Dining Out on the Outer Banks: The Flying Melon, Ocracoke Island, NC

We started our trip with an exceptional dining experience at Curate, and we enjoyed an excellent dining meal for our last night on the Outer Banks.

The Flying Melon Cafe offers Creole and Southern Cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients and local seafood.

We arrived just as they opened and, in fact, we were the first diners of the evening! Jennifer was our server and directed us through the menu along with the great specials of the night menu.  While we perused the menus, we enjoyed a Long Island Iced Tea and a Cucumber Basil Martini.  Both were perfection.

We chose fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade $12.00. The fried green tomatoes were expertly fried, extraordinarily crunchy and well seasoned.  They would have been excellent on their own. But then The Flying Melon tops those delicious slices with perfectly cooked shrimp and a flavorful remoulade.  The best appetizer of the trip!

  

Oh my.  Now here's a salad that I wish I could eat every day! The rice wine vinaigrette was absolutely addictive on the fresh greens and vegetables of this salad.

Sweet Harold chose the Fried Seafood Platter $33.00.  It included the fish of the day (bluefish), scallops (YUM!), shrimp, and a jumbo lump crab cake.  I had never tried bluefish, so I was eager for my taste!  Bluefish has a rich, full flavor and coarse, moist meat with edible skin.  The crab cake had onions and bell peppers and a definite spicy flavor. I love food with some heat, but for those that don't, the crab cake does pack the flavor.

His side dishes were sauteed green beans and roasted red potatoes. Of all the green beans we enjoyed that week, these won the "best of" award.  The potatoes were very flavorful as well.

I ordered from the Specials Menu.  Seriously.  Look at this menu.  Is there anything on there that doesn't sound amazing?

Sheepshead is another fish I have never tried.  I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to enjoy this fish.  Sheepshead eats crab and shrimp.  Therefore, they have the taste of shellfish.  Pretty cool, huh?

The fish was grilled and topped with sauteed jumbo lump crabmeat and a tasty lemon beurre blanc sauce. $34.00 I chose the turnips and roasted potatoes.  

I took a close up shot of the jumbo lump crab.  This was an extremely generous portion. Everything on this plate was elegantly served, delicately seasoned, and a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy.

And if we weren't stuffed enough at this point, Sweet Harold decided we MUST try dessert.  I told him to choose whatever he wanted, and I'd taste.  lol

Kudos to the pastry chef for this delectable dessert.  Lemon cheesecake with blackberry sauce.  The cheesecake was creamy and the blackberry sauce complimented the lemon well. $6.00.

Sweet Harold ordered a chocolate martini to enjoy with his dessert.  We had a great evening.

And here are the categories which The Flying Melon placed on our informal "best of" list!

Best Cocktails

Best Salad

Best Green Beans

Best Crab:  for the sauteed jumbo lump crab

Honorable Mention: crab cake 

Best Fish:  Sheepshead

Honorable Mention:  Bluefish

Best Atmosphere

Best Meal Overall

Thank you for a wonderful evening and meal.  Special thank you to Jennifer for being an excellent server.  

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: The Pony Island Restaurant, Ocracoke Island, NC

We were fortunate to stay at the Pony Island Motel on Ocracoke Island. Of course, we HAD to eat breakfast the next morning at the Pony Island Restaurant.  They are only open for breakfast and knew this would be a very casual breakfast. We were fortunate to have Kathy as our server.  She never let the coffee cup get empty!

Sweet Harold enjoyed these fluffy biscuits along with scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and grits.

I chose two eggs cooked over easy (I always order scrambled). I was a little nervous about how they would be cooked, but these were perfection! No crunchy browned edges, no hard cooked yolks, just a delicious perfectly cooked over easy eggs.  The hashbrowns (or home fries) were nicely browned and tender on the inside.

Pony Island Restaurant is only open for breakfast at 7:30 - 11:00 a.m. If you are lucky, you'll have Kathy as your server!

