Best Restaurants in Outer Banks?

[lancastermike]

We were down last week. Dinner at Red Sky was top notch as always. Wes his ownself

was on the line and you could tell. Mixed seafood grill was a hit with me. I love the food and Iknow the say they are casual. That's fine. But a little attention to the service would help. They are always, young, pretty, and full of vigor. A little training as to simple service would not be out of line however.

Bad Bean Taqueria is the real deal. In Timbuk Too. I talked to the guyrunning the place and he said he had been at Left bank. Had a sour look on his face when I mentioned it. I think they got a winner. No place else doing this and they do it well. Meats ams sauces made on site. We had burritos, they had fish tacos as well, which I heard someone say were good. It was October and they seemed pretty busy

Stopped in Blue Point for carryout lunch. It is a lot bigger. One of my friends ate there this year and they raved. Like many I have had issues but they seem to be rocking and rolling.

I like to cook in and the new Harris Teeter grocery store is a real step up from the food lion. Much better selection of produce and better quality meats.

Bagels from Lighthouse Bagels still a good thing as is coffee from Outer banks coffee. Went that way alot of mornings.

Like Kat I missed Meridian this year.

I know a bunch of folks who were down the same week and they all rave about Colington Cafe. I have never been. One guy went to Left Bank even after I tried to talk him out of it. He was not a happy camper after he got the tab. I tried to warm him

[IR Chef Salad]

The best food in all of the OBX is John's Drive-In: Inshore Special

(that's a fried dolphin sandwich)

with a chocolate banana milkshake

After that, go catch a yellowfin or a wahoo and fire up the grill yourself.

And go to the Thai Room during soft shell season!

[chiantiglace]

A good friend of mine's parents own the Thai Room.

He once told me he'd rather cook AND eat french food.

[bavila]

Bump!

We'll be in Nags Head the first week of August, so I thought I'd renew this thread for any recent developments.

Any specific BBQ recs?

Thanks!

[DTBarton]

Bump!

We'll be in Nags Head the first week of August, so I thought I'd renew this thread for any recent developments.

Any specific BBQ recs?

Thanks!

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I'll stick with my Hatteras Island recs in post 21 above. There's a new barbecue place in Coinjock NC on route 168 on the way down. I think it's called Carolina barbecue. It's on the east side of the road (the left as you head down). Had a pretty good meal there. They cook on gas, but it was still tasty. They have a nice selection of sauces to choose from.

Another nice lunch spot on the way down is Harpoon Larry's in Hampton, Virginia. A bit of a dive, but not bad. It can get a little smoky at night, but usually OK at lunch time. I really like their fish sandwiches. They have a chalk board listing the kinds of fresh fish they have that day. In season they'll often have interesting local fish like cobia in addition to tuna, dolphin, etc. Get it grilled and tell them to hold the spice mix, just use some olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon. Get off 64 on Mercury Blvd towards Hampton coliseum. Go about a mile and it's at the intersection of Mercury and Armistead avenue.

http://www.virginia.org/site/description.a...ton&Page=1&Dir=

[s'kat]

I'm going back down next week. Anything new in Duck/Corrolla/CLight?

[lancastermike]

I'm going back down next week. Anything new in Duck/Corrolla/CLight?

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So whats the word s'kat? You finally make it to Meridian 42 this year? Red sky? I saw the pics on your blog from the Currituck BBQ Co. Any good? I have always been of the opinion that OBX BBQ, basically, sucks. The little place in Corolla Village is not bad. The other places, eh.

Congats on the new gig with the paper. But give us the s'kat lowdown on your vacation. We will be heading for Whalehead soon and want to hear what's up in the hood.

[s'kat]

I'm going back down next week. Anything new in Duck/Corrolla/CLight?

←

So whats the word s'kat? You finally make it to Meridian 42 this year? Red sky? I saw the pics on your blog from the Currituck BBQ Co. Any good? I have always been of the opinion that OBX BBQ, basically, sucks. The little place in Corolla Village is not bad. The other places, eh.

Congats on the new gig with the paper. But give us the s'kat lowdown on your vacation. We will be heading for Whalehead soon and want to hear what's up in the hood.

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I'm getting ready for a final meal tonight, then we're packin' up and heading home late.

Alas, no Meridian 42 once again, though I rallied for it. We did hit Bad Bean Taqueria, and were less than impressed... especially when both the husband and I experienced quite extreme gastric distress later that afternoon.

On the plus side, we had another good experience at the Blue Point, and tried out a new little Italian-American joint called Gabriella's. It's located on the soundside of Timbuktu, way back at water's edge. It's sandwiched in between mini-golf and the go-carts.

