Abbey Road: Yeah, yeah, yeah

By Jerry Cronin

Restaurant critic

ABBEY ROAD, a pub at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, was opened by Bill Dillon in 1982 and has been a fixture on the Hampton Roads scene for more than 25 years. Fans of the band that Paul McCartney played in before Wings will recognize the name as that of the Beatles' last album, recorded at a studio of the same name.

Over the years Dillon built up quite a collection of memorabilia, and the theme carries throughout the restaurant with sheet music, posters, album covers and other items filling the walls.

Outdoors there's a covered seating area. Inside there is a dining area in the front with a stage for live music. In the rear is a long bar, filled with patrons the night of our visit. There is also a pool room in "the cavern," another nod to early history. There is plenty of brick and wood throughout, and the effect is very publike.

The menu at Abbey Road is a full service, all-day pub menu. In addition to a fine collection of international beers, sandwiches and noshes, it has a good selection of entrees and a breakfast section. The Beatles theme is not oppressive on the menu. The only part that is pure Fab Four is breakfast, with such quirky names as The Beatles Burrito, The Yoko Ono, Let it Be Brunch, The Penny Lane and the Beatles Breakfast..

We started the evening of our review with a soup and an appetizer.

The Crab Dip Abbey ($8.99) was a combination of spinach and crab tied together with a creamy mayonnaise. This was served with sesame seed crackers. My companions agreed that this was some of the best that they had ever had. It had lots of crab and the taste of the spinach came through.

We enjoyed the Oysters Rockefeller Bisque ($4.50/$5.99). This consisted of a creamy soup made with oysters, spinach and bacon. Our waitress claimed that it was like a bowl of Oysters Rockefeller and she was spot on. It was very tasty with a nice balance of ingredients.

The Chicken Broccoli Alfredo ($13.99) was also very good. Grilled chicken and steamed broccoli were combined with penne pasta and tossed with a creamy Alfredo sauce. The chicken was very tender and the broccoli was perfectly prepared. This dish was nicely put together.

We also tried the Crab Cakes Gordon ($17.99). This is advertised as a house specialty with two crab cakes and a choice of side. The cakes were of the deviled variety, with fine strands of crab combined with filler and seasonings. It is a good preparation, but don't expect lump crab meat when you order. The side, a fresh vegetable medley of zucchini, yellow squash and onion, was great.

We had a small cup of the seafood gumbo ($3.99) which was listed as a special. It was a very pleasant preparation with spicy sausage, scallops and rice. The spicing was balanced, with a nice round heat.

Our last entree was the marinated steak ($17.99). Very tender flank steak was flavored with a dark, sweet marinade. The accompanying broccoli was cooked just to the point of tender.

We finished the meal with a brownie sundae ($5.99). A warm, house-made brownie was placed into the bottom of a large margarita glass, topped with vanilla ice cream and finished with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The ice cream was rich and creamy, the brownie was warm and slightly gooey, and the cream had a sweet dairy taste. All in all it was a good rendition of a standard and just right for sharing to end the meal.

Our waitress was very pleasant and attentive. Her opinions and recommendations were much appreciated.

In addition to good food the eatery has a flair for acoustic music. On any night of the week you may find local, regional or national acts gracing the stage.

Abbey Road is a great pub in the midst of a tourist location. For locals, it is well worth the trip any time of the year.

Jerry Cronin, flavor@pilotonline.com