Ammos Greek Restaurant at Virginia Beach

Daryl and I were visiting Virginia Beach for a week. Prior to going, I found some certificates on http://restaurant.com. Ammos was one of the certificates that I got. Daryl and I went on Monday night for dinner.

The restaurant is at 14th and Atlantic right on the beach, so the view during dinner was gorgeous! We walked down the boardwalk to Ammos from 9th and Atlantic. Ammos is right near the pier.

The menu is pretty extensive for a Greek Restaurant. We started with a appetizer of grape leaves ($7.95). I love grape leaves! These were right up there with the yummiest I've had!

I decided to get the Greek Combo ($20.95) which came with a small serving each of spanikopita, pastitsio, and moussaka. The spanikopita was very dry and not the type I'm used to. (Katherine, I still need your kick ass spanikopita recipe!) The pastitsio was really good! The moussaka had great flavor and a lot of meat. I thought that the price was a bit much for what you get.

Daryl had the full portion of pastitsio ($16.95) which came with two sides. He picked the roasted potatoes and rice. (He likes carbs.) He said that both the potatoes and rice were very good!

I got a potion of my dinner to go. The waitress took my plate to box it up, but I discovered later that she actually did not box all of the items I had left. There was not pastitsio and only a small portion of the moussaka that I had left on my plate.

We never received our check detailing the amount due and service was a bit slow. We paid with the certificate and then they brought us back a slip to sign with our credit card. After our $25.00 off certificate, the price was still $37. I'm pretty sure they overcharged us on the tip and for each of the menu items.

The food was great, but based upon the slow service, to-go box, and the pricing, we would probably not return.

Pacifica of Virginia Beach

Daryl and I were visiting Virginia Beach for a week. Prior to going, I found some certificates on restaurant.com. Pacifica was one of the certificates that I got. We went on a Thursday night for dinner. This is a tapas restaurant, so you have various small plates and get to try a variety of things. The menu is available here: http://www.littlebarbistro.com/pacifica-eats.php

The restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's very cute and cozy inside. They also have an extensive drink menu and a number of daily specials!

Daryl and I started out with a cold plate, Farro salad with sweet potatoes, craisins, and curry sauce. It was really tasty, especially if you like curry! ($6.00)

I also tried the Braised Pork with kimchi, udon noodles in a pho soup broth. There is a decent amount of pork; however, it was very salty. I'm normally a fan of pho and it was good, but salty. ($8.00)

I tried the mac n cheese du jour, which was steak and onion. OMG! This was by far my favorite! Their mac n cheese is very rich and had great flavor! ($8.00)

Daryl tried one of the specials, Scallops with kimchi and seasame seeds. The scallops were large and perfectly cooked! The kimchi has great flavor and some spice to it. ($11.00)

He also got the smoked shrimp and grits. He felt that the shrimp was overcooked, but the flavor of both the shrimp and the grits were really good. ($10.00)

The price is about average for a tapas restaurant, but the food is above average. We'll definitely visit Pacifica again if we are in the VA Beach area!

Cobalt Grille in Virginia Beach

Daryl and I are vacationing in Virginia Beach. Prior to vacationing, I signed up for Hampton Roads Groupons and Living Social Deals. Cobalt Grille offered a groupon, so I snatched it up. We checked into our hotel on Saturday around 5, got settled in, and decided to eat out. Cobalt Grille was pretty hopping, especially since it was a Saturday night. They were able to squeeze us in, but I would recommend making reservations if you ever decide to go. The very front of the restaurant outside has outside seating and a fire ring that you can sit around. Very cozy! When you walk in, there is a bar with an acoustic singer/guitarist. Then you move to the dining room. The dining room is crowded and loud, but it's also cozy and nicely decorated. It feels very trendy. The service was quick and friendly. The menu has a lot of variety and is perfect for a foodie! Daryl ordered the Shrimp and Scallops over pasta for $23.95. There was a lot of shrimp and scallops. They were perfectly cooked and had great flavor! I almost ordered the duck, but instead, I ordered one of the nightly specials they had which was an 8 oz Filet Mignon with lump crab meat and Bearnaise sauce for $29.95. The Filet also came with white truffle mac n cheese and broccoli. I subbed out the broccoli for asparagus. Everything was cooked to perfection! Cobalt Grille notes at the bottom of their menu that they serve natural, organic, and locally grown food whenever possible. That's a big positive for us! We left dinner very fat and happy. I would 120% recommend this restaurant to anyone!

Shuckers Grill and Oyster Bar

Daryl and I joined a great couple at Shuckers in Wake Forest for a celebratory dinner a couple of weeks ago. Yay for new jobs! We ordered the calamari and sea chowder to start. The calamari was fried, very crispy and quite tasty. I ordered the grilled salmon with broccoli and red skin potatoes. The salmon was perfectly grilled and delicious! The broccoli was freshly steamed and the red skin potatoes were boiled just the right amount. Shuckers had shrimp and grits on the menu, but the sun and moon must not have been aligned correctly because Daryl bypassed the shrimp and grits for the Fish and Chips. He was happy with the big portion of beer battered cod with a side of fries and a cheese grit cake. The service was great! We did not sit outside; however, they do have tables outside with live music. It's a great atmosphere! I look forward to going back again!