Who would have guessed  that chicken salad would prompt such a squawk?
When we asked readers who makes it best, nearly 500 cast votes for 70 local eateries. On a recent weeknight, in a blind taste test, five judges sampled chicken salad from four of the most-nominated restaurants.
Here’s what they found.
The Boardwok Restaurant

A poner la mesa! Set the tables!

AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS OF TASTE TESTS, we’ve learned a thing or two about South Hampton Roads’ taste buds. The foods that by far raised the most ruckus: hot dogs and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Now add fried shrimp to the list. Nearly 700 people called to vote for their favorite. More than 100 clamored to be testers.

Steamed blue crabs could be the signature dish of our region. A summertime crab feast is just part of growing up around the Chesapeake Bay. 

FIRST STOP: LEAPING LIZARD CAFE, set far off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach beneath a grove of soaring trees and scattered picnic tables.
We've been hearing raves about this place all winter long, specifically praise for the seasonal salads.

FIRST STOP IS STOVE, THE RESTAURANT, where Cowboy Syd’s Sextuple Truffle Tart is famous already.
Stove chef/owner Sydney Meers’ original recipe is included in “Death by Chocolate,” the award-winning cookbook by Marcel Desaulniers, owner of The Trellis in Williamsburg. Meers has been tweaking it ever since.

Next up Chocolate desserts.
If you’d like to nominate a chocolate dessert, leave the name of the dessert, restaurant where it is served and the city where the restaurant is located.
If you’d like to be a tester, tell us why and leave these four pieces of information: name, age, city of residence and a way to reach you.
Nominations and tester applications can be left at

With the winter winding down, March seemed like prime time for prime rib. Y’all apparently agreed. More than 250 votes were cast for 25 restaurants, and nearly 60 readers applied to be testers.
On a cold, rainy Saturday, the testing panel got down to work, slicing through prime rib at three restaurants most nominated by readers. Here’s what they found.
OUR WINNER!

Michael Chellew
34, Chesapeake
Occupation Virginia Beach firefighter, owner of Atlantic Leak Detection swimming pool repair service
Nominated Coinjock Marina and Restaurant
On prime rib Known to his friends as a “meatosaurus,” Mike loves prime rib best of all because of its tenderness and juiciness.
 
 
Paula Bozdech-Veater
61, Norfolk

This month’s taste test paired a panel of traditionalists with a field of not-so-traditional macaroni and cheese flavors. Bleu cheese? Cream cheese? Smoked gouda?