Fox and Hound

Last night a bunch of us went out to MayFaire Towncenter to take in the Music on the Town and grab a bite to eat.  We decided on the Fox and the Hound. The pub is located next to the movie theatre. The theme of the restaurant is a classic British pub. On that mark, it missed by a landslide. Having lived in London for two years, I can attest that this is no British pub. Sure, I am a pub-snob, so I will let that go....In short, it is pretty spacious, many tall tables, lots of big screen TVs, and a nice outdoor eating area. 

I had to order the classic fish and chips. At a pub, it is only natural! The fish is fried in a Newcastle Brown Ale beer-batter. It is served with fresh cut steak fries. The serving size was huge. I could only eat 2 of the 3 fish portions. We were in a group of about 12. The waitress was fantastic. She managed to get all the orders up at once and all brought out hot! Kudos to her. As fish and chips go, I would give this one a 7 out of 10. It is the best I had in town thus far, but not the best I have had in my life. The meal ran about $10.00. 

I am off to London in a few weeks. I am eager to see if my memory of pub-grub accurately reflects reality. Stay tuned!.

Surfs Bar and Grille

On a whim, and because we had a buy one get one for a penny coupon, we headed to Surfs Bar and Grille. It is located at 5550 Market Street. From the outside, you would not expect too much. But once you walk in the front doors, you are greeting with a really cool atmosphere. The decor makes you feel as if the beach is outside the door - lots of wood and lots of metal. It is really fun and relaxing. To add to the fun, there are lots of 'Surf's Facts' posted throughout the restaurant which makes going out an educational experience! ;)

We ordered the 12 oz New York Strip and the Teriyaki salmon served on steamed spinach. 

They started off bringing us a basket of sweet cornbread. It was baked to perfection. It was moist and tender. It was a really nice starter. The salmon was so fresh and sweet tasting. I could have eaten two of them. The portion size was great. I would definitely eat this one again. 

The New York strip was nothing special. In fact, it was tough, dry, loads of fat, and did not taste too fresh. I guess they do not sell enough of these to keep them fresh...who knows. It was not horrid, but I would have been really upset if we did not get that meal for a penny. It is normally around $19.00.

They had a wonderful selection of cheap sandwiches (around $7-$9) on the menu too. I think I might go back and try some of those. 

Los Portales - Mexican night!

On Friday night, prior to heading for a movie on the deck of the Battleship North Carolina (which is a fantastic event by the way) we had a hunkering to find some authentic Mexican food. I heard we should try Los Portales for 'real' Mexican food. Los Portales is located at 1207 South Kerr Avenue #B. It is just a hop and jump away from the UNCW campus.

Walking in, we knew we hit a local hot spot. The place is smallish but nice. In true Mexico form, music videos were playing on a television. It adds to the atmosphere. When we walked in, we noticed the menu is above the counter. So we figured out you had to order right there. The only issue is the entire menu is in Spanish. Good thing I can hold my own. ;)

We ordered two fish tacos and a chorizo taco to start. Wow...they were delicious. The tacos are much like you get in Mexico; small, fresh corn with only the meat on a soft shell. We had to go to the condiment bar to add a selection of fresh vegetables and salsas. The salsas were out of this world yummy. Of course since the tacos were tiny (only $1.75 each) we ordered a chicken burrito too. It was huge. It alone would have fed us both. We washed it down with a bottle of Jarritos. Jarritos is a mandarin orange soda that is just soothing on the taste buds. For three tacos, a drink, and a huge burrito our total bill was around $16.00.

You know this place is authentic when two vacationers came in, looked around, seemed confused, and walked out. I guess they thought it would be a more casual dining place. Here, you order at the counter, they yell, you pick up, you bus your own tables. For non-Spanish speakers, the staff speaks enough English to help out. 

For desert, we headed down to La Imperial. This is a Mexican bakery we heard about in the local paper. La Imperial is located at 4330 Market Street (in a shopping center at the corner of Kerr and Market). Walking in you are surrounded with the scent of flour and sweets. This experience too is a little out of our norm. You pick up a tray, some wax paper, and a pair of tongs. From there you search through tiers of trays filled with all sorts of sweets. There  are no names or prices, just sweets galore. We got  a strawberry jam thingy that looked like a baseball covered in coconut shavings and a pineapple sweet bread coverd in coconut shavings (notice my technical terms). Both were lovely. The sweet bread is not overpowering and not too sweet. A very nice taste. It would have been awesome with a cup of coffee! For two huge sweets we spent only $1.75. We packed the sweets and ate them while we watched Father Goose (an old Cary Grant movie) on the decks of the ship while overlooking the Cape Fear! 

