Reviews

Restaurant Reviews by Chef Monroe Duncan
If you would like to submit your restaurant suggestions or reviews to Monroe, email him here. Restaurant Ratings are determined by a one time visit. 1 star = Barely Passable 2 stars = Trying Hard 3 stars = Out to Please 4 stars = Exceptional 5 stars = Superior in Every Way

Market Fare in Portsmouth's Port Norfolk is the newest rising star in a crowded and star-studded heaven of Tidewater's best! Located in an aging storefront at 2622 Detroit Street in Historic Port Norfolk, MF simply does it right. The wait staff is under the artful direction of Jamie Conrad who shares ownership with Executive Chef Daniel Tackett, graduate of Johnson & Wales Culinary University, Sous Chef Jeremy Arnold, and Dr. Joel Bundy who doubles as Market Fare's Cellar Master, selecting and caring for an extravagant and award sinning wine card. (2004 Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine & Port Folio's 2004 Crystal Stems Award)

Without reservations, be prepared to wait an interminable length of time for one of the nine most coveted tables in Portsmouth. Make a reservation a day or two prior to your culinary celebration with parties of six or more. After you are whisked to your table by a very astute and charming host, be prepared for a struggle to make the right choice from a very avant-garde, interesting, and glamorous list of starters, salads, and entrées. A diner, one of my former patrons from all of my past restaurants, could not wait to offer his suggestion for a starter—Pan-Fried Chicken Livers with Sherry

Vinegar Butter, which I could not resist, or do I have the space here to rave on about this perfectly prepared little plate. Let it suffice to recommend it with my former patron's same enthusiasm. My dinner companion chose the Escargot Sautéed in Herb Butter served in a Portabella Bowl—superb.

I had to have the Bibb Lettuce, Jicama, Plums, and Peanut Salad with Lime Vinaigrette—another great success, but a most adequate and sumptuous taste had to be surrendered to my gourmet running mate, slightly robbing me of the total experience. The entrées, carefully chosen, were as well exceptional; he with his Herb Grilled Lamb Chops with a Savory Turnover and Cherry Shiraz Reduction, while I delighted in my Pork Tenderloin Wellington wrapped in puff pastry, served with haricot vert, fragrant, perfectly textured mashed potatoes de la maison, and drizzled with Sauce au Poivre delicately commingled with Dijon mustard.

Bring on the Beignets with Ice Cream served with a dipping reduction of Pear-flavored Wine and Fresh Berries! So rich, I asked that the remaining few be wrapped for transport. Had to leave the ice cream behind, but the beignets were marvelous for breakfast.

Menu items are described accurately and appetizingly to prick to the appetite; so well depicted that making the right choice is inevitable. Nightly features, sung by the wait staff allured, but neither of us could resist what was right before our very eyes.

Bartender, Larry Tetro, will toss an educated shaker to the strains of any current or retro libation.

Joel Bundy, Cellar Master & Connoisseur
Jamie Conrad, Maître d'
Daniel Takett, Executive Chef
Jerry Arnold, Sous Chef

Wolfgang Puck Can't Hold a Candle to Fellini's Designer Pizzas

Lunching at Fellini's on Colley Ave in Norfolk, VA is one that Miss Otis would not send her regrets. Michael Cavish, the swashbuckling founder of Fellini's, introduced the Tidewater area to designer Pizzas when he initially opened Fellini's on 21st Street at Core, and his adroit and proficient sister, Donna McCullough, has maintained and enhanced his delectable culinary vision of tasty "white" designer pizzas. Currently, Donna has turned over operations to her daughter Elizabeth Kloc who is without a doubt a chip off the family block, and continues to bring innovative and tasty ideas to the table.

Simultaneously, as Michael introduced this pizza phenomenon to Norfolk, the famous "Chef to the Stars," Wolfgang Puck, was wowing Los Angeles and San Francisco with his own designs. As Puck was freezing and distributing his pizzas to major grocery store chains across the US, Michael was busily meeting the enormous demand at his Norfolk, VA corner of the gourmet pizza market constructing the thin crust delicacies from scratch.

That was in 1989. Now, on Colley Avenue since the early nineties, Michael Cavish's vision is alive and well. So healthy that his wait and kitchen staffs are moving at lightening speed preparing and serving a bountiful crop of lunch and dinner patrons, not one of which is anything but delighted and satisfied with what began as a former wily and testy attorney's culinary dream.

When lunching at Fellini's, the choices are diverse and copious. Making a choice presents a challenge, which can become more complex and frustrating at the dishes' menu descriptions, but rest assured, whatever the choice, count on quality and extraordinary flavor.

Let us recommend the famous oversized Greek Salad with feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers, lettuces, sliced onion, pepperoccini, tomatoes and feta cheese-rich vinaigrette with oregano. If you like anchovies, they are available upon request. The Caesar Salad topped with Chicken is another great choice as are a multitude of additional entrée salad choices, soups, sandwiches, and main courses. The thick and zesty chili with sour cream, minced onions, and cheddar cheese is a competition winner.

