DINING
By Bea and Ben Sorrencified
We human beings are clearly at
tracted to water. Some people suggest
that it is because many millennia ago,
we evolved from the water. Others say
that it is because our bodies are more
than 90 percent water. Still others find
the reason in that we implicitly rec
ognize how important water is to our
survival—we drink it for hydration, we
bathe in it for cleanliness and we need
it to grow our food. In truth, many of
us have chosen to live here on the Crys
tal Coast because it is adjacent to large
bodies of water, like the Atlantic Ocean
and Bogue Sound. Water is effectively a
magnet for us.
Not surprisingly, when we eat out,
we often look for a restaurant with a
view of the water. Port of Call, one of
the newer restaurants on our coast,
offers an expansive view of Bogue
Sound. Located in Salter Path, Port
of Call is just about perfect for dining
with a view of the water since virtually
every table offers the view—and the
food is very good.
The dinner menu at Port of Call of
fers a world of choice, starting with the
appetizers. Called Beachy Beginnings,
the appetizers blend fresh seafood with
other palate-pleasing ingredients. You
may want to try one or more of them,
perhaps with a glass of wine or a cold
beer. For example, the oyster appetizers
include Oyster Rocks—oysters smoth
ered with spinach, bacon and bearnaise
sauce—and Oysters on Ice—salty oys
ters on the half-shell to be finished with
extra hot cocktail sauce. If you are not
up for oysters, you may prefer Seared
Salvation, ahi, yellow fin tuna dredged
in sesame seeds and then seared, ac
companied by a sesame-ginger dipping
sauce; or the Shrimp Stand, shrimp
prepared in seasoned butter and ac
companied by the restaurants extra
hot cocktail sauce. Also available as a
starter is Marsh Mud, a blend of crab-
meat and cheeses laced with spinach. It
is absolutely dehcious served on toasted
pita points, and it will satisfy perhaps
two or more appetites as a preliminary
to dinner.
Soup and salad lovers .will find good
traditional dinner salads and a few
soups on the menu. Among the salads
are Caesar Pleaser, Spinach Sensations
and Garden Abundance. The salad
dressing choices are many, from the
familiar ranch and blue cheese to the
slightly adventuresome sesame gin
ger, raspberry walnut vinaigrette and
pineapple vinaigrette.. To move these
salads up a notch, you may add shrimp,
scallops, oysters, lobster tail, chicken
breast or beef medallions. The menu
includes two seafood soups: the Port
of Call Potion—a clam chowder—and
the Seafood Simplicity, a rich creamy
soup combining lobster, shrimp and
crabmeat.
The entree choices are about as var
ied as any you will find at Crystal Coast
restaurants. The Port of Call Originals
include Trigger Treasures—trigger fish
filet and shrimp blanketed with a wine
and dill cream sauce; Seafood Sunset—
a large red bell pepper stuffed with her-
bed crabmeat and shrimp, covered
with mozzarella cheese and broiled
until brown and bubbly; and Shaded
Mahi—a mahi-mahi steak topped with
a cheese and herb mixture and broiled.
The Originals also include nicely con
ceived flounder, shrimp, red snapper
and crab cake options.
Pasta and grits also appear on the
Port of Call’s menu. Shrimp-n-Grits
has the usual shrimp and bacon but
is covered by an extra-spicy cream
sauce and topped with cheddar cheese. ■ •
Tliis dish can be ordered on linguine
instead of grits. Beefy Blues combines
seasoned grilled beef medallions with ,
blue cheese in an Alfredo sauce served
over linguine. Pasta lovers may also be
drawn to The Alfredo—linguine in a
classic Alfredo sauce accompanied by
a choice of grilled chicken or grilled
shrimp, and broccoli.
By now, landlubbers are wonder
ing whether they have been given more
than a passing thought. For them the
chef prepares several beef, chicken and
pork dishes. The beef options include
a ribeye, simply seasoned or blackened
and grilled to your liking, and a sea
soned filet of beef that is grilled until it
is rich and buttery. The chicken dish
es are the Yard Bird, deep-fried strips of
breaded chicken breast, and the Double
Breasted, two seasoned chicken breasts
that are first grilled and then covered
with bacon, broccoli, bearnaise sauce
and mozzarella cheese. Hog Heaven is
the sole pork dish on the menu. It is an
eight-ounce pork chop marinated in a
citrus and herb brine and skillet cooked
to the diner’s preferred doneness.
