Virginia’s Newest Vintage

Adding innovation to tradition, Suffolk’s Vintage Tavern has recast the classic Southern restaurant. CHRISTINA BALL digs in.

P h o t o g r a p h y B y T y l e r D a r d e n

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It took a few weeks of phone calls Somehow I didn’t expect such and schedule finagling to get all four high-powered intensity from a of them around the same table at sleepy corner of Suffolk. But, as any- the same time. Like world leaders one who’s been to Hampton Roads gathering for a summit or corporate knows, this is a region on the rise, execs for a power meeting, they and the Mullins-McGann team is a came from near and far to meet with driving force, aspiring to feed this me at their ambitious new restaurant growing community with sophisti- in rural Suffolk—Vintage Tavern. cated style and a new take on South- Executive chef and managing part- ern cuisine and hospitality. ner Sam McGann drove all the way After a few hours with this tal- Ifrom Duck, North Carolina, a trip ented, talkative bunch, I wasn’t at all he makes weekly because it’s there surprised to find out that the next that he owns and operates the vener- day they’d be flying off to Dallas to ated Blue Point with partner John meet with the kitchen designer of Power. Sam’s wife—operations man- their next culinary collaboration: a ager and partner Cindy McGann, a steakhouse, set to open next year in trained sommelier—zipped over from nearby Harbour View. nearby Norfolk, where she was busy But first things first. Despite its planning the Chesapeake Bay Wine proximity to the water (I crossed three Inside are 10 private lockers where Classic’s upcoming auction. In a bridges to get there), there’s something regulars can purchase and store their suit and tie instead of his usual incredibly warm and almost western own mini-collections for a song. As “Dickies and duck boots,” owner about Vintage Tavern, something that if this weren’t enough, there’s also a and real estate developer Brian Mul- makes me feel like I’m in a moun- custom-built “wine shed” (inspired lins had just ducked out of a Hous- tain lodge, an upscale hunting cabin, by the one at the Inn at Little Wash- ing Board meeting in Richmond. His maybe a tavern in Telluride. Brian, an ington) tucked into a corner of the wife, co-owner Teresa Mullins, had avid bow hunter and mountain lover, garden. Inside this temperature-con- the shortest distance to travel—she designed the building to evoke exactly trolled cottage lined with shelves was just down the street decorating the natural vibe I experienced. A pair are some of the rarer Bordeaux, an one of the spec houses in the Mul- of his elk and several mallard decoys impressive array of Opus Ones and linses’ Governor’s Pointe develop- grace the walls above the beautiful, lots of growing room—the shed will ment, a waterside residential com- mirror-backed wooden bar. Exposed eventually hold 6,500 bottles, not to munity lucky enough to have Vintage beams and fine-crafted wood panel- mention a rake or two. Tavern as its neighborhood eatery. ing bring the trees indoors, as do the Vintage Tavern’s artfully casual With their distinct, complementary sweeping windows. Both the private décor, wide-ranging wine list and talents and shared vision, these four dining room upstairs and the luminous impeccably trained staff of servers individuals (chef, sommelier/manager, main dining room feature working and sommeliers set the stage for developer, decorator) have joined to stone fireplaces, and on the lushly Sam McGann’s destination-worthy create what could be the perfect team landscaped patio out back there’s an cuisine. So does the dramatic open of 21st-century restaurateurs. above-ground fire pit as well as briskly kitchen, which, on the busy Tuesday flowing water. Softening the stone and night of my visit, was an exercise in wood are touches like the rich curtains elegant efficiency. Five young chefs and upholstery, amber Arts and Crafts- dressed in white jackets and orange style lanterns on the tables, and a caps moved about the stainless steel- well-chosen collection of fine oil paint- and-copper kitchen with cheerful ings (including Michael Flohr’s San focus as McGann, a dedicated culi- Francisco tavern scenes and exquisite nary teacher and mentor, called the wine portraits by Thomas Stiltz) on the shots from the front service counter. earth-toned walls. Described by the executive chef him- A further sign of sophistication self as “seasonally Southern,” the in this tavern with a vintage twist is food at Vintage Tavern aims to strike the prominence it places on wine. a balance among traditional South- An elegant floor-to-ceiling oak-and- ern recipes and ingredients, local glass wine closet in the dining room and artisanal purveyors and culi- stores a coast-to-coast collection of nary innovation. “We want to build 1,300 bottles including everything a sense of pride around our food from Virginia chardonnays (Gabriele heritage here,” says Norfolk native Rausse, Blenheim) to over 30 pinot McGann, “to stay current without noirs from California and Oregon. forgetting where we come from.” Not only does McGann still use Facing page, applewood cold smoked Crisco in his biscuits, but he also salmon with tarragon potato salad and pickled cucumbers. Above, cures and smokes his own pork bel- Watercress and Empire apple salad. lies, ribs and salmon and pickles his Left, a tasting of chocolate truffles. own watermelon rind. Although the

