A Week At The Beach

Sandbridge Beach, Virginia

Phil and I took advantage of the end of our summer harvest by stealing away for a week of surf fishing at Sandbridge, just south of Virginia Beach. We had a wonderfully relaxing time, with temperatures warm enough for shorts, and we had the beach practically to ourselves each day as we tried our hand at fishing for blues, flounder and more.

Phil's first catch- a black drum (not a keeper, sigh...)

Blissful solitude....

We came home with empty coolers but lasting memories, especially of the wonderful meal we enjoyed at Zoe's , an intimate gem of a fine dining restaurant, tucked away on a side street and worlds away from the madding crowd of downtown Virginia Beach. There Christopher Croxton , now General Manager and Wine Director at the Staunton Grocery , studied under Sommelier and Owner Marc Sauter before moving to Staunton. Chris has always spoken highly of Sommelier Sauter's wine list and Executive Chef Jerry Weihbrecht's Pacific- Rim inspired cuisine, and we were looking forward to a special "date night". 

We were treated to a very special night out, indeed, starting with a warm welcome from Sommelier Souter, who surprised us with a bottle of "J" sparkling wine from the Russian River Valley, courtesy of Christopher- thanks so much, Chris! It was deliciously creamy and the perfect complement to our starters: impeccably fresh tuna 2 ways, seared and raw, with sushi rice and wasabi, and tempura calamari, dusted with 5- spice and served with an addictive sweet- hot glaze.

Wine lovers, rejoice: Sommelier Souter lists over 40 wines by the glass and over 500 by the bottle. We chose the 2007 Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa to accompagny our entrees: Veal porterhouse for Phil, with roasted oyster mushrooms and shallots, and rack of lamb for me, with fregola and roasted Brussels sprouts. At the urging of our attentive server we added a side order of Zoe's signature blue crab mac and cheese- upscale comfort food at its best. We loved it all and can't wait to return- thank you Chris, Marc, Chef and everyone at Zoe's for such a memorable evening!

We returned to snow- covered fields- in October?!? In the weeks ahead we'll be starting our microgreens for the winter, stripping the frost- kissed hot peppers for hot sauce and hot pepper jelly , and digging sunchokes ahead of winter's deep cold. We'll also take stock of the many challenges we faced this year- after a brutal summer, that's a long list.

Thanks for reading- Happy Halloween!