Jewel on the Water
by Deborah Haynes
Port Urbanna Waterside Grill is a jewel of a restaurant, tucked away at the foot of a hill just off Cross Street and overlooking picturesque Urbanna Creek. Port Urbanna’s visitors can arrive by car or by creek. Transient boat docking is available in slips at the restaurant or a short stroll away at the Urbanna Town Marina.
On a recent sultry summer Saturday, my husband and I decided to seek the coolness of the inside dining areas of Port Urbanna to sample the special food and enjoy the view. Dining is also welcomed on the outdoor deck, but on this hot day we decided another time would be more appropriate for an alfresco adventure.
The soothing sounds of an indoor waterfall greet guests as they enter the foyer. Diners pass through a comfortable lounge/bar area, where appetizers, soups, salads and drinks are served from Port Urbanna’s open to close times, even between regular lunch and dinner service hours. The main dining room is arranged on two levels with stacks of flagstone serving as borders to separate various areas. Stained glass and signal flags add a touch of color to the room and just about every table offers a view of the creek.
There’s not a bad seat in the house, and the food is fabulous.
I had done my homework in preparation for this story. I learned that Port Urbanna Waterside Grill’s owner and executive chef, Sharon Gilman, has a rich and varied culinary background, which ranges from Asian to Hispanic to Euro with a decided Northern California Coast influence.
I also researched the restaurant’s signature dishes, and my husband and I made it a point to put these on our plates. We started with shared appetizers—pan-seared local oysters and wonton prawns (both pictured above).
The oysters were absolutely some of the best I have ever tasted. They were lightly herb-breaded prior to their brief trip to the fry pan, and served with a creamy lemon aioli sauce. Aioli is basically a garlic mayonnaise with lemon sometimes added to the mix and is most often served with seafood. It was a perfect complement to the succulent local bivalves for which the annual Urbanna Oyster Festival is so aptly named.
According to local lore passed down through the years, oysters are to be avoided in months lacking an “r” but I’m here to tell you—pay no attention! July, 2010, was a fine month for these oysters!
The wonton prawns also were very good. The large spiced shrimp were prepared in crispy wonton wraps and served with a pickled ginger and wasabi cream sauce for dipping and Pico de Gallo for munching on the side. The intriguing presentation included slices of pickled ginger in the sauce bowl, which we could not resist tasting on its own—oh, so sweet and spicy and fun to eat! Wasabi, a member of the horseradish family, added zest to the tasty sauce. Fresh ingredients of tomato, onion and cilantro with lime juice in the Pico de Gallo were artfully arranged on the plate and provided a cool contrast to the spicy wasabi.
“Put everything on each bite.” says Gilman. “That way, you get all the flavors in your mouth at once, from the heat of the wasabi to the palate-cleansing pickled ginger to the freshness of the vegetables. It all comes together to go well with the Cajun spices of the shrimp.”
For his entree, my husband decided on crab cakes with a cup of Chef Gilman’s award-winning New England-style clam chowder. The large, pan-sauteed crab cakes were flavored with gentle seasonings that never interfered with the lovely taste of the jumbo lump crabmeat.
It is easy to understand why Chef Gilman has earned numerous culinary awards for her clam chowder. It was creamy, filled with clams and potatoes, and seasoned to perfection.
This was a wonderful day for a cool, crisp salad and I looked forward to the Crab Louis salad that is a specialty of the house. It was amazing! Piled high with chunks of jumbo lump crabmeat on fresh Romaine, garnished with tomato, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, scallions and red bell pepper, and topped with classic Louis dressing, it was an excellent choice for a midsummer’s day. I sipped a glass of chilled California Chardonnay and thoroughly enjoyed the goodness of the meal.
One of Gilman’s areas of expertise in the restaurant business is as a pastry chef, so we knew we would need to experience a dessert. We shared a slice of key lime pie, which was tart and tangy, with a marvelous texture. According to Gilman, what sets Port Urbanna’s key lime pie apart from the traditional is that it is served “in a granola-based shell, with a little coconut in there as well.” Garnished with almonds and limes, this slice of paradise was a refreshing finish to the meal.
Throughout our time at the restaurant, our server, Emily, was prompt and attentive. The pace was leisurely and the atmosphere was altogether to our liking. Delightful dining is definitely what you may expect when you are a guest at Port Urbanna Waterside Grill.
Appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, steaks,
lamb, chicken, ribs, pasta $4-$25.
Full bar
Port Urbanna
Waterside Grill
25 Cross Street
(turn at the
Port Urbanna sign,
go to bottom of hill)
Urbanna, Va.
758-1221
Lunch Tuesday-Sunday
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dinner Tuesday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., and
Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.
Light fare available at the bar between lunch and dinner service hours.
Reservations recommended, especially for parties of 6 or more.
All desserts, dressings and sauces are made from scratch, right at
Port Urbanna Waterside Grill, with the freshest available ingredients.