Also available are Founders’ Favor
ites, traditional fried or broiled clams,
flounder, oysters, scallops and shrimp
with a Port of Call touch.
Virtually every entree on the menu
comes with a choice of soup or small
salad. Except for the pastas, most of the
entrees are also served with two side
items, chosen from among roasted,
mashed or wedged potatoes, saf
fron rice, baked cheddar pasta shells,
steamed broccoli, spiced apples, and
coleslaw.
As for sandwiches, the menu has
some interesting choices. For instance,
you may order the S.P. Sub, fried
shrimp or bay scallops piled on a sub
roll and covered with coleslaw, romaine
lettuce and tartar sauce. Or you may
decide on the Grilled Scallop Burger,
, grilled sea scallops served on a Kaiser
roll with cole slaw, romaine lettuce,
and tartar sauce. The other sandwich
option is the enigmatically named Sea
Creature, a half-pound beef burger
topped with sauteed mushrooms, red
onion, provolone cheese, tomatoes and
lettuce, served on a toasted Kaiser roll
spread with tangy horseradish sauce.
Port of Call also offers some good
wines and beers to accompany your
meal. For white wine drinkers, there
are chardonnays, pinot grigios, sau-
vignon blancs, RiesHngs, and white
zinfandels. Those preferring red
wine may select from a list of cabernets,
merlots, pinot noirs and red zinfandels.
We recently chose a Kunde red zin-
fandel that paired very well with our
seafood dishes. And if you are in the
mood for a bubbly, you will find sev
eral possibilities among the sparkling
wines and champagnes stocked by
the restaurant. Beer drinkers will find
a diverse selection of brews, ranging
from the familiar domestics to crafts,
imports and interesting microbrews.
When you eat at Port of Call, espe
cially if you begin with an appetizer or
two, be aware that you may not get to
dessert. We did not get there on our
recent visit. But if you do, the chef has
four enticing options: carrot cake, red
velvet cake, chocolate confusion cake
and bourbon pecan pie.
Port of Call is open for dinner Tues
day through Sunday from 4:00 until
9:00 p.m. The restaurant is located di
rectly on Bogue Sound in Salter Path,
occupying the space previously held by
Whidden Landing. Reservations may
be made (and may be well-advised,
especially during the tourist season) by
calhng 222-7677. Port of Call’s website
is www.spportofcall.com.
Public Safety
During May, there were 38 incidents
written up as reports by the fire divi
sion. There were seven false alarms
or false calls, one good intent call,
one hazardous condition (no fire), 20
rescue and EMS calls and nine service
calls.
Public Safety personnel participated
in 233 hours of training in May, and no
fire inspections were conducted.
It is officially hurricane season, and
residents need to be sure that their hur
ricane preparations have been com
pleted, including locating their re-entry
pass.
Once again, citizens are urged to
lock all doors and windows in their
homes as well as vehicles.
Pine KnoU Shores does not have
lifeguards at the beach so pay attention to
family members and friends in the water.
Some of the Police Department’s
activities during May include:
•4 accidents/property damage
•2 arrests/DWI
•2 breaking & entering
•5 disturbances
•5 drug investigations
• 1 call concerning fireworks
• 1 call concerning a harassing phone call
•3 missing persons/runaway
• 15 unlocked doors (see above)
found during house checks
•3 suspicious activities
• 15 suspicious vehicles
•4 suspicious people
• 17 town ordinance violation citations
•6 trespassing
. •IS hang-up calls to 911
•4 arrests
• 1 assault/fight
• 151 business checks
•21 citations
• 1 damage to property
•4 domestics
• 10 follow-up investigations
•28 “I am OK” checks ^
• 1 indecent exposure
•9 larcenies
•41 VIPS residence checks
22 The Shoreline I July 2011