Outer Banks, fun times

Last week I took a trip to Duck, North Carolina which is in the Outer Banks (OBX). I love the Outer Banks, it's not only a beautiful area but it's relaxed and less commercialized than some of the other beaches on the east coast. I've never been on a beach in OBX that was not clean and for the most part the beaches are not overly crowded. I like that you can stay in a house rather than a hotel room, in fact there are very few hotels in the Outer Banks. Staying in a house allows you to back and forth between your house, the beach, and a pool while having all the convienences of home. The houses, some of which are very luxurious, are affordable, especially if you are travelling with another family or two. The house we stayed in was located on the sound side in on Jaycrest Street. This was a duplex and condo development which included an indoor pool and tennis court. The sound view was very peaceful and we watched the sun go down each evening from the deck.

The beach

Our view from the deck at sunset

A brief review of restaurants we visited.

High Cotton:

This is a BBQ restaurant. The establishment offers both dine in and carry out. The menu consists of pulled pork and chicken as well as barbecued chicken and ribs. We ordered the pulled pork, ribs, hush puppies, and potato salad. The ribs were excellent and of course hush puppies are a must in NC. The pork was very good but we didn't get any bbq sauce in our take out order so this was disappointing. I'd still recommend the pulled pork, just make sure you ask for sauce. Our order cost about $40, it was easily enough food for 5 people as the 3 of us had a good amount left over. High Cotton is a great choice for take out or a quick meal.

Blue Point:

A friend recommended this restaurant to me as it has become her favorite place in Duck during her visits to OBX. The Blue Point is one of the nicer dining establishments in Duck. Prices are as you would expect in a fine dining establishment. The restaurant is very quaint. The interior can be described as "diner becomes mod." The "Point" is located along the sound and tables along the windows offer a pretty view. Several tables and chairs are set up outside along the sound. I visited the Point at lunch and I do not know if these tables and chairs are for dining in the evening. The lunch menu included soups, salads, sandwiches and light entrees. The menu was on the smaller side but still had plenty of choices. I had the crab and shrimp roll, which was similar to a lobster roll in Maine. It was topped with a creamy dressing and was delicious. My sand which was served with homemade chips. My friends had the lunch special which was mahi-mahi served with rice. The dish was flavored with a butter and basil sauce and both women seemed to very much enjoy their lunch. The portion of the fish and the rice was just right for lunch. Service at the Blue Point was excellent as well. I would definitely return to the Point for lunch or dinner.

Aqua:

Aqua is a day spa, restaurant and martini bar...talk about having everything you could possible need under one roof! Aqua is also located along the sound so the views are pretty from every window. We stopped by Aqua to sample one of their martinis and have a dessert. The restaurant bar area is very trendy, the perfect place to have a martini. I had the Bellini-tini which as you would expected tasted very much like a peach Bellini, yum! We shared the key lime creme bruele and while I'm not a fan of key lime I enjoyed this dessert very much. The creme bruele was not overly limey and it was very light. One of the other women I was with was having the soup of the day which was a roasted corn and crab soup, I tried this soup and all I can say is Wow. The soup had a wonderful combination of flavors, of course how could it not with corn and crab. All of the food I saw being served at Aqua looked delicious. Next time I visit, OBX I'll definitely have to have an entire meal at Aqua.

Sunset Grille and Raw Bar

We ate dinner at Sunset one evening. There was a bit of a wait so we enjoyed some cocktails on the dock while we waited. You really cannot beat the atmosphere at Sunset as it has lots of outside seating right on the sound. They have a great selection of frozen and tropical drinks. I very much enjoyed my mango daiquiris. Sunset has a raw bar as well as steamed seafood. They also have a full menu of dinners, sandwiches, salads and even sushi. We started with raw oysters and steamed clams both of which were good. For my meal, I had the tuna which was the catch of the day, this is where the food turned bad. The tuna was over cooked and try, with little seasoning or taste. My friends had steamed crabs, which they said were OK. They also had sushi, which they were satisfied with. The name of this restaurant is very fitting because the sunset view is spectacular. This is a great place to have drinks and watch the sunset but I'd choose a different restaurant for dinner.

Sunset at Sunset