Top Ten Entrées of 2015 in Virginia Beach

Article by Josh Gregory

Photography by Fitz  

Fitz and I were sitting at My Mama’s Kitchen when, through bites of Soldier Wings, he proposed “So let me ask you something…” This I would learn, was code for, “I’ve got this idea, and I’m not gonna say you have to, but it’d be cool if you did.” A conversation that would lead to a productive, and sometimes odd, working relationship. I spent most of 2015 standing behind a stove. When Fitz asked me to enumerate the ten best dishes I’d had in 2015, a flutter of panic hit as I struggled to pull together the fortitude to offer my honest opinion. The sad truth is, that, until this year, I didn’t really feel Virginia Beach had much to offer in terms of exciting, new dishes. While, Veer magazine may have “discovered” shrimp cocktail in Ghent, they should have visited Virginia Beach. Dinosaur era dishes lie about menus as immovable objects, not yet old enough to be vintage, just out of touch. I could have very easily sat here and regurgitated the multiple lists that exist (albeit without the added benefit of their advertising dollars), and I would have nestled comfortably within the parameters of this assignment. In the event that you visited these establishments, you’d have been rewarded with a consistent, if sometimes mediocre experience.

Fuck that!

The dishes on this list represent the best meals I ate in 2015; dishes I ate to celebrate birthdays and dishes that served the remedy for that third shot of Fireball. They were enjoyed in a wide variety of circumstances, in mixed company, and alone. Enjoyed at the bar, a traditional table setting or standing in the street. To me, these dishes are about where we’re going, not where we’ve been.

10) Super Rueben Knish – Route 58 Delicatessen

This is without a doubt the most Falstaffian of the dishes on the list. We don’t have enough deli culture in this area to compare the 58 Deli to, however, it works in our favor that they happen to be very good at what they do. Moist (I hate it too, I actually shuddered when I typed it) corned beef and pastrami is heaped, on top of a potato knish with sauerkraut and melted Swiss. The end result? A thermogenetic episode of considerable proportions (have fun on Google with that one).

Visit The Route 58 Delicatessen online HERE

9) The “Hasselhoff” – Eat, An American Bistro

Eat’s “Hassellhoff”

Speaking of thermogenetic episodes, the regional obsession with the great American classic has hit critical mass. If you need further proof, check out Fitz’s top ten for Norfolk. I’ll crawl out on my own, bearded, tattooed, hipster limb here and say that Eat not only did it first, it’s my opinion that they did it best. It was theorized in a menu meeting long ago that the burger patty did not matter so long as the quality of the ingredients it was paired with was top notch. In the case of that now defunct restaurant it worked, the meat was the cheapest item on the plate. Eat takes a different approach with ground Wagyu, to dance alongside a house made brioche bun and truffle mayo (Thank the Lord they didn’t call it “aioli”). In a city that’s seen it’s share of chefs masquerade as burger wanna be’s (Todd Jurich), Eat has consistently turned out a quality product well before the cool kids in Norfolk put on their big boy pants.

Visit Eat, An American Bistro online HERE

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For great craft beer, Lynnhaven oysters, chef demos and much more check out this upcoming event HERE or by clicking the flier above!

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8) Lamb Meatballs – 1608 Crafthouse

One things is for sure, your colon would not be happy with this list. I’m sorry I didn’t dine at the Heritage cafe more this year, wait no I’m not. When Kevin Sharkey opened 1608 Crafthouse it was the regional culinary equivalent of Dylan going electric. It changed the game for everybody. In a city where we’ve seen grits more ways than I’d care to shake a stick at –a stick that shames people who make grit cakes– and more bad meatballs than the entire state of New Jersey, these stand out as a balanced and thoughtful dish. The only thing that could make them better is a cold beer to wash them down with. Fortunately, the staff at 1608 is qualified to walk you through the numerous choices on their list.

Visit 1608 Crafthouse HERE

7) #6 – Pho 79

I’ll be kind here, and not make you try to pronounce the Vietnamese name for this dish in your head. There are three things you need to know here. This dish is about meat (tendon, flank and round steak), broth, and noodles. As anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a savage Jameson and pickle back hangover can attest, this combination is exactly what you need to sweat it out and get on with your day. While I’m not endorsing that kind of thing, I still stand firmly behind the dish.

