Article by Fitz & Josh Gregory
Photos by Fitz
(Lead photo of Blue Tape dishes clockwise from top- Potato, caviar, smoked butter/ Ember roasted beet, farmer’s cheese, bottarga/ Halibut, salsify, juniper/Kimchi peach)
Eric Nelson worries, a lot. At the moment it’s fifteen minutes into service of his Blue Tape pop-up at Lynnhaven Coffee Roasters in Virginia Beach. His server for the night left to run a personal errand thirty minutes ago and still hasn’t returned. It’s a full house with eighteen tables seated.
Most of the day I watched Eric talk to himself, fidget, and debate menu order with his wife. Sweat and trepidation was the order of the day while he and his small crew prepared and presented his menu for, “Smoke On the Water.” As his wife pulls triple duty in the servers absence- explaining the wine pairings to the diners, hosting, and now pouring water and drinks- I take my first bite, the Kimchi Peach. A “leftover” from the first Blue Tape event, it’s an item that’s, without a doubt, evolving, as is my opinion of it’s creator.
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Locally roasted specialty coffees conveniently located at 2945 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach. For More on Lynnhaven Coffee Roasters click HERE or the flier above
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With this bite, I realize the impetus behind the furrowed brow; Eric Nelson is meticulous. The initial observation and ensuing optimism is soon rewarded as I taste his next plate, Lynnhaven Oysters with smoked mushrooms, horseradish and Virginia pine. When I opened the night’s menu, this was the least appealing, to my eye, of the courses presented. My love for seafood runs deep, however, texturally, oysters are not my first choice. Eric manages to convert the heretic in me.
I’m taken back by how woodsy the dish tasted. I did expect an iteration of the flavor profile with the pine. However, the way it and smoked mushroom combine as I bite through the briny and spicy oyster- just a bit of the horseradish going a long way- makes for one rather dynamic, half forest, have sea, flavor profile.
Photo of Nelson during his Blue Tape pop up, “Smoke on the Water”
Soon after, I’m trying the ember roasted beet with farmers cheese and bottarga. Densely charred on the outside before being cut and served, the beet billows to the bite with deep earthy flavors. I soon noticed Eric’s absent server has returned. While I witnessed a few disapproving stares between chef and server, I finished the beet which, to my palettes delight, remains restrained enough to dance with the briny bottarga and rather creamy cheese.
From top to bottom, the menu, augmented by the sweat, and care of a chef whom I now see as one of our area’s most fastidious, out performs most of the pop-ups that have been championed in this publication.
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Creative, Fresh, Seasonal! For More on Eat An American Bistro visit eatbistro.net
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The fact is, chefs come in all shapes and sizes. Eric worries, he also has opinions. As anyone who’s had a beer with the man can attest, he is, in a word, harsh. His opinions may not always be popular, but, when one watches him fuss over details, the standard in which he holds himself to earns him a free pass for the looking glass he puts others under. One would be hard pressed to find a chef pushing himself harder considering the time he spends between Blue Tape and his full time job as Executive Chef at Steinhilber’s. At Blue Tape, it’s his name up front and minus the protective shield engendered by Steinhilber’s reputation. It’s everything he’s ever wanted and his worst nightmare.
**** Online Update ****
At the time of publishing this article online, Eric Nelson is no longer the Executive Chef at Steinhilber’s. As he recently put it on his social media, ” Time to make a go at Blue Tape full time… #Bluetape or bust!”
For info on Blue Tape’s newest pop up, “Dinner Under The Magnolia”, on the 25th of June, click HERE
To visit Blue Tape online click HERE
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