Tapas for Two - Twice

I knew that Topher would be working late most nights this week, thanks to the end of federal fiscal year; so I scheduled a few dates with girlfriends (since cooking for one isn't much fun). Not intentionally, both meals ended up being at tapas restaurants in Norfolk - one at a place I'd never been before, and the other at an old favorite.

My friend Beth and I had planned to go to the Boot after work on Monday. But about halfway through the day, I remembered that the Boot is closed on Mondays, so we decided to meet at Pasha Mezze instead. Well, we both drove up about the same time and found out that, yep, it's closed on Mondays too.

So we went around the corner to Bardo Edibles + Elixirs, an Asian fusion tapas bar with a fun (and extensive) menu. We both ordered a few dishes to share, and while everything was good, my favorites were the cocktail and the dessert.

What We Ate:

• To drink: The Alchemist – spiced rum, Chambord, Citronge liquor, Honest Tea, and a splash of sour - very good but could be dangerous: the tea completely masks the liquor
• Eastern Shore edamame (sautéed in butter, Old Bay, green onions, garlic & lemon)
• Boursin fondue, served with crackers & bread
• Steamed lobster & potato dumplings, with Old Bay cream
• Three-Bean Tagine: green beans, black beans, & edamame cooked with tomatoes, chipotle, lemon & garlic, served over sticky rice - more spicy than you would expect! (not a bad thing)
• Potato-wrapped Salmon: maple B&B glazed salmon served over Bardo succotash
• Garlic and soy Brussels sprouts - more soy sauce than you would expect (not a good thing)
• “Dip Sum” donuts with milk chocolate & white chocolate chopsticks, served with three dipping sauces (chocolate, caramel, & raspberry) - as our waitress explained, you stick the chocolate chopsticks into the warm donuts and they "gooify" - yum!

The Scoop:

Bardo Edibles + Elixirs is located at 430 West 21st Street in the Ghent section of Norfolk, VA 23517. They're open Sun-Fri 11am-2am and Sat 5pm-2am. You can find them on Facebook. They're the sister restaurant of Still in Portsmouth, VA.

*****

On Tuesday after work, I met up with my friend Stacy at Crackers on Granby Street. I've been there twice before - once to celebrate Christmas with all of my cousins, and then again on September 30, 2009 to celebrate the end of FY09 with some coworkers. This time we celebrated Stacy's upcoming wedding and move to Charlottesville (I'll miss you, Stacy!).

Crackers doesn't look like much for the outside, and it's not exactly in the trendiest part of Norfolk, but it's a fun place with a cool atmosphere and good specials. Their cocktail menu is a two-page spread, and they offer both hot and cold tapas.

What We Ate:

• Prosciutto wrapped asparagus - not overcooked (a good thing)
• Butternut squash gnocchi with hazelnuts & sage brown butter
• Sesame noodles with bok choy & wild mushrooms - served room temp or slightly chilled, not hot
• Pork & ginger pot stickers with sweet chili sauce & ponzu - fried crispy but not greasy (also a good thing)
• Blackberry swirl cheesecake
• To drink: Magnolia - really wish I could remember exactly what was in this, but it was fantastic; it might become my regular drink there

The Scoop:

Crackers is located at 4226 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23504. They're open Sun-Sat 5pm-2am.

*****

P.S. As you might have noticed, I really tried to get in as many green veggies as possible while dining out this week: edamame, Brussels sprouts, green beans, asparagus, and bok choy!