By Tammy Jaxtheimer
Restaurant Critic
LAST SEPTEMBER, Captain Groovy's Grill & Raw Bar became a cool place to be. Once a 7-Eleven and more recently a laundromat near East Beach in Norfolk, it is now a place for food, drinks and relaxation.
Look for the whimsical fish in sunglasses welcoming you to the spot on the corner of Shore Drive and Dunning Road.
David Watts, original chef-owner of Havana and Club Soda as well as La Bella Pasta and Cafe David, found his way back to Hampton Roads after a stint of catering and private chef services in Barbados.
We ordered the seafood and andouille sausage gumbo (small $11, large $22) to share as a starter. The small portion delivered a bountiful bowl of perfectly prepared seafood among many layers of flavors. Large, succulent scallops of superior quality and jumbo shrimp were savored with lump crabmeat, sausage and fish in the hearty, dark roux seafood stock. There was no sign of okra, often expected in gumbo, but that didn't matter. The grand gumbo deserved a better partner than the undercooked rice that came with it, but the gumbo's star power easily compensated.
Lunch specials ($6) are offered Mondays through Saturdays and include fish and chips on Fridays - the day we visited. A whole handsome flounder fillet, lightly battered and fried, was perched atop hand-cut fries. Moist and tasty fish went swimmingly with homemade cocktail sauce that had a peppery kick. Tuesday's meatloaf and mashers special is the same dish Watts offered at his former eatery, Cafe David on Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. It is delicious. I'm on a mission to test out all the lunch specials and return with a handful of friends for The Chesapeake Bay Dead Riser, a seafood feast for $135.
Under the burger listing, you'll find the traditional and unconventional. There's the portobello ($9) that's marinated and grilled and layered with red onion, tomato, basil and mozzarella. Karma burger ($8.50), which I ordered, is made with fresh salmon morsels bound with Asian chili sauce and sesame seeds. I asked for it seared rare, and it was toothsome, nestled in a grilled Kaiser roll. Note to those with timid taste buds: It's got a spicy kick. A side of wasabi honey mayonnaise added another dimension to the "karma," and the hand-cut fries were also yummy dipped in the flavored mayo.
We chose panini Cuban ($7.50) from the savory-sounding sandwich selection.
House roasted, smoked pork, Swiss cheese, thinly sliced dill pickles and spicy mustard on a baguette was "smashed and griddled" to pleasing proportions. The selected side, Asian slaw, was fresh and tasty, but again not for those who prefer mild flavors.
Instead of the homemade bread pudding, we opted for the ganache cheesecake ($5.99), which our first-day-on-the-job server told us was homemade. The cheesecake, appeared too well constructed for homemade, and, in fact, was not. But it was refreshing and not overly sweet. Its dark chocolate top layer and crisp chocolate cookie crust offered complementing textures. Watts makes the bread pudding, and I look forward to trying it.
When Watts returned to Hampton Roads, he landed near East Beach with Sandy White, his girlfriend and business partner. The late Morgan White, Sandy's husband, was a tugboat captain known as "Captain Groovy" and a familiar face along local waterways. The menu says, "Capt. Groovy's is a frame of mind, where the grass is greener, skies are bluer and the belly is always full." On the deck whirling fans and wicker seating are conducive to chatter and laughter and conjure good vibes. Indoors the dimly lit dining room and bar with oversized chalkboards boasting featured specials offer a shabby chic nautical feel with music of the '70s and '80s. I felt transported.
Service was cheerful and accommodating. The restaurant that Watts and White created will lure me to East Beach again and again.
One note to diners: If Captain Groovy's parking lot is full, be sure to heed the neighborhood's posted parking restrictions.
Tammy Jaxtheimer, flavor@pilotonline.com
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