I Love NY Pizza

Located at 28 North Front Street in historic downtown Wilmington is a small pizza place called I Love NY Pizza. They sell pizza by the slice or by the pie. 

With Lynn's family in town (they are displaced New Yorkers at heart) we had to try the New York style pizza. We ordered a 1/2 cheese and 1/2 Greek pizza to go. The pie was huge! Normally I am a gourmet style pizza guy and do not really dig on 'regular' pizza. But this was no regular pizza. It was fresh, tasty, and pretty cheap. For a large (which fed four and then some) we paid only $16. 

To top it off, when we called in the order they said park out front and they would run us out the pie. This was in the pouring rain! Now that is service. 

If you are in downtown and want only a nibble to curb anappetite or if you want to fill up, this is a good, inexpensive option. The inside atmosphere is not really sit-down-and-relax. It is intended to grab a quick nibble. So I suggest you get a slice and enjoy a walk downtown- with slice in hand of course.

Bon Appetit

Yesterday we (re) visited Bon Appetit. This is a small restaurant run by Gene Costa from Long Island, New York. He does catering for the stars but also manages to run this little restaurant located at 3704 Carolina Beach Road. Lynn and I found this place when we first moved to Wilmington. It is located in a pretty nondescript location. Unless you were looking for a place to eat, you might miss it. But that would be a mistake.

On this trip, we had company in town. I ordered the shrimp and grits. I had this treat many, many times here and absolutely love it. Many of my Northern friends think it sounds gross, but I am absolutely smitten with this one. The grits are stone ground, not instant. The shrimp are so plump and luscious, they just pop when you bite into them. Gene makes a wonderful lobster sauce where the shrimp and grits happily swim together. The meal is topped off with tomatoes, bacon bits (real bacon of course), and cheese. It is out of this world. 

I have had many of their breakfast specials including their triple berry malted waffles and poor man's egg Benedict. On the weekend they cook up something special. I usually have to try what is on the menu just for that day. Oh yeah, they just started selling baked goods. I have not tried them....yet. 

Bon Appetit also serves lunch. I had their chicken Philly a few months past and it was fantastic. Up until the economy hit hard, they served dinner and pizza. Their New York style pizza was scrumptious. I am waiting for the dinner / pizza to return. For now, I will be content with breakfast / lunches.  

Ezzell's Breakfast House

On this chilly (48 degree, brrr) morning, we ventured to Ezzell's Breakfast House near downtown on Carolina Beach Road. The diner has a old skool feel where you choose between booths or counter seating. Walking in you feel like this is home. 

The menu has only the regular fare, nothing more and nothing less. But that is what one expects going into these old skool places. I went for the 2-2-2 (2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 pancakes). Lynn went for the bacon and cheese omelet. The order was served up quick and with a smile. Looking around the place, you see why this becomes folks' regular stomping ground. It is very working class but very friendly. The total bill with coffee was only $10.

The food was swell, nothing earth shattering. Then again, that is the point: to get consistent, cheap chow quickly. It is open 24 hours so if I am hunkering for a BLT at 2am, I would swing by for sure!

Yo Sake

Last night we ventured downtown to try a taste of Yo Sake. It is located at 33 S. Front street just one block off of the river. With all the college students heading home for the summer, the atmosphere downtown was rather subdued and relaxed.

Yo Sake is located on the 2nd floor. It is an awesome atmosphere. The lighting, Japanese artwork, exposed brick, and tall windows make for a great place for a romantic outing or a relaxed place to go with friends. 

Having already ate, Lynn and I shared an appetizer. We got a sashimi platter which came with tuna, salmon, white fish, and crab. Oh goodness, this stuff was so fresh and light. It was a wonderful way to top off a night. The presentation was beautiful and the waitress was very attentive. 

I will definitely try this place out for a meal (or another late night treat).

