Distinction Spring 2009
By VICTORIA BOURNE
Photography by BOB ALLEN
The Virginia Pilot April 25, 2009

First things first: I love breakfast. I love everything about it and could eat it any time of day. I’m always looking for new places to whet my appetite. That search recently brought me somewhere unexpected – The Winehouse Bar and Bistro in Ghent.

I know what you’re thinking, but much like quality wine can’t be determined by its label alone, a good place for breakfast can’t be determined simply by its name. The Winehouse is well known for its almost encyclopedic collection of wines, offering varietals from all over the world. I’d eaten dinner twice at the Norfolk restaurant – once at its old location on the corner of Colley Avenue and West Olney Road and again shortly after it reopened in its new location a few doors down from the Naro Expanded Cinema – so I knew the evening offerings were first-rate. I was excited to learn they offered brunch and enthusiastically set out to test The Winehouse’s morning fare.

Accompanied by two friends, we arrived at the restaurant on a warm Sunday morning in March, shortly after its 11 a.m. opening for brunch. As we stepped inside the dark foyer, we were greeted cordially by the hostess who, upon our request, led us back out to sit at a table under the purple awning of the restaurant’s sidewalk veranda.

We appeared to be the first group of the morning, and the only group seated outside. It was early yet; pedestrian and car traffic passed by as lackadaisically as we felt on what was best described by one of my companions as a perfect “hammock day.” Our cheerful and attentive waitress arrived to take our drink orders. My companions inquired about the availability of Bloody Marys, which weren’t on the menu. Our waitress confirmed that not only did The Winehouse make them, but in her opinion they were “the best.” She later divulged a bit of the recipe, which included horseradish, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

I opted for a lighter beverage from the menu – the Big Red mimosa ($5.50), a mixture of champagne, cranberry juice and a splash of orange liquor. We also ordered a round of coffees ($1.95 each), hoping the caffeine would drive away any residual sleepiness. The clocks had jumped ahead overnight, and the effects of the lost hour and a late night lingered despite the brilliance of the morning sky.

We were still the lone outside diners when the drinks arrived and our earnest waitress had taken our food order: eggs Sardou with bacon, French toast stuffed with the restaurant’s “signature” filling and a side of bacon, and the breakfast burrito with sausage. My friends’ Bloody Marys ($6) were garnished with a lime wedge and green olive on a bamboo skewer. Sneaking a sip from one of the two tomato drinks on the table, we collectively agreed they were good, though not the best we’d ever had. I felt it could use more kick. One friend added a bit more salt to his. But it was made with a generous pour of alcohol and in my friend’s words, “It’ll get you going.”

The Big Red mimosa was more simply presented in a traditional champagne f ute. It was exactly what I’d hoped – cool and refreshing with a touch of sweetness. The strong coffee, continuously filled by the wait staff, lifted our mental fog. Blues played on the Bose speakers overhead, and I lamented the fact that of all the items that were not available that morning, the Winehouse Beignets were it. According to the menu, the Beignets are made in-house and served with a raspberry dipping sauce. I was curious to see how they compared to the deep-fried confection I was introduced to in New Orleans, but our waitress gave me the bad news when I tried to order them for the table.

I felt almost instantaneous food envy when the plates arrived. The French toast dish sat on the table to my right – Texas toast piled angularly like an egg-battered Pikes Peak, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped butter ($6.95). For an additional $1.50, my friend’s slabs of toast were stuffed with the restaurant’s “signature” cream cheese and berry filling. He refrained from using the syrup that came with the dish so he could taste the unadulterated flavor of the toast.

The breakfast burrito was placed diagonally across from me – a hearty portion of scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes and my friend’s choice of Havarti cheese enveloped by a warm tortilla ($8.95). He noted that the roasted tomato salsa accompanying the burrito had just the right amount of onion and a nice smoky quality to it with a hint of chipotle. The burrito eventually provided a bit of a challenge, though. Thanks probably in part to the Bloody Mary, he felt full sooner than he expected.

He wasn’t alone. Later on, we observed a couple having at least half of their breakfast burritos boxed to-go. Clearly they’d faced the same internal wall and knew when to say, “When.” My friend ultimately recruited our help and there was little leftover to bother boxing up. As it turns out, I needn’t have envied my companions’ meals because my Eggs Sardou ($8.95), with its lovely yellow hollandaise crown, was the real star at our table. Though I paused admiringly before breaking the whites of my poached eggs, the dish was more than just a beautiful presentation.

Once released, the egg yolks melted onto a layer of fresh sauteed spinach below, which sat on a foundation of perfectly cooked potatoes, onions and artichoke hearts. Having nibbled a bit from everyone else’s dishes, as they had mine, I feared each layered bite would have to be “the last one.” But I managed to soldier on, finishing the bacon that accompanied my dish and saving my orange slices from the mostly empty plate before it was collected by our waitress.

The three of us sat in contented silence and waited for a round of the house Cava to arrive. Tables had filled up around us, and the rest of Ghent seemed to have stretched its arms to take in the new day. Passersby included men in short sleeves – some in shorts, women in sun dresses with hair casually pulled into loose buns, joggers and couples walking arm-in-arm or hand-in-hand. Some folks strolled along Colley Avenue, others moved purposefully. Everyone was clearly enjoying the spring-like reprieve from the wintry chill that had gripped Hampton Roads less than a week before. And at least a couple stepped around the corner of the outdoor dining area to check out The Winehouse based on the dishes they saw on the tables around us.

The dry Spanish sparking wine known as Cava arrived after a short wait. It was crisp and cool, and cleansed the palate. Never having tried Cava before, it was an inexpensive introduction at $1 a glass for each of us. In lieu of dessert, we opted for another round of drinks. When we finally pushed ourselves away from the table, only crumbs and empty glasses remained as evidence of our time spent there. By then, the veranda was full of mid-day diners, as was the restaurant’s interior, or so it seemed as we walked through to the front door.

One final thought lingered in my mind as my companions and I made our way up Spotswood Avenue to the car: “Guess I’ll be back for those beignets.”

Jennifer Smith, who owns The Winehouse Bar and Bistro with her husband, Brad, said they’ve offered Sunday brunch since the restaurant reopened at its new location in September. The New Orleans native spoke enthusiastically about the relatively new brunch menu which evolved as a result of a brainstorming session with sous-chef, Tim Barker. Dishes such as eggs Sardou and baked eggs were inspired from an old Cajun cookbook, Smith said. The goal was to make the dishes unique, but accessible, presented almost as an introduction to her hometown’s culinary heritage. It’s been so successful, she said, they decided to add a Saturday brunch as well.

Check the Web site for more information,
www.mywinehouse.com.

Here are some other reasons to check out The Winehouse Bar & Bistro

- More than 200 bottled wines to choose from – at least 81 available by the glass.
- Happy Hour from 3:30-6:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday, which features a $5 menu, half-priced house special martinis, and off-menu wine by the glass.
- Wine tasting starting at 3:30 p.m. daily, featuring unfinished bottles of wine from the night before.
- Half-priced bottles of wine Tuesday nights and half-priced entrees Sunday nights.

THE WINEHOUSE BAR AND BISTRO
is at 1517 Colley Ave. in Ghent. Reservations are recommended
on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Call (757) 622-7777, or visit
www.mywinehouse.com/reservations to reserve a table online.