Four Eleven York
Norfolk’s dining scene ascended a notch with the opening of Four Eleven York, an intimate, sophisticated restaurant sharing a name and courtyard with the adjacent bed and breakfast (formerly Freemason Inn), both owned by Jeremy McGee and Malia Paasch (also of The Birch). Chef Shawn Matijevich (a Smithfield native who’s been executive chef at Bryan Voltaggio’s Range and BLT Prime by David Burke in Washington, D.C.) welcomes guests with amuse-bouches, deft servers deliver irresistible cheddar cheese biscuits with pimento-peach jam, and the evening winds up with mignardise (complimentary little sweets).
In between, a seafood-leaning menu devoted to contemporary, Mid-Atlantic cuisine showcasing local harvests: scratch-made squid ink tagliatelle with Chesapeake blue crab, delicately prepared fish, sous-vide free-range chicken with parsnip puree. The care the kitchen lavishes on each plate is matched by the stunning decorating choices such as delicate magnolias framed against exposed bricks and the leathery underbelly of granite topping the bar where Matt Labarge’s expertise will make you a habitué.
411 W. York St., Norfolk. FourElevenYork.com
Marisa Marsey
Marisa Marsey is a food, beverage and travel writer whose awards include 1st place Food Writing from the Virginia Press Association. A Johnson & Wales University representative, she has sipped Château d'Yquem '75 with Jean-Louis Palladin, sherpa-ed for Edna Lewis and savored interviews with Wolfgang Puck and Patrick O’Connell.
