Local Dining on the Coast

local dining on the crystal coast

Local Dining on the Coast

As a coastal girl born and bred in Carteret County, I have a salty palette and know a thing or two about local dining on the coast; where to go and where to avoid. Our seaport community offers up so many options for treating our taste buds. I generally get to dine out with some friends of mine once a month, and we always choose a locally-owned restaurant, of course!

Pictured: Lauren, Shawna, Allison & Me at Front Street Grille in Beaufort

Pictured: Lauren, Shawna, Allison, and Me at Front Street Grille in Beaufort

 

Dine Like Locals

Allison, Lauren, Shawna, and I have known one another since birth, so this time together is always filled with laughter remembering some story of the time I did this or that time you did that. We are now Moms, juggling our home and professional lives. When we gather, it’s as if the stars have aligned and we have never missed a beat.

What I remember most is riding my bike all over Beaufort as a kid. We would ride bikes from our neighborhoods and get together at Famous Pizza (RIP) in the Beaufort Square Shopping Center on Saturday to have the best pizza buffet any 12-year-old girl has ever had. We would laugh and carry on about stuff that 12-year-old girls find funny. I can’t remember, but I’m sure Allison could tell you everything we talked about. She never forgets anything! After lunch, we would go to Rose’s for the latest single tape (I’m an 80’s child). The point of this is that we have been dining in Beaufort and beyond since we were 12, and we know where the food is fresh and where the food is good. We’re basically honorary Food Critics.

Happy Cakes

Allison is a property manager at Bluewater in the Atlantic Beach office. She is as smart as they come and procrastination isn’t really her style, it’s mine. For example, it’s April 21st, and I’m just writing my first blog post for the month. Allison and I may be different as night and day we still fight over which is better HoHo’s (gross) or Swiss Cake Rolls (delish), but we do share a love for Happy Cakes Oreo Overload and Cookie Dough cupcakes. Take our advice and have one while you’re here. You won’t regret it. Happy Cakes makes its cupcakes each day with no leftovers. There’s a calendar of flavors of the month so you can decide which day you want to swing in for your taste of choice.

Island Grille

dining out at Island Grille

Pictured: Me and my sweet husband, Benji at Island Grille for our Anniversary.

If you’re here on a Tuesday you MUST go to Island Grille in Atlantic Beach. Located on Money Island Drive, it’s a small establishment so make reservations. The Buy One, Get One special is a long-standing favorite. You can order the fresh catch special and the Filet stuffed with feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked bacon, and fresh basil, finished with a roasted red pepper cream sauce, chef’s potatoes and vegetable or my favorite the Seafood Trio which is cold water lobster meat, lump crab and sea scallops with Roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts and fresh baby spinach tossed in a basil cream sauce over linguini with shaved parmesan. Do yourself a favor and go there.

Front Street Grille

Sunset view from Front Street Grille

Sunset view from Front Street Grille at Still Water.

The next suggestion is Front Street Grille at Still Water in Beaufort. It’s waterfront. Do you really need more information than that or will waterfront work for you? Outdoor dining and COVERED outdoor dining, how’s that? They have indoor dining year-round as well. The sunsets at this place are Zen-like. Trust me on this. I have lived on the water my whole life, sunsets still take me away. Front Street Grille is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday and offers a Sunday brunch as well as dinner. The night we went ordered the Black Angus Cheeseburger which has smoked bacon, pimento cheese, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, parmesan truffle fries. Us southern girls love some pimento cheese. It was marvelous, you must try this! FSG also has the Rhum Bar. You can have cocktails at sunset to accompany your very own Zen moment.