Kefi's

Friday night, we headed out to Kefi's. This place is located just before you go over the liftbridge crossing over to Wrightsville Beach. We were going out with a group of 8 so I thought we better call and get a reservation. When we arrived, there were barely 20 folks so seating was not an issue. Kefi's has a wonderful deck - that's where we sat. On a warm Wilmington night, an outdoor deck is a splendorous thing! We arrived around 8pm to find a lovely acoustical duo stringing some songs. It was a very welcoming environment. 

Anyway, Lynn ordered a basket of fried pickles. I thought this would be totally yucky, but oh no....they are delicious. The crunch has a very nice combination of a light breading with the sour pickle. The dipping sauce really adds to the flavor. 

I ordered a chicken Philly with mixed vegetables. The serving size was good (not huge). The sandwich was nothing to make me yearning for more, but the price, taste, and atmosphere combined made it worth it. We decided it was a great place to go for a break from the beach.

The only off putting experience we had was related to the band that started at 10pm. A chap came up to our group around 9pm and asked if we would be there after 10pm. Upon telling him 'maybe' he said we had to pay $7 each to cover the band! When we did a double take, he kindly said he would give us a discount and charge us each $3 since we were already there. What?! There was another group sitting next to us who were also in disbelief. 

Although the food and atmosphere would make me come back for more, I would think twice about being there when a band was on the docket. 

Pine Valley Market

Not exactly a restaurant, but Pine Valley Market deserves special mention. It is located at 3520 S. College in Wilmington, just north of 17th Street. Lynn and I have been there a few times, so I thought I would put it up here. 

This shop has been voted best gourmet market by Encore Magazine audiences in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The store is a great collection of nice wines, a butcher shop, and gourmet foods. What I like is to stop in and get a frozen diner. Last night I picked up a three cheese lasagna. It was fantastic. Simply remove the cardboard top, put on some foil, and back it for about 60-90 minutes. For just around $10.00 it was enough to feed two. The meal always tastes fresh and healthy. I have also tried the egg plant Parmesan and eggplant rollitini. Both were fresh and wonderful. Unlike grocery store frozen foods, this tastes like homemade food. Very good. I find it an easy and cheap option to 'going out' while I stay home.  

Thai Spices

This place is super new. I think it opened in the past week. Since we love Thai food, we had to try it. Thai Spice is located at Monkey Junction across from Home Depot at 5552 Carolina Beach Road. Since I was not in the mood to sit and eat, I ordered a tofu pad Thai and a chicken green curry to go. The interior is rather empty with only a few wall hangings, but clean. The brightly painted walls give the place a nice feel however. I was glad to see there were about 6 couples eating here on a Thursday.

It turned out they gave me chicken pad Thai rather than tofu. There were pieces of tofu in the meal, but the chicken was obviously there too. No worries though, I am willing to give places a break on this mix-up. But if I were a vegetarian, it might be an issue. Nonetheless, the pad Thai was a little sticky but the taste was still good. I would have liked a little more fish sauce and bean sprouts just to give it that street food taste one can find in Bangkok. The pad Thai was not 'wow' but it was still good. I found the serving to be slightly smallish.

The green chicken curry was however 'wow.' It had a great spicy taste that left my mouth wanting more. It had a little zing which is a good thing for a green curry. I was very pleased with this meal. The vegetables were really fresh and crisp. This meal tasted like food you get in Thailand. Very nice. The serving size here was quite large.

The lunch prices were around $8 a meal where as most diner prices were $10-$12 a meal. Our total bill came up to $24.53 for two meals.

I will definitely be back to Thai Spice. I am not sure I care to eat in, but for pick up, count me in!

Lynn says................

I really enjoyed this meal both for dinner and for lunch the next day. Thai food for me is very much a comfort food and Thai Spice hit the spot. I would have preferred larger squares of tofu and no chicken in my pad thai and the noodles were a little dry. In the future I will be sure to ask for a little extra fish sauce and bean sprouts but overall the flavor was good and well worth it.

The green curry - YUM!! I love green curry and this dish was flavorful, spicy and fresh.

I am aware when I eat Thai food I am comparing it to my first experience with Thai food ever - a little place in Minneapolis call Tru Thai. Never did I try a dish there that I wasn't surprised at the depth of flavor and freshness of ingredients. Thai Spice didn't bring me back to Minneapolis but it is definately a retaurant I will be sure to come back to soon to try a few other dishes.