The menu is way basic, and guaranteed to appeal to most any family that comes traipsing through. That said, we had pizza that was among the best we've tasted down here. I had the margharita, which had a slightly sweet sauce that was tempered by a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. The mozz was fresh and gooey, the tomatoes were freshly sliced, and the basil was recently minced.

Dave had the superonni, which is double cheese/pepperonni. Again, good on both counts. Good for lunches after a morning of shopping.

Other than that, we had repeated awesome experiences at the Roadside Cafe. We went back three times to taste the best BLT that has ever crossed our lips. The bacon was Smithfield, the lettuce was crisp, the tomato was ripe and the bread was focaccia. The real secret to it was the aioli. Billed as roasted garlic, it held a hue very similar to a somewhat-pale Cheese Whiz. We begged the cook to let us know what was in it- he wouldn't agree, at first, then decided to play a game:

if we could guess 4 of the 9 ingredients (excluding the garlic), he'd share it with us. We gave 5 to the waitress, who came back shaking her head, holding out our ticket: he'd scratched off all but one (cayenne). We played this game a couple more times before giving up. We'd hoped for one more chance to barter with him, but the traffic was a bit much this Saturday afternoon.

Enough rambling! At any rate, we've got Chef Wes from the Red Sky Cafe coming over to cook dinner for us. We did this last year, and had a great time. He'll be here in about ten minutes, so I"m going to sign off for now.

I'll be updating my blog (most likely tomorrow and some of Monday), so you can see the deets and pics then.

Or, I'll still be uploading to my flickrflickr page... more later, peeps!

[chiantiglace]

Theres a knew place down by whalebone called SugarCreek right next to RV's that my father has mentioned well.

Also, Skat, I'll do what I can on that aioli. I should be able to get it for you by september.

[TarteTatin]

Please excuse our ignorance with this question:

We're headed to Myrtle Beach on Wed night.

Is this the correct thread to ask about restaurant/food store/wine shop/crab buying-- recommendations there?

I thought the Outer Banks included Myrtle Beach?

If not, can someone help with which thread to look at...

Thanks!

[s'kat]

chianti, grazie mille!

TarteTatin, it's not really the same area. Myrtle Beach is down in South Carolina, OBX is in the North.

I'm on a funky connection right now, or else I'd try a search on MB! You'll do best to keep searching in the Southern Board.

[ricain]

Everyone, I followed some of chiantiglace's recommendations and they were right on. Some really good cuisine going on down here.

Will post specific details on the venues later, but if you follow the items in his earlier post from 2005 they are all right on.

thanks Chiantiglace!

[ricain]

OK, here are some of the specific restaurants we visited, and two stores we found to be very high quality when we were preparing our own meal. Our extended family (15 ppl) spent a week in Kill Devil Hills on vacation, and my wife and I were able to visit a number of places recommended in this thread. (on a side note, I used to spend a week a year here 1983-1988 in Duck and I could not believe how much the area had grown)

- Outer Banks Brewing Station: we'd planned on only having lunch here one day but ended up making multiple visits, adding in extended family to the trips. The beers were all innovative within their traditional categories. The Titanic, a Belgian style ale, was excellent, as was the Lickety-split pale ale, which suited my strong hops preference. The seafood was all fresh, and perfectly prepared. Favorites were the steamed shrimp, which were simply (but skillfully) prepared and the fish-and-chips, which comprised two large grouper fillets with beer battered breading. The service was friendly and the venue pleasant. As micro-brew followers we were both impressed and found this pub in the top 5% of breweries we've visited for quality of food and drink in the US.

- Goombays: we had lunch at this little family-style location close to the beach and the home we were staying in. We had shrimp breaded, rolled in coconut and deep fried, as well as a mini crabcake and scallops poached in garlic and oil. For a little place off the beach, both the food and the value were excellent. The staff were very friendly and attentive.

- Beach Bread Co.: we both thought the bread suffered a little bit (we weren't sure if one of the batards we purchased were not already a day old). The loaf of sun dried tomato and garlic was good. Some of the pastries were very good. The coffee was adequate but the best we found during our stay. chiantiglace as per a previous post on this thread I do think there is both room and demand for a good bakery here!

Some of the pastries are here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=99495

- Jeffrey's Seafood in Hattaras Village:

This was a fantastic place in Hattaras Village Marina where all of the charter boats unload their catches and Jeffrey's sells them. We were lucky enough to get fresh tuna. You cannot get fresher seafood I would imagine than here. Note they were open only 5h30 - 7h30 and 2h30 - 4h30 after the boats get in.

Here is a picture we took of the building:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...md=si&img=99502

- The Roadhouse (Duck): we stopped in for a drink here but did not have time to dine. The venue is very cute (small, clapboard house, essentially a "Roadhouse") and the staff very friendly. Would love to try this one when we go back.

