I'd like to recommend The Cellars.
The Cellars is literally in the cellar of the Church Point Manor bed and breakfast in Virginia Beach. We were spending the night at the bed-and-breakfast and since the weather was so bad we thought it would be a good idea to just eat downstairs. The restaurant is dimly lit and provides a comfortable setting. We had the option of dining either in the dining room, the bar or the lounge area, which includes a fireplace and television. In addition to tall tables there are comfortable couches which line the perimeter of the lounge area. We chose the lounge.
The menu didn't seem to contain a lot of variety, but I was intrigued by what I did see. Of course, there were also specials that were not inlcuded on the menu.
We started with appetizers:
This is the Virginia Tomato Two-Way
Fried green tomatoes, local vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, local basil, pickled shallots, red pepper essence and an aged balsamic reduction. Pretty, isn't it? This is one of my favorite appetizers but I've never had it with fried green tomatoes and I thought that was an interesting twist. The tomatoes were lightly fried and not at all heavy. The portion size, for me, was perfect and adding one more fried tomato would have been too much.
We also ordered the Church Point Rockafella:
We always enjoy oysters rockafeller but as you can see this is not oysters rockafeller. These are lightly fried selected oysters covered in a puree of local watercress, arugula, applewood bacon, sambuca, parmesan and chives. I was only able to taste one of them because I blinked and Bryan had inhaled the others. Needless to say, he loved them.As an entree, Bryan ordered what was called the "over-the-top"
It consists of a beef tenderloin, on top of mashed potatoes and carrots, and topped with carmelized onions and a sauce that I can't recall. The steak was cooked perfectly but I thought the sauce was a little heavy.
I ordered the special which was herb encrusted rockfish in a chorizo sauce with pesto mashed potatoes and baby bok choy.
Where to begin. I have never had a rockfish that I didn't like. You can't see them in this picture but the mashed potatoes were green (because of the pesto) -- which threw me at first but they were delicious. This was my first time being served bok choy in a restaurant. It's a little stringy and not one of my favorite vegetables. It was lightly seasoned and complimented the fish in a good way.For dessert, we shared an apple tart topped with bourbon vanilla custard.
The staff at The Cellars were completely professional. Initially, we were brought into the dining room but when we requested a seat in the lounge they were happy to accomodate us. The service was outstanding and the entrees average about $26. In my opinion, it was well worth it. You are encouraged to make reservations and you can view their menu and wine list on their website.
4001 Church Point Road
The staff at The Cellars were completely professional. Initially, we were brought into the dining room but when we requested a seat in the lounge they were happy to accomodate us. The service was outstanding and the entrees average about $26. In my opinion, it was well worth it. You are encouraged to make reservations and you can view their menu and wine list on their website.4001 Church Point Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
(757) 460-2567
3 comments:
Thanks for the review. Sounds like a neat place. I'll have to try it out the next time I'm down that way.
Gosh, I was just talking to my husband about this place a few weeks ago. I want to try it out and your review has me convinced even more. Like you, I LOVE rockfish:)
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