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Crowder’s Forge

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By Noah Manneville, 2013

Warren Crowder is a local- not a native- to Columbia, North Carolina. Though he went to high school in Columbia, he is a self-proclaimed nomad who spends most of his time traveling around the state to improve his metallurgy skills. A blacksmith by trade, Crowder has been working with metal for the past four years but has had an interest in the art of metalworking all his life. He takes particular pride in his tools — he keeps a plethora of hammers of all sizes, tongs, calipers, and other tools— none too complex, but all necessary. A self-proclaimed pyromaniac, Crowder says, “It isn’t fun unless it’s at least 1400 degrees.”

Crowder began his official training at the College of Albemarle in Manteo, North Carolina. He studied welding technology under enamellist Catherine Osgood and blacksmith Randy Hodges, a member of the Kill Devil Hills Cooperative. When asked why he chose metalworking, Crowder replied “It’s a passion. I just hope I can eat off it these days.” Though he wasn’t forging anything at the time I met him, Crowder is constantly reexamining and reworking his old items, and pens new ideas on paper before even lighting a fire.

Unlike other artists, Crowder does not focus on any specific region with his art. He is inspired by myths from all over the world, and his work reflects this interest — most of his pieces are based on mythology. An impressive work of Crowder’s is an intricately formed wolf’s head, meant to represent a kamui, an ancient Japanese god worshipped by the ancestral inhabitants of the Japanese islands. Crowder explained that the original worshippers of the nature gods were small, hairy, blue-eyed residents of the northern Japanese islands, much different in stature and culture from the current Japanese majority. Crowder has also formed a magnificent bust of Odin, the most powerful character in the Norse pantheon of gods. True to myth, Crowder’s Odin has one eye, and on the back of the head, ancient runes spell out Odin’s name. Crowder has also drawn from African and Arabian myths, which have inspired him to create a bust of a legendary Benin king and a sculpture of the Eye of Ra. Nowadays Crowder is expanding his repertoire to encompass enamel work, including shell enameling (much harder than pure metalwork because of the delicacy of the shells) and jewelry. He posts photos of his work online, and works in conjunction with other architects at the Kill Devil Hills Cooperative, though he is not a member. His work is a labor of love, one that he has made into a career.

When I met Crowder at the Scuppernong River Festival in Columbia on October 12, 2013, he was seated behind a small, unadorned table with his works on display. When I asked him about the story behind a certain piece, he would jump into the tale with enthusiasm and vigor. He seemed to take great pride in the fact that his art was keeping the tale of these displaced people alive. I realized that this was not just the case for the kamui; Crowder’s art is helping keep the very skill of blacksmithing alive. In an age where factories produce everything we rely on, the idea that forging something out of metal with no purpose other than beauty is an idea that we, the products of an electronic age, rarely comprehend. Crowder is one of the few who understands the beauty in a solid piece of raw metal, and by extracting that beauty with fire and hammer, he proves himself an innovator.

Review of the Island Guest House

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By Dannie Cooper, 2013

The Island Guest House is a cute hotel in Manteo, North Carolina.  From the road, it’s barely visible; only a sign in front of the main building marks its location.  As we pulled up the driveway past the main building, we were greeted by the actual hotel building with a row of colorful doors and shutters.  The location wasn’t much; the only view from the lot is the neighbor’s tall white fence.  Yet, the building is cute and cheery.

The inside of our room was about the same as the outside.  The room was simple, but had a nice feel to it.  We had two double-sized beds, a wicker loveseat and table, a micro-fridge, and a TV hanging on the wall, angled at the beds. The bathroom was clean, except for the slightly rusted showerhead.  The bathroom window was nice, but the style of the shutter made it possible for peepers.  The extra blanket on the shelf was a nice hospitable touch; however, the room was uncomfortably warm for October, even with the fan on and having turned the A/C to low.

