It was the day after Thanksgiving . . .
We arrived late in the evening, hungry for dinner,
and, I knew just where to go.
I had driven past it many times, and never given it a thought.
But, somewhere, and at sometime, I had heard something good.
The inside was cool.
Open, yet filled with warmth.
Modern steel and copper meets wood, in shades of medium brown.
Walls, covered in earthy and eclectic artwork -
think rugs and burlap, mixed with the occasional interesting, indescribable piece.
On their website, it is described as
"a modern interpretation of a turn-of-the-century Lifesaving Station".
I could see that.
The hostess led us upstairs to the loft area, where she seated us in a booth.
They brew their own beer, so I ordered one - the Roustabout Stout.
I liked the name AND the description.
It tasted hearty, complex, and GOOD.
On to the meal selections . . .
My daughter and I strategically chose two dishes that we could share:
Grilled Salmon
Served over sautéed sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, grape tomatoes and caramelized onions in a lemon caper butter
Cheese Ravioli
with butternut squash, red onions, grape tomatoes and brussel sprouts. Topped with dried cherries in a balsamic reduction and goat cheese
As amazing as they sounded on the menu, they TASTED even better.
And, no disrespect to the salmon and the pasta (which were both quite good),
but the VEGETABLES were the star of the show.
I have never, before, felt such love for sweet potatoes, butternut squash,
and BRUSSEL SPROUTS.
And, the combination of the ingredients and flavors on each plate
was simply delicious.
We saved no room for dessert, but we did return for lunch,
the very next day.
And, it's a good thing we did.
When our waitress returned with our to-go box (filled with our unfinished hushpuppies),
she mentioned there was a message, inside, from one of the wait staff.
We opened up the box, and written on the inside of the lid were the words
"you're beautiful" and a phone number.
The hushpuppies (with the honey, beer butter) were sweet,
but THAT was even sweeter.
So, a very pleasant and memorable experience
at the Outer Banks Brewing Station,
which, by the way, is completely powered by their 80 foot tall wind turbine.
It is the first wind powered brewery in the United States.
I raise my Roustabout Stout to the owners, Eric Reece and Aubrey Davis,
the chef, Pok Choeichom, and to the young, adorable server
who took a chance by writing a few words on the inside of a box.
AND, to the brewmaster, Scott Meyer.
Next time, I would like to try the Lemongrass-Wheat Ale.
http://www.obbrewing.com
