Flagship (Portsmouth, VA)

My friend Dr. Mike lives on a pier sticking out into the Elizabeth River. The building used to be a warehouse, turned into condos. Sitting in his living room is like sitting in the stateroom of a luxury liner on the ocean with vast windows and all kinds of nautical views -- from the massive cargo ship cranes and Navy ships to the varied, anchored boats waiting for the 4th of July fireworks. A building on the river of course comes with a marina, in which his friends come in their diesel trawler and carry us across the water, cocktail in hand, to an arm of Scott's Creek. There is perched an old dock where we tied up and navigated the creaking boards to the Flagship Restaurant. This is my second trip to the Flagship and this hole in the wall has earned its blog. There is nothing to the actual restaurant -- with an outdoor covered area and sticky wooden tables inside. It looks like a fish house should look, with nothing trendy, waitresses sloshing sweet tea and local paintings of boats on the walls. Perhaps there was even a wooden ships wheel. If there wasn't, it's the type of place that you'd think one would be hanging. Our table of 7 ordered a couple bottles of chardonnay and I ordered the black and blue wrap -- fresh ahi tuna blackened and served in an herb wrap with blue cheese. The side was a bowl of red beans and rice. Fantastic! The first time I was at this place was for brunch where I ordered the shrimp and grits. I remember them being tasty. Its the holes in the wall that always have the best food!  Since we took the boat, I couldn't tell you a thing about the neighborhood, so here is the address: 103 Constitution Ave, Portsmouth, VA‎ -(757) 398-1600‎. I'd go back to this place... even if it were not on a boat.