The main building has a tiki bar out back, which I imagine is fun in the summer months, but the hotel is otherwise quaint and calm.  The hotel also features free WiFi for guests and a continental breakfast.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Island Guest House.  It was simple and quiet, which is appealing for the laid back traveler.

For more information, visit the Island Guest Houses’ Website here.

Scuppernong River Festival

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By Dannie Cooper, 2013

Columbia’s 22nd Scuppernong River Festival was something to behold.  From Route 64, Columbia looked sleepy, and perhaps on an average day, most people would just drive past and not look back. However, on the day of the festival, there were cars packed everywhere.  I walked down one of the festival streets, enticed by the dozens of food stands and trucks.  The smell of barbecue, tacos, and funnel cakes filled the air.

As I made my way down the street, I found the information tent, where I met Rhett White, who has been the county manager for nine years.  White was kind enough to talk to me about the history of the Festival.  Twenty-two years ago, J.D. Brickhouse, the county administrator; Carlisle Harrell, the town manager; and Francis Voliva, the 1st woman in the U.S. to be director of the county extension office, decided to host a festival centered around Columbus Day for the town of Columbia and the county.  The festival was named “Scuppernong” after the river the town sits beside, as well as after the Scuppernong grape that the local vineyard grows. The town & county hosted festival picked up about seven to ten years ago, and has been a huge event ever since.

On festival day, the small town of 871 residents turns out a surprising crowd of nearly 8,000 people.  White says that a lot of the attendees are returning town members or family of town members.  He described it as “a big family reunion.”  He also noted that many of the vendors are from the county, but, since the festival has grown, they’ve gotten some vendors from outside the county and even outside the state.

The growth of the festival becomes obvious as you walk around.  The festival features a parade, local music, a helicopter tour, kid’s rides, and a Civil War era ship replica – the Ram Albemarel.  White proudly stated that the Elizabeth II used to come as well.  The festival also featured three streets of various vendors, ranging from local craftsmen, including a wreath-maker and a blacksmith, to food-related salesmen, including a barbeque rubs seller and a local beekeeper.

The atmosphere of the festival was warm and fun.  People stopped to talk to one another, and vendors would called out to their friends as they passed.  The Methodist and Baptist churches in Columbia passed out free water bottles throughout the festival with smiles.  Everyone I talked to was friendly, and I was even called ‘dear’ and ‘sweetheart’ a few times.  I could see that White was right about one thing: it did feel like a family reunion.  “The Festival is about celebrating the river, the grape, the culture, and the community,” White said. After experiencing it for myself, I have to agree.

Domtar Paper Mill

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By Noah Manneville and Dannie Cooper, 2013

The Domtar Paper Mill in Plymouth, NC has been and continues to be the largest and most important source of income for Washington County over the past century. Opened in 1937 by the North Carolina Pulp Company, the mill itself has changed hands twice in its long history, having been bought by Weyerhaeuser in 1957 and then Domtar in 2007. At its peak, the mill employed over 2,000 people, (practically half of the population of Plymouth) making it the largest employer in Washington County, which it continues to be despite cutting down to just 450 employees.

The current mill manager, Dennis Askew, has been working at the Plymouth mill for 25 years and was promoted to manager five years ago. Dennis was born and raised in Plymouth. He met his wife, Lisa, in high school. “We were high school and college sweethearts,” she says. At age 19, Dennis began working at the mill, working part-time while studying civil engineering at North Carolina State University. Lisa studied politics at Campbell University, and then at the University of South Carolina Beaufort where she majored in nursing. They married in 1987 after graduating from college, and moved back to Plymouth, where Dennis continued to work at the mill while Lisa found a job in home health.

As we drove around the mill, Dennis’ knowledge and experience became evident. The way he describes the mill’s process makes it seem like he has held every job in the plant. He often highlights the extent of modernization in the mill, taking special pride in the mill’s most recent production highlight- lignin, a complex chemical compound that has potential as a fossil fuel alternative. Dennis explained that the mill itself no longer makes paper; it now produces two main products for sale. The first is fluff pulp, wood that has been chopped into chips, soaked in water, bleached, and dehydrated. The fluff pulp is used in feminine hygiene products, diapers, disposable medical gowns, and sanitary cleaning pads, such as the ones companies like Swiffer use. Most of the fluff pulp is exported through the Norfolk port in Virginia, where the Domtar mill enjoys the title of the port’s largest exporter.

