THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407210192
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARGARET TALEV, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
AFTER A PARTICULARLY frustrating day, I wasn't uplifted by the red and white sign atop the entrance to the Nags Head Fishing Pier and Pier House Restaurant.
``The Happiest People in the World Pass Thru This Door,'' it read.
Not me. Not this evening.
But there was something messy and comfortable about the place that took hold of me immediately. Maybe it was the ice machine, foot-washing hose and rusty scale at the entrance. Or the damp, salty smell wafting off the pier by a cool breeze.
Throw in the charming man behind the pole rental and tackle counter, the tourists sorting through racks of T-shirts, and the fishing pier had already served me up a recipe for oceanfront relaxation.
Beer, not food, was on my mind as I swung open the door to the restaurant, to the right of the tackle shop. But the patrons' lighthearted laughter, a spectacular ocean view and the warm, sweet smell of hushpuppies and home cooking ambushed my senses and invigorated my appetite.
For appetizers, a friend and I tried the mushrooms ($4.95), stuffed with crab, topped with provolone cheese and broiled. We both found the crab meat a bit dry, but the mushrooms plump and delicious and the serving large enough for two.
A cup of homemade clam chowder ($1.75), Outer Banks style with a clear clam base, was even more to my liking. Warm, salty broth with floating bits of celery, carrots, potatoes and clams soothed my cranky mood like only my mom's chicken and scallion soup has done for years.
Broiled filet of fresh sea trout ($9.95) with lemon butter, baked potato and corn made a light and satisfying dinner for me. My corn came late, but I barely noticed.
My friend chose the fried seafood platter ($13.95) - a gargantuan order of sea scallops, oysters, trout, softshell crab and shrimp served with hushpuppies and two side orders. The salad bar - an option for a side order - offered uniformly fresh vegetables.
He liked the oysters and sea scallops most, and I agreed. The scallops were huge, tender and extremely sweet. For a dollar more, the seafood platter comes broiled.
Selections from the steamer, all-you-can-eat specials, poultry, steaks and sandwiches were also available.
We were too stuffed to attempt dessert. But the restaurant makes apple, sweet potato and chocolate peanut butter pies.
The restaurant also serves breakfast and lunch, and early risers can find food at 6 a.m.
Lovie and Andy McCann took over the pier and restaurant in 1987, redecorating the interior, adding menu items and enclosing a deck behind the dining room. Lovie McCann said the restaurant has existed 15 or 20 years. The pier was built in the 1940s.
One change the McCanns made was to add cedar siding walls and floors to the dining room. Finished with a clear gloss, the light wood caught the waning sunbeams nicely.
Other McCann features are the wooden tables, inlaid with island charts or oceanic scenes, such as surfing or sailing.
Sadly, the loveliest portion of the restaurant is the emptiest. The deck the McCanns enclosed five years ago overlooks the pier and ocean with huge windows. But until the McCanns make other required amendments to the restaurant, they will not be allowed to send servers on the deck.
One fun and economical feature of the pier restaurant is the ``You Hook 'Em - We Cook 'Em'' special. For lunch ($3.95) or dinner ($4.25 and $5.25) patrons can bring in fish they've caught and cleaned at the pier and have them fried or broiled and served with hushpuppies and vegetables.
The night we went, we called ahead and were told that the fishing wasn't great. But after our meal, we walked out on the pier and found scores of men, women and children, locals and tourists casting over the pier. The mackerel were biting.
The $1 cost of walking out on the pier ($5 to fish, unless you are a season passholder) is money well spent.
Leaving the pier, I passed the entrance and glanced back at the red and white sign, believing it a little more on the way out. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Lavinia and Joe Sullivan of Manteo, who are regular diners at the
Pier House Restaurant in Nags Head, are served by waitress Donna
Isaacs.
PIER HOUR RESTAURANT
Where: Nags Head Fishing Pier, milepost 12 on the beach road
Phone: (919) 441-5141
Hours: Open daily for breakfast (6 to 11:30 a.m.), lunch (11:30
a.m. to 4 p.m.) and dinner (4 to 10 p.m.)
Prices: Dinner entrees $7.95 to $16.95
Children's menu: Four items, $4.95 each
Reservations: Not required
Beverages: Coffee, tea, soda, juice, beer, wine and liquor
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
Take-out: Available
Accessibility: Handicapped accessible
by CNB