Posts Tagged ‘Kelly’s Gingernut Pub Cape Charles’

The Wearing O’ The Green- Four Great Eastern Shore Picks For Authentic Irish Food On St. Paddy’s Day

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Well, it’s rolling  around again- another St. Paddy’s Day celebration coming up.   Although my ancestors were primarily Norwegian and German,  I really love  Irish music and dancing.  And definitely enjoy some of the traditional Irish foods.   Fortunately, some authentic  Irish food is  served here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.   When I was a girl, about 100 years ago,  my parents sometimes watched the Lawrence Welk show on Saturday evenings.  I would never have admitted it to my friends, it would have been soooo  not cool,  but I loved his Irish tenor, Joe Feeny,  who would often sing  beautiful Irish songs.  Joe could really hit those high notes !   My favorite was  his rendition of  “Danny Boy“,   which I hoped might find on YouTube, but no such luck.   So I’ll have to settle for Feeny’s  performance of Galway Bay   as  my official 2012 St. Patrick’s Day song.

Now that the music has been designated,  time to decide where to enjoy an authentic Irish dinner.   Fortunately,  Virginia’s Eastern Shore has  at least four excellent restaurant choices that I know of,  scattered geographically from Cape Charles VA  to Onancock, VA to partake of  foods traditional to the Emerald Isle.

Cape Charles:

Kelly’s  Gingernut Pub located at 133  Mason Avenue in the heart of the Cape Charles historic area.  Call for reservations at 757-331-3222.  As one may have guessed, the Kellys are Irish and there’s a big shebang every March 17th– big !  Irish music will be played all day long and there will be a live band starting about 9pm on the night.  Kelly’s will be serving among other traditional dishes,  corned beef and cabbage,  Sheppard’s Pie  as well as  Bangers and Mash with their delicious gravy.  Guinness of course, plus  Kelly’s also serves a very tasty Irish coffee,  the secret of which is to not stir after the heavy cream has been added.     SLA’INTE’     www.kellysgingernutpub.com

Nassawadox:

Machipongo Clam Shack–  Located at  6468  Lankford Hwy.,  Nassawadox, VA . Call 757-442-3800  for reservations. Even though the  name doesn’t sound too Irish  let’s not forget that the Irish have a lot of coastline and traditionally eat a lot of seafood- i.e., cockles and mussels, alive, alive-O.  And Machipongo Clam Shack’s chef  has a tradition of preparing traditional ethnic food for various holidays.   Definitely corned beef and cabbage will be on their menu and live music will be on their  stage from 6-8pm on St. Patrick’s Day.    SLA’INTE’  AGUS   TA’INTE’  !    www.thegreatmachipongoclamshack.com

Belle Haven:

The ESO Art’s Center in Belle Haven is sponsoring ” A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration”.   Located at  15293 King Street, Belle Haven. Call for reservations 757-442-3226.   A traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner will be served starting at 6pm.  Starting at 7:30 pm,  the Celtic Band, the Leigheas,  will be playing live Irish music.   www.esoartscenter.org Should be loads of fun for all ages !    GO   N-EIRI   AN   T-ADH  !

Onancock:

The Blarney Stone Pub– Located at 10 North Street, Onancock. Reservations at 757-302-0300.  Blarney Stone is a traditional Irish Pub and never more so than on St. Paddy’s Day.   Try a O’Caseydilla, a Great McGruff sandwich, an Emerald Isle salad, a  Pot O’ Gold  starter,  or maybe a Mick Burger or the Irish Fisherman dinner.  Definitely Bangers and Mash and Sheppard’s Pie on tap for St. Paddy’s Day.   CEAD  MILE  FA’ILTE     www.blarneystonepubonancock.com

(Posted by Marlene Cree, licensed Virginia agent with Blue Heron Realty Co., 7134  Wilsonia Neck Dr., Machipongo, VA)

Valentine’s Day 2012 On The Eastern Shore of Virginia– Some Dining Possibilities

Friday, February 10th, 2012


 

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching so if you want to take your “Babe” out to a special dinner,  it’s  time to spring into action and make those reservations !   Or if you’re  cooking him or her a special meal,  time to decide on the menu.  There are lots of great places  to choose from for a romantic dinner here on Virginia’s Eastern Shore— everybody seems to be having  some wonderful specials for this upcoming  occasion.  Here are a few of our favorite picks:

In or very close to the town of Cape Charles:

Aqua’s Restaurant,  located next to the Bay Creek Marina.  Overlooking the Chesapeake Bay with gorgeous waterviews, very romantic indeed.  Starting  Friday  February 10th through February 14th,  Aqua is offering  a special Valentine menu  which includes a shared appetizer, soup or salad,  an entree and a shared dessert priced at $65.00 per couple.  Lots of choices including  Steak Dianne and a vegetarian entree. For reservations call 757-331-8660.

