Wilmington: Riverboat Landing

Adam was moved from the Kernersville job site to the Brunswick job site with only a few weeks notice. He did great in the transition (esp with the help of someone unloading/organizing his room for 6 hours straight one day).

I am super excited about this move because 1) more restaurants to blog about! and 2) although he is a little farther from where I go to school he is closer to my parents.

Adam took me out to dinner the first night I arrived. I absolutely love that we are able to walk to the downtown Wilmington area from his house! The cobble stone roads, the historic homes, and knowing that the Cape Fear river is a street away is very appealing. I saw a cute geriatric couple holding hands as the man held the door to their abode to then see a bride having her bridal pictures taken. It is a very neat town.

Adam said he had a surprise (which usually involves food for me) and he had made reservations! Yay! He took me to the Riverboat Landing. He made reservations for us so we could enjoy "the unique architectural feature of a set of nine 2-person private balconies from which you may view the battleship USS N. Carolina while enjoying your meal."

We had a short wait because we were early but sat down at the bar for a drink. I like how the bartender described Stella to a customer (If you don't know, Stella Artois is a Belgium Beer). He said, "Oh, this is great. It's light but with lots of alcohol." It made me laugh. I decided on my norm: glass of Riesling although I am trying to drink more red since it is better for the body.

The weather was typical July but with a nice breeze. We had some entertainment from a street singer and her guitar (luckily she was good!) We started off with an appetizer of:
Gazpacho shrimp (Chunky gazpacho salsa, avocado, and chopped cilantro-lime marinated shrimp. Served with flash fried blue corn chips). I felt this would be a good decision due to the temperature and being outside. The appetizer was good; however, I felt it was something that I could make at home...which I will probably do!

Adam ordered the Salmon special. Now, this boy knows fish. He spent some of his childhood in the Pacific NW and in the last 5 years went on a fishing trip to Alaska which he and his Dad sent back LBS of fresh fish.

I ordered the Seafood Risotto. I felt I could not go wrong with a description like this on the menu: lobster, shrimp, crab, salmon and grouper with sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, herbs, and cream over Parmesan –green onion risotto. It was good...but it was not great. I did not taste any crab or lobster in the mix and the risotto was just a little too dry for my standards.

The ambiance and company were wonderful :) I head to Wilmington this weekend so look forward to more posts!

~ Have you ever made risotto? Is it worth the time and effort to make a true risotto? What is your favorite flavor? Would you return to a restaurant just for the ambiance?

Isn't the painting at the top lovely? It is on the menu cover and was done by Jeff Pittman. He has some beautiful paintings including the Charleston battery, the "Old Well" at UNC, and a shrimp boat at Harbor Island, SC. Check out his work!

Myrtle Beach: Villa Mare

You know how there are those handful of restaurants your family tends to always go to...well this is one of them. Villa Mare used to be in small space in a shopping center so I was excited to see their new locale when going with my family for dinner while on my "mini summer vacation."

The new space is MUCH improved with classic yet simple colors and decorations. We were sat near the kitchen and there was plenty of open seating...however, there was little noise coming from the kitchen so there was not a disturbance.

All the meals are served with bread, soup, and salad. The bread is very good being a small loaf with a crusty outside and soft inside. I enjoy having a good EVOO to dip my bread into versus butter but that is just being picky :)

The soup and salad were standard fare. The soup was flavorful but again nothing I could not find on a grocery isle. The salad had the usual greens and a couple other vegetables.

I ordered the Veal Saltimbocca (stuffed with proscioutto and Provolone and sauteed with marsala wine sauce). Oh, how I was disappointed. To start off there was way too much Marsala sauce in which the veal and spinach were swimming. (**The best Marsala sauce every is at Carrabba's!) I could barely find or taste the proscuitto and the spinach was quite bitter. :(

On a positive note, my mother had a wonderful Villa Mare Pasta (tomatoes, scallions, mushrooms alfredo, over spaghetti) to which she added shrimp: divine!

I will probably head to Carrabba's when I feel like my next Italian fix is in need. What is your favorite Italian Restaurant? Dish?