch and dinner
• 3-Way Café – lunch
• 456 Fish – dinner
• Bite Restaurant & Catering – lunch
• Bodega on Granby – dinner
• Byrd & Baldwin Brothers Steakhouse – dinner
• California Pizza Kitchen – lunch and dinner
• Freemason Abbey – lunch and dinner
• Jack Quinn Irish Pub & Restaurant – lunch and dinner
• Kincaid’s – lunch and dinner
• Monastery – dinner
• Nana Sushi – lunch and dinner
• Norfolk Seafood Co. featuring Big Easy Oyster Bar – dinner
• Nordstrom Café – lunch and dinner
• Omar’s Carriage House – dinner
• Shula’s 347 Grill – dinner
• Snapper’s – lunch and dinner
• Todd Jurich’s Bistro – lunch and dinner
• Trilogy Bistro – dinner
• The Vineyards Trattoria & Pizzeria – lunch and dinner
• Vintage Kitchen – dinner
• Voila! Internationale Cuisine – dinner

Check with individual restaurants for meal particulars, as well as their hours of operations and whether they take reservations or not. More information is also on the Downtown Norfolk Council website.

And I’ve got some tips for navigating Restaurant Week on my blog, www.PatrickEvansHylton.com

More information: www.DowntownNorfolk.org

 

COOKING WITH TASTE

A cooking series to benefit Taste Unlimited’s Peter Coe, the gourmet grocer’s founder who passed in June 2010 of cancer, showcases the talent of five regional chefs; proceeds from the classes will benefit Lee’s Friends, a Norfolk-based group that offers person-to-person assistance with emotional and practical help to cancer patients and their families.

The classes, held at the flagship Norfolk store, start with a champagne reception and featuring cooking demonstrations and multicourse tastings paired with wine. Participants go home with recipes from the evening, and a special reprint of Peter Coe’s cookbook. The cost is $125 per seat.

The chef lineup, and the main dish they are cooking, are:

Feb. 7: Bobby Huber, executive chef of Steinhilber’s Restaurant, Virginia Beach

Dish – Roast Half-Duck: Confit Leg and Seared Breast over Cream Cheese Polenta

Feb. 21: Amy Brandt, chef/owner of Amy B Catering on the Eastern Shore

Dish  - Pan-Roasted Salmon with Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings sautéed with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Feb. 28: Sam McGann, chef/partner of The Blue Point, Duck, N.C.

Dish – Fish Cooking Made Easy: Three Ways to Prepare Fish – Salt Crusted (Whole), Parchment Cooked, and Herb-Crusted with Panko and Baked

March 6: Patrick Evans-Hylton, chef and HRM food editor

Dish – Old School Crabcakes with Dijon-Cream Sauce

March 13: Rodney Einhorn, chef/owner of Terrapin Restaurant, Virginia Beach

Dish – Local & Wild Mushroom Pasta with Wilted Arugula and Goat Cheese

You can find full details at the Taste website or on my blog, www.PatrickEvansHylton.com

One additional tease, the dessert I will be making - Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich: Three-layer Club of Sliced, Toasted Pound Cake with Homemade Peanut Butter and Strawberry Preserves, dusted in Confectioner’s Sugar

Taste is at 6464 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk. Call 757-425-3011 ext. 220 or visit www.TasteUnlimited.com

WINE – BY DESIGN

The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) hosts its 21st annual Wine By Design on Feb. 24 as a fundraiser for the center’s art education programs. This year’s event, Warhol and Wine, teases the visual palate for the May opening of Andy Warhol Portraits exhibit, which opens in May.

Tickets are on sale now.

The evening features food prepared by local chefs, along accompanying wines. Live entertainment and a silent auction are also featured. An after-party takes place at Catch 31 in the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Tickets are $50 for MOCA members, and $55 for non-members.

MOCA is at 2200 Parks Ave., Virginia Beach. Call 757-425-0000 or visit

www.VirginiaMOCA.org

 

SALAD DAYS AT THE VIRGINIA FLOWER & GARDEN EXPO

The 2012 Virginia Flower & Garden Expo takes place Jan. 20-22 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, and provides a wonderful diversion to winter. Many home cooks and professional chefs enjoy growing some of their own ingredients, including vegetables, fruit and herbs. The show is a great way to start thinking ahead to those kitchen gardens,