(Virginia Beach, Va., 2013) – Virginia Beach's cuisine scene is a hidden gem when compared to its reputation for warm sunny beaches. The resort city's “highcountry” gastronomy mixes fresh seafood from the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay and local rivers and estuaries, with traditional southern staples, Smithfield pork goods and fresh, locally-grown and harvested fruits, vegetables and herbs. The result is a style of food that tantalizes taste buds while soothing the soul. She-crab soup, Lynnhaven River and Eastern Shore oysters, rockfish and Pungo strawberries are just a few of the menu items and foodstuffs that call Virginia Beach home. 

Restaurants

• Inside the resort city there are nearly 300 restaurants with a wide variety of flavors including Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Irish and Indian, just to name a few.
• With two inlets, Rudee and Lynnhaven, a fishing pier and multiple boat ramps, visitors have numerous options for Reeling in that perfect catch. Once you do, bring it into Waterman's Beachwood Grill, where the chef will prepare it to your liking and serve it family-style.
• Rockafeller's Restaurant has been one of Virginia Beach's favorite dining landmarks - beloved by locals and tourists alike for its casual elegance and simply fresh local fare. Rockafeller's is also well known for its Oyster Wars. Each week, a sampling of local oysters is served with non-Virginia oysters for an opportunity to discover the differences in merroir. Depending on the season, they are accompanied with local wines and beers from the Williamsburg Winery, Chatham Vineyards, Beach Brewing Company or O'Connor Brewing Company.
• Croc's 19th Street Bistro is the first restaurant in the state to be certified as Virginia Green. The food and drinks at Croc's reflect a seasonably S.O.L. (sustainable, organic, local) emphasis. In addition to tending a garden behind the restaurant, they make every effort to feature produce from nearby farms, seafood fresh from local waters and approved selections from the Virginia Aquarium's Seafood Watch List. Customers can enjoy one of their organic green cocktails or try their hand at a well-prepared invasive species, Chesapeake Bay Ray.
• Virginia Beach boasts two chefs with James Beard recognition – Jerry Weihbrecht, executive chef and owner of Zöes, and Rodney Einhorn, executive chef and owner of Terrapin.
• Restaurants with Availability to Dock Your Boat or Kayak
  • Blue Pete's Restaurant is located in Pungo, Virginia Beach on beautiful Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Guests are welcome to kayak or canoe to the back deck and tie up, then enjoy dinner with live music and all you can eat crabs.
  • Bubba's Seafood Restaurant has a long-standing history of delivering fresh and succulent seafood dishes in Virginia Beach with its open porch overlooking the Lynnhaven Inlet. Bubba's has boat ramps available to dock your boat or kayak while grabbing a bite to eat. It also has a seafood and whole fish market with a wide selection of fresh fare available for purchase.
  • Chick's Oyster Bar also is located on Lynnhaven Inlet and features several open-air decks overlooking the water. Locals and visitors enjoy docking their boats and getting served right onboard!

Agriculture

• Agriculture has contributed an average of $114.2 million each year to Virginia Beach's economy making it the city's third largest industry.
• With a mild winter climate, long growing season and fertile soil, the area has been under cultivation since the earliest 17th century colonial days.
• Today, there are more than 8,000 protected acres of farmland in Virginia Beach with various types of operations including produce and livestock farms, farm stands and equestrian operations.
• From March through late September, locals and visitors alike can stop at farms or roadside stands to pick up a long list of produce including strawberries, asparagus, cabbage, spring onions, beets, spinach, kale, radishes, apples, acorn squash, blueberries, butter beans, cantaloupe, eggplant, green beans, raspberries, watermelon, sweet potatoes, zucchini and many more that are all home-grown in the resort city.
• Pick-your-own-produce is also offered at various farms throughout the city for such items as strawberries, blueberries and peaches.
• Virginia Beach is renowned for its fresh homegrown strawberry crop and is the largest producing city/county in the state. In fact, strawberry leaves are the image used on the City Seal to represent the importance of agriculture in Virginia Beach. Often referred to as Pungo Strawberries in a nod to the southern area of Virginia Beach where they are grown, the most popular varieties are Chandler, Sweet Charlie and Camarosa.  Each Memorial Day Weekend, Virginia Beach celebrates its farming community and the deliciousness of plump strawberries during the Annual Pungo Strawberry Festival, which hosts approximately 120,000 people.
• The Virginia Beach Farmer's Market is open year-round and home to 14 full-time tenants who offer who offer a variety of locally-grown and crafted produce as well as regionally imported items. A butcher shop, creamery, organic grocery store, fish market and a variety of gift shops offering seasonal treats as well as plants, flowers, jams and jellies are also on site.
• Located a mere six blocks from the oceanfront, the Old Beach Farmer's Market at Croc's 19th Street Eco-Bistro is open each Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Saturdays before Thanksgiving and Christmas, and new in 2013, the third Saturday of each winter month.
•  YNot Wednesdays, hosted by the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in The Town Center of Virginia Beach, is a twelve-week, outdoor summer series featuring live music, happy hour treats and a farmers market. 

