Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

I’ve visited Red Robin Gourmet Burgers countless numbers of times but this is my first review.  Why?  I have no idea.  Today probably wasn’t the best time to visit because I’m dieting.  However, my daughter is leaving in two days to go back to school and this is where she wanted to go.  So, I pushed the diet aside and agreed to oblige her.

Many people may think that it could be difficult to find healthy options at a burger joint.  And those people are probably right but I counted this as a treat meal and promised myself that I would get back on my plan first thing Monday.  No, seriously.

I started out the meal with the hummus plate (355 calories, 23g fat).  It came with baby carrots, cucumbers and chips.  Chips?  Why chips?  The veggies were crispy and delicious and the hummus was smooth and creamy.

For my entrée I ordered the southwest grilled chicken salad with the dressing on the side.  I love this salad because of the avocado, black beans and fried jalapenos.  Even though it’s a salad, it’s a pretty big one and without the dressing comes in at 711 calories and 35g fat.  In a salad.  That’s more fat grams than I normally consume in an entire day.  I’m not knocking the salad – I loved it and left nothing on the plate – except the dressing.

The kids, who are not dieting indulged in the gourmet burgers.  Why else would you go to a burger joint if you weren’t getting burgers?  My son ordered the banzai burger (973 calories, 55g fat).  The burger is marinated in teriyaki & topped with grilled pineapple, cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. It looked great and he loved it.

My daughter, who is not that adventurous ordered her usual bacon cheeseburger without mayo (782 calories, 42g fat).

Both burgers came with steak fries and they both ordered the freckled strawberry lemonade.

I like Red Robin.  There are no surprises.  We were seated immediately and the server (Elizabeth) was great.  It was early on a Sunday evening and there was a pretty good crowd but that didn’t hinder our service at all.  When I go to Red Robin, this is the one that I turn to.  

Cotton Southern Bistro

It was my 47th birthday and I was in desperate need of comfort food and I wasn't going to cook it for myself. After a little bit of research I found the Cotton Southern Bistro in Chesapeake. The reviews were mixed but one thing that really impressed me was that with every negative review on Urbanspoon, the owner responded and offered to make the situation right. He seemed to really care about his customer's satisfaction.

Cotton is located in a shopping center on Grassfield Parkway and the ride from Kempsville at dinner time was traffic filled but not unbearable. When we walked in I was surprised at how large the dining area was. There was plenty of seating and I noticed that there was also a separate bar area. We were seated immediately and our drink and appetizer order was taken.

The menu is filled with so many options but I was able to decide on the fried pickles as a starter.

The picture is deceving because there were twice as many pickles in the platter when it was brought to the table. I didn't think to snap the shot until we were almost finished. That's because they were so good. The pickle chips were lightly dusted and fried. Not at all heavy and the creole dipping sauce was a nice compliment but I could have eaten them by themselves.

Cotton serves nightly specials and on Monday we were treated to a pound of steamed shrimp for $7.99.

Seasoned with a generous amount of Old Bay and served with drawn butter and cocktail sauce.

As I said at the beginning of the review, I was in search of comfort food. What is more comforting than fried chicken and macaroni and cheese?

The chicken fried chicken is a breast fried perfectly and topped with country gravy. The chicken was so tender and so juicy and for me, it was the perfect portion size. The mac and cheese was also very good. Not as good as mine ... but still delicious.

The third entree for the evening was the Cotton signature dish, the Kentucky Hot Brown

This is an open-faced grilled turkey sandwich served with fries and smothered with brown gravy. And they aren't kidding when they say "smothered". The turkey was tender and the gravy was tasty but there was just so much of it, that it made the fries soggy and inedible.

The service at Cotton Southern Bistro was friendly. I was a little confused by the uniforms which were black and white striped shirts which made all the waitresses look like referees. I didn't get it but I suppose it's not for me to get. The unform had no bearing on the level of service which I thought was superb and the prices are reasonable as well with the average entree being about $15.

