THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607040318
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 114 lines
JOHN J. KIRCHMIER'S favorite place on Earth is a verdant island called Tortola, in the British Virgins.
It's little wonder, then, that he tried to bring some of that tropical spirit to one of his other favorite places: the Outer Banks.
A mural of palm trees, blue skies and bluer ocean waters, set against a live view of the Kill Devil Hills shoreline, forms the backdrop for Kirchmier's newest restaurant venture, Quagmires on the Beach.
It's located on the beach road at milepost 8 in an old hotel-turned-restaurant that used to be called Papagayos. Papagayos was legendary with locals for its Mexican fare and smooth margaritas. Folks were disappointed when the place closed down.
But Kirchmier, a legend in his own right for several successful resort-area eateries, has made Quagmires a marvel of recycling.
He's kept the building basically the same, with just a few improvements, like an expanded upstairs dual-level deck overlooking the ocean. Inside, the decor is still reminiscent of an old Outer Banks inn. The menu still carries some Papagayos favorites, such as the sumptuous crabmeat enchilada. And the margaritas still go down real nice.
The name Quagmires also is familiar. It's the same one Kirchmier and a former partner used for a little place on the beach road in Nags Head, now called Tortugas Lie.
``It sort of seemed to fit the building,'' Kirchmier said, explaining why he chose the old moniker to headline his new restaurant. ``It's an old building. And a quagmire's sort of a squishy, swampy place.''
He kind of got sucked in by its charm. He hadn't intended to open another restaurant anytime soon. He had promised his partners at Goombays, a hopping little seafood bistro on the west side of the beach road in Kill Devil Hills, that he would concentrate his efforts there.
But the ``For Sale'' sign on the Papagayos building beckoned him like a siren's song, he said. If he hadn't saved it, the beautiful old inn might have been abandoned.
``I tossed and turned for a week, trying not to buy the place,'' Kirchmier said.
In the end, the temptation was too much. With partners Charles P. Kirchmier, his brother, and Judy M. Fisher, he opened the new Quagmires on May 3.
They wanted to make it a fun place to eat lunch and dinner, or just hang out for drinks.
Local artists Marcia Cline and Robbie Snyder, along with Virginia Beach artist Judy Cowling, lent their talents for an effect that is stunning. The furniture is painted in bright greens and yellows. The tropical mural in the upstairs bar almost convinces patrons they are visiting the Caribbean.
The bar area has been redesigned to look like the bridge of a ship heading out to sea.
On a recent visit, some friends and I first checked to see if the margaritas were still up to standard. As the menu promised, they were ``kissed by de sun, not shot from a gun.'' A pitcher, which provided a couple of refills each for three people, was $18.
Downstairs in the dining room, dinner was relaxed and casual. The service was great.
We sampled a couple of appetizers, a creamy Caribbean crab dip for $5.95 and 4th of July stuffed jalapenos for $3.75. The peppers knocked our socks - and a little tongue tissue - off. No wimpy, watered-down jalapenos here.
For dinner, my husband had crab cakes, deliciously spiced without too much breading. Their price depends on the market. I had one of the nightly specials, scallops over spinach linguine. A friend had the inimitable crabmeat enchilada, also priced for the market. Her husband had pepper-seared salmon for $14.95, served over spinach linguine.
There was too much food to finish, so we took some leftovers home.
For dessert, my friend and I split a chocolate brownie surprise, $3.95. It was a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce - pretty much synonymous with delicious.
We liked it so much, my friend and I went back for lunch a few weeks later, and enjoyed a pleasant meal under an umbrella on the deck upstairs. She had a fresh tuna salad sandwich, worth every bit of its $5.50 price. I had a tender, juicy sandwich of dolphin fish, the pick of the day for the fresh fish sandwich, $5.95. Each was served with crispy, tasty fries. A cup of fresh fruit, $2.50, topped off a great meal.
With good food and an outstanding atmosphere, Quagmires is sure to become a local favorite. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Quagmires on the Beach has opened with a new elevated deck and a
view of the ocean in Kill Devil Hills.
[Box]
QUAGMIRES ON THE BEACH
Where: Milepost 8 on Route 12, the beach road, in Kill Devil
Hills.
Phone: 919-441-9188.
Features: Lunch, served on an outdoor deck, and dinner in a
casual, inn-type atmosphere, with fresh seafood and kids fare. There
are also nightly dinner specials and drinks and live music on the
oceanfront deck.
Prices: Lunches range from $1.95 for a hot dog to $7.95 for a
crabcake sandwich. Dinner entrees range from $6.95 for a broccoli
and almond quesadilla to $14.95 for pepper-seared salmon over
spinach linguine. Appetizers range from $1 for salsa and corn chips
to $5.95 for crab dip. The kids menu has items ranging from a
grilled cheese sandwich with fries for $2.95 to a popcorn shrimp
basket for $4.95.
Specialties: The crabmeat enchilada, priced depending on the
market for crab, and pitchers of margaritas for $18 or $22 golden.
Entertainment seven nights a week from 5 to 10 p.m.
Hours: Open seven days a week from about May through October from
11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 11 p.m. for dinner.
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
Reservations: Not taken
Smoking: In certain sections
Handicapped accessible: The downstairs dining area and restrooms
are fairly accessible, but the deck and bar, both of which are
upstairs, are not. by CNB