Aquaculture

• Virginia Beach lies at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest and most biologically diverse estuary, yielding more seafood than any of the 840 other estuaries in the country.
• Before establishing themselves at Jamestown in 1607, Captain John Smith and his crew spent three days in Virginia Beach, surviving primarily off fish, oysters, turtles and even wild strawberries. John Smith describes the area in his writings - “oysters lay as thick as stones,” and the Bay and rivers contained more sturgeon “than could be devoured by dog or man.”
• The Sensible Seafood program, developed by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program and regional seafood experts, helps turn the tide by educating people on sustainable seafood choices that promote a healthy marine environment. It categorizes species into three colored lists: red (avoid), yellow (good alternatives) and green (best choices).
• Due to the abundance of striped bass, many of which are caught at 40 to 60 pounds, Virginia Beach is known as the “Striped Bass Capital of the World.”
• Local seafood favorites include crab cakes, grilled mahi-mah, rare yellowfin tuna, fried flounder and striped bass (better known as “rockfish”) cooked any number of gourmet ways.
• Another local specialty is she-crab soup, a rich concoction with chunks of meat from Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, heavy milk or cream and topped with sherry.
• According to the Virginia Marine Products Board, there are 11 Virginia Seafood retailers and three Virginia Oyster growers in Virginia Beach. The oyster growers include Lynnhaven Oyster Company, Ludford Brothers Oyster Company and Lynnhaven Bay Aquaculture Oysters.
• Virginia Beach is famous for its Lynnhaven oysters. Holding historical significance, Lynnhaven oysters fed America's earliest settlers and once were coveted around the world, served to presidents and royalty for their size, saltiness and gentle zing.
• Lynnhaven River Now is an award-winning river restoration project formed in 2002 with over 6,000 members and volunteers. Its mission is to clean up the Lynnhaven River, which feeds directly into the Chesapeake Bay, by reducing contamination, educating and engaging the community and restoring lost habitats such as oyster reefs and salt marshes.
• In 2005, only 1% of the Lynnhaven River was open to shellfish harvesting. Now, nearly 45% of the river is open. There are 64 acres of constructed oyster habitat.

Coastal Food Tours

• The Coastal Food Tours of Virginia program lets foodies and travelers experience a taste of what this bountiful region has to offer from succulent seafood pulled straight from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, to fresh produce grown and harvested by local farmers. The tours fuse together history, architecture and cuisine to vividly portray the character of Virginia Beach and the surrounding region.
• The Coastal Harvest Feast Food Tour is a four-day tour through the Coastal Virginia region to discover the unique cuisine and culture of Virginia Beach and her sister cities. During the Coastal Harvest Feast Food Tour, participants will enjoy breathtaking scenery while visiting Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, Smithfield and Surry. Meet fisherman, while sipping award-winning vintages, visiting a clam-cultivating aqua farm and learning the fine art of curing Smithfield ham.
• The Boardwalk & Beyond Food Tour offers a “Surf & Turf” journey with the opportunity to sample local favorites such as fresh fish, crab cakes and the Waterman's Orange Crush, a famous cocktail made with freshly squeezed orange juice. The three-hour tour starts at JT's Grommet Island Beach Park & Playground for EveryBODY located at 2nd Street and continues along the boardwalk with the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop, then heads to the Rudee Inlet area of the oceanfront.