The Flavors Of White Wine

With so many varieties of wine hailing from some of the best vineyards in the country, it can certainly be a challenge to find your favorite or know what to pair with your meal. To simplify the process, here is a glossary of terms concerning white wines that will help you make the best choice.

 

 

Herbaceous

 

While not a term you might associate with wine, herbaceous flavors signify those earthy “green” aromas you might associate with freshness and warmth. Scents of warm grass, bell pepper, and even jalapeno grace the bottles of certain white wines. These include the popular Sauvignon blanc, Erbaluce, and Vermentino, among others.

 

To pair these wines, take your cue from the major aromas. In other words, an herbaceous wine pairs well with green herbs. Focus on dishes that feature rosemary, cilantro, mint, or basil. As with most white wines, you should avoid red meats. With herbaceous wines, chicken, pork, and some seafood work well.

 

 

Light and Zesty

 

The perky flavors in these wines create a light-bodied wine with a fresh aroma and taste. These wines will be dry and lack the fruity sweetness of other white wines.  Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio (or Gris in France), Muscadet, and Verdicchio are some of the most common zesty wines that you will encounter.

 

When pairing a zesty wine, the citrus flavors can often stand out very strongly. Because of this, you’ll want to avoid foods with too much sweetness, since this can over-enhance the tanginess of the wine. Instead, focus on fish and seafood, especially in a pasta dish. Octopus, clams, and even fried fish and chips are ideal pairings for a light and zesty wine, as the lemony notes complement the seafood.

 

 

Bold and Dry

 

These wines are inundated with lots of powerful flavors. Though dry, they can often contain creamy notes of vanilla or butter due to the oak-barrel aged process. Wines like Chardonnay, White Rioja, and Semillon fall into this category.

 

Because of the strong flavors and aromas these wines boast, take care to pair with extremely mild foods. An inoffensive Brie allows the flavors to shine through, as do cream- or butter-based sauces. When choosing a dish, go light on the meat and heavy on the texture. For example, a creamy prawn pasta will enhance the buttery flavors of the wine, and a rich vegetable risotto will bring out the buttery notes.

 

Light and Sweet

 

 

A light and sweet wine will be ever so slightly sweeter than a dry wine but still, be lighter-bodied. These wines appeal to people who don’t prefer dry wines but don’t want to overpower their palette or their meal. Moscato and Riesling will be the most common and popular of the light and sweet varieties. Riesling features more a more fruity flavor with a touch of bitterness, while Moscato is much sweeter and boasts lovely floral and spiced notes.

 

Unlike most white wines, the light and sweet varieties pair well with spicy dishes. This is because they generally have a lower alcohol content, and also because the sweetness counteracts the spice of the dish. If you love spicy cuisines like Mexican, Thai, or Korean, this is one of the few white wines that will work well. Moscato, especially, works well with charcuterie.

 

Bold and Sweet

 

 

Our final type of white wine, the bold and sweet wines are just as they sound – full of flavor and sweeter than most wines. Look for ice wine, sherry, Madeira, or white port to experience a punch of flavor and sweetness.

 

Because they are so sweet, these wines go very well with desserts and chocolate. An ice wine will pair wonderfully with cheesecake, ice cream, and hard cheeses. Meanwhile, a white port accompanies chocolate desserts that are richer in flavor. If you’d like sweet wine to accompany a meal instead of dessert, foods with strong flavors will stand up well to the strong flavors. Rich or salty dishes go especially well, so choose salty fish dishes or pate.

 

Conclusion

Choosing a white wine is much easier when you know what you prefer, what you want, and what you’re eating. For a fantastic array of white wines – and incredible seafood dishes to accompany them – check out Abbey Road Pub.

Abbey Road Steak and Potatoes – The Best At The Beach!

Merriam-Webster indicated that “meat-and-potatoes” are “of fundamental importance” — and that’s what we believe at Abbey Road, too. Sizzling steaks are our passion, and while all our Signature Sides make a great complement to any entrée, nothing hits the spot quite like red meat and potatoes. This combination is so warm and filling, it’s no wonder that steak and potatoes is a comforting meal to people all across the United States. Enjoy dinner at Abbey Road at the Virginia Beach oceanfront to experience all the ways you can enjoy this quintessentially American meal.

THE COMPLEMENTARY TEXTURES AND FLAVORS OF STEAK AND POTATOES

Perhaps it’s the flavors that make steak and potatoes get along so perfectly. Relatively mild potatoes practically serve as a canvas for the savory meat. For example, juice from the steak makes a delicious gravy-like topping for mashed potatoes because its rich umami flavor enhances the potatoes.

