
DATE: Sunday, July 20, 1997                 TAG: 9707220375

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 14   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Restaurant Review 

SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: RODANTHE                          LENGTH:  123 lines

GET STOKED FOR SOME GREAT GRUB AT SURFRIDERS GRILLE

It's hard to stay dry at the Surfriders Grille, what with waiters carving deep slashbacks as they shoot out of the kitchen on longboards, throwing up white water and burning down the line to your table with a fish taco.

But, hey dude, you want to eat on the waves?

You gotta taste some foam.

O.K. So they don't really ride boards while they work at this Rodanthe restaurant. And the nearest water is in your glass or in the Pamlico Sound some 250 feet away.

But beached amid a motif of boards, surf photos, maps and wave riding mementos, it's easy to imagine the next person to visit your table might come flying from deep in the tube of a rolling wave.

And if you don't understand what people are saying as you eavesdrop on some surfers nearby sharing stories of their wave taming exploits, ask to use the Surfinary that's kept at the bar.

This place is fun. It has a great view, especially for sunsets. And . . . there was something else. . . . Oh, food! The eats are killer.

Most restaurants offer only enough visual enticement to keep you from squirming in your seat between placing an order and the arrival of appetizers. Here, you'll want to leave your seat and walk around. Do it.

``It's basically a museum,'' said Randy Hess, one of the surfers-turned-restaurant-owners who launched the eatery a year ago.

Some of the boards on display date back to the '50s and a few wood ones are even older. The art on display transcends the decades. And the collection has been growing steadily.

After only a year in its new building on the sound, Surfriders already has won a loyal Outer Banks following as one of the hottest dining spots around. Hour-long waits are not uncommon on weekends. Reservations are recommended, but not required.

The restaurant is 12 miles south of the Oregon Inlet bridge. It stands in the shade of the Chicamacomico water tower, a good landmark to watch for given that it's set well back from the road. Keep an eye out on the sound side of the road for the blue building with a mural of a surfer taming a big wave on its side.

Surfriders is a great stop on the way back from a visit to the Hatteras Lighthouse, and for anyone (of age) who has mounted all the steps of that venerable if threatened beacon, this eatery offers a beverage playground to refresh and satisfy.

The bar keep says the most popular of the 26 beers on tap is Fest Beer, brewed by the Weeping Radish Brewery in nearby Manteo. Among the most exotic offerings is a micro brew from Johnson's in Charlotte, N.C., a raspberry wheat beer made with fresh raspberries - a summertime treat. Tap prices range from $1.75 to $3 per mug.

If beer isn't your taste, there also is a limited but satisfactory wine selection, all reasonably priced. Indeed, pricing is one thing that will make the trip south from the heart of the Outer Banks resort area worth it. Meals are ample - and the bill is not.

The restaurant's credo certainly is customer friendly: ``Offering our own innovative versions of American and coastal cuisine prepared Surfriders style, or simply any way you wish.'' The menu offers up something for most anyone's taste, from quesadillas to burgers, deli sandwiches, fresh fish and six specialty entrees, including filet mignon or jumbo shrimp, which, at $13.95 each, top off the menu. A 12-ounce cut of prime rib for the truly hungry is a dollar less.

Surfriders' signature dish is fish tacos ($7.95), or, as they call them, ``killer fish tacos.'' They are served California style (marinated on the grill with spices and fresh lime) or Hatteras style (fried with strips of dolphin). And if taco and fish don't make it for you in the same sentence, wimp out and have the chicken tacos and shave 40 cents off the bill. All come with rice and beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese and guacamole.

On our visit, Coast photographer Drew Wilson was a useless dinner companion. He was bouncing around the place like a surfer in a board shop, chasing his own speciality - a stunning sunset on the sound.

The waiter was not at all distressed by his meandering clientele, and was even helpful at pointing out better spots in the restaurant to catch images. The staff is suitably laid back, yet efficient. And if you are a surfer, chat 'em up. Chances are you'll be comparing notes throughout the meal. (And need we even say dress is casual.)

While Drew clicked, I nibbled. The steamed shrimp were simply hard to resist at $5.95 for a half pound or $9.95 for a full pound. They came hot and firm, nicely spiced but not overwhelmed. Drew made pit stops at the table for his Buffalo wings ($4.95), which he clearly savored even though he was eating on the fly.

The salad that followed was amply fresh and the bleu cheese dressing chunky and creamy. French onion soup ($4.25), with five kinds of onions, was full bodied and flavorful.

For a main course, the fresh angel hair pasta with shrimp in alfredo sauce ($9.95) was a delight for me. I ordered it with a side of snow crab legs for $5. Drew favored the Bora-Bora stir fry ($10.95) with chicken on Jasmine rice. This was tempting enough to hold him at bay for a few minutes, so it had to be good.

If not intent on something fancier, I might have gone for an American classic: The burgers here are made from Angus beef and feature several styles, among them a Cajun burger blackened with jack cheese ($4.95) or a basic burger ($3.95) and an Angus cheeseburger with American, cheddar, bleu, Swiss, Monterey jack, provolone or mozzarella ($4.50).

Most kids love burgers. And Surfriders has a children's menu with several plates - fish bites, chicken fingers, cheese sticks, burger or pizza sub - all with French fries for $3.50.

If the young ones want to pass on tea or cola, check out the refreshing and tangy raspberry lemonade at $1.75.

For dessert, Drew set aside his weakness for Florida Key lime pie ($2.95) and went with death by chocolate ($4.95). He survived, but only with a silly grin. Apple pie in a mug, a la mode, ($3.50) served as the final ride of my day. With coffee on the side, it was a traditional and satisfying close to the meal. You also should check out the day's specials on flavored cheesecakes.

In any case, get stoked. Surfriders is a wave well worth riding. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

DREW C. WILSON

The Virginian-Pilot

The Surfriders Grille on Hatteras Island offers diners good food and

great sunsets.

HOW TO EAT THERE

What: Surfriders Grille

Where: N.C. Route 12, Rodanthe

When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Cost: Entrees from $3.95 to $13.95

Call: 919-987-2220

Credit Cards: Mastercard, VISA, American Express, Discover and