The Painted Lady: Good food, cozy ambiance

Restaurant critic

For the past decade or so, tea rooms have popped up around Hampton Roads, and found fans ready and waiting to partake of fine teas, scones, and clotted cream served on tables with doilies. The Painted Lady is a fabulous example of this genre, and well worth the trip to Norfolk’s Ghent area for Sunday brunch.

Painted Lady is a term for a Victorian style house that has been gussied up with gingerbread and painted in a bold colorful style. Norfolk’s version is combines a group of old houses, with a fountain and gazebo garden area. You enter through a former residential hallway lined with art, photographs, paintings and posters. Painted Lady screams cozy.

The maitre d’hôtel escorts you to your table through a maze of small- and medium-sized rooms that would lend themselves to small intimate gatherings or groups of friends. In our case we were directed to one by a bar that would have looked comfortable in a British gentlemen’s club.

The cloth-covered tables with glass tops are adorned with fresh flowers. The decor is of the very busy Victorian sort with plenty of knickknacks filling up available spaces.

For our brunch, we ordered a Bloody Mary and a mimosa. The Bloody Mary was festooned with celery, olives and wedges of lemon and lime. The rim was coated with a powdering of Old Bay. This provided a very nice effect to each sip that lasted throughout the beverage. The mimosa was straightforward.

We also enjoyed a pot of Rose Tea. This was made of loose tea served in a china pot with an accompanying strainer. The tea had an excellent floral nose and an understated yet satisfying flavor.

Our first selection was one of the chef’s features; a malted Belgian waffle ($9) served with strawberry compote and a dollop of Devonshire cream. A small container of warm maple syrup was served on the side. The waffle was plated with seasoned home- fried potatoes and very tasty slices of fresh pineapple. I found the waffle full of malt flavor, but just a touch on the dry side. The Devonshire cream was a treat and provided additional richness. The potatoes were cubed and coated in a seasoning mix before frying. The overall effect was very nice.

We also enjoyed the eggs Benedict ($9). In the classic style, two poached eggs were placed over sliced Smithfield ham and served on a toasted English muffin. The hollandaise sauce was smooth, silky and tied the other ingredients together. The ham was expertly prepared, retaining good salty taste but achieving a moist tenderness that I found very appealing. This dish was also served with potatoes and pineapple.

Our third choice was the shrimp and grits ($12). In this preparation, the grits were adorned with three sautéed shrimp, red onions and country ham gravy. The red onion came across as slightly cooked,and I did not note the presence of roasted red pepper – an ingredient called out in the menu. We enjoyed the cheesiness of the grits and how it played with the combination of shrimp and salty ham gravy. This dish was served with fresh fruit and a muffin.

We all shared a slice of Key lime pie ($5.95) to finish. It was very tart and very green. The crust was of the thick, doughy variety and provided a nice balance to the acidity of the pie.

Painted Lady also serves lunch and dinner with such offerings as bacon-wrapped salmon and beet and goat cheese appetizer. Service on the day of our visit was a little on the slow side, but our waitress more than made up for this by bringing out a plate of fresh fluffy blueberry muffins. These were light and marvelously bursting with blueberries. I could have a meal off of them, a bit of Devonshire cream and a pot of the rose tea.

For this reviewer, Painted Lady was like a “chick flick,” not where I’d go for a guy’s night out, but definitely where I’d go for a date. The food is good and the atmosphere comfortable. Your guest will feel that it’s a special occasion.

Jerry Cronin, flavor@pilotonline.com