On The Road – Part 1 (MD, NC, SC)

On this, our fourth day on the road, nearly 1,000 miles since saying goodbye to New Jersey, I think it’s about time for an update. Since this blog is all about food, I’ll spare you the countless photos of scenery, bridges and other assorted artifacts of semi-historical significance and get right to the good stuff.

On Tuesday, our first day on the road, we drove about 450 miles to the resort town of Nags Head, NC, located in the slender chain of islands and barrier reefs known as the Outer Banks. Passing through Maryland on our way to NC, a mandatory lunch stop for blue crabs was required. The crabs we had at Crabs To Go, located on US 50 just west of Ocean City, were remarkable for their freshness (they were cooked alive, right before our eyes), flavor (just the right amount of Old Bay seasoning) and messiness (I mean that in the best way possible).

We bought a dozen small-sized crabs (each measuring about 5″ across), and a pair of wooden mallets, helped ourselves to some butcher paper and took a seat in their roadside picnic area. Not surprising due to the 103 degree temperature and 100% humidity, we had the area to ourselves. Oppressive is the only word I can think of to describe those conditions, but once we took our first bites of crab, it didn’t matter. Nearly an hour later, after sweating through all of our clothes, we had finally savored the last bites of these famous Chesapeake Bay treats and were in agreement that our first meal of the trip would set a high standard for the ones to follow.

Our second day began with a great breakfast in Manteo, NC at a place called TL’s Country Kitchen. Incredibly friendly waitstaff – check. Ridiculously inexpensive yet absolutely delicious sausage/egg/biscuit sandwiches – check. We had actually set out to eat somewhere else but had a change of heart when we saw their empty parking lot. A driveby around the neighborhood revealed a full lot at TL’s. Let that be road trip meal lesson 1; restaurant reviews mean nothing if the place is empty.

Our lunch stop in Wilmington, NC was also quite enjoyable. We happened upon a little Southern cafe in the downtown area (only after we discovered that the place we had originally set our sights on had just recently closed its doors for good) called The Basics. To begin, we split an order of fried green tomatoes garnished with caramelized onions. For the main event, I ordered an Oyster Po’Boy which, with its perfectly fried oysters and creamy jalapeño aioli, was quite a delicious sandwich. It was served with collard greens and a mini-biscuit.

We arrived into Charleston, SC later that day after another long day on the road, eager for some more Southern food, specifically, shrimp and grits. I’ve experimented with this dish on my own but I was eager to try a more ‘authentic’ (read: not prepared by a Yankee) version. We had heard good things about Magnolias, a somewhat-upscale, Southern food joint located in the historic section of downtown and decided to give it a try.

While the food was presented well and looked appetizing, I’m sorry to say that the wife and I both left the meal feeling a bit underwhelmed. It’s not that we had a bad meal or had lousy service, I just think that something was missing from the meal. I found my appetizer of fried chicken livers to be the best thing I ate all night. The wife’s blue crab bisque was heavy on cream and a bit lacking in crab flavor.

For $30, I really wanted to be blown away by my shellfish and grits. Sure, the grits were tasty, as was the creamy shellfish sauce served with the dish, but the grits were quite lumpy and congealed into a solid mass almost immediately. The scallops and little pieces of lobster were a nice touch but the shrimp were a bit lacking in the flavor department. The wife’s fried chicken was good, but not great; the chicken was moist and juicy but was also in need of some flavor augmentation.

The next morning, we had breakfast at Hominy Grill. Wanting to erase the memories of the previous night’s lackluster offering, I opted for the signature breakfast dish of the city, shrimp and grits, and this time I was not disappointed.

The grits were creamy and much smoother than the previous night’s version. The shrimp had also apparently been sauteed, providing them with an appealing color, texture and flavor. The little bits of bacon, mushrooms, and green onions mixed in with the shrimp were also a nice touch. Like the sign says, ”grits are good for you”.

Lunch at the Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar included this dozen Gulf oysters that we devoured so quickly, I didn’t get a chance to take a ‘before’ shot.

Last night’s dinner at Fig, (an acronym for Food Is Good) was truly great. Specializing in all things local, fresh and seasonable and led by a recent James Beard award winning chef, the food was incredibly well executed and damn tasty. For appetizers, I ordered a crispy trotter cake topped with an over-easy egg, all served over succotash. Our server recommended that we order something with tomatoes because they were at their peak ripeness; a suggestion that we were both thankful for upon sampling the tomato tart served with a light and airy whipped goat cheese that the wife ordered for her appetizer.

For dinner, I ordered sweetbreads served with bacon, baby leeks and a carrot purée while the wife ordered flounder served over creamed spinach, stone crab, tiny mushrooms and capers. Our plates were nearly licked clean.

I enjoyed yesterday’s breakfast so much that I insisted upon returning to the Hominy Grill this morning to sample their biscuits and sausage gravy (which were excellent, by the way) before hitting the road. With full bellies, we packed and gassed the car and made the short trip to Savannah, GA, where we’ll be for the next two nights and then on to New Orleans, LA, the stopover that I am probably most excited by based on what I hope to be eating.