DINING
American culture is clearly a fusion
culture. Our ancestors and, in fact, some
I I of us came from abroad, helping to make
III II our culture what it is today. Like much
I II II else, the American table, both at home and
I I I II in restaurants, reflects this reality—and a
V, V I happy reality it surely is.
Today, restaurants along the Crystal
Coast offer us a world of foods and recipes. Some of them, such as Chinese,
Italian, Mexican and Thai restaurants, are focused primarily on one cuisine.
Others have menus that reflect imported cuisines in single dishes. Still others
creatively fuse more than one food tradition in the individual selections on the
bill of fare.
Open for both lunch and dinner, the Full Circle Cafe in Morehead City offers
diners an inventive menu that often fuses food traditions originally drawn from
abroad. Using ingredients moved from farm to table, the restaurant has created
a menu designed to please a variety of tastes.
The lunch menu at Full Circle includes categories labeled “Snacks,” “Char-
Grilled Burgers,” “Wood-Oven Pizzas” and “Bowls.” The snacks, if not unique,
are certainly rare finds along our coast. Witness the steamed edamame with
ginger, curry, or sriracha salt, or the grilled tuna satay with peanut dipping
sauce, or even the perhaps-less-rare steamed pork dumplings with Thai chili
sauce. The snacks cost between $4 and $10.
The char-grilled burgers are unquestionably creative, fusing ingredients not
typically married to the long-time American beef staple. Among other burgers,
patrons may select the Mexicali Blues (adding Monterey pepper jack cheese,
sliced avocado, pico de gallo, adobo aioli and sweet poblano red pepper relish
to the basic burger); the Hangover (placing fried egg, pecan-smoked bacon,
French goat cheese, lettuce, tomato and house-made Dukes-based remoulade
on the burger); or the Black Thai (combining a peanut-herbed Thai slaw salad
and a curry-sriracha mayonnaise atop a seared veggie burger made with black
beans and jasmine rice). The burgers, served with a nice choice of side dishes,
are priced between $11 and $13.
Central to the lunch menu at Full Circle are the wood-oven prepared
gourmet pizzas, which are further evidence of the creativity of the menu. Take,
for example, the vegetarian roasted mushroom pizza, which features champs
de Paris, cremini and shiitake mushrooms on a duxelle and roasted garlic
base, covered with both mozzarella and smoked Gouda cheeses. Consider also
the Maui-Waui pizza that brings together grilled chicken, smoked ham and
pineapple with fresh arugula and shredded jack cheese. Think, too, about the
Full Circle pizza that combines grilled asparagus, Italian sausage, pepperoni
and roasted potatoes in a house-made marinara sauce, and tops this special
fusion of ingredients with mozzarella cheese. The menu further provides for
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customers who like to build their own pizzas. They may choose from a variety
of ingredients, including artichokes, bacon, black beans, chicken, mushrooms,
olives, pepperoni, pork belly, potatoes and shrimp, to add to the basic crust,
sauce and cheese. The pizzas typically range in price from $9.25 to $14.
Less familiar on area menus that include burgers and pizza are the Bowls
at Full Circle. Two ramen choices offer patrons either the house Carolina
Tonkotsu ramen (uniting pork belly, pulled smoked pork and a soft-boiled egg
in a pork broth with the noodles) or the Shio Ramen, joining local shrimp and
sea scallops, smoked bacon, charred cabbage and a soy-marinated soft-boiled
egg in a sea salt/chicken/wakame seaweed “spiked” broth. Also available in this
category is a house Pad-Thai that combines green beans, mushrooms, garlic
and spices with rice noodles, Bertie County peanuts and fresh herbs. The Bowls
cost between $10 and $14, and may be enhanced with added ingredients such as
chicken, shrimp or vegetables for a modest additional charge.
The dinner menu at Full Circle Cafe includes some of the lunch items,
especially in the pizza category. Added to these carry-overs, however, are
a number of starters and a substantial list of full entrees. Two new seafood
starters are especially noteworthy: fried North Carolina oysters with house-
made remoulade and cocktail sauces; and seared sea scallops served in a roasted
red pepper sauce with penne pasta, herbs and Parmesan cheese. Caesar and
spinach salads are also offered as starter items. The dinner starters are priced
from $5 to $15.
The dinner entrees themselves offer diners a diversity of options, both
traditional and inventive, among meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Traditional
beef possibilities include a grilled filet mignon bathed in house jus de veau and
accompanied by Yukon gold mashed potatoes and fried onion rings, and a char
grilled burger topped with chili and cheese, then plated with coleslaw and either
French fries or onion rings. Other meat choices include Italian sausage and beef
lasagna and grilled teriyaki pork tenderloin, served with red pepper and shiitake
mushroom risotto. The menu’s seafood offerings are noteworthy and creative.
Among them are pan-seared “day-boat” trigger fish, presented with cheese ravioli
finished with cremini carbonara and Parmesan cheese, and local shrimp sauteed
“scampi-style” with artichokes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and mixed olives.
The vegetarian selection is a seasonal vegetable stir-fry served on steamed jasmine
rice or in Pad-Thai with rice noodles. (This dish may be made non-vegetarian by
including chicken or shrimp for an additional charge.) The entrees typically cost
between $13 and $29.95.
Beer and wine are available to accompany either lunch or dinner. The beer
choices are diverse, including several regional Mother Earth brews. The wine list
is impressive and offers interesting red and white options, domestic and imported.
The Full Circle Cafe is located at 708 Evans Street in Morehead City. Lunch is
served Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m., and dinner, Tuesday
through Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. The restaurant’s phone number is 773-0703.
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