Check Cotton's website for nightly specials and they also advertise live entertainment.

I enjoyed our visit to Cotton Southern Bistro. I love to eat local and the next time I'm craving good comfort food I'll be sure to head back.

648 Grassfield Parkway
Suite 12
Chesapeake, VA 23322
(757) 609-3156
www.cottonsouthernbistro.com

Pirate's Cove

Friday night and I'm starving and I find myself at the Pirate's Cove in Chesapeake. I decided to try it based on a random recommendation. When we arrived I could see that the restaurant was packed and there was a steady stream of patrons coming in. We put our names on the list and were told to expect a 10-15 minute wait. No big deal. It was Friday night and any wait time should be expected.

Once we were seated, our server Jody greeted us and took our drink orders immediately. She came back and explained the specials and to start I decided to try a cup of she-crab soup.

The soup, at first taste, reminded me more of clam chowder instead of she-crab. The taste was a little bland but once I added salt and pepper it seemed to improve.

Jody came back and took our dinner orders, each came with two sides.

This is the galley salad which served as one of my sides. The vegetables were crisp and fresh. I ordered the raspberry vinaigrette and it was light and very tasty.


As an entree I had the rockfish special stuffed with lump crab meat. As you can see from the picture, the entree is served with three golf ball sized hushpuppies. And tarter sauce. I don't think I have ever received tarter sauce with rockfish. The fish itself was broiled and overdone. It was very dry and I actually felt I had to use the tarter sauce.

We also ordered the half pound of steamed peel-and-eat shrimp. Good portion size. Not a lot of flavor.

The Pirate's Cove appears to be a local's favorite. Like I said, the restaurant was packed and the customers kept coming. I think I may have expected too much from this neighborhood spot. It's a no-frills place and I guess I was looking for the frill. Especially because of the prices.

The service was excellent and that alone is enough to try The Pirate's Cove again. My daughter wants to try the Thursday night special: 1 pound of crab legs for $12.95.

Who knows?

109 J/K Gainsborough Square
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 549-7272
http://www.piratescoveva.com/

Terebinth - A Sweet Retreat

It all began with a picture of an incredible dessert taken on a camera phone. And it ends with a picture of more incredible desserts taken on a camera phone.

A few months ago a friend of mine showed me a picture on her phone of a dessert that she could not stop raving about. She said it was so delicious she had to take a picture of it. I don't recall what the dessert was but I did remember where she had purchased it: Terebinth.

Terebinth is a high end coffee shop in the Towne Place Center of Chesapeake and what you see above are the desserts that I purchased during a recent visit. We have a lemon meringue tart, a chocolate coconut cake topped with a chocolate truffle and two chocolate cannolis. Yes, two chocolate cannolis. I was fortunate enough to have a buy-one-get-one coupon for the desserts so I decided to splurge.

The shop seems very large with plenty of comfortable seating and the decoration is subtle with sporadic pops of color. Upon entering we were greeted cheerfully by the owner. The menu includes sandwiches, salads and soup in addition to the desserts and various coffee drinks.

We ordered two sandwiches which each came with a side salad, we had a choice of either a house salad, ceasar or pasta:

This is the turkey wild panino. It is filled with smoked turkey, smoked gouda, bacon, an apple reduction and sun dried tomato mayo.

I had the caprese and prosciutto sandwich. This one was prepared with lettuce, tomato, baby spinach, fresh mozzarella and basil drizzled with sundried tomato vinaigrette. The sandwich was delicious and I always love the combination of tomato and mozzarella. The addition of the prosciutto and the vinaigrette just pushed it over the edge. It was fantastic. And it may appear to be a "regular" sized sandwich but it was very filling.

The service was very good and the owner did a great job of twisting my arm in order to get me to buy all those desserts. It was well worth it.

Terebinth is elegant. Smooth jazz fills the room and they offer free wi-fi. Food can be eaten in or taken out. Either way you'll be in for a treat. It is a little pricey so it probably won't be my weekly lunch spot but every time I feel like I deserve a "sweet retreat" I'll know exactly where to go.

