THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609170513
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant Review
SOURCE: BY SUSAN VAUGHAN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK LENGTH: 103 lines
Stressed out by the hurricane's recent visit, a friend and I were really ready for a relaxed evening out. We decided to check out Fat Flounders in Kitty Hawk - and the restaurant's all-you-can-eat buffet. We arrived about 7:30 p.m., just missing the early bird rush.
Located in the former Sportsman restaurant, which did a short stint as Waves Edge North, Fat Flounders opened this summer on the east side of the U.S. 158 bypass. The waiting area features photos of the owners' flounder catches - one a six-pounder - and works by local artists Jean Pace, Mindy Hanbury and Jean McLean, one of the eatery's co-owners.
The dining room is warm and cozy, reminiscent of the Calabash fish house-style restaurants strung along North Carolina's southern beaches. Natural wood booths and hanging plants line the walls and windows. Tables covered in red and white checkered cloths are arranged around the room's center.
On the night we dined there, the medium-sized restaurant was filled almost to capacity with a mixture of family groups and couples, all in casual attire. Tunes from Broadway musicals emanated from the speakers. And I was particularly pleased to notice the absence of cigarettes in this smoke-free establishment.
To begin our meal, my friend chose a glass of merlot ($2.50) which he said was served ``a bit too warm.'' I ordered an imported beer ($2.75). It came icy cold with a frosty glass.
Appetizers included the buffet selections of seafood soup, clam chowder or salad. We both chose the salad bar, which was pretty basic except for the spiced shrimp. The dressings were outstanding - thick and creamy with a homemade taste.
For entrees, my companion opted for the $15.95 buffet. I chose one of four evening specials: broiled flounder ($10.95).
My friend first had oysters and mussels steamed in the shell, which he said were delicious. Clam strips, stuffed flounder, chicken strips, fried and steamed shrimp, fried oysters, crab cakes and fried scallops also were included in the enormous meal. He found the fried shrimp to be ``too heavily breaded'' and the clam strips ``ho-hum.'' The rest of the selections, however, were superb.
The fried scallops, he said, were ``lightly breaded and perfectly seasoned - the crab cakes, just excellent.'' Despite such a large initial sampling of the seafood, my friend couldn't resist one more trip to the bar for another helping of steamed oysters and mussels. Fat Flounders' seafood buffet, of course, allows unlimited visits.
Other selections for landlubbers include roast beef, beef kabobs, lasagna and spaghetti.
My flounder arrived a la carte. The salad, soup and vegetable selections from the dinner bar were included in the deal. The restaurant lived up to its name - serving a medium-sized fish of ample thickness. It was lightly seasoned, very fresh and not overcooked. I added to my meal coleslaw, tartar sauce and hush puppies from the bar.
Garlic bread and five dessert selections came with both meals at no extra charge.
Although the food was filling and palate pleasing, the most impressive part of my trip to Fat Flounders was the polite, helpful staff. Waiters and waitresses appeared totally unruffled and not offended by special requests and quirks. They were extremely attentive throughout the evening.
While paying the bill, I also was struck by the outgoing friendliness of owner George McLean - with whom I and my companion had a lengthy conversation. He shared with us information about his background and interests. And we left his eatery feeling the same warmth with which we were greeted.
A Harbinger native, McLean returned to the Outer Banks from Northern Virginia in 1990 after retiring from a teaching position. He worked for years at the Seafare Restaurant of Nags Head before deciding to open his own place in Kitty Hawk. He and his wife, Jean, share responsibilities at their new restaurant.
The name ``Fat Flounders'' evolved out of McLean's love of gigging flounders in the waters off the Outer Banks. Jean McLean said her first date with her husband was spent wading through the shallow waters of Oregon Inlet catching the flat fish.
``You're always amazed at what you see in those waters. It's the most exciting experience anyone can have,'' George McLean says of flounder fishing, with fond enthusiasm.
Jean sees the sport a little differently. ``You're out there in the dark in the wee hours of the morning,'' she said. ``Things jump out at you. And you don't know what they are.''
Dining at Fat Flounders, however, you'll always know what you're getting: a good place to take the family or a friend for a relaxed meal, excellent food, outstanding service and a reasonable variety at an affordable price. MEMO: FAT FLOUNDERS
WHERE: Milepost 3.5 on the U.S. 158 Bypass, Kitty Hawk.
PHONE: 255-0218
FEATURES: All you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets.
Seafood and other evening specials.
PRICES: Breakfast and lunch buffets are $4.95. Specials start at
$1.95. The soup and salad lunch special is $2.95. The dinner buffet is
$15.95 or $23.95 with crab legs. Dinner specials range from $10.95 to
$13.95. Senior citizen and children's discounts are available.
SPECIALTIES: Flounder, broiled or fried, and stuffed on the buffet.
Steamed shellfish.
HOURS: Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for
breakfast and lunch. Open daily at 5 p.m. for dinner.
DRINKS: Wines by the bottle or glass, domestic and imported beers,
full bar selections, soft drinks, coffee, iced and hot tea and lemonade.
PAYMENT: VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
RESERVATIONS: No, but recommend calling ahead for large parties.
SMOKING: No smoking.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes. by CNB