Sticking with tradition at Freemason Abbey

By Jerry Cronin

Restaurant critic

It is good thing in a downtown area to see historic structures preserved and put to appropriate new uses. In 1873, the Second Presbyterian Church was formed on the corner of Freemason and Boush streets in Norfolk and a lovely stone building was constructed. It shifted uses over the next 100 years, and for a while looked like it might suffer the fate of the wrecking ball as Norfolk started redefining itself in the 1970s and '80s.

Luckily, it was brought back to life as Freemason Abbey - a great- looking old building on the outside with a well appointed, comfortable restaurant on the interior.

Inside, tables fill the center of a large space and booths line the side walls. The outer walls are rimmed by a second story for seating that leaves the middle open and takes your eyes upward to the high ceiling of the old church. The menu is very traditional and filled with steaks, seafood and other dishes.

At our waitress' suggestion, we started off the evening with an order of the Rockafellar artichoke dip ($7.95). This dish is described as artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese blended with bacon, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Our server touted its nice bacon flavor. The dip was rich and full of artichoke, with a creamy consistency and served with rounds of toasted and buttered French bread. The bacon was sparse, and I did not pick up any sun-dried tomato. That said, it was enjoyed by everyone at the table.

We ordered she-crab soup ($5.95), identified as a house specialty. It was a hit all around with plenty of crab meat and a nice noticeable touch of sherry.

The crab-stuffed mushrooms ($7.95) also were pleasant. Small mushroom caps were filled with a crab meat mixture, topped with a touch of Parmesan and baked with butter. I would have liked a bit more Parmesan and a touch of lemon. We rounded out the appetizers with a summer salad ($6.95), a mixture of field greens, red onion, dried cranberries, walnuts and goat cheese. All of the ingredients worked well together and with the zingy raspberry-champagne vinaigrette. It and the she-crab soup would make a wonderful lunch.

We ordered the Land and Sea Newburg ($20.95). In this dish a bourbon-marinated New York strip is covered with a creamy medley of shrimp, scallops and crab meat. The steak was perfectly cooked to the requested medium and had nice flavor. The seafood was rich and I enjoyed the sweet little bay scallops. Entrees at Freemason come with a choice of two sides; we went with the wild rice and asparagus. The wild rice was tender and flavorful. The asparagus were perfectly steamed. We also added the optional Pernalli's greens salad (add $2.95) as an accompaniment. It's identified as Freemason's popular variation of a Caesar, but without any eggs. I found it lacking as a Caesar. It had a hint of anchovy - which I liked - but the dressing was oily, with coarsely grated Parmesan that did not provide any creaminess. The lettuce was very fresh and the croutons were crisp and slightly buttery.

I could not resist going with the whole New England lobster ($24.95). I also added the crab meat stuffing ($3). The crustacean was sized around a pound and a quarter as promised and was steamed expertly - cooked through but with the meat moist and plump. The tail was split open and filled with a very crabby stuffing; it was a very satisfying rendition. Accompanying mashed potatoes had a slight hint of garlic, which when combined with a bite of lobster and butter made for a satisfying mouthful.

We ended with a slice of the Bailey's Pie ($6.95). This was a smooth cheesecake with an Oreo crust and the flavor of Bailey's Irish Crème liquor. We ordered it with a shot of Bailey's on the side for dipping to very tasty effect.

Our waitress was a delight. She was personable, made good recommendations and kept the wine and water glasses full, but was not hovering or intrusive.

Overall, Freemason Abbey struck me as a very traditional sort of place. The ambiance is good, the service was great and the food was well executed, if not very adventurous. Like the stones which make up the walls of this old church, it is rock-solid and worth a visit.

Jerry Cronin, flavor@pilotonline.com