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Crabtown Crackdown! Shellfish Free Food in Hampton.

23/6/2014

 

A Maritime Menu Spells Danger For Us: These are the shellfish free options we found in Hampton, Virginia. 

Tater tots Vernick restaurant Hampton Virginia Vegetarian food TurnipseedTravel.com
Homemade tater tots - where have you been all my life!
Hampton, Virginia is known as "Crabtown" thanks to James McMenamin developing a revolutionary  method for sealing steamed crabmeat in airtight containers during the 1870s. Exporting shellfish became the backbone of Hampton's economy, while consuming shellfish became the foundation for the city's finest restaurants - a tradition that lasts to this day.

Locals may heartily debate which restaurant serves the best crab cakes in town but that's one discussion we won't be weighing in on - Ryan is allergic to shellfish! So in a town so famous for shellfish it revolutionized the crab industry, what are the best options for the shellfish-adverse?  

Breakfast in Hampton

Picture
The homemade potato hashbrowns were my favourite part about breakfast. Photo courtesy of foodspotting.com
My apologies for the unoriginal selection, but the one and only place to go for breakfast in Hampton is Tommy's. Tommy's is EVERYONE's favourite for breakfast and for good reason. Servings are huge. Prices are low, and the recipes are authentic. When in doubt, always trust the restaurant with a line outside the door and pie for less than $3 a slice! Ryan loved the hash, while I stuck with a classic combination of bacon, eggs, toast, biscuits, and hashbrowns. 

Lunch in Hampton

Thin crust, wood oven pizza Venture restaurant Hampton Virginia TurnipseedTravel.com
A close up of the meat lover's pizza that Ryan loved so much.
The menu at Venture Kitchen and Bar is so mouthwatering you won't even notice that it is almost shellfish free! The two signature items you can't pass by are the homemade tater tots (No, really! Tater tots!) and thin crust, wood oven pizza. The tots were the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy and I loved the dipping sauce (I'm told it's a combination of mayonnaise and chili sauce). 
Vegetarian salad asparagus Venture kitchen Hampton Virginia TurnipseedTravel.comYes, that's POPCORN on that salad!
I love thin crust pizza and those served at Venture did not disappoint. I chose the margarita pizza and it was fantastic - blistered crust, rich sauce, real mozzarella. Ryan was thrilled with his meat lover's pizza, which sagged under the weight of all the toppings. 

Between tater tots and pizza, I still manged to find room to try one of Venture's salads and it's safe to say I've never had a more unique combination of ingredients. Mixed spring greens, red onion, grilled asparagus and POPCORN!! It was unusual, but I loved it! Venture is not only a great destination for the shellfish free but anyone who prefers a vegetarian diet. Whether they intend to or not, Venture is doing the most innovative vegetarian food in town.

Dinner in Hampton

Admittedly, dinner is the most challenging meal of the day for those looking to avoid shellfish in Hampton. But surprisingly, I found my favourite dinner at the ominously named Surf Rider, famous for it's crab cakes! They have a standard selection of burgers and sandwiches,  but it was the fettuccine Alfredo that won me over. Of course, there is an option to top your pasta with fresh seafood, but I stuck with the seasoned grilled chicken and I loved every bite. 
chicken fettuccine Alfredo food allergies Hampton Virginia TurnipseedTravel.com
My mouthwatering chicken fettuccine Alfredo
Not so healthy broccoli Surf Rider Restaurant Hollandaise Sauce TurnipseedTravel.com
Not so healthy broccoli!
Like me, you might be tempted to ask for a side of broccoli to add a healthy boost to your meal but beware that the Surf Rider serves its mega portions of perfectly steamed broccoli with a generous side of Hollandaise sauce!

It's not always easy to track down meals that are as mouthwatering as their shellfish-based counterparts in Hampton but I hope that this list steers you in the right direction and provides you with a bit of inspiration. I found Hampton to be a taste bud tingling, stomach stuffing destination and I hope you will too!

I'd love to hear about your food related travel experiences? Do you have food exclusions to consider when you eat out?

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My visit was sponsored by Visit Hampton. This relationship did not influence my reviews and all opinions remain my own.
Agness link
24/6/2014 03:02:51 pm

Eating seemed to be a very important part of your stay in Hampton. I have not had pizza for months and I can't wait to have some when I'm back in Europe. I love broccoli - omommomo - so yummy!

Vanessa
26/6/2014 02:34:06 am

Eating is important just about everywhere I go!! I am so sad about your pizza drought - you must be counting down the days until some real Italian food!

Jenna link
24/6/2014 04:23:26 pm

Ok you just made me super hungry!! Everything looks delicious, especially the tots, pizza and chicken alfredo. I would have a hard time staying away from the seafood, but you found some great alternatives!

Vanessa
26/6/2014 02:34:48 am

Those tots were super addictive. Who knew something so simple could be so indescribably good?

Tracy Antonioli link
25/6/2014 09:55:51 am

Do you know what's better than popcorn on a salad? French fries.

Healthy not so much, though.

I love how you turned this from 'oh boo, no crab' to an informative piece on alternative dining options. Also: home made tater tots? Yes. Just...yes.

Vanessa
26/6/2014 02:36:00 am

French fries on salad? That works! In Canada, we make a 'salad' of fries, gravy, and cheese curds and call it "poutine".

Next up - tater tot poutine salad - maybe?

Mary Calculated Traveller link
26/6/2014 12:44:04 am

I'm a huge seafood lover so, my eyes immediately went to the section where I saw the word "crab cake".

I feel Ryan's pain - but with me it's lactose and at least I can take a pill for that but it needs to be "pill worthy" before I'll partake. Did you not worry about accidental cross contamination?

Vanessa
13/7/2014 05:47:20 am

Cross contamination is always a concern and where it seems to always get us is in fried food (like french fries). I think when there's deep fried coconut shrimp or other kinds of fried shellfish there's enough cross contamination in the cooking oil that it affects the fries. So we try to stick to things that are prepared in different oil/water/broth than the shellfish (like pasta, mashed potatoes, pizza). We also let the staff know about his allergy and ask them to be careful. But there's sadly no guarantee.


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