March 30, 2008 | Virginia Beach
My husband was invited to attend the National High School Coaches Association Senior National wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach so that he could be inducted into the NHSCA Wrestling Hall of Achievement. It’s quite a long way to go from Colorado, but this was an honor for him and since he was invited by his college wrestling coach, Bob Ferraro, we decided to make the trek. We left our house at 8am on Thursday and arrived at our hotel at 10pm, just in time for a night cap with the coaches before bed.
Friday morning was the induction ceremony at a coach’s breakfast, then we spent the day watching some great high school wrestling. The tournament had about 3,000 kids from all over the US and even some from other countries, so was quite spectacular. By dinner we figured we were due for a seafood fix since Virginia Beach sits between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Lynnhaven Fish House has been around for nearly 30 years and everyone says it’s the best in town, so we made our way over. When you enter the restaurant on the pier you immediately see what’s fresh that day so you can select before you even sit down.
Instead of bread, the restaurant serves a southern favorite, hush puppies – these belly bombs are basically just a seasoned mixture of corn meal and flour that is deep fried and served hot. I suggest stopping after 1 or 2 unless you don’t plan on eating anything else for dinner.
Intrigued by the “award winning” claim on the menu, we decided to share a cup of the She-Crab Soup, a thick creamy soup that contains both crab pieces as well as the roe from the female crab which gives it a distinct sweet taste. Sherry tops off the soup and the Lynnhaven Fish House serves theirs with a full cup of sherry in case you want to add lots more.
After a dinner salad, I opted for the rockfish grilled and served with a sauce of onions, garlic, and parsley, accompanied by a baked sweet potato. Despite being stuffed at this point, we managed to share raspberry sorbet which was served with a raspberry sauce and topped with whipped cream that reminded me of my grandmother’s ice cream parfaits when I was a child.
We collapsed into bed from a food coma that night and got up in time to make the 12 hour trip back to Denver – I won’t bore you with the details of the food on the road as I’m sure you know what 7-Eleven for breakfast, airport for lunch, and junk for dinner is like!