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Jason's, Ocracoke Island, NC

Ocracoke (pronounced Okra-coke) Island, NC is a beautiful and wonderful spot on this earth.  It's a small village with the beautiful 1823 Ocracoke Lighthouse located on Pamlico Sound.  I'll be doing additional blog posts with pictures of the area and attractions, but this post will sing the praises of Jason's.  Click on that link and check out their great menu!

We were given this recommendation by the manager of our motel and we're certainly glad he did.  Jason's serves subs, pasta, steak, pizza, and seafood.  The night we dined, there was a mixed crowd of locals and visitors.  If you have kids, you'll be fine.  You have a group of fun friends who are on vacation? You'll fit right in with the diners here. We overheard one gentleman at a neighboring table say he had been there the night before for a steak and it was so perfect, he was back that night to have another!  The "starch of the day" was corn on the cob. We observed this corn on the cob with other diners' meals were delivered.  This was none of that little frozen half cob yellow corn. These were normal people servings of corn on the cob and looked delicious.

Y'all know how important it is to me personally to be greeted well when you enter a restaurant. For me, that sets the tone for the entire meal. A Host/Hostess which appears to be bothered by having to seat you, or irritated that you interrupted their texting, well, that doesn't sit well with Lolly.

Thankfully, Daniel our server for the evening graciously welcomed us and made us feel "at home."

I was in the mood for comfort food.  But here was my situation.  I wanted to continue to try crab in as many restaurants as possible while on the Outer Banks.  I consulted with Daniel and explained that I really wanted to try the Angel Hair Pasta with Alfredo, but oh I really wanted to have one of their crab cakes.

Daniel to the rescue! He asked the kitchen if they would prepare just one crab cake for me.  They agreed.  I had the best of both worlds! On our "best of" list, this crab cake tied for #1!

This crab cake had a great crunchy exterior and a light crab filled interior.  Very little filling and the seasoning was perfect. I loved the tartar sauce as well.  Not just a condiment to fill up space on the plate, this sauce should be bottled.

Now we'll move on to the pasta dish.  I did mention I was craving some comfort food.  Well, this PLATTER was an enormous serving of that very thing. There was enough with this generous serving to feed three people.  $15.99 and served with garlic bread and a side salad.  You can also choose to add spinach, chicken, or shrimp for an additional small upcharge.  The angel hair pasta was a perfect al dente and the homemade sauce was a ooey gooey cheesy serving of heaven. I enjoyed the toasted garlic bread as well.

The side salad was filled with fresh mushrooms, red onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The Italian dressing was a great choice.

One of the specials of the night featured Cobia.  Cobia has a very white flaky texture and a mild flavor.  Sweet Harold chose to have it fried with slaw and french fries.  Again, a very generous serving.  It's always great to know the food you are enjoying is this fresh. The catch of the day is literally what was caught nearby! The breading was extremely light so the flavor of the fish wasn't hidden behind a thick batter.  I had a sample and I can tell you if you're ever at Jason's and cobia is on the menu, Order It!  

Jason's coleslaw is the chopped version instead of shredded cabbage.  Lightly dressed and very fresh and crunch. This serving wasn't prepared days before.

Sweet Harold ordered a beer from a nearby brewery, 1718 Brewing Ocracoke.  He looks pleased!

From our own personal "best of" list, Jason placed with a #1 tie for best crab cakes, honorable mention for the cobia in the fish category, and honorable mention for that delicious salad.

Thank you Jason's for a wonderful dinner and a special thank you to Daniel for great service and going the extra step to get me that delicious crab cake!

Our score?  10/10 based on food quality, atmosphere, service, and a wide variety of food from which to choose on the menu.

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Diamond Shoals Restaurant and Seafood Market, Buxton, NC

Time for breakfast before continuing on our journey down the Outer Banks.  We chose the Diamond Shoals Restaurant and Sushi Bar located about a mile from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  This restaurant has it all!  Not only do they serve breakfast, but they also have a great lunch menu featuring seafood baskets, wraps, quesadillas, burgers, and sandwiches.  Diamond Shoals also offers an extensive dinner menu PLUS they have a sushi bar.  On top of all this, there's a gift shop and a seafood market!  It's literally a one-stop for all meals, fresh seafood, and your souvenirs!  

