THERE WAS A TIME, and not that long ago, when the only reason to leave Southside to go through Newport News for dinner was when you were on your way to the Trellis. The opening of Port Warwick, with its distinctive homes, shops and restaurants, has changed all that. Schlesinger’s Chop House, under the culinary direction of Executive Chef L’Mande Bagby, is one of the best reasons to make the trek, if you’re not fortunate enough to live nearby.
The muted colors — teals and greens and honey mustard — combine with big windows in the front and along one side of the dining room to lend an air of cool, elegant comfort, much supported by the music piped throughout, which leans toward traditional jazz and some truly classic oldies
as well. Wood gleams everywhere, from the curved hostess stand at the entrance to the open-backed chairs and on to the decorative case holding bow ties, glasses and pens in honor of Arthur Schlesinger Jr., the historian, scribe and JFK speech writer for whom the restaurant is named.
Two recent visits — one for dinner, one for a mid-week lunch — proved the restaurant’s strengths far outnumber its weaknesses. Let’s get the thing about the prices out of the way first. This is not a destination for the faint of wallet. Dinner entrees start at $24.95 (crabcakes) and cruise easily up to the $40 mark (several steaks) and beyond (steak and lobster). With appetizers hovering in the low to mid-teens and wine by the glass in the $10 range, an evening of full courses is going to get your attention.
