Hidden Dancing Tomato lunch counter worth the hunt

VIRGINIA BEACH

"The Nutty Betty" ($6) haunts me - in a good way. This peculiar sandwich of cream cheese blended with roasted nuts - pecans, almonds, walnuts, macadamias and hazels - topped with bacon and tomato on homemade raisin bread is something special. It is slightly sweet, yet savory with a rich nutty crunch. Oh, my!

Betty keeps good company with "Big Tony" and "Le Tom," fellow mouthwatering sandwiches at the Dancing Tomato, a quaint self-service lunch counter tucked in an office building on Business Park Drive off Greenwich Road.

While perusing the menu with a whimsical woman on the front in a tomato dotted skirt, tomato hat and red dance shoes, a customer waiting for her to-go order confessed that she and her whole office are addicted to the Dancing Tomato.

The Seadog, albacore tuna salad and provolone grilled on rye or whole wheat, was her obsession ($6.50). Dancing Tomato packages "to-go" in 100 percent recycled products, but I settled in at one of the few tables to absorb the good vibe.

Two to three homemade soups (cup $3, bowl $5) change daily. Tempted by the Smokin' Hot Flying Tomato, paying homage to USA Olympic champion Shawn White, I accepted a sample taste. It lived up to its name with an increasingly hot finish.

I selected the "milder" fried chicken and sausage gumbo with layers of heat that made us not want the party in our mouths to end.

Dancing Tomato owner Laura Parker insists upon homemade dressings and spreads for her salads and sandwiches. Dixie Chicken salad contains homemade chow chow.

She is working on a homemade dessert to complement her chocolate chip cookies. I was won over by house grilled fennel pork tenderloin ($7) with garlic and pepper mayo grill pressed on a panini roll. It was sumptuous.

Mediterranean Salad of romaine, "cukes," feta, kalamata olives, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes and red onions, topped with seasoned grilled chicken breast, was fresh and appealing with its lemon vinaigrette and accompanying grilled bread topped with delicious roasted garlic-red pepper hummus.

Dancing Tomato prepares fabulous food with passion and care. The small, kitschy space is warm and inviting, in part because of Parker's personal art and unique treasures, but mostly due to Parker and her staff's can-do and caring service.

Dancing Tomato is well-hidden, but it's well worth the hunt.

Tammy G. Jaxtheimer, flavor@pilotonline.com