Twice in three days!

 

I love trying new restaurants.

I love finding amazing food and staff at tiny little dives and local bars that you wouldn't normally expect. It's not about apperance to me as much as it is about quality and comfort.

 

When we make our annual Outer Banks trip, we always look forward to going to

Miller's Waterfront Restaurant on the sound. 

 

 

Normally, I would stay away from restaurants like this simply because they are "vacationer draws" and the food is usually not that good, you don't get much and it's overpriced. You are paying for the atmosphere because it is on the sound and soundside is where the sun sets every night. There is a huge outdoor deck, with a pier and even adirondack chairs on the grassy area by the water. 
 

 

Well, yes, you do get all of that BUT you also get delicious food, fantastic staff, and a place that lures you back every trip. We couldn't wait to go to Miller's Waterfront this past September trip.  
We didn't even mind the 30 minute wait that we had in the off season because we enjoyed sitting on a bench on the pier and watched the sunset. 
In fact, we hoped for a wait just so we wouldn't miss the complete sequence.

 

Of course that also gave Dad a chance to have a glass of wine and for me to have whiskey.
My whiskey was pretty photogenic - with the sunset and on the marsh side.

The sun set and, almost instantly, our table was ready!
 Perfect timing!



 I had the evening's amazing special - filet mignon topped with lump crab meat and bearnaise sauce with a side of sauteed squash and zucchini and redskin mashed potatoes.

 

I truly did not want this meal to end. At one point I made such a moan of happiness and caught the man sitting a table over from us grinning. I had to call him out and say "Are you laughing at me?"

He just sheepishly smiled. I love good food, what can I say? I'm not apologizing!!

 It makes me happy and evidently my happiness made someone else happy even if just for a moment. You're welcome, random stranger.

Naturally, Dad and I had to have a bottle of wine to share with dinner. 

At first, I didn't recognize anything on the list and then I found it......

 

Murphy-Goode 2011 Homefront Red

I had heard of this California winery before but hadn't tried any of their wines. However, I had always wanted to try Homefront Red because for every bottle sold, Murphy-Goode will donate
50 cents to Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency and financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.

Not only was this blend of Syrah, Merlot, Petit Syrah and Zinfandel surprisingly delicious but by purchasing it, we were helping out military families in need. How ironic we tried this wine the day before September 11! Even more ironic than that was the importance of sharing it with my favorite wounded warrior, my dad, who was was drafted and wounded in the senseless Vietnam War.



 

Homefront Red is a food-friendly wine and it paired beautifully with my steak but also well with Dad's soft shell crab dinner. Its fruit forward flavor of dark berries was very pleasing to the palette.   When I asked Dad what it smelled like he said "wet rubber" and that it reminded him of his wet poncho when he was in Vietnam. That was a new one for me but hey, he was kind of right after I thought about it.....

I love asking people what they smell and taste because it's a great conversation starter if nothing else. Everyone always starts out hesitant and says they don't smell anything when in reality they don't want to be "wrong". The thing is you can't be wrong! It's your nose!! You know what you smell! Who cares if I agree with you or not? It's part of the fun!

Case in point... because dad said the first thing that came to mind - wet rubber - we nicknamed this wine "Wet Rubber Red Wine". Try to say that four times fast!
Yeah, we were laughing too. See, isn't wine fun?

 

A few close family and friends know that I not only believe in in the afterlife but I also have been able to communicate with some of my loved ones in spirit. I have been fortunate to be connected through my dear special friend who is a medium and also have had many of my own connections usually based on smells, electricity and intuition.  

This evening was no different. While were seated at a round table for four, we only had three seats filled. At one point of the evening, I looked at the empty seat and had a strong sense that one of dad's friends from Vietnam who had been killed in combat while with my dad was there with us. He was proud of our enjoyment with Homefront Red no doubt. It was an incredible feeling.
God bless you, sir!

We left that evening with our bellies full, our taste buds happy and our hearts full of love.

 

But wait... it's not over yet! 


We enjoyed ourselves so much that on our last night of vacation, we decided to go back to Miller's Waterfront and have dinner again! While trying out numerous restaurants over the years as well as that week, we just couldn't stay away from Miller's Waterfront!!
It was raining that day so we didn't even go for the sunset.
We simply wanted the food!!

 

I am not a huge hushpuppy fan but Mom definitely is and we devoured these both nights.





I remembered having the Noble Vines Chardonnay last year for the first time but I only had a glass. Knowing Dad would enjoy it and that it went extremely well with seafood, I suggested we share a bottle.



 

 

Noble Vines is a brand of the Delicato Family Vineyards in Monterey, California. 
Reasonably priced, you can find this line at most grocery stores here in Virginia.  This Chardonnay has a fragrance of apple, pineapple, apricot and lemon. It is a bit creamy with a toasty vanilla spice flavor. It is slightly tart but the tartness doesn't linger. A wonderful compliment to seafood!



 

 

This Chardonnay was fantastic with the hot cheesy crab dip that we shared as an appetizer!

 

 

 

Even better with my Trawl Boat entree - broiled shrimp, scallops and crabcake

 

"You know when food is really good because you eat it really slow

and you don't want it to ever go away."

Yep, a quote by yours truly with both meals I had at this restaurant.

Dad enjoyed the wine so much that he wanted to make sure we got every last drop in the bottle!

 

 

We were fortunate enough to have the same waitress, Sarah, both nights. She may have thought we were completely nuts but she loved it! I told her she was my little sister...who cares if she probably could have been my daughter! Isn't she just adorable?

 

 

 

 

 Once again, we left Miller's Waterfront Restaurant not only satisfied but extremely happy!

 

 

 

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food.”
― George Bernard Shaw