Terebinth is open Tuesday thru Saturday. Check their website for other services.

717 Eden Way N

Suite 610

Chesapeake, VA 23320

(757) 410-0900

www.theterebinth.com

The Broken Egg Bistro

The Broken Egg Bistro on Kempsville Road in Chesapeake is pretty well known for their breakfasts and lunches. I was pleased to discover that they also have a pretty tempting dinner menu as well.

The Broken Egg Bistro is located in a tiny shopping center on Kempsville Road and I first discovered it while attending Chesapeake Hot Yoga classes, which is located in the same shopping center. I wasn't interested in visiting for breakfast but I was curious about their dinner menu so I checked it out online and then went in for myself on Saturday evening.

Fair warning: Broken Egg Bistro is not a cozy, intimate dinner spot. It's loud and there is a lot of activity. When we arrived I noticed that there appeared to be a wait to be seated, unless we sat at the counter, which is what we did. I always enjoy sitting at the bar because I never leave my server's line of vision. For me, the service at the bar is always good. And this visit was no exception. As soon as we were seated the specials were explained and our drink orders were taken. I had already spied the menu online so I had a really good idea of what I was going to order.

To start, we had the oysters rockefeller ($8)

Six plump oysters served on the 1/2 shell and topped with spinach, garlic and real bacon and then broiled. The oysters tasted really fresh and they weren't at all overwhelmed by the flavor of the toppings. They were prepared perfectly.

In addition to burgers, various chicken, beef and pasta dishes there are also a few house specialties. The etouffee ($14) being one of them:

this big bowl of goodness came out and I suspected that I was in for a treat. It was filled with fresh chicken, jumbo shrimp and smoked surry sausage in a spicy, gumbo style sauce and served over black beans and rice. The dish was just spicy enough to give it a little heat but allowed all the flavors to come through. The shrimp may have been a little overdone but it didn't ruin the dish at all. The portion size was more than adequate, in fact, I had to take it home with me in order to save room for dessert.

I ordered the mini hot apple crumble ($5). I love the fact that this dessert came in a "mini" portion size:

it was served with vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel. It tasted so good and it was the perfect size.

Overall, our experience at the Broken Egg Bistro was a positive one. From what I've seen, it is always busy and the customer's around me seemed to be enjoying themselves. I checked out other dinner plates and large portion sizes seem to be the theme of this restaurant. The prices are very reasonable and our server took very good care of us.

If you haven't tried the Bistro for dinner, I'd certainly give it a shot.



501 Kempsville Road

Chesapeake, VA 23320

(757) 410-8515

www.thebrokeneggbistro.com

Paradocks Grille

Did you know that Paradocks Grille had a brunch on Sundays? I didn't either.

Paradocks Grille is a casual eatery on Eden Way North in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake. I've been there several times. Usually when I want something quick and simple . Paradocks' menu is as varied as it is simple. You can get just about anything there: sandwiches, various types of wings

seafood

and salads

this is the Santa Fe chicken salad which contains thin strips of chicken breast served over cool greens, tomatoes, shredded cheese and tri-color tortilla strips. It is served with chipotle ranch dressing and garlic cheese toast. I thought it was pretty good.

Paradocks provides plenty of seating in the main dining room, the bar area or outside on the deck. We decided to sit outside and take advantage of the beautiful day. There are flat screens and music from the 80s and 90s is playing on the sound system. It was fun and since we visited on Sunday during brunch I was able to take advantage of the $1.99 mimosas.

The service is always friendly and quick. It's simple, it's casual and a fun place to visit on a Sunday afternoon.

