Lemony Zest :: Kim Lewandowski

Archive for the ‘TNT Dinners’ Category

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.

Last Wednesday, our dinner group went to Bodega , one of our favorite tapas places. It was outstanding, as usual. Barbara and I were the only ones at dinner that evening; we had a great time sharing a variety of yummy plates:

• 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

I’m still going to dinner with friends almost every Wednesday evening, and this summer has been especially fun, because Ghent, the neighborhood in Norfolk where I work, has been the site of a Taste of Ghent event.

Every Wednesday during the summer, a group of restaurants has offered a fixed-price, three-course meal for $18. There is one or more appetizers to choose from, usually two main courses, and a dessert. So far, for me, the most memorable was at The New Belmont: a house salad; tempura-fried lobster tail with raspberry cream; and chocolate mousse. It was perfectly prepared and just delicious. Can’t beat that for $18.

Last week, we went to Amalfi, an Italian place, for another very good meal. I had a house salad with Italian dressing, chicken breast stuffed with spinach and fontina, and a cannoli dessert; Barbara and Liz both ordered salmon, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Barbara got the tiramisu and Liz ordered a Napoleon. We shared the desserts. Yummy!

This was from a couple of weeks ago. We always love Bodega, a tapas restaurant in downtown Norfolk. Here’s what we had, that I remember. It was all great

• Antipasto – salami, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, drizzled with evoo and balsamic vinegar
• French baguette with roasted tomato hummus
• Sesame-seed encrusted seared sashimi tuna over seaweed salad
• Fried calamari with fresh marinara sauce
• Sauteed tiger shrimp with crab and orange basil cream sauce
• Potato gnocchi with cheese sauce and tomato

I was so taken with the potato gnocchi I bought some in a vacuum-packed package to have with homemade marinara. Haven’t had it yet, but soon… soon…

I still go out to dinner with friends most Wednesdays, so I’m going to start keeping track again of where we go, what we have, and how we like it. Last Wednesday, April 25, we went to Zio’s, an Italian restaurant on Colley Avenue in the Ghent section of Norfolk. Good food, reasonable prices. Here’s what we had:

• Barbara had one of her favorite Italian meals: chicken Marsala. It was quite good and a large enough portion that she took half home.
• Keith had the lasagna – he also enjoyed it, but ate it all up
• I ordered the veal parmesan – it too was a large portion, plenty to take half home, especially with the side of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Very tasty. I also ordered crostini with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella – yummy.

(This one’s for you, Eric )

My friend Barbara and I had dinner at Azar’s tonight, our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant with the attached market. Need some fabulous feta? Terrific tabouli? The best baklava? This is the place to find them.

I had a kefte wrap – a hotdog-shaped piece of hamburger mixed with spices, cooked, and wrapped in a pita with pickles, hummus, tomato, and Azar’s famous Mama Lina Sauce. I also ordered an appetizer of stuffed grape leaves, to bring home to Dan for his dinner, along with half of my sandwich (they’re huge!). Barbara had seafood kebab, beautifully grilled and served with saffron rice. Great meal. We skipped the baklava, since I, at least, overindulged a bit during our vacation to Michigan last week.

Eating there reminds me of my trip to Turkey in 2001, with my mom, aunt, uncle, and two couples who are friends of theirs. Our tour guide in Istanbul said that, because the Ottoman Empire covered practically all of the Middle East and parts of Europe and Africa, for hundreds of years, most modern-day countries in those areas claim lots of the same recipes, such as hummus and tabouli, as their own. In fact, the recipes came from the Sultan’s kitchen and were spread by the Ottoman army throughout its territory. For example, stuffed grape leaves in southern Europe became stuffed cabbage.