THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407280220
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COROLLA LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
IN THE SHADOW of Currituck's brick lighthouse, tucked between wild horse herds and windswept dunes, an oasis of fine food awaits diners at TimBuck II.
``Finely Ron's'' opened seven years ago at the Seagate North shopping center in Kill Devil Hills. Last summer, the family-owned restaurant moved north to Corolla. The fresh fare and original entrees, however, haven't changed a bit.
White linen cloths and glass-globed oil lamps adorn every carefully laid out table top in the 80-seat dining room. The ambiance is intimate. The atmosphere is not.
Tourists toting kites, hammocks and T-shirts buzz by three all-windowed walls - carrying purchases through the shopping center and around the upscale eatery.
My husband and I took refuge at Ron Davidson's restaurant last week.
The meal was marvelous - and well worth the 45-minute drive from Nags Head.
We began with Williamsburg Chardonnay ($4.75) from the extensive by-the-glass wine list and a 22 oz. bottle of Smoky Mountain Ale ($5.50). The wine was fine. The beer was better. Brewed in western North Carolina, the smooth amber was among the best I've had. Our waiter, Shawn, served it in its own cooler, which kept the beer a perfect temperature throughout the meal.
While we were perusing the menu, a basket of fresh bread appeared on our table, warm and still steaming. Small sour dough loaves and herb rolls surrounded a glass ramekin of whipped butter. But the best was yet to come.
For appetizers, we selected a cup of crawfish bisque ($3.75) and wild mushroom strudel ($4.75), the first an evening special, the second a menu standby. Served on china plates with white paper doilies, the presentation was picture perfect. The flavor was superior.
Large lumps of Louisiana crawfish tail meat swam in a rich seafood broth laced with tomato paste and spun through heavy cream. Fresh bell peppers and ground black peppercorns added zest to the appetizing soup. And parsley flakes flitted throughout.
The mushrooms were miraculous. Rolled in thin filo dough and lightly sauteed in olive oil, three types - oyster, shiitake and white button - were chopped thin and cooked in Madeira sherry. A mild white Cheddar cheese and cream sauce lined the plate and enhanced the appetizer's fabulous flavor.
Entrees were difficult to choose. Three nightly specials certainly seemed tempting. But both of us ended up ordering off of the regular menu. I had the All-Lump Mattamuskeet Crabcakes ($15.50), Dan decided on the Crispy Boneless Duck ($15.75).
During the three years I have lived on North Carolina's barrier islands, I have heard about Mattamuskeet crabs dozens of times. Until last week, however, I had never seen - much less tasted - the legendary gargantuan shellfish. They surpassed even the folklore surrounding them. Caught in Lake Mattamuskeet in central Hyde County, these crabs are fabled to be larger and sweeter than any on the entire East Coast. Some say that's because the clawed creatures feast on sweet potatoes which once grew from the manmade lake's muddy floor. Whatever the cause, I believe the superlative. The thumb-sized lumps of white meat were sweet and delectable. Served in baseball-sized cakes with minimal breading for consistency, the crab was peppered with bits of yellow, green and red bells. On top, a chili mango sauce added an unexpected tangy fruit taste - and a tiny snippet of spice.
The duck was simply delicious. Farm-raised and roasted in Madeira wine, the fowl is stuffed with onions, carrots, oranges and apples, then split from the bone and basted with juices. A Chambord sauce of raspberry liquer spilled across the sliced breast, accenting the meat and masking any gamey flavor.
Both meals came with flavorful wild rice and a medley of steamed zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, red peppers and carrots on the side.
For dessert, we shared a slice of chocolate chip, peanut butter cheesecake ($3.75). Made by a local baker expressly for Finely Ron's, the creamy concoction was not overpowered by peanut butter - and highly augmented with large, semi-sweet chips. A delectable conclusion to a delightful dinner.
``We advise people to leave at least an hour and a half for their evening meals here,'' said Shawn as he cleared away our plates almost two hours after we had sat down. ``Each dinner is made as it is ordered. And the sauces, too, are cooked individually - not scooped out of a vat or anything like that.
``Ron Davidson himself does most of the meals.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Finely Ron's, now in the TimBuck II complex at Corolla, near the
Currituck lighthouse, still specializes in fresh fare and original
entrees.
FINELY RON'S
Where: TimBuck II shopping center, N.C. Route 12, Corolla
Phone: (919) 453-4077
Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30
p.m.
Prices: Dinner entrees $12.95 to $19.50
Children's Menu: Available upon request
Reservations: Highly recommended
Smoking: Separate non-smoking, smoking areas available
Drinks: Soft drinks, coffee, tea; extensive wine-by-the-glass
list; domestic, imported and micro-brewery beers.
Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard, Discover, Carte Blanche, Diners
Club
Comedy Club: Sunday and Monday nights, 10:30 p.m., $5 cover
charge
by CNB