Heather and I always plan to have at least one night away towards the end of each year for a "goal planning getaway." It gives us time to reflect on what we accomplished and what we didn't and map out individual and couple goals for the New Year. We aim to create impactful strides in both our personal and professional lives. While performing this exercise in a previous year, we came up with the idea for this blog! Plus, when we get away for a day or so, we are naturally going to find some good food!
On this occasion, I planned a weekend getaway in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. This is mine and Heather's favorite beach to go to because it's very accessible and has a lot of fun things to offer. We checked in at the hotel a little after lunch and thought it would be a good idea to get a "snack" to keep us happy until our dinner reservation. We walked over to Hang Ten Grill and ordered the thai-chili boneless chicken wings and a shrimp burger with fries to share. It was perfect. This small sports bar is a hidden gem and I can't wait to walk in off the beach this summer to get some awesome food. We were just full enough from our meal to relax for the afternoon and go for a walk. We had a late dinner reservation at The Surf House (I chose this location based on the recommendation of our neighbor) and let me just say, the restaurant does not look like much from the outside but once you walk in you enter a different world. Everyone was so welcoming. It is a laidback, nice, welcoming atmosphere with great music playing. The decorations are classic beach but clean and crisp. We had a short wait for our table and while we were waiting, the bartender walked over to us to take our beverage order. They have a wonderful cocktail list along with wine selections. Once we were seated for our dinner, we had one amazing dish after another including a half dozen steamed oysters, the redneck picnic (drop biscuits, NC crab deviled eggs, cured Virginia salami, no boxcarr cheese, pimento goat cheese, basil jam, pickles), pecan encrusted catfish with grits, and a shrimp and grits dish. Of course, what stole the show was the blondie desert with house made vanilla ice cream and maple pecan brittle. We can’t recommend this restaurant enough. We were talking on the way back to the hotel and we both agreed that it was our absolute favorite meal of the year! Do yourself a favor, make a reservation and treat yourself to a nice dinner. You won't regret it!