BUSINESS: Matthew Stewart Rides into Retirement
(Matthew Stewart hits the retirement road) By Jeff Maisey After 43 years, Coastal Import Repair founding owner Matthew Stewart has decided to ride off into the sunset of retirement. To many in Hampton Roads, and especially in Norfolk, Coastal Import Repair has been a...
LECTURE: Rick Steves Returns Through the Back Door
(European travel guru Rick Steves kicks off Norfolk Forum’s 90th season. Photo by Zachary Scott) By Jeff Maisey When Rick Steves returns from his European vacation — he’ll be in Burgundy and the Swiss Alps in August — one of the first work-related duties he’ll be...
ESSAY: In My Travels
By Tom Robotham This summer, for the first time in a long while, I haven’t ventured outside of Hampton Roads. There are a number of reasons for that, a tight budget chief among them. If all goes well, I’ll wander farther afield in 2023. Meanwhile, I’m moved to reflect...
Elizabeth River Project begins expansion on North Colley
(A rendering of its Knitting Mill Creek boardwalk.) By Jim Roberts The Elizabeth River Project has spent 30 years transforming its namesake waterway. Now it’s preparing to transform Norfolk’s North Colley business corridor and adjacent Knitting Mill Creek. The...
Why We Started WINDSdays
(THE ANSWER IS BLOWING IN THE WIND: A group of environmental activists share a fun moment with their hand-fans promoting wind energy.) By Joel Rubin When you are a public relations professional, you yearn for clients as large and established as Dominion Energy. You...
Mermaid Winery On The Move
By Jeff Maisey Early next year, Mermaid Winery, which opened in 2012 as Virginia’s first designated Urban Winery, will move its original Ghent location to bustling downtown in the former Norfolk Taproom location at the corner of Main and Granby Street. For...
101 Things to Do This Summer in Coastal Virginia
(Symphony By The Sea will feature Virginia Symphony Orchestra on July 28 at 31st Street park at the Oceanfront. Free admission. Presented by Neptune Festival)) By Staff Three and six years ago we published lists of 101 Things to Do in Hampton Roads Before You Die. The...
ESSAY: This Old Man
By Tom Robotham Well, it’s official: I’m an old man. I could have claimed that status last year, when I turned 65—the age at which one traditionally earns the title of senior citizen. But this year, I passed a more significant milestone: a week before my...
ESSAY: Angell on My Shoulder
By Tom Robotham On the evening of May 21, I was watching the Mets play the Colorado Rockies. It turned out to be a disappointing game: an 11-3 rout that decisively deprived the Mets of a double-header sweep. But as I headed for bed, it wasn’t the loss that was...
Reflections on Pride
(Claus Ihlemann and Robert Roman, pictured recently at Decorum Furniture, are pillars of the community. ) By Jeff Maisey As Pride Month approaches during a time of continued social fluidity, it seemed this might be a good opportunity to reach out to Claus Ihlemann and...
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Celebrates a Century
(Violinist Simone Porter) By Montague Gammon III From the impoverished Caribbean by way of New Orleans, to the Highlands of Scotland to the ancient Roman Empire, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary Season opening “Rhythm and Respighi” concert ranges...
THEATER: Making It Count
(Lucy with Dracula lurking in the background. Photo by J. Stubbs Photography.) By Jim Roberts Sandra Epperson has directed “Dracula” three times over the last 50 years. If there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s this: “No existing theater company will allow you to cut a...
Jazzy Take on Bacharach
(Singer Liz Terrell to perform selections from pop composer Burt Bacharach’s extensive songbook.) By Jerome Langston This year’s Miller Jazz series concludes September 22 at the Sandler Center’s intimate Miller Studio Theatre, with a show titled The Music of Burt...
ART: Hot 100
(Kumud Vanderveer is stunning colors) By Jeff Maisey Renowned Norfolk-based photographer Glen McClure has made a career of capturing people and landscapes in the most dramatic lighting imaginable. His portrait projects have included working tools, people on the...
Jazz Fest Time in Norfolk
(Pieces of a Dream bring their dedicated smooth jazz in Norfolk) By Jeff Maisey Festevents will present its 39th annual Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival in Town Point Park with some major players in the popular smooth jazz format. The musical lineup over two evenings...
ART: If Not Now is Environmentally Focused
By Betsy DiJulio The most recent exhibition in an ongoing series of environmentally-themed shows curated by Gayle Paul at the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center, If Not Now, brings together the work of eight artists from upstate New York to Washington state with a...