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Top, Sam McGann, Cindy McGann, Brian Mullins and Teresa Mullins. Below, Cindy tweaks a place setting; the gleaming kitchen; the Tavern’s “Taste of Southern Goodness.”

ubiquitous salad is given new life in hand, I bit into the tangy barbecue in McGann’s kitchen. An essay in bliss and washed it down with a few texture and flavor contrast, the firm sips of German “smoke beer,” a pair- and crunchy iceberg wedge is topped ing suggested by sommelier/manager with chunks of Granny Smith apple, Daris Gavin, one of the Todd Jurich’s crispy, incredibly flavorful cubes of Bistro-trained staff members who Benton bacon, toasted pecan pieces traded Norfolk for Suffolk to become and a crumbled Maytag blue cheese part of the Mullins-McGann team. so good it made me seriously ques- Now that it’s winter, I want tion my devotion to Gorgonzola. to return to Vintage Tavern to sit Another surprising twist on the by the fire and savor dishes like starter salad is McGann’s warm McGann’s grilled mix game sau- mushroom salad with just-wilted sages with marinated red onion and arugula (both from local Dave and chutney mustard, his sage and rose- Dee’s farm), slivers of grilled red mary roasted chicken and his grilled onion and crumbled cornbread bison rib-eye with buttermilk chive soaked in warm bacon dressing. potatoes, braised Swiss chard and The Tavern’s entrées are as varied brandy-peppercorn gravy. I can only as the menu’s starters, and they bal- imagine the wines Cindy or Daris ance out McGann’s skill with seafood will pull out of their cellar or shed (so evident at The Blue Point, an to enhance such dishes. Outer Banks dining destination since After dinner in a cozy booth, I 1989) with an equally strong emphasis took advantage of another Southern on beef, pork and game. I couldn’t tradition renewed at Vintage Tavern. overlook his sweet, perfectly griddled Instead of retiring to the parlor, how- jumbo lump crab cake, and loved how ever, I followed several of the other the sweet meat contrasted with a guests out to the candlelit patio for tart, peppery watercress purée and a dessert. On weekends, there’s live harmonizing mound of herbed cous- acoustic music in the garden, but I cous. Sweet and smoky pork chops thoroughly enjoyed the chorus of frogs are brined for two hours in apple and crickets who kept me company as cider, then grilled and served with a I took small, satisfying bites of lemon classic she-crab soup and house- “I was never much of a vegetable eater,” Brian Mullins confesses as Teresa made pimento cheese are also ideal intros, there’s really no better way seconds his words with a you-got-that-right kind of look, “but now I can’t to get acquainted with traditional Southern cuisine done right than get enough of Sam’s collard greens with chili flakes and vinegar.” with the Tavern’s “Taste of Southern Goodness.” An appetizer big enough By subtly tweaking traditional miniature red casserole pot filled with chess pie and sipped a surprisingly to share, this single dish gives diners recipes (shallots, cream and sherry cheddar stone-ground grits, one of good Australian moscato. After coffee a chance to reminisce and rediscover soften the chicken liver aftertaste) the restaurant’s truly Southern sides by the fire, I only wished the little gar- six traditional foods: a classic dev- with excellent ingredients and a bit that also include herb-onion spoon- den shed could miraculously transform iled egg, a curious glass of pickled of imagination, McGann has the abil- bread and green beans sautéed with into a guest cottage, a cottage stocked, watermelon rind, two golden, flaky ity to make you fall in love even with onions and bacon. The house-smoked of course, with some of the best vin- biscuits filled with thick, salty coun- those foods you thought you hated. baby back ribs come close to hitting tages in southeastern Virginia—and try ham, a contrasting mound of “I was never much of a vegetable that platonic ideal of barbecue-ness. maybe a pillow or two. Allan Benton’s feathery American eater,” Brian Mullins confesses as When the waiter invited me to use Vintage Tavern, 1900 Governor’s Pointe prosciutto, a brown mustard-dipped Teresa seconds his words with a you- my hands by placing a damp cloth Drive, Suffolk, (757) 238-8808, VintageTav- pork sausage link made down the got-that-right kind of look, “but now and lemon wedge on my table, I ernVirginia.com. Tu-Su from 5 p.m. Owners, street at the Bennett’s Creek farm- I can’t get enough of Sam’s collard put down my fork and reached for a Robert “Brian” and Teresa Mullins; execu- ers’ market, and three slices of toast greens with chili flakes and vinegar.” molasses-coated rib. But the meat was tive chef and partner, Sam McGann; opera- slathered with the creamiest “South- Though it’s a stretch to call iceberg so tender it actually fell right off the tions manager and partner, Cindy McGann. ern” pâté I’ve ever tasted. lettuce a “green,” this humble, once bone, back onto the plate. Fork again

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