We enjoyed sweet Dreamsickle Cake that brought back those lazy, hazy, and crazy days of summer when chomping down on a creamy orange Dreamsickle was the bomb. Memorabilia fills the atmosphere with reminiscence and celebration. By all means, request waiter Jenny Rice who can fill you in on the historical and culinary adventures of Fellini's, which is not only a monument to our beloved Michael Cavish, but also a Norfolk bastion of fabulous food, culinary achievement, and adventure.

An exciting old New York styled steakhouse has joined a coterie of interesting and diverse restaurants in Port Warwick, a subdivision of Newport News right off Jefferson Avenue. Streets touting famous writers (Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson to mention a few) all lead to William Styron Square South (named for the author of Sophie's Choice and Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness). Schlesinger's Steakhouse quietly invites diners to enter an atmosphere created by Helen Hayes, not the famous thespian, rather the very talented and subtle decorator who is headquartered in Richmond, VA. Inside bespeaks library with fireplaces in two of the separate dining rooms. Dark stained wooden chairs with upholstered seats and well-oiled wooden panels set the sophisticated tempo for the simplistically chic tables dressed in golden vanilla colored linens with great big glittering steak knives and very fashionable swirling flatware. Well-chosen sparkling glassware compliments the place settings, and every detail is efficiently tended to by an affable and well-trained staff.

At the range is Executive Chef L'Mande Bagby who delivered steamy hot and tasty baked onion soup with melted Gruyere cheese atop rich broth thick with onions and croutons. Following was a classic Caprese Salad with a slight, but interesting twist serving the sliced beefsteak tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese on Mesclun wild lettuce mix with his Balsamic vinaigrette. Pasquale, mind made up, did not hesitate to quickly place his order with our server as he announced, "I'll have the Filet Mignon," perfectly allocuting the proper French inflections. I opted for the 12-ounce New York Strip Sirloin. The beef is prime, tender, and very savory. The finished plates, minimally and tastefully garnished, were presented with luscious garlic mashed potatoes and crisp hot sautéed zucchini squash with red bell peppers. Throughout the lunch, we both enjoyed the French pressed coffee after downing two spicy Bloody Marys on cracked ice.

Who can go without dessert? Not Pasquale! Not I! Tiramisu, an Italian confection concocted with ladyfingers, marscapone cheese, espresso, and a touch of Cognac, was our choice. We battled with the tines of two forks over the more than ample portion, but being extraordinary eaters, we could not resist the contest.

Steve Lewis, proprietor and well-traveled restaurateur and bon vivant joined us for a bit of coffee and lively conversation. He fondly spoke of his experiences in the hospitality industry as well as the often time tedious mishaps that will unexpectedly challenge one's composure. Then, we all chimed in for a rousing rendition of great restaurants we have known and loved both locally and in far off places. Floanne Weaver, Schlesinger's astute general manager, dropped by the table to reassure herself that things were as they should be. The staff is extraordinary and knows how to make a dining experience quite memorable. Pasquale and I both highly recommend Schelsinger's Steakhouse with complete confidence and urgence for a great culinary escape and dining experience.

Steve Lewis, Proprietor, Floanne Weaver, General Manager, L'Mande Bagby, Executive Chef

Lunching with Scotty Quixx is a culinary adventure. The proprietor, bon vivant, and former US Navy Seal, Scotty Oates, understands service and accommodation. His presence is felt in every facet of the café's operation even to participating in the actual hands-on service. His award winning Corn and Crab Chowder (at Ocean View's East Beach Homearama) is fraught with flavorful innuendos, but a bit too viscous for my taste. Steak Burrito with black beans and rice advances beyond the Mexican border and into genuine Mexican peasant food as does the Tuna Frabitto (Burrito with sweet peppers, rice, beans, and just about everything you might like). Desserts are sugary and exceptional. A worthwhile eatery with interesting cultural appointments and paintings, Scotty Quixx is a must.

The eternal watering hole for Ocean Viewers, the "Camel," as it so fondly has been dubbed for too many years to remember, features nightly specials from Steamed Shrimp to Roasted Prime Ribs of Beef. Practically sitting atop Ocean View Avenue at the beginning of Willoughby Spit, the Thirsty Camel enjoys a homey and familiar atmosphere where, it seems, that there are no strangers. The Fried Sea Scallops are perfectly rendered, the Prime Rib a bit tough, and has not changed since its inception. The baked potato was fragrant with someone's perfume and inedible, but that can be overlooked, especially when the chef does exactly that when reminded of her perfume sweet boiled/foil-wrapped/then heated under the broiler/potato. Order French Fries instead. A Crisp Iceberg Lettuce Salad with tomatoes and onions precedes the entrée selection and the dressings are good. The Thirsty Camel is a total experience of local camaraderie, good times, good cooking, and speedy servers.