Virginia Beach 2009: 456 Fish

A brief update on a nice fish spot I found in my recent travels as I work to slog through my seemingly unending backlog of posts to put out there.

I had travelled to Norfolk, Virginia for an event on an aircraft carrier, which was pretty cool, but the food left something to be desired, so we retired to the trendy block of Norfolk that sports a number of new restaurants and clubs.

We entered the clean, classic interior of 456 Fish (thus named for its address at 456 Granby Street) to, well, have some good fish.

The hour was late but luckily Norfolk seems to have a bit of a late evening scene, so the kitchen was open until 11pm. The restaurant's decor was reminiscent of an older club-style lounge, evoking a newly redo art deco steakhouse more than a well-recommended fish joint.

The short wine list was quite well done, with something for everyone - a good variety of all varietals and regions. We settled on a white (for the fish) despite my protestation that we should opt for a lighter red, but I was overruled. The '07 Flora Springs Soliloquy did the job quite nicely, however.

I opted for the Lobster Spring Rolls, which were tasty and more like egg rolls, with a lot of cabbage and some other vegetables stuffed in with the morsels of lobster. They were a good portion and served with a decent sweet and sour dipping sauce with chili flakes.

I also sampled the Fried Calamari, which lived up to the "award winning" moniker on the menu. Done with corn meal and lightly fried, served with a pesto mayonnaise and a marinara sauce, these two appetizers were both very good ways to start our late night meal.

At the recommendation of the waiter, I chose the Grouper for my main (the special that evening). This dish reminded me why I do like white fish - it was meaty, light flavored and served over plantains and sauteed spinach. An Italian-style tomato sauce complemented the subtle flavor of the fish nicely.

Overall, when we left the restaurant we were very pleased, and although it was late felt very well-served. A prime place to try in this up and coming section of the city.

New York 2009: Hundred Acres

I have often received the complaint from some readers that I am too positive; I counter that I usually write reviews of good restaurants first and add less powerful experiences to my substantial backlog - but they say I should be more critical to ensure my blog has credibility.

So, this Independence Day you will get some credibility. I found myself in New York for the "work holiday" of Friday, July 3rd for some business meetings. So, I tracked down the two friends who hadn't retreated to the Hamptons or some other out of "the greatest city on earth" locale, and made a reservation at one of the places I had been recommended in recent months, Hundred Acres. I have dined at the owners' Five Points previously, and was excited to try their new "farm fresh" cuisine concept.

I arrived a bit early to this french bar meets country-feeling spot in SOHO, excited to see the french doors wide open and the nearly perfect NYC summer day spilling in. I ordered a signature fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and gin cocktail, and heard about the dinner specials from the friendly bartender.

My friends arrived, they with some other friends who had not been able to escape for the weekend, and our party of 7 was seated at a banquette close to the open french doors. We ordered some Rose to fit the season, and tried to decide what to order from the organic, farm-fresh daily menu.

I started with the unique-sounding burrata with peaches and almonds. It was a great concept, and the presentation looked delicious. I was shocked when I tucked in to the dish, and found the peaches unripe and the burrata of a store-bought consistency. The rest of my dining companions echoed my thoughts - it all sounded excellent, but something was just off.

I had opted for the grilled octopus as a main, with fries. The octopus was over-cooked and over-marinated, and the vegetables served with it seemed to have been steamed to a sogginess normally found in a frozen bag dumped in a microwave. In fairness, the fries were quite nice.

A few of the other entrees I sampled were good, and the burger was excellent. One of the specials of the day, a scallops, were quite nice.

I am hesitant to say this wasn't an off weekend experience (maybe the farms don't deliver on the celebration of our nation's birth?), particularly given the several sound recommendations it had received, but I was pretty thoroughly disappointed in the start of the holiday weekend.