The mill uses Loblolly Pine trees, the same tree that can be seen planted universally around the mill grounds to make all its products. About 300 loaded trucks pass through the mill every day, each carrying about four tons of un-stripped lumber. The wood is all local; trees felled for processing at the mill come from within 100 miles of the plant. Upon arriving at the plant, the trees are debarked in a rotating steel drum before being passed along a conveyor belt to be either processed immediately or removed and stacked in piles reaching over fifty feet tall. The bark and sap from the trees is retained and then burned to make electricity, which means that the mill produces no waste and converts enough thermal energy to remain entirely self-sufficient. In fact, the process is so efficient and there is such a large volume of material that the mill is able to sell excess energy back to the state power grid.

“Working in the home health field, I can see the demand for the products the mill makes,” said Lisa, who noted that disposable medical gowns were in high demand in her field. But this isn’t Lisa’s only tie to the mill. Lisa’s father and grandfather also worked in the mill. “Without the mill, the town would not survive,” Lisa said. She described Plymouth lovingly, but feared that the historic town was dying as places like the Domtar mill became less reliant on manpower and more computerized. It’s no wonder she feels this way either.  With her grandmother, parents, and her family including her twin sons, Hunter and Chance, all living in Plymouth, the future of the mill affects her entire family, as well as their beloved hometown.

Vineyards on the Scuppernong

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By Dannie Cooper, 2013

The Vineyards on the Scuppernong sit right on Route 64 in Columbia. The large grape-shaped sign along the highway makes the Vineyards store stand out, yet the real appeal of the shop is on the inside. When I entered, the first thing I noticed was decor.  Pictures of the vineyards hang along the walls.  The natural look of the wooden wine tasting station and small coffee shop contrast with the brick walls.  Natural light floods the room, leaking in from the second story skylight.  The shop is quaint, unique, and undeniably beautiful.

I headed over to the tasting counter where I met Gail, who has been an employee of the Vineyards for four years.  She offered me a tasting of their wines as part of their free tasting policy, in which anyone can taste their wines within the shop.  As I sampled the Vineyard’s Girls of Summer, a white muscadine wine, Gail told me of the history of the Scuppernong grape.  In 1584, Sir Barlow and Sir Armadas, members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expedition, discovered muscadine grapes along the Scuppernong River.  The men praised the grapes for their taste.

There are 250 varieties of muscadine grapes – the Vineyards grows 16 types – which are known for having 40% more antioxidants than the average grape, as well as an extra chromosome that is responsible for their sweet taste.  The scuppernong grape is one variety of white muscadine grapes. The taste of the grape might account for the name of the Scuppernong river, which translates to “plain where the sweet bay grows” in the Algonquin dialect.

I could taste the difference in their wine.  Girls of Summer tasted clean and crisp, with a nice grape flavor.  Being a fan of white wine, I can honestly say Girls of Summer is my –thus far –  favorite.  I also sampled Simply Scuppernong, which is their scuppernong grape wine; Jack Ass Red, which is a sweet red muscadine wine; and The Vineyard’s White Zinfandel, which has a white raspberry accent.  All of these wines shared the clean, crisp taste of muscadine grapes.

Gail also told me about the history of the building.  Built in 1912, the building originally served as a fire station, followed by a fire station-town hall for several years.  In 1940, during World War II, people used the second story skylight to spot German planes.  After being abandoned for several years, Jack and Grace Bishop, a builder and real-estate broker, purchased the property along with the 300 acre property along the Scuppernong river to renovate and resell it.  However, their plans changed, and, in 2008, the Vineyards produced its first wine.

