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.