Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar - Kitty Hawk, NC

Flounder Special

Previously, I have mentioned how much bad food there is on the Outer Banks. This is still the case. Stick with restaurants that have limited seating and do not serve the masses, have a dress code of sorts (people are not wearing baseball hats at the bar or tables!) and where waiters are professionals, meaning they do this for a living and take pride in it.

Ocean Boulevard is one of the chosen places I will dine. Prior to last fall, I had not been since I became a vegetarian as I was unsure of my options. My mistake! Ocean Boulevard has a completely separate (and full) vegetarian menu. It is not a restaurant where they piecemeal together random vegetables to make a wannabe dish (this drives me insane). They have appetizers, salads and entrees that are completely vegetarian, i.e. they do not contain seafood, and care has been put into the ingredients.

Pinot Nior Risotto

Last fall, Nikki* and I decided to give Ocean Boulevard another shot once I discovered they had a vegetarian menu. That evening, I enjoyed a rustic vegetable gnocchi with a light white wine sauce. I needed something with carbs but not too heavy as I was running a half marathon the following day. The gnocchi was homemade with spinach, Brussels sprouts, garlic and white wine. Homemade pasta is one of my absolute favorite entrees and Ocean Boulevard did not disappoint in their creation. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and the sauce was just what I needed that evening. Nikki and I split the White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Tart. This is an absolutely fantastic dessert. The pastry is made from scratch, which makes me never want pastry that is not, and topped with caramel ice cream. Could it get any better? It was just the right size to split the night before my race. I wanted something sweet but not a dessert to myself. Nikki is not quite the dessert addict that I am, but she took one bite of this dessert and decided she would surely get her half this time (I usually take care of three-fourths of desserts when we ‘share’). The presentation is worthy of the Food Network and the flavors are as well. There are always five or six desserts and a few varieties of homemade ice cream for the choosing at Ocean Boulevard.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Tart

This past weekend included another half marathon and therefore, the increased rigidness of my schedule and diet. Our waiter, who also served us in the fall, was very professional and knew the wine and food well and from the wine selection, Nikki chose a half bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc ($24). The fresh bread and soft butter also win praise. Out of the four vegetarian entrees, I chose the Pinot Noir Risotto ($17), which came with sautéed asparagus, roasted tomatoes and red onions and honey. The honey meshed so well with the other flavors in this dish. I was thrilled and would love to have this again. Nikki ordered the special, lightly fried flounder with asparagus in a white wine bacon sauce ($30). She said the sauce was watery and would not order this again, so Ocean Boulevard missed a five on the food rating.

_Alex

Food-4
Service-5
Beverage-5
Restrooms-5
Value-5
Ambiance-5

Ocean Boulevard
4700 N Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
http://obbistro.com/index.php
Open for dinner 7 days a week, all year long
Open Table Reservations Click HERE

Outer Banks Brewing Station - Kill Devil Hills, NC

According to their website, “The Outer Banks Brewing Station is the first wind powered brewery in the United States! We were also the first business to produce wind power on the Outer Banks. We pride ourselves in being innovative and conscious about the environment, while helping others learn as much as they can about renewable energy and sustainability.” Okay, that is great, but how is your food?

Spring break found me down at the OBX for an overnight with my family. Arriving right around lunchtime, we headed for a familiar spot we had been before and liked: The Outer Banks Brewing Station. The restaurant interior is dark. The decor doesn’t appear to be overly thought out. My daughter found it hilarious that rugs were hung up high on the walls, right next to the disco ball. The women’s restroom doesn’t say “Ladies” or other iterations on the door; it simply has a Wonder Woman Doll. This always makes me smile. Everything has the look, feel and smell of a bar, but what else would you expect? Live bands play most nights and the restaurant morphs. The real eye catcher is the brewery, of course. Through large windows you can see the all the inner working of the process. Occasionally you will see someone walk through doing whatever task is needed at all the different stages of brewing. I am not a beer drinker these days; however they also offer non-alcoholic home brews of Ginger Ale, Root Beer and Cream Soda. My husband tried one of the hearty beers and I sampled the Root Beer. Hands down, the best Root Beer I have ever had!

We were the first customers of the afternoon, followed by one or two other tables during our stay. The service was brisk and friendly. I think they have a great kids menu, which even includes a kid’s steak. My daughter ordered a kid pizza (typical). The crust on their pizza is really more of a whole grain flatbread, with cheese topping and very light sauce. Not at all a typical kid’s pizza, but she devoured it. It was so large we had to take leftovers home. Leftover packaging is recyclable and compostable. Nice! I ordered a Caesar Salad with grilled Salmon. It was perfect. Sometimes Salmon gets overcooked at restaurants, but this one was just right. My husband ordered the Barbecue. When it hit the table I knew I had been out-ordered. I am a hush puppy lover, and had to steal one from his plate to sample. They were tasty and sweet. The cornmeal was a light flavor that came though subtly versus overpowering other flavors.

As Alex has mentioned several times, there is a lot of mediocre to bad food at the Outer Banks. This seems to happen in most resort/vacation type cities. Over the years I have found the Outer Banks Brewing Station to consistently serve good meals and good service along with their tasty brews. That they are making a concerted effort to be innovative and conscious about the environment is a great added bonus. Because, let’s face it, if the food is bad, no one is going to eat there regardless of your environmental efforts. The restaurant is conveniently located close to the Wright Brothers Memorial. If you are there with your family, I recommend this as a nice lunch place for all.

_Laine

Food-4
Service-4
Beverage-5
Restrooms-3
Value-4
Ambiance-3
Outer Banks Brewing Station
600 South Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Open 7 days a week! Mon – Sun at 11:30 am, Brunch on Sun til 4 pm