Review of Church Street Pub & Deli, Swansboro

          Megan and I are still exploring the restaurant scene in the Crystal Coast, however when we felt in the mood for a deli sandwich, we knew that we had to try the Church Street Deli.  I had been hearing many good things from locals in the area, and I love the historic district of Swansboro, so I had big expectations upon arriving.  In my mind, I was picturing a wonderfully thick sandwich, made with the best quality ingredients that would have an intense flavor making me want to come back every day.  In reality, the sandwich was rather depressing and left me wanting more, much, much more. 

            We followed another couple into the deli (not the bar area, the deli) and the sign said to seat yourself.  We all did.  Then the waiting began.  Three minutes, five minutes, seven minutes, eventually a waitress noticed us and said she would be right back.  Ten minutes later, she returned and we got to order drinks.  Service…poor. 

"Famous" Grilled Reuben

          I ordered the “Famous Grilled Reuben”.  It was their thinly slicked corned beef on grilled rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and by my choice, the Thousand Island dressing.  While the flavor was actually quite good, the quantity of the sandwich was minute.  Thinly sliced apparently also meant thin quantity.  Two slices of bread, sauerkraut, corned beef, Swiss, and the dressing still made up a sandwich of less than an inch in thickness.  I don’t know if this is the normal quantity or a rare exception where they ran out of corned beef without giving me the option to change, but it was disappointing.  After the sandwich, the small amount of potato chips in the basket, the super thin pickle, and slice of orange, I was still famished.  This could be a great $5.99 lunch or after-school snack, but this was no dinner portion.  And at the price of $9.95 for the sandwich, it is absurd! 

            Megan ordered the “Fabulous French Dip”, light on the grilled onions.  It was anything but 

"Fabulous " French Dip

fabulous.  It had no flavor, like none.  The accompanying au jus didn’t even have the flavor of a mild beef broth.  There was no slight thickness to it either, it had the consistency of brown water, and a similar taste.  Again, the small sandwich and accompanying sides were not enough for a dinner.  At least my sandwich had good flavor, this roast beef did not even have that.

            I really am hoping that since we were at the Church Street Deli on a Tuesday, it was just an unfortunate series of missteps.  We never did get a refill on our drinks.  However, I really do not see the point in going back to Church Street Deli to overpay for an inadequate meal.  We actually had to pick up some Chinese appetizers afterward to fill our stomachs.  

Category	Scale 1-5 stars
Food Quality
Food Creativity
Service
Atmosphere
Value for the Price

Swansboro on Dwellable

Review of Riverside Steak & Seafood, Swansboro

            Upon moving to Swansboro, there were two restaurants that our friends recommended that we had to try, Yanna’s and the Riverside.  First up was Riverside, and I can tell you that our friends were not kidding, Riverside Steak and Seafood is fantastic!  From the appetizer to the salad to the entrée, our meal was just great.  In fact, it was so good, that we were back three days later, and then again a week after that.

Scallop Nachos

            For our appetizer, we ordered Scallop Nachos.  We are talking about lightly blackened Sea Scallops topped with cheese on top of homemade tortilla chips.  It was combined with black beans, sun dried tomatoes, and house-made salsa.  Then, it was lightly broiled to melt the cheese.  This dish was epic!  It was eight huge sea scallops on top of perfection.  While this dish is not on the menu, only an occasionally special, ask for it anytime you visit the Riverside.  This dish was absolute perfection in a bite.  I don’t know which of the chefs, Steve or Jeff, made this dish, but they deserve to be nominated for a James Beard award for the simple perfection of this appetizer.  No question about it, this is the best appetizer that I have ever eaten. I have yet to hear of anyone who hasn't fallen in love with this dish. 

           Each dinner came with a salad and muffin.  Normally, I wouldn’t write about the salad, but each one of their dressings are homemade.  The blue cheese dressing had at least three ounces of blue cheese chunks in it.  It was creamy and delicious.  The Parmesan peppercorn was fabulous.  However, the best dressing that they make is the Hot Bacon dressing.  Yes, it is warm, so don’t be shocked, but it is a fabulous vinegar (probably balsamic) reduction with chunks of bacon in it.  Our waiter, Jimmy, told us an amazing tip.  Get the Hot Bacon dressing, but then ask for honey mustard dressing on the side.  The combination was phenomenal!  Jimmy, by the way is such a good waiter.  Make sure to ask for his section, because not only is he great, but he can make perfect recommendation on dishes, alterations, etc.  Really, it is worth waiting just to be in his section and if he advises it, believe me, you want to order it.  The muffin was a fresh-baked Sweet Potato muffin.  Each bite is just sheer perfection.  I understand why they sell them separately; they are so, so good.  You don’t even need butter on them, though I would prefer it were available. 

Salmon Oscar

 In our three times at the Riverside Steak & Seafood, each dinner has been good, not as good as the appetizers, but still very good.  In our times there, we have had Salmon Oscar, Shrimp & Grits, Tuna & Grits, The Carpetbagger (Filet & Shrimp), and Lobster Ravioli with Shrimp in a pesto cream sauce.  While each was a quality, hearty dish, there are two that I would like to highlight.  First, would be the Salmon Oscar.  I was served a huge piece of salmon; I mean a 12-16 ounce slab of fish.  It was cooked perfectly with asparagus, and potatoes.  On top was crab; now the crab was cold, which was a bit shocking, but still, very fresh, great crab.  The hollandaise sauce topping everything was mildly lemony and of an ideal creaminess.  The combination was heaven in a bite. 

Tuna & Havarti Grits

            The other dish that blew me away was the Tuna & Grits.  It was a delicious Havarti grit cake topped with a large cut of sashimi grade tuna that I ordered seared.  The dish was topped with long cuts of Tasso ham and a light citrus buerre blanc sauce.  On the side were season vegetables.  Honestly, nothing beats fresh tuna, unless you combine it with grits. 

            All of the other dishes were good, Megan loved the lobster
ravioli and with the addition of shrimp, made it one great meal.  In fact, of all the dishes, the only slight misstep was with the Filet.  It ended up being much closer to medium-well than the medium-rare that was ordered.  However, the flavor was still great. 

Lobster Ravioli

            The Riverside Steak and Seafood in Swansboro is a fabulous restaurant.  The food quality and preparation is fantastic and the service is impeccable (be sure to ask for Danny).  While the prices can quickly add up, remember two things, you are at the beach and this is a fine dining establishment.  Main courses are going to run you $18-$30 while appetizers range from $5 to $16 for the scallop nachos (a price totally worth the quality and quantity of the dish).   I can guarantee that for as long as we live in the area, most life events, celebrations, or birthdays will be including a dinner at Riverside.  It really is just that good. 

           

Category                    Rating 1-5 stars

Food Quality               

Food Creativity           

Service                      

Atmosphere               

Value for the Price     

Swansboro on Dwellable

We've Moved! Expect new adventures.

Hey everyone,
So it has been a whirlwind, but we have relocated.  We now are in the Swansboro/Cape Carteret/Emerald Isle/Morehead City region of North Carolina, right on the coast.  So, that means that there will be many upcoming changes to the blog.  For starters, most of the restaurants we review will now be in our new area.  Also, we will be adding recipes and products we are testing to the blog.  Don't lose hope, our main focus will still be our dining adventures.  Additionally, we are going to do our best to dine at each local restaurant twice before we post our reviews.  Yes, there might be exceptions if something was amazingly good or horribly bad, but our plan is 2-3 times per restaurant.  So keep reading and we'll keep eating and writing as we dine on our "Southern Sustenance."
-Erik & Megan