801 Eden Way North

Chesapeake, VA 23320

(757) 321-2202

http://www.paradocksgrille.com/

Surf Rider (Chesapeake)

I have visited Surf Rider on Marina Shores Drive in Virginia Beach several times. I love the atmosphere. It's a great place to have a few cocktails and soak up the sun while enjoying the view of the marina. The service is always friendly and efficient and that is why I continue to go back. So, I was a little surprised to learn that an additional Surf Rider had opened in the Town Place shopping center in Chesapeake. Surprised because, in my opinion what makes Surf Rider enjoyable is its laid back location on the water. How can that be replicated in a shopping center?

The short answer is: it can't.

Surf Rider Chesapeake occupies the space that once belonged to Sterling's. As soon as I walked through the revolving door my expectations increased. The room is large and roomy and filled with many tables and booths and a separate bar area. At first glance it looks like an upscale place. Except for the huge fish hanging on the walls. And the laminated yellow menus -- which is what I expect from Surf Rider -- but somehow this place just didn't feel like my Surf Rider.

After ordering a cocktail I checked out the menu and decided on a cup of she-crab soup ($4.75) and a crabcake ($12.95).

The soup came out almost immediately and as soon as it hit the table I was assaulted by the smell of Old Bay. The taste of the soup was okay but it had the consistency of pudding instead of soup and I had to search for the crab.

The crabcake came with two sides. I ordered green beans and mashed potatoes and gravy. The crabcake itself had practically no filler which was good but it was overcooked. The green beans were limp and had a greasy taste and the potatoes were a little stiff.

I was never disappointed when I left the Marina Shores Surf Rider. It wasn't because the food or the service was better. I don't ever remember being blown away by the food at Marina Shores either. I was never disappointed because I loved the atmosphere. It was relaxing. It was calming. It was fun. I didn't feel any of that in Chesapeake. Frankly, I don't understand putting a place called Surf Rider where there is no surf. Just my opinion.

There were quite a few other patrons in the restaurant while I was there so I may be alone in my opinion. Maybe not.


725 Eden Way #700
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 549-2626

www.surfridergroup.com

Pho 79

I read a review about Pho 79 not long ago and I was intrigued. I am not familiar with Vietnamese food or with pho but I was willing to try it out.

The restaurant is located in the Walmart Way Crossing shopping center in Chesapeake. The space is large, clean and gets plenty of light. There are many tables and booths and I was surprised to see a flat screen television tuned to ESPN. Not sure why I was surprised but it just seemed out of place. Anyway, patrons are free to seat themselves and are waited on immediately. There were plenty of customers in the restaurant when I was there for lunch and there seemed to be a steady stream of them coming and going, either to eat-in or take-out.

Here is what I read in the Pho 79 menu: Pho, or Hanoi Beef Soup, has been a staple food item all over Vietnam for centuries. Enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Pho soup is widely regarded as a comfort food, a source of energy for the tired traveler, and to many Pho believers--a cure for whatever ails you.

Pho is eaten with both chopsticks and a spoon in order to get all the delicious broth. I ordered a soup with pho noodles, shrimp and pork loin and spring rolls:

The soup was filled with shrimp and large pieces of pork and plenty of greens. You can't tell by the photo but there was also a substantial amount of noodles in the bowl. I didn't think the small soup would fill me up which is why I also ordered the spring rolls. I was wrong. The soup was hot and hearty. The broth was like nothing I had ever tasted. I enjoyed it so much and I was disappointed that I couldn't finish the entire bowl. The spring rolls were also very filling. They were fresh and filled with shrimp, rice and greens and were served with hoisin sauce. The order comes with two large rolls.

The menu is very diverse and includes Vietnamese sandwiches, rice dishes and many different soups. The menu is divided into sections for beginners and for those that are more experienced, which I found quite helpful.

I enjoyed everything about Pho 79: the location, the people were friendly, all the customers looked happy, the food was delicious and the prices were very reasonable. Pho 79 calls itself The Health Conscious Choice and I have to agree. I definitely recommend it and will be returning.

1445 Sam's Drive

Chesapeake, VA 23320

(757) 547-4800

Smokey Bones

It was Friday night and I was hungry and I did not want to order take out and since I was hanging out with my fifteen year old, I really didn't want anything too fancy.