Visit Pho 79 in Virginia Beach online HERE

6) Beet Salad – Metropolitan Oyster Exchange

Metropolitan Oyster Exchange’s beet salad

Rest easy, your body can take a break. Kind of. This salad is about one thing and one thing only, fried goat cheese. While you’re letting that take a minute to sink in, let me take a moment to say that Metro is probably the best restaurant on this list, which I’d bet many of you have not been to. We have plenty of restaurants with great views and crappy seafood in this town. Metro is not only beautifully designed, but Chef Mo Cucchiaro’s menu demands entry into the conversation for best restaurant in Virginia Beach. The salad’s mix of peppery arugula, radishes, fried goat cheese, and earthy beets was exactly what I was looking for, and I didn’t even know it.

Visit the Metropolitan Oyster Exchange online HERE

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For more on The Bonbonnier and their delicious hand made chocolates visit their facebook HERE or click the ad above!

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5) Shrimp and Grits – Bay Local

Remember what I was saying about shaming the fashioners of grit cakes, and crappy seafood with beautiful views? Bay Local has none of that, and this honker of a dish is best eaten at the bar, with a limeade crush. The thing I like best about everything I’ve eaten at Bay Local is epitomized in this dish. It’s exactly what you expect right down to the Old Bay dusting on the plate.

Visit Bay Local online HERE

4) Bolognese – Sirena

Although rustic in nature, properly made bolognese ragu requires some finesse to pull off. With so many Chef Boyardee inspired Italian restaurants in the city, I was happy when the celebrated Norfolk eatery decided to relocate to Great Neck. The restaurant itself seats less than 40, and is tucked away for just the right amount of cozy comfort. The bolognese serves as a condiment to accent the flavor of the pasta instead of drowning it like a kitten in a bathtub, like so many eager chefs in the area seem so fond of. What do they have against kittens anyways?

Visit Sirena online HERE

3) Dan Dan Noodles – Judy’s Sichuan

Dan Dan Noodles at Judy’s

Pleasure spiked as pain. The tongue numbing Szechuan peppercorns in the sauce for this dish deliver an endorphin release second to only one thing. I bet you can guess what that one thing is. Cooking is about control and eating is about submission. This dish is the S&M of the list.

Visit Judy’s Sichuan online HERE

2) The Whole Damn Farm Crepe – Commune

Not everybody gets what’s going on at Commune. I understand that, and I’m perfectly willing to admit that all of those people are wrong. Venturing in with friends on a rainy morning, I had little idea what was about to happen. The cozy oceanfront cafe features locally and super-locally sourced (super-locally like out back in the garden), product which they turn into elegantly presented dishes that are as approachable as they are sustainable. The buckwheat crepe is full of root vegetables (with the perfect texture), ham, and fried egg salad. The difference in eating vegetables at Commune and eating them most other places is that they taste like they’re supposed to. If you don’t understand what that means you should go, as soon as possible.

Visit Commune online HERE

1) Congee – Hashi Food Truck

Hashi’s congee bowl

I want to cook like Ross Riddle when I grow up. Standing in front of the Hashi truck on a Saturday morning in mid-summer, I was handed a bowl of ‘rice grits’ porridge topped with pork belly, a beautifully sous vide egg and assorted accoutrements including “take it over the top” pickles. By using top tier ingredients and modern technique, Riddle has been able to establish Hashi as the premier food truck in the area. Without the crutches that most trucks lean on, reliable, if boring items like hot dogs and hamburgers, the truck elevates breakfast food by using Asian inspired technique.

Hashi’s “take it over the top” pickles

To be able to deliver the kind of food that Ross does, without the benefit of the amenities of a brick and mortar restaurant is a feat unto itself. Factor in the bias the city has against food trucks and you can see why he’s something of a hero. He’s serving the kind of food that cooks and chefs like to eat, to a public that’s willing to stand in the street to experience it.

Owner and Chef Ross Riddle inside the Hashi food truck

Visit Hashi online HERE 

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Southern Grit lead Virginia Beach writer Josh Gregory is a decade plus veteran of kitchens at the beach. Currently working at Pacifica, Gregory worked as a sous chef at Five 01 City Grille and Croc’s to name a few. Gregory’s picks for the best Virginia Beach dishes of last year were discussed among the staff of Southern Grit before publication.

 Check out our picks for Norfolk’s best entrées of 2015 HERE