Since then, the Vineyards have taken great care in creating their award winning wines.  The Vineyards have had seven award winning wines, including a Bronze medal from the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association for their Simply Scuppernong label.  I share the enthusiasm for the Vineyards’ wines, and even purchased three bottles.

Vineyards on the Scuppernong is a charming winery.  Its decor is attractive and its friendly atmosphere is welcoming.  Their label is good, and their various awards speak for themselves.  But most importantly, the Vineyards are full of history, a history it shares with Columbia and with North Carolina, and that is what truly makes the Vineyards unique.

For more information, please visit the Vineyards on the Scuppernong website: vineyardsonthescuppernong.com

Jockey’s Ridge: Breathless Oasis

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By Brittany Wheatley
I have left the plain, and each sinking step brings my wandering mind back to that realization.
The grains of sand pivot around your skin until you’ve sunk ankle deep; from the bottom of the
dune you look like a human growth on the East Coast largest sand dunes.
From the bottom of the first dune I felt that I was about to climb a really short mountain.
Breathless at the top, the trail of footprints looks like I stumbled, but no one would pay much
attention to my footprints here. The expanse of sand and the lack of a beaten path make my
leftover markings unremarkable to other people.
There are people here; at one count I spotted 28 people, but from where I stood, each individual
was an ant. A football stadium full of fans could walk on to Jockey’s Ridge, go in separate
directions and not meet their friends again for at least 24 hours. To me this is better than being at
the beach; the quiet where I can only hear wind whistles and uses the nearest American Beach
Grass as an alternative instrument. The reeds are sparse in number overall, nestled close to the
small puddle shaped lakes coming from heavy rain in the valley of the dunes.
The plant life was a surprise when I walked up the first dune. I paused in at the patch of forest
areas spread out in front of me and exclaimed: “Oh my gosh, there’s trees! There’s like this
random patch of trees.” Inside the forests, live oaks, red cedars, wax myrtle, bayberry, and read
oaks only make up a portion of the maritime thinckets. Per typical of arial perspective, the
patches looked more like broccoli bits separated on the plate. Expanses of desert shorter dunes
than the one I stood mesmerized was filled with the potential adventure I didn’t have time for.
A person can go to Jockey’s Ridge everyday of the week for years and never experience it the
same way. My experience was that of a wanderer. Turing left for ten minutes and then right for
thirty, zigzagging up one dune and down to the valley of the other side. A windmill marked the
entrance of my journey, like an enormous flag without marring the ocean view. The sand dunes
change, constantly blowing over and being built up by the wind current coming off the Atlantic
Ocean, although that in and of it’s self makes the exploration of the sand dunes an exceptional
joy. 420 acres of sand may never be walked over.
I spotted a couple who were dog walking, there was no leash and in the space of allotted, no
peace the barking dogs could bother. A family with five kids use a sand dune closer to the
entrance as a water slide. All members lined up to watch one another slide down wetted beach
sand into the shallow lakes bellow, cheering at the splash and no doubt enjoying nature’s toy and
the lack of lines that come with the territory of a manmade water slide. It’s a very safe, kid
friendly adventure. The lakes barely reach up to the shoulders of a nine-year-old boy lying down.
And the vantage point of being on a sand dune rather than flat beach is the ability to see the
actions of little kids from whatever direction they are headed easily.
I was able to observe their adventure and wade in the water as well; up to my ankles without the
fear of a currant taking me by surprise or kids tossing water up and splashing me by accident.
I’m also not in the way of young and old hang gliders, coming back from a lesson two or three
dunes outside of my exploration area. Free permits to hang glide are available through the park
office for those who have a valid USHGA rating, but for those interested in flight but do not wish
to their feet to leave the ground, the sand dunes are an ideal spot to fly kites.

Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts

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By: Phoebe Hyde

 

While cruising down the two-lane highway, a grass median as a barrier between the minimal oncoming traffic, we pulled a u-turn about ¼ of a mile past this traditional, Cracker Barrel-like establishment. The billboard for Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts had caught our eye about two miles back. “Mackey’s Ferry” rang a bell after our initial research of the outer banks region that once depended on Mackey’s Ferry to transport visitors from the mainland to the outer banks in the once-upon-a-time absence of a bridge connecting the mainland to the island. While handing us free samples of all sorts of treats, Pam (the employee working at the time), explained to us that original ownership of the establishment dates back twenty years, with the current owner holding authority for the past three.

A plethora of aromatic goodies fill the store, leaving not an empty space on any wooden bookcase-like shelf. From homemade peanut butter, peanuts, and peanut brittle, to 20 kinds of fudge, to molasses cookies awarded the 2010 Blue Ribbon from North Carolina’s Specialty Food Association, to North Carolina muscadine grape cider slushies, to moonshine jelly, Mackey’s can pretty much offer any cure for a sweet tooth. While about half of the store is canned products, each good is locally grown, making this establishment rather unique. The other half of the store if filled with tourist-focused items, inclusive of t-shirts, stuffed animals, mugs and other merchandise.

The substantial size of the building initially perplexed me, given the name of the establishment, which clearly dedicated the store to peanuts. What was so special about peanuts and why would such a place be located here amongst vast open fields in the quiet town of Jamesville? Well, I soon learned, upon additional research, that North Carolina is the third-largest peanut producer in the United States, right below Georgia and Texas. The state as a whole is home to more than five thousand peanut farmers in twenty-two counties. Now things started to make a bit more sense.

Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts housed a larger variety of peanuts than I had ever known even existed—dry roasted, blister fried, flame thrower, French fried, salt and pepper peanuts and more. My tolerance and fondness for heat made me partial to the flame thrower peanuts. Pam, however, preferred blister friend, which are made by soaking the peanuts in water prior to roasting them. As I spooned out my third helping of flamethrower peanuts from the free sample jar, I inquired about how all of these peanuts were made. Pam willingly shared the peanut making process with us. First the peanuts are roasted, then your grind them up and add molasses, salt and powdered sugar. The last ingredient threw me for a loop, but they sure as hell tasted good! We learned that eight people at Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts are in charge of making the peanuts each Monday of every week, allowing the peanuts to be served the following day. However, eight quickly turns into about 16 employees around Christmas time, according to Pam.

We were pleased with our choice to stop into Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts for a tasteful snack before proceeding another hour or so eastwards along Highway 64, and would recommend choosing Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts as a pit stop to break up the long westward drive down the straight, two-lane highway when leaving the beach!

 

 

Carol’s Home Cooking

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By: Phoebe Hyde

The joys of traveling down an unfamiliar road through an unknown town are realized at times
like this. Our morning started early, being awoken by a mix of our nerves from our night’s stay
in the Williamston motel and our excitement over that day’s itinerary. Carol’s Home Cooking,
although not on our itinerary, was the ideal place to stop to suppress our grumbling stomachs,
even though we’d been driving for only about 25 minutes. It is places like this that inspired
our original motivation to create a lenient itinerary. It was essential to leave ample time for
potentially undiscovered or unwritten about establishments that we knew would tempt our
attendance, and Carol’s Home Cooking was just that.

This one-story, washed-grey shingled building appearing originally to be a home to a small
family had a neon OPEN sign on the front window and a sign out front reading “Carol’s Home
Cooking*Eat in or Take Out.” After nearly passing the restaurant since our eyes couldn’t read
fast enough, our car screeched as we pressed down on the break pedal making sure not to
miss the parking entrance. We hesitated at the sight of the white van out front with capital red
letters that read Pit Cooked Barbeque, thinking, maybe they are not serving breakfast at nine
o’clock in the morning if they are, in fact, a barbecue restaurant, but the OPEN sign gave us
hope. We also promised each other that, despite our breakfast food craving, we would eat
barbeque for breakfast just this once, because we could not pass up a place like this. Clearly, if
this remotely located restaurant was still standing in the middle of the miles of straight, single-
lane highway roads and cotton fields that led us into Robersonville, there must be something
remarkable inside. The aromatic smells of hot-off-the-griddle cooking that filled our nostrils the
moment we stepped inside only solidified that assumption, and our bellies grumbled again.