That is how we ended up at Smokey Bones on Greenbrier Parkway in Chesapeake.

This was not my first visit to Smokey Bones and I think one of the reasons I enjoy it is because of the casual atmosphere. It's perfect if you're looking for that sort of thing. There is a large dining area, a large bar area, pool tables and many flat screen televisions. We arrived shortly after 7:00 p.m. and we were faced with a 40-minute wait. That may be typical for a Friday night anywhere. My fifteen year old and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and decided to wait. The waiting area had plenty of comfortable seating and we didn't have anything else to do, so why not?

Once our names were called the hostess led us to our table and let us know that it may be a few minutes before our server arrived. Tyler arrived in less than a few minutes and because the restaurant was so busy we placed our drink and dinner orders at the same time.

Smokey Bones has a wide selection of steaks, burgers, chicken and of course, barbecue. Their menu can be accessed on line. I'm trying to eat a little healthier these days so I ordered the steak and spinach salad. I asked for the steak to be cooked medium and it came out perfectly. The dressing did not overwhelm the greens but I did leave a big pile of onions at the bottom of the plate. My fifteen year old ordered a sampler platter which included a few fried goodies like onion rings, chicken fingers and cheese fries. She ate all the chicken, we shared the rings and she picked at the fries. Including drinks, we spent less than $40 for the two of us. The service was quick and friendly and I always get a kick out of reading the T-shirts that the servers wear. One said: "Nothing is better for meat than a good dry rub. Stop laughing."

I couldn't stop laughing.



1405 Greenbrier Pkwy
Chesapeake, VA 23320
(757) 361-6843
www.smokeybones.com

Bean There Cafe

Do you ever need to just get out of the house?

I do and I'm happy to report that I have found the perfect place for me to do just that. I had no interest in the Black Friday sales but I did need to pick up a few things and afterward I decided to stop into the Bean There Cafe located at Towne Place in Greenbrier.

It is the cutest little coffee shop I have ever been to. It's not fancy at all. It's funky and comfortable and just ... easy. The indoor lighting is dim but there is plenty of natural light coming in from the large window in the front of the store.

The menu has plenty of iced and hot coffees, tea, specialty drinks and specialty lattes such as the Little Red Corvette, The Diamond Dave and Island Kiss. How could you resist that? The store provides plenty of seating throughout either at tables or big, comfortable easy chairs. I even saw board games just waiting to be set up.

I ordered a large chai latte and a pastry called the raspberry rhapsody. The latte was pretty good and for some reason was served to me in a mug which advertised a local heating and cooling company.

The other patrons all seemed to be having a great time just relaxing and drinking their drinks and socializing with one another. One woman came in and headed right toward the back and set up her laptop because Bean There offers free wi-fi.

Bean There is a real coffee shop which is locally owned and operated. So bypass the big guy and sip locally at Bean There.

733 Eden Way N

Chesapeake, VA 23320

www.beantherecafe.com
(757) 312-0188

Yu-Mi Sushi Japanese Cuisine

I love sushi. I don't review it often because what can you really say about it? All I really want to know is if it's fresh or not. Some places are obviously better than others but I can't say that I've had a bad roll unless it was from the grocery store or one of those stands in the mall. And even those weren't horrible.

Yu-Mi Sushi on Kempsville Road in Chesapeake is a great place for fresh sushi. It's in the neighborhood which makes it perfect for me. I'm trying to stay closer to home these days because, let's face it ... the Oceanfront isn't the only place that can provide quality food at reasonable prices.

This trip to Yu-Mi was a quick one with the kids so convenience was key. Yu-Mi's menu is several pages long with many different varieties of sushi. The menu labels the items as either cooked or uncooked which is particularly helpful for those of us who are relatively new to the sushi scene. I ordered the spicy tuna roll, salmon roll and miso soup, while my son ordered the MacArthur roll:

I tried everything on the plate and loved it. I particularly appreciate the way the food is presented to me. I prefer this much more than the sushi buffets that I've visited.