Sweet Harold gave two thumbs up for his sausage and cheese omelette and home fries.  

I had some scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and home fries.  The menu lists the potatoes as hashbrowns, but these aren't the hashbrowns to which we are accustomed.  The eggs were yummy, the potatoes were cooked with sliced onions and all in all we enjoyed our breakfast.

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Sandbar and Grille, Buxton, NC

After a day spent exploring Cape Hatteras including the famous lighthouse, we were ready for a great dinner.  Speaking of the lighthouse, I'll be writing some blog posts and sharing some pictures of all five of the lighthouses in the next week or so.  

We chose the Sandbar and Grille which is enjoying their 22nd season in business.  We arrived around 6:30 or so and the parking lot was full.  The overflow parking lot was full.  I know many people who say they won't wait at restaurants because there are other choices.  BUT, we were on vacation, had nowhere else to be, and we knew their deck would allow a breathtaking sunset.  We were correct!

We were warmly greeted and welcomed which was nice after our not so pleasant entrance into that other Buxton restaurant I blogged about previously.  We found two stools at the bar and enjoyed people watching, a delicious top-shelf margarita that was generously poured (AND garnished with blue salt) along with a top-shelf Long Island.  We were perfectly content to wait our turn for a table.

I really liked this guy!

After we were seated at a lovely window table that allowed us to enjoy the view of the water, Sweet Harold realized it was time to get those sunset photos!  Isn't that amazing?  

Jenny our server was a very busy lady, but never made us feel rushed. She had several tables to serve but was gracious, friendly, and extremely welcoming.  We asked her opinion on several of the menu items and chose the blackened scallops with a pineapple/jalapeno salsa as our appetizer.

The scallops were perfectly cooked.  Of course, they had some heat because of the seasoned.  Extremely tender and not a bit of that rubbery text you can get when they are improperly cooked.  The salsa was a nice cooling extra against the blackening seasoning.  A lovely presentation as well.

I chose a half-pound of steamed shrimp and drawn butter with a side dish of green beans.  The shrimp were steamed perfectly with no "mushy" ones in the bunch.  The green beans were tender and seasoned well.

An extremely fresh side salad with house-made Italian dressing was also served with my meal. I would be remiss if I didn't give this salad its due.  It was beautifully plated, served cold and crisp, and the dressing was extremely flavorful with garlic and herbs.  

We all know Sweet Harold and his fried shrimp and flounder obsession.  Of course, he chose the fried shrimp dinner.  His choices for sides?  Y'all should really know by now!  lol 

The potatoes were served hot and still had those "homemade" little lumps in there and that he adores!  I'm encouraging him to write his own blog post comparing and contrasting all the different slaws he tried.

Doesn't he look happy?

We thought we were too full for dessert so we ordered a peanut butter cup cheesecake to go.  When Jenny brought it to our table, I opened the box to take a picture and then we both picked up our forks.  It was INHALED immediately.  My apologies to the pastry chef who made this masterpiece.  I've regretted that I don't have a better picture that would do this amazing dessert justice. 

We compiled a "Best Of" List of our dining experiences on the OBX.  I'm proud to say that Sandbar and Grille made the list in the following categories:

Best Steamed Shrimp
Best Coleslaw
Best Mashed Potatoes
Best Dessert
Best View
Honorable Mention for Best Cocktails and Best Salad

Server Jenny, Thank You!

Our score 10/10.....based on SERVICE, atmosphere, food quality, and taste, and just all around nice people.

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Pigman's BBQ, Kill Devil Hills, NC

What with all the delicious seafood we were enjoying on the Outer Banks, we knew we must try some North Carolina BBQ.  We were still in the Kill Devil Hills area and chose Pigman's BBQ.

This is one of those BBQ joints where you know the minute you walk in the door whether they know what they're doing or not.  These guys know what they're doing.

Of course, Carolina BBQ is quite different from Alabama BBQ.  I'm not going to say whether it's better or worse, just different.  And that is one of the wonderful things about our nation's cuisines.  By traveling a few hundred miles in any direction, you get to enjoy totally different foods!