We were greeted at the door by a soft-spoken woman with a generous smile on her face. She
brought us over to a red circular table on the far side of the square shaped room, placed the
menu in front of each of us—an eight by eleven piece of paper, which listed the breakfast items
each in a different pastel color—and took our drink orders. Taking a look around before deciding
what to order, my eyes were drawn to the framed piece of paper which stated (in rainbow
italicized font)

“Notice!! Good food is not Cheap & Cheap food is not good. Please note, we here at
Carols cooks our food to order, if you have a limited time for lunch call ahead. Freshly
cooked food is what we thrive for. We are not the average fast food restaurant, we care
about how long your food sit out!!”

The sign brought a gentle smile to my face and I turned back to the menu in front of me.

Brittany ordered first, kindly stating, “Can I have Herring?” The woman responded, “She doesn’t
have any of those today.” This response caught my attention, as it is not everyday that I hear
one refer solely to the chef rather than to the restaurant as a whole. This again alluded to the
uniqueness and authenticity of this restaurant, and the important role that Carol holds in the
establishment. I then ordered a pancake, which was listed on the menu as “Pancake ($2).”
Watching my budget, I was pleased with this price list, and also assumed I would be getting one
pancake for two dollars, which seemed more than reasonably priced to me. But I was wrong.

Moments later, but enough time to have whipped up the batter and poured the freshly made
batter on the griddle, my two pancakes were served to me with a side of maple syrup poured in
a small, silver metal cup along with a small container of gold packaged butter. The smell was
overwhelming, while the heat lifted off the pancakes and warmed my cheeks. I took a bite. I
hesitate to say they were better than my mom’s homemade pancakes, but there is undoubtedly
some serious competition (I hope she doesn’t read this). The lightly crisped, soft brown edges
perfectly complemented the fluffy, moist inside that melted on my tongue with each bite. I
tried to pace myself but kept wanting more, and was immediately grateful that I was given two
pancakes!

Sad to see my two pancakes disappear, we packed up our things and walked up to the front to
pay our bill. I took out a five-dollar bill, in anticipation of getting one dollar back to leave on the
table as a tip. I saw a green neon $2.00 show up on the cash register, and waited a moment for
the number to increase. “Two dollars,” our waitress said to me. Shocked, I happily handed her
my five-dollar bill and received far more change than I initially expected.

Carols Home Cooking is a diamond in the ruff. Directly off the un-trafficked Highway 64,
on the left hand side if headed west, Carol’s Home Cooking is located amongst the large
expanse of cotton fields. It is no surprise that people travel all the way from Rockymount
(nearly forty minutes away) just to eat here. Carol’s Home Cooking far surpassed my already
high expectations of the restaurant on all accounts—in taste, cleanliness, friendliness of staff,
service, & pricing. It is places like Carol’s that one learns to appreciate randomness and happen
stance, and places like this that quantify the value of field study opposed to that done by mere
internet research.

 

At Home in a Foreign Environment

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By: Phoebe Hyde

Located amongst the quaint, wood-paneled homes of Manteo, Full Moon Café and Brewery sits on the far side of the street from the water, offering a one-of-a-kind brew. Here, small batches of British ales are produced using imported malts and hops.  Housing both British and Irish style beers, Full Moon Brewery uses Otter malt as their base and adds various combinations of Black Patent, Brown malt, Crystal malt, and Roasted barley to the preferred taste of each beer. Fuggles, East Kent Golding and Challenger are the hops used at the brewery. From the Baltimore Blonde, named after the owner, Paul’s, wife—a blonde beer lover from Maryland—to the newly introduced Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch—an 11 percent alcoholic imperial beer named after Catherine the Great (who preferred a good stout), Full Moon Café and Brewery has a lot to offer. But only in Manteo. This small year old business does not have the size or the consistent, year-round revenue to bottle their beers. Only recently did they allow “to go” drinks (specialized for Manteo’s block party on the first Friday of every month).