- Bluepoint (Duck): alas, rarely do I walk away from venues based on the attitude of the host. However, here I did. In my business I work with a lot of fine dining restaurants in markets all over the world. This might have been the rudest experience I've had. In sum, let's say this seemed like a very touristy location. Unfortunately I cannot provide a recommendation on the food - but the "welcome" we received left me no interest in going further.

- Meridian 42 (Southern Shores on the border with Kitty Hawk): my wife and I had a meal here on par with top major metro area restaurants. The restaurant features an open air kitchen with a large mirror set at a 45 degree angle (42 degrees?) to the floor so that the dishes being prepared can be viewed by the patrons. We were seated right next to the kitchen, which was fantastic - a set up similar to Robuchon's "Atelier". We began the meal with a scallop bisque with fennel and bacon. It was so good that I could have had two more, skipped anything else and gone home happy. REALLY recommend this if it's on the menu. We also had the seared tuna sashimi with wontons and wasabe cole slaw (excellent!).

For our entrees, my wife had a sea bass (like butter!) pan seared and coated with grape powder, with black truffle vinaigrette, and a vidalia onion stuffed with red wine risotto and star anise glazed jumbo lumbo crab meat. The vidalia onion could have stood alone it was so good. I had griddle seared jumbo lump crabcake with bacon wrapped polenta, sweet corn, baby beans and charred tomatoes with smoked paprika remoulade. I was hesitant about the crab cake, having grown up in Maryland, but the server assured me it would be top notch and it was. Rather than using mayonnaise and filler to hold the cake together, the chef used a shrimp mousse with a touch of mustard and it worked beautifully, not overpowering the crab but complimenting it and adding some architecture to the dish. If you love blue crab, this is a must try (and ask for it as it was off the menu).

The service at Meridian 42 was attentive yet discreet, and the kitchen provided a referral, at our request, to an excellent seafood shop, worthy of a visit in its own right, where I could purchase some more tuna for a meal I was cooking for the family the next evening. Hats off to Meridian 42 and chef Chuck for a truly wonderful culinary experience.

For those cooking themselves:

Carawan seafood: Mile Post 1 in the shopping center next to the walmart: This was a really interesting store that featured loads of really fresh seafood at good prices. There were also a variety of artisanal seafood powders and salts, put together by someone local, that were delicious. Also a small but distinctive selection of wines, including a 2005 chablis from Kermit Lynch in Berkeley. We chose that and a Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand to go with some tuna steaks which had come in off the boat four hours earlier.

Farmer's market stand: near mile post 7 just over the line into Kill Devil Hills from Kitty Hawk on the east side of 168. Just a little open air, roadside stand but with very fresh local fruits and vegetables. Worth stopping by if you're cooking.

[lancastermike]

- Meridian 42 (Southern Shores on the border with Kitty Hawk): my wife and I had a meal here on par with top major metro area restaurants. The restaurant features an open air kitchen with a large mirror set at a 45 degree angle (42 degrees?) to the floor so that the dishes being prepared can be viewed by the patrons. We were seated right next to the kitchen, which was fantastic - a set up similar to Robuchon's "Atelier". We began the meal with a scallop bisque with fennel and bacon. It was so good that I could have had two more, skipped anything else and gone home happy. REALLY recommend this if it's on the menu. We also had the seared tuna sashimi with wontons and wasabe cole slaw (excellent!).

For our entrees, my wife had a sea bass (like butter!) pan seared and coated with grape powder, with black truffle vinaigrette, and a vidalia onion stuffed with red wine risotto and star anise glazed jumbo lumbo crab meat. The vidalia onion could have stood alone it was so good. I had griddle seared jumbo lump crabcake with bacon wrapped polenta, sweet corn, baby beans and charred tomatoes with smoked paprika remoulade. I was hesitant about the crab cake, having grown up in Maryland, but the server assured me it would be top notch and it was. Rather than using mayonnaise and filler to hold the cake together, the chef used a shrimp mousse with a touch of mustard and it worked beautifully, not overpowering the crab but complimenting it and adding some architecture to the dish. If you love blue crab, this is a must try (and ask for it as it was off the menu).

The service at Meridian 42 was attentive yet discreet, and the kitchen provided a referral, at our request, to an excellent seafood shop, worthy of a visit in its own right, where I could purchase some more tuna for a meal I was cooking for the family the next evening. Hats off to Meridian 42 and chef Chuck for a truly wonderful culinary experience.

I agree that Meridian 42 is great. I believe it is the overall best place to eat on the Outer Banks.

As to Blue Point, their attitude has been well known for years. Last year things seemed better to me. We will be down shortly and your comments certainly give me pause. There are lots of places we like to eat at so I don't need to put up with their issues.

[lancastermike]

Back from our yearly trip and a few comments:

Avoided Blue Point this year. No need to take a chance on getting a huge serving of tude.