I wanted to try the Pork BBQ Boat because I was intrigued as to what that would be.  Here it is!  Authentic slow smoked North Carolina BBQ pulled and then mixed with their regular vinegar-based sauce and served with fries, a small cup of cole slaw, and hush puppies.  $8.99

I enjoy my BBQ with an ample amount of sauce so I was happy there were two versions on the table so I could add as much as I wanted.  Fries were average.  The slaw was crisp and tasty.  The hush puppies were sweet and served with honey butter as opposed to the savory and served with ketchup version I'm familiar with.  So I basically saved them as my "dessert."

Harold chose the pork BBQ plate served with baked beans, slaw, and hush puppies.  $11.99  That's a great look plate of BBQ, isn't it?

Their menu is extensive with beef, turkey, TUNA, ribs, chicken, wings, and shrimp.  They offer a wide variety of side dishes as well as a great kid's menu.

This was a great lunchtime stop in Kill Devil Hills!

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar, Kill Devil Hills, NC

This meal was probably one of the most fun we had while on the Outer Banks.  Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar has been serving raw oysters at the copper-topped bar for over 30 years.  The night we dined the restaurant was filled with both locals and visitors alike, and the atmosphere was fun, noisy, and the food and drinks were delicious.

Here's the cover of their menu.

The oyster bar menu!

The drink special of the night was Gin and Tonic for $4.00.  Sweet Harold's decision was made, and I chose a Raspberry Margarita $7.95.

Yummy!

We decided to share a bowl of the Crab and Lobster Bisque.  $6.99.  Great decision! One of my biggest pet peeves is to be served food that is lukewarm, especially soups. This bowl of creamy deliciousness was served piping hot, and the bowl was filled to the brim as you can see.  Large pieces of crab and lobster. The bisque did not overpower the delicate flavor of the seafood. I could eat this on a very regular basis!

Because we absolutely could not decide what we wanted from the extensive menu, we once again decided to share. So a three-item Seafood Platter $25.99 was a perfect choice. Shrimp, oysters, and a crab cake along with fries, cole slaw, and hush puppies.  I ate the majority of the oysters, Sweet Harold claimed the majority of the shrimp, and we halved the crab cake.

No greasy seafood here. Everything was wonderfully seasoned, lightly battered, and fresh. Thumbs up to the coleslaw. The hush puppies had a slightly sweet flavor.

Now on to the crab cake, which is what we really want to know about, right?  This crab cake did edge out the previous crab cake selection. This one was very lightly seasoned so that the crab flavor was very pronounced.

We gave Awful Arthur's a 9/10 based on the overall service, atmosphere, and quality and flavor of the food.

Dining Out on the Outer Banks: Sunset Grille, Duck NC

After an afternoon of enjoying a visit to the Currituck Lighthouse and being amazed on the Wild Horse Tour in Corolla, it was time for dinner.

We chose the Sunset Grille and Raw Bar in Duck, NC. Located on the waterfront, their website states they offer local seafood, steaks, pasta, and more with a Caribbean flair in a fun, family setting. There's definitely a gorgeous view from the dining room. 

No cocktails tonight. We both chose sweet tea, and it was the perfect level of sweetness.  Extra points for their use of Fiestaware!

I had promised blog readers I would try as many crab dishes as possible while traveling the length of the Outer Banks. So first up is She Crab Soup made from blue crab in a full-bodied, creamy bisque.  $5.99/cup / $7.99 bowl

I was somewhat puzzled by the consistency. The soup was extremely thick, almost to the point of gumminess.  The crab flavor was present, and there was an adequate amount of crab.  Would I order again?  Probably not.

Sweet Harold ordered the Clam Chowder.  Carolina clam chowders are different in that they are not creamy based, but more broth based.  $5.99/cup / $7.99 bowl  It was indeed a different version to which he's accustomed, but he was happy with the flavor and the number of clams.