We were able to connect with owner Paul Charron—a beer lover who discovered his love from drinking British ales throughout his life living in an Irish New York neighborhood. His enthusiasm and willingness to speak with us was admirable, as he balanced sharing the history behind his passion for brewing beer with greeting customers at the door and offering them either an indoor or outside patio table. It was clear that Charron is a well-involved business owner, as it is more common that a hostess be hired for the role of greeting customers. Instead, Charron runs his business from the floor, creating an extremely close-knit family-like group of employees, which is exuded in the way they all interact and share jokes not only with one another but with us. Each one of the six employees we had the opportunity to interact with engaged in open conversation with us, always with an ear-to-ear smile on his or her face. Some may say this is simply the nature of the restaurant business, but I beg to differ. There was undoubtedly a unique ambiance built by the employees and owners of The Full Moon Café & Brewery that encouraged our desire to spend an extended amount of time sitting at the bar counter. That, and the delicious taste of these one-of-a-kind, exclusively brewed mugs of rich caramel colored liquid that were sitting in front of us, of course.

 

Originally brewing beer as a hobby, Charron realized his interest was expanding elaborately and would need to be moved out of his family’s home to maintain good relations. His wife had previously started the Full Moon Café in 1995, so he decided to merge his “business” with hers. Charron custom built a brewing system in the now Fill Moon Café & Brewery, and today handcrafts each batch produced.

Today, Full Moon Café and Brewery has six handcrafted beers. Four out of six of them are session beers—low alcohol, British style beers that one can drink many of in one sitting (or “session”). Newly introduced to Charron’s menu, however, are two high gravity beers—a 9 percent alcoholic scotch ale named Stone of Destiny, which Charron claims makes Guinness taste like water, and an 11 percent alcoholic Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch as mentioned earlier.  Stone of Destiny is a Scotch ale, with caramel, cocoa, and coffee flavors with a hint of smoke. It has a rich dark color, and is recommended as an Autumn seasonal. Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is an imperial stout—a beer known for requiring higher alcohol content to allow for preservation along the long export journey from 18th century London to the Russian royal court. While the other session ales are a bit calmer, their flavors are not to go unrecognized. The first brewed beer, The Lost Colony (after the town’s nickname which can be read about here), was brewed five years ago, and has an ever-changing recipe. After all, it has quite a name to live up to, and Charron just can’t seem to reach complacency with his various recipes for the northern English style ale. He claims he has changed the recipe at least five times. The Lost Colony is currently a Walnut colored red ale with a sweet malty taste. Caramel, coffee and molasses flavors from the imported British malts imbue the liquid. In addition to that, the Charon Stout is offered. This is a dry Irish stout with molasses, caramel and toasted malt flavors. Stouts are robust full flavor porters but less filling and with fewer calories than most beers. Then, Manteo Porter is brewed with a blend of Crystal, Brown and Chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggle hops. And last, Baltimore Blonde (the one named after Charron’s wife) is a British bitter with citrus flavors and aromas, and a dry finish. This beer is a little darker and a bit more bitter than most blondes. He is not in love with the current recipe, but stated, “you can’t change a beer that you’ve named after your wife.”

 


To suppress our buzz we looked to the wide-ranging café menu that perfectly complements the brewery favorites. Looking for a small snack, we ordered an appetizer to split between four of us—baked brie. This brie was served alongside thinly sliced green apple wedges, and topped with roasted almonds. Two triangular white bread baguette wedges, grilled and lightly buttered also came with the dish. This small appetizer was beautifully served, making one hesitate to jump in with their butter knife and ruin the display. Truly one of the best presentations of any dish I’d seen in the area. The brie was simply warmed, and not encrusted in a pastry crust as many baked brie recipes often are. This allowed for the taste to be a bit milder than expected, which for some may be appealing, as brie is known to be a particularly potent cheese. If the rest of Manteo hadn’t been urging our exploration, we would have undoubtedly spent a majority of our time at this homey restaurant, jumping into the Carolina crab cake sandwich or the moon melt which made our mouths water as they passed by on their way to other patrons’ tables.

