Rock Stars
by Kurt Epps—The PubScout
Oysters and crawfish and shrimp—oh my! And those (and mussels) were just the appetizers at Oyster Rock’s first-ever Thanksgiving buffet.
And given The Rock’s reputation for outstanding food—due in large measure to Executive Chef Kevin Caulfield’s culinary skills—those delicacies were just the beginning.
Add a lengthy list of salads, cheeses, a memorable cranberry relish and The Rock’s incredible She-Crab Soup, and you could be forgiven if you waited a bit at your table before going back for the main courses.
Which, while thoroughly enjoying one of Patrick Legendre’s outstanding beer choices—Zoe from Maine Brewing—I was more than happy to do. Patrick, Kevin and a totally dedicated staff worked in perfect harmony to insure not only a comfortable, easy flow to the buffet tables, but a super-efficient cleanup of the empty dishes you’d leave on the table. And there were many of those.
Ever humble, The Rock’s resident cerevisionary gave full credit to his Rockstar Rockstaff for the unbridled success of this event, and the prediction here is that it will become an annual one. Its only problem could be its success, once Covid vanishes and full capacity is allowed.
Observing sensible protocols, which included masks to and from the tables to the tureens and hand sanitizers at each station, the speed with which we “grazers” could move through the buffet line was impressive.
My problem at buffets is usually trying to pack so much on my plate that half of it falls off on the way back to my seat—a seat which overlooked a beautiful, sunset-riddled ICW and a dock with a fully lit Christmas tree. That neat touch was set up, no doubt by the staff at St. Nick’s Nacks, another popular member of the Callahan’s family just up the street.
But because the clean-up contingent of the Rockstaff were at the top of their game, multiple plates and multiple trips made far more sense. The Crab Verrazano alone deserved its own trip, and did I mention the She-Crab soup? Spilling ANY of that should constitute a felony.
And though there was Pender County Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Loin of Pork available—and a thing of beauty it was, Thanksgiving is turkey time for The PubScout. This brined bird was so tender, moist and succulent, it almost didn’t require the Giblet Gravy and the perfect mashed potatoes.
Almost.
Though stuffed, there’s always room for a bit of dessert, and my Zoe being drained, I opt usually for a liquid one—in this case Bill’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Breakfast Stout, a 10.2% high-octane winner, in my hand at the top of the column. That it paired perfectly with the mousse-topped Brownie and Pecan Diamond I just HAD to try (“thank-you bites,” you know), was not unexpected.
Comments