Food

Just some summertime limeade - with a kick

Stephanie.Arnold — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

No shake. No fizz. Nothin’ fancy at all.
Late last week, the barkeep at Big Sam’s slid a translucent plastic cup across the wood-topped rail.
The Limeade, Big Sam’s signature drink ($5.99), couldn’t have been humbler; two hemispheres of juiced lime floating in 16 ounces of faintly green liquid with a plastic straw poking from the rim.

Slimmed-down margarita mixes: Light on calories, taste

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

When it comes to calories, there's not much difference between a margarita and a big old cheeseburger. Feels a bit like being slapped in the face with a flip-flop, doesn't it?

Free Slurpee Days comes early this year

deb.markham — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:23:21 -0400

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Photos | Pickin', grinnin' before Pungo Strawberry Festival

Tom.Justice — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:44:08 -0400

“I’m planning on making a strawberry shortcake,” said Alanna Sanchez, 22, while picking strawberries with her boyfriend, Anthony Reyes, 25, at Henley Farm Market in the Pungo section of Virginia Beach on Monday. The 29th annual Pungo Strawberry Festival will be held nearby on Saturday and Sunday at 1776 Princess Anne Road.

Beach Eats: Prepare for the Pungo Strawberry Fest

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Small plates, big taste at Bodega

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

NORFOLK The dining room at Bodega was so dark that, when the host began leading my husband and me to a table, I paused to remove my sunglasses so I wouldn't trip and tumble headfirst into someone's dinner. Once I was safely seated and my eyes had adjusted, I could see we were in for a treat.

Chef whips up masterpiece every night, sans recipe

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

NORFOLK There's little that's "everyday" about this month's everyday chef, 41-year-old John Cann. Instead of a gourmet kitchen filled with cookbooks and a big-screen TV tuned to the Food Network, Cann's Norfolk residence is home to a tiny cooking space and walls covered with brightly colored original acrylic and oil paintings. He doesn't even have a dining room table.

Farmers markets are well-stocked with local fare

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

CORRECTION: This story originally contained incorrect information for the Chesapeake Farmers Market. It has not yet opened. The market will open June 16 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at Battlefield Park, 120 Reservation Road. Farmers markets are opening right and left these days.

Chefs in training at CrAive

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

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.

An early start for soft-shell crabs

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Forget the first full moon in May. This year, soft-shell crabs crawled onto restaurant special boards at the start of spring.
"We've never seen them this early," said Chef Mo Cucchiaro of Coastal Grill in Virginia Beach. "We got the first ones in March - and now we are getting them local, full on."