 

Full Moon Brewery & Café stands out in my mind as one of the most noteworthy places I visited along Highway 64. The ambiance and culture of the restaurant is matchless and unrivaled in the area. The restaurant blends a tourist-dominated demand with a congenial, cozy environment, making travelers feel relaxed in a foreign environment in case the shore side villas weren’t enough to do the trick.

Doug Sauls’ Bar-B-Q & Seafood

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By Mia Brady

When searching for BBQ restaurants to eat at in Nashville, NC, the researcher cannot avoid Doug Sauls’. Urbanspoon, Google Plus, Yelp all give it rave reviews. The BBQ joint’s Facebook page has 750 likes, and comments such as, “Sauls is the VERY BEST BBQ we’ve ever eaten…anywhere!!!!”. We knew this place was not one to simply drive by. So when planning our Highway 64 adventure, we marked down Doug Sauls’ for lunch on our way back, and stuck to our plan.

Directed by a massive sign, we arrived at Doug Sauls’ on Saturday afternoon, ready to have some much anticipated, delicious North Carolina BBQ. As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed that to our right was an outdoor smokehouse, which led us to believe that the little blue building on the right would have some authentic, fresh-cooked BBQ.

As we walked in, we immediately noticed that the atmosphere was pig-centered. Pig stuffed animals on shelves, signs with pigs on the walls. Even the curtains had pigs on them. It was pretty clear that these people were passionate about their BBQ. We were excited to get to the front of the long line and order, but once we did, we were faced with the task of actually choosing from the massive list of sides. Green beans, Brunswick stew, yams, rice with gravy, cabbage, collard greens, roasted red potatoes. And the list goes on and on. Deciding what I wanted to order for sides (you received 3 with your meal) was a task, as I’m quite indecisive. But after much deliberation, I decided on yams, green beans and cabbage to go along with my BBQ pork. Two of my fellow travel companions ordered BBQ pork as well, while the other ordered fried shrimp to try out the seafood, with sides including green beans, Brunswick stew, yams and roasted potatoes. Needless to say, as we sat down and waited for our food, we were highly anticipating this authentic BBQ.

As we chose our seats, we were surprised to see a plate full of steaming hot, hole shaped hushpuppies was delivered to our table. Our first thought was “who ordered this?!” but then we realized that they were complementary. Deliciously complementary, with hints of honey, and perfectly crispy. They were a great start to the meal.

When our food was delivered by the smiling waitress, we were all very excited to try this authentic Eastern BBQ. Based on our research, we were certain of one thing- vinegar would be the base ingredient of the BBQ. From the very first bite, I was overwhelmed by the taste of vinegar; overwhelmed in a very good way. This meat had a strong taste of vinegar with tastes of spicy red pepper in every bite. When paired with the delicious cinnamon seasoned yams and flavorful green beans, this meal was a great introduction to Eastern BBQ for me.

After we finished the meal, we were lucky enough to meet with Steve Sauls, the current owner of Paul Sauls’ BBQ and Seafood. Steve was extraordinarily accommodating. He was more than willing to chat with us, and even gave us some free t-shirts. He shared with us about the start of Paul Sauls’. It was originally opened in 1977 by Steve’s parents, and since then, has been a popular destination for locals. Steve notes that about 80% of business comes from locals, but that business has expanded in the past few years as a result of the Internet, supported by the fact that when searching for BBQ in Nashville, Doug Sauls’ is all over the web. And there is no question why. This spot is not to be missed for a friendly place to enjoy some authentic BBQ.