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Corey Miller
N’awlins-Style Crab Dip
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Corey Miller
Walter Wilkes
When it comes to community safety in a pandemic, the White Dog Bistro prefers to err on the side of caution. Curbside pickup is done from the restaurant’s covered front porch, while inside, tables in the restaurant are safely placed 6-8' apart to accommodate 50% occupancy. The White Dog Bistro is always open Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and is known to pull out all the stops for anniversaries and special occasions. Gift cards purchased by the community were the bistro’s lifeblood during the closure and continue to be available.
OUR STORY
Despite historians not being able to agree whether it was built in 1795 or 1840, the record shows that the impressive building that houses the White Dog Bistro has been a hotel, an inn and a B&B. Chef Walter Wilkes was brought on board in 2013 to revamp the menu and get the attention of eaters in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. He took on even more responsibilities in 2017 when he and his wife Amanda became owners and operators of the restaurant. Since he’d been the one to create the menu, the bistro’s formula was already in place and changes were few.
“I’m constantly surprised at who the locals are who come in here regularly,” he says. “Every week, we have people from Irvington, White Stone, Williamsburg and Deltaville.” Wilkes considers it a compliment that people are willing to drive 45 minutes to eat his food, enjoy the historic ambiance and relax in the bistro’s legendary top-notch service. For some, it’s a special occasion place, while others, he says, “Literally walk out their front door and down the street to us.”
And while the bistro only serves dinner regularly, Wilkes loves to do pop-up lunches. Because of the extensive amount of catering his kitchen staff does for weddings and rehearsal dinners, executing a daily lunch menu is impossible. But when he can—or when there’s an event like the farmers’ market bringing in lots of visitors—he enjoys creating a lunch menu and changing it up every time he does it. “Because I don’t have to stick to a theme, I’ve been able to do a Creole jazz lunch and an Appalachian lunch,” he says. “If we bring in a musician to play, I can work the lunch theme around what they like to play. Those are really fun.”
Original Recipe
N’awlins-Style Crab Dip
A rich crowd-pleaser that’s bound to be a hit with guests.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. cream cheese
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
- ½ cup scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup diced green pepper
- ¼ cup diced red pepper
- ½ cup diced Vidalia or sweet onion
- ¼ cup diced celery
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ¼ cup whole grain mustard
- 1 lb. crab claw meat
Directions:
Step 1: Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Step 2: In large stainless-steel mixing bowl, combine onion, celery and oil. Toss to coat.
Step 3: Place celery and onion on sheet pans in a thin layer and roast for 10 to 12 minutes. Let onion and celery cool.
Step 4: Place all other ingredients, except crabmeat, in a bowl on a large mixer. Using paddle, blend on low speed until ingredients are well mixed and smooth.
Step 5: Add onion, celery and crabmeat, mix until incorporated.
Makes 1 quart
Download Printable Recipe Here
68 Church Street | Mathews, Virginia 23109
804-725-7680 | thewhitedogbistro.com