Red Sky. As always we went there Friday night. Very busy. I doubt that any fish dish can be better than the nightly special at Red Sky. The food remains top notch. I have been a big supporter of Wes and his concept of good food in a casual setting. Casual is fine, but the service clearly lags the food. I understand the issues of staffing in the Duck area. The service was friendly, just totally unskilled. The bar service left something to be desired as well. I wrote to Wes about these issues. I still love the food, but every year there are more alternatives. The food and the prices deserve better.

Gabriella's. On the advice of the famous s'kat we gave it a try. I had by far the best pizza I have had on the Outer Banks. The room was surprisingly tasteful and the pasta my wife had was very nicely done as well. Nothing fancy or cutting edge here. Sort of an old style red sauce Italian place,but it is done and presented well.

Kill Devil Grill. We traveled south to dine here with friends. And it was well worth the trip. It looks like a diner,but the food was great. Excellent seafood chowder full of seafood. Wednesday night featured half-price bottles of wine. I deviated from the seafood and had a full rack of ribs. Served with sauce on the side they were done wet with a vinegary mop. Cooked perfectly and tasty as well. For desert we had there famous Key Lime Pie. Perhaps the best version of this I have ever had. Velvety smooth. A very nice meal. My friends told us this place is very popular with the local residents.

Lighthouse Bagels. Our rental owner participated in their program of offering a free dozen to renters. The best gift. We went through that and another dozen.

Outer Banks Coffee. Got coffee that had been out of the roaster about 30 minutes and stopped often for lattes for my wife and daughter-in-law. As always, very good coffee with friendly service. John, he owner, has become a big deal in the area with some other places, so he is not around as much, but did talk to him one morning. He has lots of energy without the coffee.

Corrola Village BBQ. Nice sandwich. Perhaps my favorite BBQ on Outer Banks. Sort of an unknown place to those in the Dare beaches area. Real good. They serve Coke in the old fashioned glass bottles.

Grandy Greenhouse. Simply the best peaches we have ever had. Currituck peaches are great. Were we live, I am surrounded by peach orchards. I can pick them myself.

No insult to my Lancaster Co. orchardmen, but the Currituck peaches blow their doors off. We stopped on the way home to get some to bring along.

A new Mexican place called Donkey Hotay's, yes too cute, beckoned but we did not make it.

Also missed Meridian 42 this year, with regret.

[syoung68]

Has anyone been to The Left Bank recently. I know that it was overrated in the past, but I have heard that the new(ish) chef is fantastic. I think he took over in late 2007.

[lancastermike]

Has anyone been to The Left Bank recently. I know that it was overrated in the  past, but I have heard that the new(ish) chef is fantastic. I think he took over in late 2007.

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Talked with a few of my OB connections and nobody has been there recently. All I know is the place had a real big ticket. Maybe things changed for the better. Perhaps someone else can give you some updated beta.

[julski]

We just returned from an outstanding meal at Metropolis in Corolla. It is a tapas restaurant with excellent lists - wine, beer and martini.

- Currituck (local) asparagus soup with lump crab, garlic breadcrumbs, and white truffle oil

- Abalone muschoom and goat cheese pizza

- Shrimp and chorizo with roast red peppers, spring onions, in a cajun cream sauce on spinach tagliatelle

- seared brown butter poached beef tenderloing with truffled housemade tater tots

and last, but not at all least

- Seared foie gras on bacon and rosemary bread puddin with dried cherry syrup

with 3 beers, cocktail and cognac $105 + tip

very satisfying.

it took me ages to find the website, which has not been updated with the new summer 2009 menu (most of our dinner was off the specials board, however)

http://metropolisobx.com/

[julski]

We did hit Bad Bean Taqueria, and were less than impressed... especially when both the husband and I experienced quite extreme gastric distress later that afternoon.

I knew there was a reason that Bad Bean wasn't on my list, but we were desperately hungry when we arrived Sunday evening and nothing else was open.

HOWEVER, what a pleasant surprise!! The food quality of regular menu items was on par with Chipotle, but the special was really *special* - softshell crab tacos. A soft taco with a deepfried softshell crab, chipotle sauce, and and a wonderful housemade corn salsa with fresh jalapenos and cilantro.

With a mango margarita, it really hit the spot. The guacamole was fresh, if not particularly remarkable, and the chips were so-so.

But I may have to go back for more crab tacos today!!

http://www.badbeanobx.com/

[julski]

Blue Point - I'm happy to report that the attitude was not present tonight, and we had a lovely meal with a gorgeous sunset. We decided to go at the last minute, sans reservation - which seemed to befuddle the hostess, but we were seated promptly and served with a smile.

http://www.goodfoodgoodwine.com/