Plus, you can’t discount the role of texture in a meal. Creamy mashed potatoes round out a firmer steak—like a ribeye—while a tender filet stands out against a heartier baked potato. Either way, the best meal is achieved when the elements balance each other out, and steak and potatoes accomplish just that.

 

POPULAR STEAK CUTS AT ABBEY ROAD

At Abbey Road, we proudly serve the finest two percent of USDA Prime Midwestern beef on the market. Well-marbled, seasoned to perfection, and served in butter on 500° plates, our sizzling steaks are simply unbeatable. Every steak-lover will find a cut they like on our menu, including these favorites:

  • Filet: 11 ounces (petite: eight ounces) of our most tender beef.
  • Ribeye: 16 ounces of well-marbled beef for the most intense flavor — and irresistibly juicy.

THE UNPARALLELED VERSATILITY OF POTATOES

The joy of potatoes is the number of ways you can prepare them. No matter how you order this side dish, you’ll enjoy nearly the same flavor profile, but every meal will feel unique when you switch up the potatoes.

At Abbey Road, we offer potatoes in the following forms:

  • Baked: Fully-loaded (complete with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, and chives)
  • Mashed: With hints of roasted garlic

THE PAIRING’S POSSIBLE HEALTH ADVANTAGES

You might think that adding potatoes to steak only benefits your tastebuds, but you’d be wrong! Over the past several years, scientists in the U.S., New Zealand, Scotland, and beyond have debunked the myth that red meat and starch are double trouble. In fact, they’ve shown that eating resistant carbs like potatoes with red meat promotes better digestive health than eating red meat on its own. So, if you’re craving steak, your body will thank you when you add a potato to your meal.

SAVOR STEAK AND POTATOES AT ABBEY ROAD

For the best steak and potatoes in the Southeast, visit Abbey Road at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront today. Whether you dine with us in person or take your order to-go, we look forward to serving you!

Fresh vs. Frozen Seafood

How can you tell if a seafood restaurant serves fresh food?

Well you can tell that a seafood restaurant serves fresh seafood by…asking? Now let us quantify what it means to ask the seafood restaurant or seafood place about fresh seafood. If you were at a big seafood chain could you ask the owner or President of the company where the seafood comes from. Better question, does anyone in the restaurant even know who this person is?

where to find great seafood in corollaWho Supplies This Seafood Restaurant

Safe to say they probably do not have any idea. Ask them where the seafood was purchased at. Where are the fisheries? How far did the seafood have to come? Was it frozen when it got here? Is it even from an American waterway?

Is The Food From An American Waterway?

Forty years ago this question would have solicited a chuckle from just about anyone who heard it, me included. Today the vast majority of seafood comes from giant fish and shellfish farms in Central and Southeast Asia. There are terms like invasive species and Frankenfish (really) in the news and I really do not want to eat something scientists nicknamed Frankenfish. On top of that, many foreign aquaculture farms lack the supervision and regulations that one in America would have. And the FDA has stringent regulations to prevent a biohazard in our bodies which really does not fill me with confidence. I mean is it that bad that there are armies of restrictions to protect me from things like Frankenfish? But I want to back up a bit with one giant question:

Why aren’t the seafood restaurants getting fish, crab, shellfish, tuna, shrimp, lobster, other seafood from local waterways from actual local fishermen?

 

american seafood restaurantLocal Farm To Table Virginia Beach Seafood Is The Only Way

In the Outer Banks and Corolla this is the norm. There is no question that seafood is:

  • Fished by local hardworking Virginian fishermen
  • Fished from Virginian Waters
  • Fished from the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginian Coast
  • Fished from Virginia’s own Pamlico Sound

Abbey Road Restaurant: There is ONLY Fresh Ocean To Table Seafood

And at Abbey Road you can ask the managers and they will tell you they know the people who delivered the seafood, where it was caught, and it is always fresh. There are no levels of management, Abbey Road is locally owned and operated. And it is has always been this way.

 

And You Can Taste The Difference

You cannot fake fresh seafood. When you taste our Ocean to table Virginian seafood you will know the taste of wild caught seafood. No rubbery flat shellfish here.

So Come Taste The Difference

Check out our seafood menu

Abbey Road Helps You Host Virtual Events In Virginia Beach

VIRTUAL WAYS TO CONNECT WITH FRIENDS FROM HOME

If you’re practicing social distancing these days, you can still spend time seeing family and friends and enjoying a meal together – whether it’s outside in your driveway, over Zoom or using FaceTime. Abbey Road believes that the universally human experience of breaking bread together is essential—even if that means going virtual. Continue reading for ideas on planning online events, and for the ultimate virtual dinner party experience, make your reservation for a party takeout order so you and all your friends can have a night of virtual celebrations together!

