I visited Tortilla West on a recent Sunday for lunch with Patrick Evans-Hylton and members of the food writing class we’re taking at The Muse in Norfolk. We ordered a variety of dishes to share tapas-style.

We started off with drinks. My companions went for the Bloody Mary bar, but as I’m not an aficionado, I ordered the house margarita on the rocks with salt. It always has the perfect balance of tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur, and a crunchy rim of kosher salt.

The most memorable dish for me was the fried oysters with a creamy dipping sauce. The plump, juicy Chinoteague oysters were coated with a crackling cornmeal crust that broke apart with the first bite, releasing the sweet meat. The creamy, slightly spicy sauce was the perfect counterpoint to the crunchy coating. I used to think I didn’t like oysters – they’ve made a convert of me.

More disappointing was the Mexican pulled pork sandwich, served on ciabatta rolls with tomatillo dipping sauce. While the pork was fork-tender, the sauce was overly salty, which really detracted from the flavor. The Mexican-influenced macaroni & cheese, however, made up for it. It was delivered nice and hot, with curvy cavatelli pasta soaking up the flavor of a perfectly melted, beautifully balanced spicy-creamy cheese sauce flecked with bits of jalapeno.

I’ve been to Tortilla West many times since they opened several years ago, and I don’t believe I’ve ever not liked a dish, until this pork. So I’m sure I’ll be back – the food is generally outstanding, the prices are reasonable and the service is fast and friendly.

So we go and pretend the appetizers are tapas – buy several and share Then share a dessert. It was good and filling, with lots left over. We had:

• Artichoke/cheese dip with pita bread
• Nachos with chicken – it was huge! Must have been 5 lbs. of food there!
• Bowl of beef and bean chili – they counted this as an appetizer
• For dessert, we feasted on the Chocolate Amaretto Sin Pie – essentially, a big truffle with a cookie crust and whipped cream – sinful indeed

So if you’re local, stop by the No Frill Grill and have a few for the children

So, to help us keep track of what we’ve tried and not tried, here’s what we all had that night:

• Barbara – Chicken Enchiladas Mole
• Kim – Fish Tacos
• Susan – Chicken Enchiladas Mole
• Martha – Chicken Fajitas – a very generous portion!
• Randy – Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadilla
• Duane – Chicken Enchiladas

All declared their dinners delicious

Barbara had Lenguado a lo Macho: Grilled flounder topped with a Peruvian pepper sauce along with shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams, and served with white rice. It was good, but a bit bland, so Barbara asked for some hot sauce. They have a green Peruvian sauce to spice things up – that helped a lot.

I put together a plate from three a la carte dishes: Leche de Tigre, a Peruvian fish ceviche cocktail; Papa a la Huancaina, or halved boiled potatoes served on lettuce and covered in a spicy Peruvian cheese sauce garnished with olive and a slice of boiled egg; and half a roasted chicken, marinated in Peruvian spices.

The ceviche was excellent – spicy-hot and tangy.

I liked the potatoes, too. They’re served cold with the spicy sauce on top – very good.

Didn’t get a good shot of the chicken. It tasted good, but I didn’t get any flavor of the Peruvian spices it was supposed to be marinated in.

It’s an interesting space. There’s a large patio up front, with tables for dining al fresco, and a bar and dining room inside. It has a two-story ceiling and attractive Mexican decorations on the walls.

The food was just okay, though. Barbara, Susan and I all had the chicken fajitas with a side of refried beans. Nothing special there. I like the beans better at San Antonio Sam’s because they mix in lime juice and top with cheese to give more flavor.

Jane had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. It looked good, and had lots of chicken in it, but it was not hot when it was served. The manager took care of that right away – we appreciated that. We’ll probably go back and try something else, but right now it’s just – so so.

• Directions

• Buddha buns – ground pork and veggies steamed in won ton skins, with a soy -based dipping sauce
• Panko-crusted fried shrimp with sweet chili sauce
• Crab rangoon – fried won ton skins with a filling of what seemed like crab and cream cheese. Not one of my favorites, but something I’ve wanted to try.
• Edamame – soybeans steamed and sprinkled with sea salt.
• Chicken satay (Thai chicken grilled on a stick) with three sauces.
• Doughnut “dip sum” – three fried doughnuts with three dipping sauces – chocolate, peanut butter, and (if I remember right) raspberry. Dee-lish!

• Kim – chicken vindaloo – okay
• Susan – chicken tikka masala – better than vindaloo, not as good as biryani
• Barbara – chicken biryani – very good. It contained nuts and raisins and came with raita, a cucumber/yogurt sauce
• Liz – chicken jalfrezi – okay. Interesting – I couldn’t find this recipe on the Indian food site I linked to for the other three; the one I did find says it’s a Pakistani recipe.

All the entrees were served with basmati rice, and we ordered two kinds of naan bread – one plain and one garlic-flavored. Both were quite good. Another note: We all ordered our meals with medium heat, which I found to be rather mild. So I will order it medium-hot next time and see how that tastes.

It’s time to catch up on a few Tuesday dinners out that I’ve missed writing about. Since we decided to just go to some favorite places, rather than following the alphabet, we’ve had some really good meals lately, since, well, we’re going to some favorite places

Some time back, Barbara and I went to Bodega on Granby in Norfolk. Here’s what we had:

• Heart of palm salad with romaine, tomatoes, and white truffle vinaigrette – very good
• Sliced baguette with a sweet compound butter
• Tempura-fried chicken – light and delicious
• Crab and spinach gnocchi – wonderful. This was gnocchi with spinach and lump blue crab in a creamy Alfredo-style sauce. Yum
• Warm mini-chocolate cake with vanilla gelato and strawberry compote – this was a lava-type cake with a molten center, served with the gelato on the side and the compote on the top – fabulous

We would definitely recommend Bodega. It’s one of our faves.

• We started with a Hearts of Palm salad with romaine, tomatoes, and white truffle vinaigrette. It was as good as it sounds.
• Then we had tempura-fried chicken. Oh my. It was tender and crunchy, with a light sauce that reminded me of Thai sweet chili sauce. Good stuff.
• Next we ordered Crab and Spinach Gnocchi. Again, perfection. Soft potato gnocchi with lump blue crab in a dreamy cream sauce, topped with spinach and chopped tomato. We had this once before, and I’ve been thinking a lot about going back for it. Finally we did.
• For dessert, it was a no-brainer. The only chocolate item on the menu was a warm mini chocolate cake (really a lava cake, with a liquid chocolate interior) with vanilla gelato and strawberry compote. That and a cup of coffee and we were absolutely satisfied with a wonderful meal. If you’re ever in Norfolk, Bodega is a must-have.

Gnocchi with Blue Crab in Cream Sauce