Coastal Virginia Culinary Awards Winner 2024
From the Nov.-Dec. 2024 issue of Coastal Virginia Magazine:
Seeking Old World cuisine with New World verve? Make a beeline to Blanca. Six years ago, Courtney White McQuarrie improbably transformed an unremarkable Riverview structure (once a filling station) into a facsimile of a cool-rustic, country French roadside inn. Ever-intimate, a recently covered patio augments seating in the kitchen/craft cocktail bar (preferred by those who like to chat up the Euro-trained chef-owner) and convivial, permanently tented dining room.
Regulars laud “consistently attentive and courteous service and seasonal use of local ingredients” so that Lamb Fazzoletti (pasta handkerchiefs) with Ricotta and Peas, Steak au Poivre, Trout with Basque Pepper and Brown Butter are like postcards from Italy, France and Spain, stamped in the Mermaid City. An oft-changing menu might start with Fritto Misto boasting farm-fresh veggies and agrodolce or Prosciutto and Chorizo, and finish with an ethereal Chocolate Mousse. A hot ticket for dinner, Blanca’s cooking classes and wine dinners generate buzz, too.