Kelly’s Gingernut Pub– Located in a renovated bank building  on Mason Avenue,  Kelly’s offers  a fun atmosphere and great food, a favorite of locals.  For Valentine’s,  Kelly’s is offering several specials including grilled Australian lamb with mushroom rissotto  and  blackened Pacific salmon with goat cheese mashed potatoes.  Desserts include chocolate dipped strawberries and  a special Creme’  Brulee.  Yum ! For the full  special menu and for reservations, call 757-331-3222. www.kellysgingernutpub.com

Sting Ray’s–  Also known as “Chez Exxon”,  Sting Ray’s is located in a big red barn- like building right on Route 13   just a few minutes south of Cape Charles.  But don’t be fooled by the rustic exterior– written up by Southern Living magazine,  Sting Ray’s offers delicious seafood and some of the best home style southern BBQ ever !  For Valentine’s  they are offering Lobster Thermador  for just $15.99.  A  petite filet mignon and their famous Crab Imperial is also on the menu.  For the full menu, call 757-331-250. www.cape-center.com

In the town of Eastville:

The historic Eastville Inn, a lovely building which dates back to the early 1770’s,  will be re-opening  on February 8th.  For Valentine’s,   the Inn will be offering a special menu including Surf and Turf  with appetizer, salad, entree and dessert for $59.95 per couple.  Call for details and reservations at  757-678-5270.

In the town of Onancock:

Mallard’s on the Wharf–  A cozy waterfront restaurant located in the historic Hopkins Store  right on the Onancock Harbour overlooking the colorful Onancock Creek inlet.  Especially gorgeous at sunset with boats heading in and out from the Chesapeake Bay,  Mallard’s is home to  Johnny Mo,  ” The Singing Chef “.  This year Mallard’s is offering  “Valentine’s  Dine and Demo”  where Chef  Mo demonstrates  the preparation of  the exact four course menu being prepared in the kitchen.  Johnny Mo recently returned from a stint as a guest chef in Jamaica  so the dinner theme  is Jamaican but the special menu details will not be available for a day or two.  Call for reservations and more details -757-787-8558. www.mallardsllc.com

Inn and Garden Cafe’–  A luscious sounding  five course meal starting with an appetizer of  that famous aphrodisiac, Oysters Rockefeller,  followed by Cream of Leek soup,  followed by Goat Cheese with arugula and a Cranberry reduction, an entree of FiletMignon with Lobster Thermidor and, for dessert, Creme’  Brulee infused with Grand Mariner.  Wow,  sounds scrumptious,  priced at $45. per person. Call 757-787-8850 for reservations. www.theinnandgardencafe.com

 

The Charlotte Hotel– As usual, an Oh so very cleverly designed menu with lots  of delicious choices including an appetizer of  heirloom cheddar tartlett with sweet pepper escabeche,  a wild mushroom stuffed breast of chicken with gorgonzola and red wine risotto and a warm cherry tart with almond ice cream,  all items priced a la carte.  For reservations call 757-787-7400.  www.thecharlottehotel.com – their Valentine menu can be viewed on-line.

Planning to cook for your honey at home ?  Haven’t decided on a menu yet,  maybe use a little help, a few suggestions  ?   Click on www.splendidtable.publicradio.org  on Sunday, Feb 12th  and they will have their Valentine menu and recipes ready to download.  Splendid Table,  heard here locally at noon on Sundays on NPR,  bills itself as ” the show for  people who love to eat “, which  pretty much describes everyone in my family,  including moi.  Not only does  Splendid Table  feature great interviews with a wide and diverse variety of folks involved with food,  including chefs, farmers, vintners, cookbook authors, etc., etc.,  it  also offers wonderful recipes  and suggestions for jazzing up old recipes,  on-air and on the website.  Last year I cooked their Valentine entree — Feast for Lovers–  roasted pork tenderloin with black olives and orange.  It was scrumptious and my husband also loved the leftover pork sliced for a sandwich the next day.  If you’re cooking but don’t want to bake,  call the Corner Bakery, 757-757-4820. They are featuring  a melt-in-your-mouth heart-shaped  cake for 2 and also giant chocolate covered strawberries.  Yellow Duck  Bakery Cafe’ , 757-442-5909 also has wonderful sweets for your Valentine sweetie as does Kate’s Kupboard  757-442-7437,  Kate’s is also home to some totally awesome dinner rolls.

So make your reservation,  grab your Honey by the hand,  say “I’ve  got you,  Babe”  and have a  wonderful, wonderful  Eastern Shore Valentine’s  dinner. 

(Posted by Marlene Cree, licensed Virginia agent with Blue Heron Realty Co., 7134  Wilsonia Neck Dr., Machipongo, VA)

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