Backroad Blues Stops in Portsmouth
Blues great Kenny Wayne Shepherd is excited for audiences to hear up-and-coming star Christone "Kingfish" Ingram (pictured). By Jim Morrison Kenny Wayne Shepherd was about 13 the first time he hung out with Buddy Guy. His father was a disc jockey and general...
LOCAL MUSIC REVIEWS: Jonah Ross, Roberta Lea & more
Jonah Ross “These Days” (Self-Release) Jonah Ross, the lead singer and guitar player of Court Street Company, will unveil a new three-song EP as a solo recording artist. Ross made a slash when his kickoff single “Close to Me” received airplay on Paul Shugrue’s “Out...
PREVIEW: REO Brings Power Ballad Hits
By Jeff Maisey Like a booster rocket, the age of the power ballad thrusted REO Speedwagon from its 1971 launchpad as a straight-up rock band into the realm of the stars. From 1977 to 1989, REO Speedwagon released nine consecutive albums all certified Platinum or...
Jay Lang Talks Bob James
(Jay Lang on location for the Sundown Concert Series in Hampton.) By Jeff Maisey If you hear of a major jazz concert coming to town chances are Jay Lang has something to do with it. After all, Jay knows jazz. Today, Lang is the station manager/GM at Hampton...
757 Battle of the Beers Celebrates 10 Years in September
By Jeff Maisey Over the last decade, craft beer festivals have come and gone in the Hampton Roads. Today the 757 Battle of the Beers, celebrating its 10th anniversary on September 24, is the longest running beer event in the region. The 757 Battle concept was...
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Quemar’s Vegan Menu is on Fire
By Betsy DiJulio An open kitchen with a wood fired grill is not all that smolders at Quemar. The namesake smokiness is this restaurant’s signature, lending distinction and a nuanced layer of flavor to the cuisine while wrapping diners in a subtle...
RESTAURANT NEWS: A Gateway to India
By Marisa Marsey Paul Chhabra, the civic-minded, seasoned restaurateur who’s been broadening Hampton Roadsters’ palates with biryanis, bharthas and basmati for over three decades, is pulsing with boyish energy early this morning as he pulls up in a U-Haul to a...
REVIEW: Stay for the Food at Civil Libation Bistro
Words & Photo by Betsy DiJulio With a persistent heat index in the triple digits and a cute hand-drawn cocktail menu, no one will judge if you go to Civil Libation Bistro for the hand-crafted cocktails, but be sure to stay for the food. While this southern...
Love Song Hits All the Right Plant-Based Notes
By Betsy DiJulio “I’m not gonna write you a love song ‘Cause you asked for it ‘Cause you need one…” Nope, like alternative pop artist, Sara Bareilles, lilts, “I’m not gonna write you a love song ‘cause its make or breaking this.” Why? Because Virginia...
Tea is Just One Jewel in Prince Tea House’s Crown
(Afternoon tea, anyone? Photo courtesy of Prince Tea House VB.) By Marisa Marsey When someone says tea house, what do you picture? A stiff upper-lipped British parlor, fine bone china, crustless watercress sandwiches and clotted cream? Perhaps your thoughts race to a...
BEER: Crossing the Thin Brew Line
(Beer-tender Cara and Thin Brew Line’s new brewer, Raf Corredor. Photo by Chris Jones.) By Diane Catanzaro & Chris Jones There you are in Virginia Beach, looking for a place to get a libation, a sip of suds, a beer. You’d like something fresh, delicious, and...
The Grey Goose Turns 40
(The Grey Goose now serves brunch six days a week. Photo by Grey Goose ) By Marisa Marsey “That was really tasty,” said Phillip Epstein as he and his wife Dana exited The Grey Goose Tea Room in Downtown Hampton. “But I don’t need to go back again.” The year was 2007....
Mexican-Inspired for Cinco de Mayo
By Jeff Maisey Mexican lagers have been a favorite amongst local beer lovers, especially on Hampton Roads’ notoriously humid, hot days of spring and summer. Beer brands from South of the Border like Modelo, Dos Equis, Tecate, Cerveza Pacifico Clara have...
REVIEW: Crudo Nudo is a Delight
(A vegan’s dream come true dish. Photo courtesy of Crudo Nudo.) By Betsy DiJulio Sadly, I was late to the Crudo Nudo party. Until recently, I was under the mistaken impression that the storefront restaurant, open for four years, was charcuterie-heavy with little to...
