Dining a la Carteret
Finz Grill
by
Sandy Craft
As my Companion-in-Eating (CiE) and I
approached Finz Grill in 
Time marches on, and it is now known by
the same name as its slightly older sister restaurant across the bridge in
Beaufort. The original ambiance is now enhanced by the addition of brightly
painted marine creatures created out of steel drums in the Dominican Republic
(which are, incidentally, available for purchase), but they are still serving
a wonderful variety of tasty food that surely will appeal to any palate.
When I spoke with owner Webb Geer about
doing this article, I mentioned New Year’s as being when lots of folks start
with the goal of eating healthier. Since manager James Webb oversees
day-to-day operations, we were to be left totally in his hands.
Let’s at least think healthy. This will be great, I’m sure.
First to arrive at the table was an
appetizer platter. I’m not sure whether it was the cold, gray day or just
the fact that I do love appetizers, even more (maybe) than dessert, but I
devoured the potato skins topped with melted cheddar and bacon almost
instantaneously. You know the skin of the potato is where most of the
nutrients are, so that’s healthy, right?
Moving right along, we tried the
wonderfully spicy buffalo wings (keep your napkin handy!), even better with
the Finz special sauce than with the standard bleu cheese dip.
But the crab fritters, spicy with jalapeno peppers were the hands-down
favorite.
Then voila! There it was: a lovely
salad topped with sliced grilled chicken breast seasoned with Jamaican jerk
spices. James asked whether that
filled the “healthy” request. Perfect.
But what was really good and different was the little bit of lime
squeezed over it all. It added a
nice fresh zest and with a little salt and pepper, I didn’t even need the
salad dressing on the side. Now
that’s being a real calorie commando, but it was completely painless.
I promise.
Feeling
very proud of ourselves, we moved on to the Mediterranean shrimp and scallops,
which were sautéed with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives and garlic
and served over linguini. It was
light, fresh, and delicious. I
think we scored again! They
always offer a homemade soup and James says that the she-crab and the New
England clam chowder are favorites.
New Year’s resolutions aside, if you
want to just go out and enjoy yourself, you can especially have a great time
at Finz sitting on one of the decks, weather permitting.
Either upstairs or down, you get a great view of the waterfront
activity, but with a little more panorama upstairs.
There are heaters downstairs so even when it’s just a little chilly,
sitting outside is still a pleasant option, particularly if you order one of
those soups or maybe something from the espresso bar.
There is something for nearly everyone,
from fried and broiled seafood to steaks, burgers, and specials that change
weekly. They offer both lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday, and lunch
only from
Even though the restaurants have the
same name and ownership, the menus and hours are different.
We visited the Morehead restaurant so you should probably check with
the Beaufort Finz for their hours, etc. The
Morehead location also has a great private room, which will accommodate about
100 seated, or 150 for a cocktail reception.Drop by and enjoy a beautiful
sunset and dinner at Finz Grill on the Morehead waterfront.
Quick
Bites
Finz Grill
Address:
Phone:
(252) 726-5502
Hours:
Dinner entrees start
at $12.95.
Payment:
Major credit cards except American Express, local
checks.
Other:
There is smoking in the bar. They
have a children’s menu. There is a nice private room available for
receptions or meetings.
A Taste of... Finz Grill
Scallop
Au Gratin
8-ounce
scallops
Pinch
of garlic
Pinch
of salt and pepper
Plain
bread crumbs.
Place
scallops, garlic, salt and pepper in an 8-ounce casserole dish and bake for 10
minutes at 350 degrees.
When
scallops are done, spread Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese on top.
Sprinkle with plain breadcrumbs.
Bake in oven until breadcrumbs are brown on top. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
1/13/06
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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