FRIDAY FLAVOR: 1608 Crafthouse

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Tucked away in a nook off of Pleasure Home Street in Virginia Seaside, you may discover 1608 Crafthouse. 

“The place is type of unassuming. It is a native pub tavern-ish,” proprietor Kevin Sharkey defined. 

He opened 1608 Crafthouse to create a spot that thrives on excellence, however with a hometown really feel.

“So many people on this business have a dream to open up our personal place,” he stated, trying round his restaurant.

“We love to do issues a bit bit otherwise right here, and we have been fairly fortunate that thus far it has been fairly profitable,” stated Sharkey. 

Their dishes usually are not your common burger and fries. Particularly not the much-acclaimed bacon cheeseburger.

“Our bacon cheeseburger was acknowledged nationally in 2018 as one of many prime 20 bacon cheeseburgers within the nation,” Sharkey stated. 

So, what makes this burger so good? Sharkey stated it is all in regards to the course of, beginning with the meat. 

“We purchase floor beef that we have been shopping for because the time we have been open. It is a mixture of chuck, brief rib, and brisket,” he stated. 

That is just the start, although. “We do not have a grill right here, so we cook dinner all of our burgers in a cast-iron skillet,” he stated. “They’re crusted with bacon and filled with American cheese. They arrive with lettuce, tomato, on a brioche bun with french fries.”

The outline alone could make mouths water.

Their burger is a finest vendor and for a great cause. However, if burgers aren’t your factor, they have you coated too. 

Sharkey stated they lower their fish and steaks in-house. They do not have a walk-in fridge or freezer, so the whole lot is contemporary and restricted. 

“We purchase small portions of contemporary product, and when it is gone, it is gone,” he stated.

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They have a wild facet to their menu, too. For instance, a big pretzel! 

“It’s known as a, I do not know if I can say it on TV,” Sharkey appeared across the room and bought a bit quieter, “a big-ass pretzel. It is available in a pizza field. It is virtually a few pound and a half of dough,” he stated. 

Simply know it is a lot huge for you and your organization when you order one.

That is not the place the menu stops, although. Let’s throw it again to our childhood, however with a twist. 

“Our peanut butter and jelly sandwich is cinnamon swirl brioche bread, strawberry jam, and creamy peanut butter, after which we dip it in french toast batter, after which we dip it in frosted flakes,” he stated. “Cook dinner it in a pan … It comes with vanilla bean crème Anglaise, which is type of like melted vanilla ice cream. So, whereas it’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it isn’t only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” 

The PB&J is a delicacy a child and a child at coronary heart will love. It’s toasty on the skin and creamy on the within. The cinnamon swirl brioche bread takes it up a notch, too. 

For Sharkey, innovation is one factor, however excellence is one other. He stated at 1608 Crafthouse, they need the whole lot to be at a top-tier stage. 

“The purpose right here is that once you go away, I need folks to be like, ‘Wow, I did not count on that from the extent of the service to the extent of the meals, the standard of the drinks that we serve,’” he stated. 

“What makes this place, this place?” Sharkey appeared across the room. “It is type of a unusual constructing, an older constructing, and a few bizarre stuff, however I do not know if we may recreate the atmosphere right here some other place. This has turn out to be very a lot of a ‘regulars and a locals’ place,” he stated. 

A spot for locals, with an elevated style, tucked away in an unsuspecting nook of Virginia Seaside. 

“You realize you’ll be able to deliver your youngsters right here. You possibly can deliver your canine on the patio. We would like everybody to really feel welcome irrespective of the way you’re dressed, who you might be. We do not care. We simply need you to come back in and have a great time,” Sharkey stated. 

If you would like to go to 1608 Crafthouse, yow will discover them at 1608 Pleasure Home Street, Virginia Seaside.