The last time I craved seafood, I took some random advice from someone that I didn't know and I ended up extremely disappointed. This time when the craving hit again I did a little more research and found myself at Tautog's on a Saturday night.
As you can see in the above photo, Tautog's is a very unassuming place on 23rd Street at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. You have to know where you're going in order to find it. I didn't know where I was going so it took me a little while.
I don't want to spend a lot of time discussing parking or wait time because I live in a tourist area and it's tourist season, plus it was a beautiful Saturday night at the beach ... so use your imagination.
Once seated, our server, Jessie appeared almost immediately with a smile and prepared to take our drink orders and to let us know the specials for the evening. Tautog's wine list contains many choices of various varietals which are available either by the bottle or the glass.
As an appetizer I decided on 1/2 dozen oysters rockefeller. Jessie suggested that I split the order and try Benny's oysters just to mix things up.
I took her advice. Benny's oysters are oven roasted with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and melted havarti cheese. The flavor was mild and slightly different than the bacony flavor that comes with the regular oysters rockefeller. Both choices were very tasty.
Next up we ordered a pound of crab legs.
and an order of Tautog's wings.
The portion size of the wings was more than enough and could have been a meal instead of an appetizer. The wings were plump and juicy and mildly seasoned. If you prefer your wings hot, you may want to ask for additional hot sauce.
As an entree, I ordered the stuffed flounder in a bag.
Jessie really helped me out with this dish by reminding me that it is actually served in a bag. She mentioned that some patrons forget that and accidentally eat the bag. I don't know if she was joking or not, but I could see how that would be possible. Especially, after a few cocktails. In any case, I tore open the bag and enjoyed a nice size filet of flounder, generously stuffed with crab meat and shrimp. The fish was moist and flaky with a mild flavor. The dish was served with seasoned potatoes.
I was full and satisfied at the end of the meal but I couldn't leave without having something sweet to end the meal. I decided to try the warm brownie sundae which is dubbed the Chocolate Tautog.
I could only eat a few bites but it was so good. The combination of the warm brownie and the cold ice cream was just what I was looking for.
I enjoyed my meal at Tautog's. The place is extremely busy but they have a really good handle on what's going on. When the hostess told me that it would be a 45 minute wait, she wasn't kidding. It was 45 minutes. Again, this is to be expected on the oceanfront on a Saturday evening. The service was friendly and efficient. Dinner is served on Saturdays until 11:00. I would recommend it.
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
(757) 422-0081
www.tautogs.com
