Owner wants Va. Beach bistro to be area's World Cup HQ

VIRGINIA BEACH

Jack White wanted desperately to attend this summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Opening a restaurant last month got in the way.

Now, White is blending the two.

He recently opened Jack's Bistro at 972 Laskin Road, blocks from the Oceanfront. And for the next month, he intends to make it the place to watch World Cup soccer - particularly if you plan to root for the Brits.

While his restaurant typically opens for business at 5 p.m., the doors will be swinging open as early as 7 a.m. whenever there's a big Cup match on the telly.

And his telly is a big one. White has purchased a 110-inch screen and a projector system to show the games. The screen is so big he had to have a contractor move two hanging ceiling lights that were in the way over his bar.

"Heck of a picture, isn't it?" he beamed.

And breakfast will be served.

"We've been working on the menu for months," said White, who was born in England and later played soccer for Old Dominion.

"We'll be serving Scotch eggs, Cornish pasties, beef Wellington, shepherd's pie, ploughman's lunch, proper fish and chips, and we're even preparing The Full Monty," said White, adding that his typical Sunday brunch menu will also be available.

For anybody from the other side of the Atlantic, these might be breakfast staples. But for American blokes, it's a bit of a scramble.

What is "proper fish and chips?"

"Some people just fry up any kind of fish and call it fish and chips," White said. "But for proper fish and chips, you have to have cod, and it has to be cooked in a beer batter."

Beer. Now there's a word synonymous with English soccer fans watching a game. And without a doubt, there are plenty of bars, pubs and restaurants throughout the region showing the World Cup games and hanging on their taps when England faces the U.S. at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

But will they offer the menu White's working on?

"My guys back in the kitchen think I'm nuts," White said. "But for these six weeks when the game's are on, we're going to offer pub grub and pub fun."

White has been a standard bearer in soccer in the region for years. The restaurant business is nothing new either.

He played for then-ODU soccer coach Gunther Dietz in the 1970s. Ran a bar called Jack's Place in Norfolk for a while. Had a shop called Sports-n-Shorts that catered to the local soccer crowd.

More recently, he ran Shoreline Travel Services for 23 years before selling it off two years ago. And for the past 12 years, he's been the coordinator of soccer officials - he also referees - for the Colonial Athletic Association.

White is looking forward to hosting enthusiastic fans for the duration of the Cup.

"I'm sure everyone will get into the spirit of the game," White said.

Spirit being the optimum word, for the intent is for the draft beer, bloody Marys, and mimosas to flow.

And if you're bold enough to order The Full Monty, be prepared. The breakfast is named for World War II Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who was Prime Minister Winston Churchill's go-to guy.

Legend has it Monty had a particular breakfast menu on the mornings of big battles. At Jack's Bistro, The Full Monty will include black pudding, English sausages, bacon and eggs, fried bread, grilled tomatoes and baked beans.

Black pudding?

"It's dried sheep's blood," White said. "It's very tasty. The meal is a cholesterol bomb waiting to blow. But this is the World Cup."

Rich Radford, (757) 446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com