I was surprised to discover, the other evening, that Mike Farrell is a pretty slim guy.

And normally, I don’t trust a skinny chef. But as it turns out–now that I’ve been schooled with an exceptional tasting at Still, where Farrell is the executive chef–the guy cooks like a heavyweight. His portion sizes are hefty for someone whose professional experience is almost entirely in tapas. He leans toward meatloafs and gnocchis because he likes the challenge of complex and robust dishes, and even orders them when he goes out, mainly because he hates the disappointment of getting a steak he could’ve made better at home.

Farrell has no formal training. And to be honest, he cooks like it. Now, I don’t mean any offense by that. What I mean is that his cooking has no idea of rules. And if it did, it would break them with a swift knife chop. It’s imaginative. It’s the kind of cooking that defies expectations of what a dish is supposed to be. You go to other places with big-name chefs and the food is by the book. They think in the Michelin mode–a judgment based on how well something is executed by technical standards. Farrell’s food elicits an emotional response that has nothing to do with what anyone at Le Cordon Bleu or CIA can teach you. It’s soul cooking.

Tempura fried short rib with bacon wrapped tater tots

Case in point: The tempura fried beef short rib in zinfandel demi with bacon wrapped tater tots ($9.5). On the inside is a tender hunk of beef that falls apart to the touch of a fork, like it was roasting in your mom’s old pressure cooker all day on a Sunday waiting for supper. It’s stick-to-your-ribs comfort food just standing in a shallow pool of rich gravy-like sauce and tiny bits of carrot. The genius of this dish, though, was that moment that Farrell must’ve asked himself a ridiculous question that shows just how much ingenuity he’s acquired from experimenting in kitchens without textbooks: Hey, what if I tempura fry this whole, big ‘ol block of meat? The result could’ve, and probably should’ve, turned out a mess. But it’s not; it’s decadent, and glorious. The delicate sheath of tempura encases the beef in an elegance that it didn’t have–couldn‘t have had without it. And the combination of textures comes off like a perfect creme brulee.

Panko crusted mac & cheese

The same thing goes for the bacon-wrapped tater tots (which can be ordered separately for $6). All the prep that Farrell admits to having to do for this little accoutrement is worth it. “We’re not talking Ore-Idas here,” he says, “this is the real deal.” And by that he is referring to the soft mash of potatoes inside the crispy roll of bacon. It’s like a cashmere sweater under a taffeta jacket.

His mac & cheese ($5.5) gets the same treatment. The velvety block is here encased in a panko crust that exemplifies an overall style that Farrell is close to having perfected: Asian influenced Southern food. While I didn’t love the spicy tomato sauce that the mac&cheese is served on (definitely not right for those eaters that hate having different food items touching on a plate), it again shows the chef’s whimsy and sense of balance. Which in turn shows his ultimate goal, one that he shares with traditional Asian chefs and most of the best chefs in the world: for every bite to hit every flavor point in your mouth. Spicy-sweet, sweet and salty, tangy and savory. He finds what works together, and doesn’t think twice about why it works–he trusts his instincts in a way that a schooled chef doesn’t.

Fall vegetable salad on couscous tabouleh

The chilled grilled fall vegetable salad on coucous and tabouleh ($6.5), I’ll admit, didn’t work for me. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, and vegetarians will appreciate it amongst their few choices (along with the mac&cheese). But I’m a full-on omnivore, and for me a better choice for a light, elegant, non-land animal-based dish is the sweet chili glazed crab and scallop lollipops over slow roasted pineapple ($8). Like the tots, these lollipops are far more than just a play on kiddie foods–they are each of them perfect bites. Like an amuse-bouche, it fills the mouth with one whole little meal–and between the saltiness of the seafood, the heat of the chili, and the mellowed sweetness of the roasted pineapple, it would be a meal that is again well-rounded with elements of every flavor.

Melt in your mouth bread pudding with whiskey hard sauce

I could write volumes on the dessert alone, but you wouldn’t believe me–my opinion is that complimentary. The Apple Jacks encrusted strawberries with bourbon apple caramel ($6.5) are yet another testament to Farrell’s sense of play. Clearly he was the kid who looked around his kitchen and just wondered, What if…? But the hands-down showstopper, the piece de resistance, the one thing that you have to order if nothing else is the bread pudding with whiskey hard sauce ($5.5). This alone is probably how a great number of Norfolk foodies have overcome their psychological barrier of the water and the bridge tunnel. I’ll put it this way, it annoys the hell out of me when people describe food as orgasmic; it’s cliche and honestly, most food does not compare to sex. But Still’s bread pudding does. It is romantic, sweet, passionate, sinful sex in your mouth. Try it, and tell me I’m wrong.

OK, so clearly I was happy with my experience at Still. But it wasn’t just the amazing food, to be honest, which you can find in other places in Hampton Roads, including Still’s sister spot, Bardo in Ghent.

Bob Ghallager tending bar

Still is a subterranean speakeasy kind of joint with a side entrance under an old Victorian in Olde Towne. It is colored in honeys and browns and set with deep wood, leather sofas, and jazzy music. Bartender Bob Ghallager takes care of you with an attentiveness that feels a little like clairvoyance; he knows what you need and want before you do. And the best part of it: the chef cares if you like it. Farrell, though he cooks like Batali, doesn’t need personal recognition. What does it for him is just seeing a guest offer a spoonful of his food across the table to their dining companion, with the inevitable You’ve got to try this.

And after all that I’ve just said, I probably don’t need to say it, but you have got to try this.

Still’s End of Prohibition party on Friday, Dec 4 from 6 pm to 2 am, will feature food and drink specials and a midnight toast “to celebrate one of the most ridiculous laws in US history.” Call 332-7222 or check out stilleats.com for details.