Sweet Harold wanted to try the fried shrimp dinner.  He chose the garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans and carrots as the side dishes.  $19.99  He was VERY pleased with the breading on the shrimp, the texture of the green beans, and he gave high praise to the mashed potatoes.

Time for me to try the first crab cakes of the trip! These weren't the traditional "flat" crab cakes but rather more of a scoop of crab cakes which were deep fried.  They were made of fresh local backfin crabmeat served with mild mango chili sauce.  $24.99. 

VERY generous portions!  And the mango chili sauce was the bombdiggity.  Yes, I used that word.  

Generous amount of crab, an adequate amount of filler, nicely seasoned, and a very tender crust.  I'd order again.

All in all, a good meal, in pleasant surroundings with a beautiful view, and attentive service.  8/10.

Dining Out: Greensboro, NC, Beef Burger (Biff Burger)

My personal history with Biff Burgers is intertwined with some of my earliest memories.  The local Biff Burger franchise was opened in Gadsden, AL in the 1960s. My grandmother was our church treasurer and when I was about 4 to 6 years old, each Monday she would come to pick me up and I would have the honor of going with her to make the bank deposit and run errands.  I felt SO grown up!  We would always stop on the way home to get a Biff Burger to eat in the car. At that time, there were very few hamburger restaurants in our little town.  Here is a picture of the opening night!  As you can see, there was a tremendous turnout for those 15 cents "roto broiled" burgers.

Wikipedia states the first Biff Burger restaurant was started by co-owners Bruce and Earl Brane in 1956. It was operated under the National Biff-Burger System, their manufacturing company that oversaw the production of materials to be used within the Biff Burger franchise.

Sadly, our local Biff Burger closed in the early 1980s. The franchise system had financial difficulties, and now there are only two Biff Burger restaurants remaining.  One is located in St. Petersburg, FL, and the other is located in Greensboro, NC.  Well, after leaving the Biltmore Estate and traveling toward the Outer Banks, guess which city we went through?  Yes, indeed, Greensboro! This location has been named "Beef Burger" since the 1980s.

I knew I had to experience the Biff Burger one more time.  So, with the help of the GPS, we found it and here's proof!

Please take a few minutes to click on this link and learn all about the history of this location.  Now, I thought we had eaten in dive joints before.  I seriously had considered we had.  Trust me when I say we had not.  Not until our experience at the Beef Burger in Greensboro had we truly experienced a dive joint.  

This sign greeted us on the front door.

Here are a couple of interior photos.  Granted, I would probably have the place steam cleaned if I owned it, but there was a steady line of customers there the entire time.  When you elect to dine at a local institution, you take what's there!

The Biff Burger "claim to fame" was their flame-broiled burgers.  The burgers were made using the Roto red broiler designed by the original owners.  The broiler is set up in two parts.  There is an upper rotisserie rack that broils the patties and the second lower rack toasts the buns.  Yes, the buns are toasted with the juices dripping from the beef on the upper rack.  This method supposedly gave the burgers their much advertised "flame broiled" taste.   

Imagine my delight to see the same roto broil method in operation.

The Biff-Burgers and the Cheese-Biff came in three sizes with a special tangy sauce which gave them a distinctive taste. The burgers were known as the Biff Burger, Deluxe Biff, and the Super Biff.  

Some searching on the internet provided me with the basic ingredients of the sauce:  ketchup, mustard, sweet pickle relish, salt, ground ginger, and liquid smoke. When ordering the burgers, you can request them dipped or not. We chose to have our dipped in the sauce. 

Here are the bags that the burgers are served in...

And we chose onion rings over fries because that is what I remember from my childhood. 

And no Biff (Beef) Burger in Noth Carolina would be complete without having a Cheerwine Soda alongside.  This soda is the oldest continuing soft drink produced by the same family.  It was invented in 1917 in Salisbury, NC.  Does it have a super cherry flavor? Oh, yes!  Is it beyond sweet? Definitely!

Thanks for indulging me in my stroll down memory lane.  Was it exactly as I remembered?  No.  Was it worth the experience for the memories on this trip?  Of course!