Dining a la Carteret
The Net House
by
Sandy Craft
Every time I return to The Net House in
Beaufort I remind myself to come back more often. Crossing the bridge is
really not that hard. For 25 years
they have served some of the best seafood in the county, and this time was no
exception. 
Strug and Lynda Steed bought the
restaurant in 1980. At the time,
the very lightly battered seafood they served was a contrast to heavy breading
featured in most restaurants. Today, their daughter Kelli Creelman carries on
the tradition, using her mother’s tried and true recipes, and a few
additions of her own.
I must confess I did not wait for my
Companion-in-Eating (CiE) to arrive before digging into the basket of hush
puppies. That’s one of the perks of being there first. (That’s my little
tip for you: if you’re meeting someone, get there first — or ask your CiE
to get down on the floor and hunt for your contact when the hot hush puppies
arrive. They are outstanding.)
Next came the soups. What could be
better in the cold weather than a bowl of homemade soups and a bucket of
steamed oysters? Good bets are the
Down East clam chowder or the she crab soup, but if you want something that is
rich and creamy and will really stick to your ribs, the seafood bisque is the
ticket.
After devouring the soups, we sampled
items from the appetizer menu; crispy oysters wrapped in bacon and steamed
clams with lemon dill butter (that would make anything taste good) and the
huge broiled scallops provolone with a little creamed horseradish on the side.
For the main course, you can’t go
wrong if you’re in the mood for fried, steamed or broiled seafood, though as
I mentioned, their signature is the light batter used on the fried seafood. If
you want something a little different, you should try the Grouper Dijon, which
my CiE and I polished off with no trouble.
The soft shelled crab stuffed with crabmeat is a must if you’re a
crabmeat lover. Oh, and the beautiful white back fin crabmeat or local shrimp
panned in butter are also hard to beat.
For
dessert, the homemade pies, either lemon or key lime, topped with real
meringue, are perfect. Edith Riffe,
the manager, makes all the desserts. I
will go back to try her Beaufort cream cake, which she described as a cross
between Boston cream pie and cheesecake. Doesn’t that sound like reason
enough to cross that bridge?
I mentioned to Edith, who has been with
the restaurant for sixteen years, that they have an outgoing and friendly
staff who seems to be truly enjoying themselves.
Laughing, she agreed and said, “Yes,
this is the Old Waitress Home, where they come to die!
And we do have lots of laughs. It
sure beats cleaning house!”
If you’re going to The Net House for
the first time, chances are that you’ll feel like one of the family by the
time you leave. It’s that sort
of place.
The Net House has been closed for the
month of January, but they are opening again on Friday night, Feb. 3.
The seafood basket will be the dinner special on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday nights. It includes
seafood with two sides for $9.95. Add
your favorite beverage and, voila! What a great meal. They have all ABC
permits and a good selection of beers and wines.
The house wine, La Terre, is available by the glass.
They do not take reservations, so
during the season, there can be a bit of a wait.
But if you have a large group, give them a call and they will try to
help you out. We’re lucky, we can go now and avoid summer crowds.
So, what are you waiting for?
Quick
Bites
Address:
Phone:
(252) 728-2002
Hours:
Re-opening Feb. 3 at
Open
Tuesday – Saturday at
Payment:
MasterCard,
Visa.
Reservations:
No.
Other:
Smoking in the lounge only. They have all ABC permits. Staff and menu are kid
friendly.
A Taste of...
She
Crab
Soup,
Net House style
Sauté
until soft, do not brown:
1
medium onion
1/2 stick butter
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Sherry to taste.
1/27/06
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
Back to THIS WEEK MAGAZINE Index