a la Carteret
CC Ralwiggies
by James Minor
The trend in recent years toward a more healthy diet,
including low carb, vegetarian and vegan menus, may seem like a big-city fad
to us Southerners who grew up on dad’s barbeque and momma’s fried chicken.
‘Round here lettuce is looked at as rabbit food and, uh, isn’t a tofu one
of them fancy fold-down couches they sell at Wal-Mart? Alas, brothers and
sisters, the wellness revolution is here in 
Now, before you accuse me of being a Kool-Aid drinker,
know that I am as meat and potatoes as they come. Give me life, liberty and a
good steak with a little bit of red in the middle. That’s why when I walked
into CC Ralwiggies in
The place was just so green.
The salad bar, the buffet bar, heck, even the walls and the floor; CC Ralwiggies’ earthly ambiance immediately told me I wasn’t in the land of things that go mooooo any more.
Owner Antionette Oberci warmly welcomed us and took us on
a tour of the different buffet stations — four in all, featuring more than
50 items — showing great pride in the healthy selections her establishment
offers, which includes all natural, homemade ingredients with no bases or MSG.
Oberci and company have reason to be proud. Their hardy choices have placed CC
Ralwiggies on the Carteret County Health Department’s “Winner’s
Circle” list, which has strict qualifications, and they serve meals to
terminally ill patients at the neighboring
According to Oberci, CC Ralwiggies is a vegetarian’s playground with 95 percent of the menu belonging to the vegetable food group. On our visit the only meat available was an Italian wedding soup with meatballs.
And so, dear reader, because you deserve to know the truth, I — Mr. Meathead — carried onward with my mission, grabbed a plate and dug in.
And dug in.
And dug in some more.
OK, so I chickened out a little bit on the first helping, going with the “safe” choice of manicotti and pizza, along with bread and a house salad topped with fat-free Caesar dressing. Sue me; I’m young and when in doubt, youngins go for pizza.
But I defend my scaredy-catness because these choices proved to be good ones. The pizza was topped with savory tomatoes and spices, and was soft to the palate, a plus in my book. I get hungry all over again just thinking about it. The manicotti was also enjoyable, thanks to the generous amount of ricotta cheese the cooks put in.
I washed all this down with an excellent old fashioned cherries and cream soda from CC Ralwiggies’ large beverage selection. Soft drinks? Fuhgedabowdit! Juices, natural flavors and sports drinks such as Gatorade are on tap here.
My CIE, who is a vegetarian with vegan leanings, went with a tomato basil soup, salad, banana bread, foccacia, zucchini nut bread and a Snapple to finish things off. Her response? Pure heaven.
Of
particular note was the tomato soup, which Oberci told us was the most popular
item at CC Ralwiggies. One sip and it is easy to see why. Seasoned just right
with a touch of cream, the tomato soup is a definite must try.
For my return trip to the bar, I decided to veg out and went with a thick, creamy potato salad and a cucumber, tomato and basil mixture that, topped with vinaigrette, proved to be another winner.
By the time I was done gobbling up the salads, my CIE — having spent way too much time around Sandy — was ready for dessert. Like the rest of its menu, CC Ralwiggies takes great pains to ensure your sweet tooth is also a healthy tooth. No fattening cakes or pies here. Instead, they take a novel approach and offer a great selection of fruit induced smoothies. Strawberry Banana, Tropical Breeze, Carolina Peach, Pineapple Mint, Berry Berry, Mango Lassie, Orange Blossom, Health Nut, Funky Monkey and Mango Madness all have such enticing ingredients that you may find yourself staring at the chalkboard list like a fifth grader who has just been hit with a multiple choice test.
Unfortunately, there is no “all of the above” so once again I went with the safe choice; I like berries and, why, one of the smoothies is called Berry Berry. Blackberry, honey, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and soy milk all mix together to create a berry merry concoction. (I’ll stop saying berry now.)
My CIE went with the Peach Creamsicle — a combo of banana, cantaloupe, honey, soymilk, orange juice, pickled ginger and peaches — and couldn’t stop raving. Indeed, the smoothies proved to be the perfect end to a well-rounded meal.
So there you have it. I won’t say that I’ve been completely turned from the dark side (or the lightly pink side, depending on the grill) but will scream it on the mountain that CC Ralwiggies is well worth the trip.
Now, dear reader, it’s your turn. CC Ralwiggies is opened Monday through Friday from 10:45 a.m. until 3 p.m. They offer several dine-in options from the all-you-can-eat “Grand Voyage” to the lighter “Tater Tot” that consists of a baked potato and tater toppings. Homemade soups are available to go by the pint, quart and gallon, and carry-out salads are sold by the pound with full access to the bar. For groups, CC Ralwiggies also offers catering services.
Quick Bites
CC
Ralwiggies
Address: 3710 Arendell St., Morehead City
Phone: (252) 240-8646
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10:45 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Closed weekends and holidays.
Price Range: Between $8 for the “Grand Voyage” to $5 for the “Tater Tot”
Payment: Visa MasterCard, cash, checks
Reservations: No
Other: 95 percent vegetarian/vegan menu (Vegan Days on Tues. and Wed.); student and senior discounts available; catering services available starting at $8 per person; good take out menu.
James Minor, the editor of This Week Magazine, wrote the column for Sandy this week.
Sandy
Craft owned and operated a catering company in Atlanta
for 17 years.
She is one of the few people who actually still cooks, but she finds
following
a recipe goes against her nature. When traveling she likes to visit local
grocery
stores and farm stands, and she thoroughly enjoys good food.
See the previously reviewed restaurants on the Restaurant Archive page
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