VIRGINIA BEACH EATS & DRINKS

Good Eats, Drinks, And Dos Across The City And Beyond

By Patrick Evans-Hylton

It’s a big city out there, with all sorts of good eats, drinks, and dos.

I’ve covered the cuisine scene in the region for going on three decades, using my training as a chef, mixologist, and wine expert to give folks all the delish details they need to live a good life.

Look for this column monthly in the pages of Virginia Beach Coonector.

Eat

I typically like to keep my omelet additions simple, so all the flavors shine. That’s what I found in the Dr. White’s Virginian Omelet at the charming beach cottage-cum-eatery, Doc Taylor’s.

mixture of vodka and Crabby Mary’s Bloody Mary Mix.

Crabby Mary is a locally-made bloody mary mix from Ashburn Sauce Co., and gets its signature flavor from the addition of seafood, fresh crushed garlic, hot sauce, sea salt, and Worcestershire.

The cocktail is balanced and well crafted. It comes in a salt and pepper-rimmed glass and garnished with a celery stalk. Ezma’s Bread Box Cafe is in the Rose Hall Shoppes at 3157 Virginia Beach Blvd. Call 757-463-5500 or visit www.EatAtBreadBox.com

Do

Make the most of late summer’s bounty by cooking up one of Virginia Beach’s favorite breakfast side dishes: parmesan tomatoes. They are quick and easy to make, and great alongside an omelet or other egg dish at breakfast or brunch. At lunch or dinner, top a salad, serve alongside a bowl of soup, as an addition to a favorite sandwich, or with grilled chicken, seafood, or steak. Here’s how I make them:

Here, a deliciously prepared omelet, golden yellow from the rich egg yolks, is enhanced with the addition of country ham, tomatoes, and cheese, and nothing else. Hollandaise sauce comes on the side. I picked raisin toast as my bread.

The omelet was perfect: the rich eggs was complimented by the salty ham and the sweetness from the tomatoes. Cheese married all the flavors, as did a judicious drizzle of decadent hollandaise. I added a side of creamy grits and addictive parmesan tomatoes. Doc Taylor’s Restaurant is at 207 23rd St., Virginia Beach. Call 757-425-1960 or visit www.DocTaylors.com

Drink

We love a good bloody mary, and the Seafood Bloody at the adorable and homey Ezma’s Bread Box Cafe is a delicious take on the classic. A tall glass filled with ice is the vessel for a heady

Cut 4 medium washed and patted-dry tomatoes in half and brush olive oil on each cut side. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of garlic powder, coarse salt, and fresh ground pepper. On a platter, add a generous amount of finely grated parmesan cheese evenly distributed across the dish

Place the cut side of the tomatoes on the medium-high grill and grill until tomato begins to soften and starts to char, about 4-6 minutes. Flip and grill an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove and immediately press each tomato cut-side-down into the parmesan. Serve immediately.

Patrick Evans-Hylton is a Johnson & Walestrained chef and Virginia-based awardwinning food journalist, covering tasty culinary trends in print, radio, television, and online since 1995. Read him at VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com