The annual Pungo Strawberry Festival is just a week away.
Held over Memorial Day weekend, May 26 and 27, this is the 29th year for the fruit fete, which includes two days of arts and crafts, live entertainment, agricultural exhibits and lots of ways to enjoy strawberries.

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The dish Foot-long Friday Special: foot-long hotdog with fixings, fries and soft drink
The cost $7.99
The eatery Famous Uncle Al's, 5394 Kempsriver Drive, Suite 108, Virginia Beach, 420-7366, www.uncleals.net

Culinary schools sometimes offer the promise of great meals at low prices, and that's what drew me and a few colleagues recently to CrAive, the "dining laboratory" for the chefs-in-training at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach.

Occasionally, I have what I'd call a big-city restaurant experience right here in Norfolk.
And I don't mean a place with big-city prices or standing-room-only crowds. I mean a restaurant that dares to try something new and that carves out a previously unoccupied niche to do so.
On Sundays, I find just that at Norfolk Ramen.

PORTSMOUTH Scallop and clam pizza. Figs and falafel. Lamb and feta. Eggplant and ricotta. If you've dreamed up some crazy toppings, the Pizza Box may have it. The Port Norfolk restaurant has nearly 70 varieties of pizza on its menu, all printed neatly, blackboard style, hanging on the walls. Pizzas are divided into categories: - Domestic and abroad (Hawaii, France, Chicago, even Morocco)

The upcoming Sensible Seafood Fest at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center will focus on seasonality and sustainability. The event, to be held from 6 until 9 p.m. May 24, celebrates foods prepared with regionally-sourced, sustainable ingredients from around two dozen of the museum's Sensible Seafood partner restaurants.

VIRGINIA BEACH 
Several Beach Eats readers have inquired about The Street Cook, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in Lynnhaven. According to owner Barbara Szewczyk-Sykes, the eatery closed at the end of March.

The dining options inside Norfolk International Airport have arrived and departed lately as much as the travelers who pass them on the way to their gates.

THIS SPUD'S FOR YOU. Just in time for summer picnics, we're looking for your favorite local take-out potato salad. Whether it comes from a deli, supermarket or restaurant, let us know as we plan our May taste test. Contact Gracious Living with the name of the place that mixes up your favorite and the city where it's located.