HOST A VIRTUAL DINNER PARTY

Technology makes it easy to see the faces of the ones you love when real life circumstances make it difficult to see each other in person. You may live far from children and grandchildren or are in quarantine at home. Maybe you’re worried about traveling or live alone and just need to see a friendly face after so much time apart. Whatever your circumstances, you can take matters into your own hands and do something as simple as throwing a dinner party over Zoom!

Some easy ways you can still spend time together are, maybe cooking one of our favorites together, or get some carry out or delivery from our restaurant. The most important thing is that you’re all spending time together via video chat.

Here are the steps to take to ensure everyone has a fun evening enjoying dinner together:

  1. Send out invitations. You can go casual and start a group text or more formal and send out invitations via companies like Evite or Paperless Post.
  2. Choose a day and time and stick with it. You can even make it a regular weekly or monthly occurrence.
  3. Make it fun – choose a theme, have people wear funny hats or a shirt from their favorite football team, etc. It’s your time together, so make the most of it.

Invite everyone to come online and then enjoy each other’s company while you eat. And perhaps the best part of it all? You don’t have to cook and clean for a large number of people!

KEEP CONNECTING AFTER YOUR MEAL

If you want to keep the good times rolling after dinner, there are plenty of fun activities you and your crew can do over the Internet.

  • Host a wine-fueled Zoom karaoke session with the help of a synchronized player like Watch2Gether — it’s free!
  • Watch a movie or binge-worthy TV show together through apps like Netflix Party, Amazon Prime Video’s Watch Party, and TwoSeven—compatible with Hulu, Disney+, and other streaming services.
  • If you love games, you can find imitations of your favorite games online, including Cards Against Humanity, Scattergories, Heads Up and more.

LET ABBEY ROAD HELP YOU THROW A VIRTUAL EVENT TO REMEMBER

No matter how you decide to connect with friends and family from home, Abbey Road is here for you. Join us in person for a safe and socially distanced dining experience at our restaurant or pick up a takeout order for a virtual event from home. We look forward to serving you!

Best Outdoor Patio At The Virginia Beach Oceanfront

Make your next meal even better by dining al fresco at Abbey Road Pub at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront! Our restaurant on 22nd Street has both indoor and outdoor dining options for our valued Virginia Beach customers. When the sun is shining, though, many people choose to enjoy dinner, drinks and more on the patio. Make a reservation to safely dine with us or read on to see why Abbey Road is the best restaurant with a patio in the center of the Oceanfront!

FOOD, PEOPLE WATCHING AND MORE ON OUR 22ND STREET RESTAURANT PATIO

Choosing to eat your meal outside on our beautiful patio is an experience that can help lower stress levels as you enjoy the sunshine and a healthy dose of fresh air. Whether you’re dining alone, with your significant other or with a small group, know that you will be treated to the world-class service that has helped make Abbey Road Pub one of the best places in Virginia Beach.

People watch from our patio, take in the setting sun and sit back and relax with a glass of wine, cocktail or beer as you cap off another great day at the Oceanfront!

TANTALIZE YOUR TASTE BUDS WITH OUR AWARD-WINNING DINNER MENU

Once you’re seated at one of our beautiful outdoor tables, enjoy a meal that exceeds expectations. Browse our menu including our award winning dinner favorites, our Fresh Oysters, Cajun Mahi Bites, Jerk Chicken Salad, or our special Crab Cake Gordon (it’s his secret recipe).

Whether you want a four-course meal or are just looking to enjoy some light bites and a glass of wine, we’ll get a table ready for you. You’re sure to find something to please every palate with our versatile menu options. From refreshing salads to seafood, chicken, or steak entrees, we have everything you need to create a meal your taste buds will l never forget!

SAFELY DINE OUT IN VIRGINIA BEACH

Whether you’re dining outside on the patio or inside the restaurant, know that Murphy’s is taking every health precaution – from requiring staff members wear masks to adhering to strict social distancing protocols – to keep visitors, patrons and guests feeling safe and comfortable.

The entire Abbey Road team has committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment, because full-service hospitality is at the forefront of everything we do.

MAKE A DINNER RESERVATION TO ENJOY THE BEST OUTDOOR DINING IN VIRGINIA BEACH

From our pristine venue to our scrumptious entrees and everything in between, you will get nothing but the best when you choose Abbey Road as your outdoor dining destination at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront! We can’t wait to give you an unparalleled dining experience, so reach out today and let Abbey Road Pub make your next meal truly memorable!