My daughter, who is not a sushi fan ordered the chicken teriyaki box

This dish includes chicken teriyaki, rice, salad, miso soup and a California roll. It was more than enough for her and perfect for anyone who is invited to a sushi restaurant but doesn't want sushi. It looked good and it tasted better. There are other non-sushi boxes available on the menu.

If you are in Kempsville and you want good sushi, I'd recommend Yu-Mi. The restaurant itself is clean and nicely decorated. You have the option of sitting at a booth or the sushi bar. I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Grigio and still got out for around $50. I think that's pretty good for three people.

Passion, the Restaurant

When I think of elegant dining I don’t automatically think of Chesapeake. I generally head to Great Neck, the Oceanfront, even Downtown Norfolk, but not ten minutes from my house at the Shoppes at Greenbrier. Clearly, I don’t know what I have been missing. Passion, the restaurant, is a restaurant that is a stone’s throw from my door step and I didn’t even know it existed. It is an elegant little place that has been open for a little over a year and I wish I had known about it sooner. Or maybe not. Sometimes newer places need time to work out the kinks. I guess it all depends on how you look at it.

Passion is nicely decorated and dimly lit and I got a pretty good feeling when I walked through the front door. The bar is at the entrance and just behind that is an open kitchen. Each table in the dining area is intimately lit with a single candle.

Passion’s menu is an interesting combination of appetizers, small plates, entrees and desserts. The wine list is varied but I didn’t think there were enough by-the-glass choices for those of us who don’t order bottles of wine with dinner. We chose the Candor Zinfindel from Paso Robles, California.

We began the meal with soup. I had the Passion she-crab. It seems I order she-crab soup at every restaurant but I can’t help it. I like to compare them and I have to admit that the Passion she-crab stands up against the very best



It’s thick and rich with tons of crabmeat. It was delicious.

We also ordered a Panamanian vegetable pear soup with shrimp and applewood bacon



Sound intriguing? I had never heard of anything like this and was anxious to taste it. It was awesome. The combination of the bacon and shrimp just made the soup. I definitely recommend trying it.

I ordered a salad and a small plate as my entrée. I started out with the caprese salad.



I always enjoy caprese and I’ve enjoyed it served both cold and warm. Passion serves it cold, which is fine, but I prefer it warm. Something about the molten mozzarella over warm tomatoes just does it for me. However, for those that prefer it cold I would definitely order it. The tomatoes, mozzarella and basil taste fresh and delicious.

I also ordered an interesting dish called “Not Your Grandma’s” Spaghetti and Meatballs



This dish blew me away. It consists of blackened sea scallops with oven roasted spaghetti squash and Fra Diablo. It’s topped with an asiago cheese crisp. It was so unique and the taste was amazing.

The second entrée was the carmelized leek encrusted salmon

The salmon was cooked to order and served with a marinated Portobello mushroom, sautéed spinach and chive mashed potatoes. The fish was cooked perfectly and it made for a very tasty meal.

We finished the evening with a lovely bread pudding



topped with fresh whipped cream and a strawberry. I always say that I’m not a dessert person but it seems I am slowly turning into one. This was worth forgetting about the diet.

Overall, our experience at Passion was a pleasant one. The service was a little slow as there was a thirty minute wait between the soup and the entrée. The dining room was not that busy so it was sort of surprising that the owners did not make an attempt to engage the customers. Also, it was interesting that our server did not suggest a second glass of wine. These are relatively small things that will not stop me from coming back a second time. Perhaps these are some of the kinks that they are still working out. It still has a nice feel to it.

There is plenty of outdoor seating as well as seating at the bar. There is a special five dollar bar menu which you can take advantage of between 4:00 - 7:00. Passion also offers wine tastings, wine dinners, cooking classes and weekly cigar events. You can check their website for details.