Virginia Beach's Green Restaurants
Responsible Tourists Don't Have to Sacrafice Flavor on Vacation
Virginia Beach's green restaurants allow responsible tourists to do the right thing for the environment without sacrificing flavor while on vacation.
Virginia Green Restaurants began sprouting up throughout the commonwealth in 2007. The program is part of Virginia Green, an effort to promote environmentally-friendly practices in Virginia’s tourism industry. Virginia Beach is home to two of the commonwealth’s growing list of green restaurants, Croc’s 19th Street Bistro and Rockafeller’s Restaurant.
Virginia Beach’s Green Restaurants: Croc’s 19th Street Bistro
Indulge at this casual, cool and classy eco-bistro. Located catty-corner to the green Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach’s Old Beach District, this is the commonwealth’s first certified Virginia Green Restaurant. Croc’s achieved the green restaurant designation the summer of 2007.
Croc’s serves coastal cuisine influenced by Lebanese and American flavors. The menu is crafted with organic and locally grown ingredients sure to make the mouth of any green foodie salivate.
Start dinner off with the lightly fried and tender calamari served with a semi-sweet Key West sauce. Sip an Org-A-Tini made with certified organic Square One Vodka. For the main course, it has to be Croc’s Famous Five Pepper Tuna. A blackened tuna filet topped with a five pepper sauce over mashed potatoes. The sauce is an equal balance of sweet and heat. Be sure to enjoy a glass of Bonterra organic wine. Lighter fare includes Croc’s Blackened Tuna Tacos and a Crab Cake Sandwich. Entrees range in price from $13 to $23.
Being a Virginia Green Restaurant extends beyond the menu. Croc’s carpeting is made from 45% recycled content, hardwood flooring incorporates farm-raised lumber veneers, bathrooms are equipped with water efficient toilets and Freon-free coolers keep food fresh. Glass and grease are recycled and Styrofoam has been eliminated. Have some leftovers or carrying out? Croc’s take-out ware is biodegradable.
Reservations are suggested for Croc’s 19th Street Bistro and can be made at (757) 428-5444. The restaurant is located at 620 19th Street, Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach’s Green Restaurants: Rockafeller’s Restaurant
Fresh seafood, local flavor and waterfront dining are what Rockafeller’s Restaurant serves up on Virginia Beach’s Rudee Inlet. Serving lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, the atmosphere is casual and comfortable.
Start a Rockafeller’s lunch or dinner with BBQ Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon. A tender shrimp is wrapped in salty bacon, grilled and topped with zesty barbecue sauce. As a main course, it has to be the Jumbo Crab Norfolk, all Lump crabmeat, no fillers and broiled in butter. Or, there’s the fresh fish of the day prepared either grilled, Cajun, fried or with lemon pepper. Top off the meal with a slice of Fresh Baked Coconut Cake. Entrees range in price from $10.99 to $20.99. Early bird specials are served 3 – 5:30 p.m. and start at $7.99.
Rockafeller’s earned the Virginia Green Restaurant designation for its efforts in reducing the restaurant’s impact on the environment. The establishment recycles grease, office paper, cardboard and packing suppliers. Excess food from events is donated to local charities and disposable containers are made of bio-based materials, can be composted or contain recycled content.
Reservations are suggested for Rockafeller’s Restaurant and can be made at (757) 422-5654. The restaurant is located at 308 Mediterranean Avenue, Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach.
Responsible tourists vacationing in Virginia Beach can reduce their impact on the commonwealth’s environment by dining at a Virginia Green Restaurant. Taste doesn’t have to be sacrificed but waste does.
