After
spending the morning in the historic area of Swansboro, Megan and I were rather
hungry. We took notice of the
Saltwater Grill from about a block away.
The large building is right on the dock. In fact, they have some table out over the water if you
prefer. Since we it was well over
90 degrees outside, we preferred the indoor dining room. The restaurant is located on the second
floor, but once you enter, you can see an expansive view of the water. It is a breathtaking view and it
doesn’t hurt that every table has a waterfront view. When we arrived at 11:30, there was no one else in the
restaurant, but it was a Tuesday. 
Both
Megan and I ordered the She-Crab soup.
Lump and claw meat were gently folded into cream, crab roe, and
sherry. They claim that there is a
dash of hot sauce, but on our visit, the chef must have been a little heavy
handed. The soup was great, but when
both of us came up coughing and in need of water after one spoonful, then that
is too much heat. Aside from the
spice, which I assume was a one-time mistake, I highly recommend ordering the
She Crab Soup. It is fresh, creamy
and delicious. Just be
prepared in case it normally is that spicy. 
For
Megan’s entrée, she ordered the Crab Cake Slider. I don’t know why it is called a slider and not sliders,
since there are three of them, but that doesn’t affect their quality. They were fabulous. We could easily tell that the crab was
literally, just out of the water, and made into three good-sized crab cakes,
with very little filler. There was
just the perfect touch of slaw on the sliders as well, slightly creamy to
accentuate the crab. The sliders were
served on Hawaiian sweet rolls, which made the combination of each bite
great. The creaminess and crunch
of the slaw, the sweetness of the bun, and the delicate sweet and savoriness of
the crab made this an amazing lunch.
For the side, Megan had the pasta salad. Honestly, I didn’t try it for some reason, but she said that
is was very good and flavorful. 
For
my lunch, I ordered the Saltwater Taco (again, it should be plural since there
were three of them). When
prompted, the waiter suggested that I get them grilled instead of fried. I’m glad I took his advice. The shrimp were probably swimming that
morning it was so fresh. It was
grilled just enough to cook it through and not scorch the shrimp. It was served with lime-steamed soft
tacos, shredded lettuce, house-made salsa, shredded mild cheddar, and chipotle
ranch, which I am sure, was just regular ranch. I did like that I could put together my own tacos, so I
could decide how much lettuce, etc to put in each taco. Now with only 9 shrimp on the plate,
you could only put three per taco, though they could have held five. At ten dollars, and since they come
right out of the water that is mere feet from the restaurant, shrimp should not
have been so scarce. However, they
were cooked well and combined for a refreshing and filling lunch.
All
in all, our experience at The Saltwater Grill was well above average. The waiter was helpful, even if he did
get lost for about 20 minutes after giving us our check. Our drinks were consistently refilled and
the food was exceptional. I’d love
to come back for dinner some time and try that out. But I can definitely tell you, that when I am in Swansboro
again, this is the place I’ll be visiting for lunch.
Category
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Scale 1-5
stars
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Food Quality
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Food Creativity
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Service
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Atmosphere
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Value for the Price
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