In the modern-day rush to offer casual dining, it’s nice to visit a restaurant that exudes a certain kind of elegance.
The Whitehall Restaurant isn’t stuffy or formal, but it qualifies as a special evening out. The dramatic dining room, with its vaulted ceiling and Palladian-style window, offers a drop-dead setting to linger over for dinner. Attentive service and a kitchen that turns out classic European fare with a contemporary twist completes this wonderful dining experience.
The Whitehall even comes with an interesting history. Before it housed a restaurant, the building was an artist’s shop and studio where pottery was made and sold to Colonial Williamsburg. Karin and Roy Moor purchased the property in 1997. The main dining room was heavily damaged in a fire almost two years ago, but it gradually has been restored with custom woodworking.
The former studio rooms have been converted into an unusual collection of dining and banquet rooms that can accommodate small to large parties. If the main dining room is too grand for your taste, two small dining rooms on either side of the entranceway offer intimate spaces.
The elegant theme carries through in white tablecloths, formal uniforms for the wait staff and large pieces of European furniture. There’s even a window in the restaurant floor that offers a glimpse at the restaurant’s extensive wine cellar.
Under the watchful eye of maitre d’ Ernest Green, the dining room runs smoothly and guests are pampered. A complimentary taste from the kitchen of fried Hungarian bread with garlic and olives made us hungry for what lay ahead. Prices are high, but portions are generous.
Traditional appetizer items include tomato, mozzarella and basil, proscuitto and melon, shrimp and calamari. There are soups and salads to choose from as well as some departures from the ordinary.
Avocado Appettitoso ($12.95) was an elegant combination that dressed up slices of avocado with mozzarella and smoked salmon topped with a crab-shrimp mixture. While it sounds like too much of a good thing, the lightly smoked fish played nicely against the other ingredients.
For our second starter, the restaurant was happy to serve a small portion of the evening’s vegetarian entree that caught our eye. The stuffed eggplant dish ($9.95), blended with tomato, pine nuts and currants, produced rustic flavors that reminded me of the Italian countryside.
Seafood and veal dominate the entree selections, though chicken, duck and beef round out this comprehensive menu.
The Whitehall version of Veal Saltimbocca ($24.50) was both delicious and filling. Pieces of veal layered with slices of mozzarella and proscuitto are finished off with a sage and Madeira sauce. The meat was tender and the blending of these different ingredients attests to the popularity of this classic dish.
An order of crab cakes ($27.95) was equally satisfying. Three small crab cakes with plenty of meat inside were perked up with a zesty shrimp curry sauce. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the dish, but its simplicity showed off the seafood. Our side dishes — an olive tapanade, grilled tomato and small roasted potato — hit the right note.
You would expect desserts to be homemade here, and the results lived up to the rest of the meal. A puff pastry ($7.50) filled with rich cream and topped with a caramel sauce followed the restaurant’s simple, elegant theme. So did the tasty apple strudel ($6.50) served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
We never felt rushed throughout the evening. The leisurely pace went hand in hand with our excellent meal and Whitehall’s elegant surroundings.
THE WHITEHALL RESTAURANT
Address: 1325 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg
Phone/Web: 229-4677; www.thewhitehall.com
Specialty: European-style cuisine
Vegetarian choices: Pasta, salads
Price range: Appetizers, $3.75-$12.95; entrees, $13.95-$29.95; desserts, $6.50-$7.50
Payment: Major credit cards
Dress: Informal to dressy
Reservations policy: Requested
Alcoholic beverages: Full bar, bar area in rear of restaurant
Nonsmoking section: Yes
Wheelchair accessible: Dining room and restrooms accessible.
Additional information: Several small dining rooms for special occasions
Noise rating: Quiet
Star ratings: Food ****1/2, atmosphere ****, service ****
David Nicholson can be reached at 247-4794 or by e-mail at dnicholson@dailypress.com.
