Goddamn it, I fucking LOVE DUCK.
We’ve been to The Left Bank, one of the more upscale restaurants on the Outer Banks, twice this week, once for cocktails and munchies and once for dinner. Chef de Cuisine Joel Sardinha is assisted by, among others, my nephew Ryan and the peripatetic Dodge Draffin, but that’s no reason not to go.*
*Rim shot!
This bar brings sexyback.
I’m not doing a full-on review because there’s a bit of a conflict of interest, what with my family member working there, and I am nothing if not overly critical a total bitch scrupulously fair. But that doesn’t mean I can’t say a few things betwixt the evenings’ food pr0n.
It’s an orgy of backlighting! And I love it.
1. The bar is most excellent. Sexy but comfortable, and Very Nice Bartender whose name I feel guilty for not remembering is not only friendly and fun, but turns out nice specialty drinks and wonderfully solid classics. Plus, you get to enjoy the sunset without having to drink your beverage out of a plastic novelty cup shaped like a skull or tiki head.
Drool.
2. Dodge Draffin can cook the HOLY HELL out of some scallops.
After I ate this, I told the chef that if I weren’t already married I would marry this dish.
3. Crab galette bound with scallop, served with sweet corn, mushrooms, shallots, butterbean puree and leek oil. Number one on my list of dishes to re-create at home. Killer. Notice how I attacked it immediately, and then realized that I needed to take a picture.
I need this lighting in my kitchen.
4. If you go at sunset, the view is gorgeous. The dining room is spare but elegant and lets the views take center stage. Also, the chairs are comfortable for the more fat-assed among us; important when dinner takes 2+ hours.
A rare photo of Dodge actually finishing a dish.
5. Open kitchens are always fun, and this one is remarkably calm and open to patrons nosing around at the pass. Joel is incredibly friendly and would love to spend a few minutes talking with you about the dishes at the restaurant, food in general, tattoos, the gifted program his daughter is enrolled in, grapes, Paula Deen, or any number of other topics. Also, my nephew is often at the pass expediting food. If you go, tell him he needs a haircut.
Look at this wine glass. Are you not enamored? I am totally smitten.
6. The dessert wine list. And this glass.*
*Adorable husband who does dishes AND kills spiders AND remembers when my period is coming and brings home chocolate unprovoked not included.
I could eat a LOT of those little cookies. I’m sure they ship well, hint hint.
7. Staff is unfailingly friendly and incredibly polite. Coming from the New York City area, I am a little wary of staff so utterly lacking in surliness and I get really nervous around them. Which they were also really polite about, which made me clam up more; a vicious cycle. But those of you without my severe mental problems will probably really like it.
This is like the best PB&J you ever had, times 100, injected with heroin, and deep fried and covered in cinnamon sugar.
The Left Bank
Sanderling Resort and Spa
1461 Duck Road
Duck, North Carolina 27949
For reservations (recommended): 1-800-701-4111 Ext. 133 (before 4:00pm) or call 252-261-8419 (after 4:00pm)
(1) Heroin? Can I get a confirmation on that?
(2) We visited the Outer Banks for the first time last year, making a 14 hour drive from Nashville, TN. We stayed in Corolla. It will be a long time before we have enough gas money for another trip. I curse our negligence of The Left Bank.
(3) I love whole-hog barbecue with a passion.
Argh this place sounds like a haven of deliciousness. Love the look of that chocolate moussy stuff. I wonder if those cookies would ship well to NZ
And your husband sounds marvelous! Yay for people that kill spiders on command (or in my case, remove a snail from the damn SHOWER)
Oh, I was just talking about this place with a friend at lunch this week afterall the whole state of Ohio vacations in the outer banks. She was teling me that she like to take a night off from the beach to go the bar. Looks really yum place.
Wait . . . are those PEANUT BUTTER BALLS? Deep fried? Please, PLEASE tell me more about those.
love that place and the Outer Banks! Hit The Blue Point if you have a chance, too. Hope you had a relaxing vacation. Last week was a great time to be in Duck.
diane, now you know. and of course you need to save up gas money if you’re going to stay in corolla, it takes for fucking ever to get there up the beach road.
the heroin is unconfirmed, but i can’t imagine what else could be in it to make it so good. oxycontin? powdered unicorn horn?
kristen, no they’re not. they’re cinnamon-sugar covered beignets with peanut butter-banana-marshmallow cream, scuppernog grape compote and candied pecans.
Oh c’mon. You have to admit, those little garlic flower posies they put on everything are a bit ghey. And serving duck on Duck Road? In a town called Duck? Psh.
(I am jealous. Green.)
That looks SOOOOO wonderful. Is that a picture of your nephew next to Dodge? If so, he is ADORABLE and he does NOT need a haircut!!!!
The food is always remarkable. The service and atmosphere are impeccable. Next trip I’ll try the P,B,J, sans the heroin
You rock, seriously. I worked at the LB for three years; and yeah, we really are that nice. Glad to hear its still so wonderful. I’ll spread the word.
My name is Joel and I am the Chef at The Left Bank. Thank you all for enjoying my passion. I live for making people happy with with the God given talent I have for creating food. The resort is working on an online gift shop! Maybe the Chocolate Pistacio Cookies could be a filler for Holiday baskets. Carolina, thank you for thinking that I am adorable, at my age it makes me feel young again! Not that I am that old! Dodge is always getting better and yes, after 3 months of personally showing him how to sear scallops, he finally pulled it off that night. Michelle and Brian, miss you guys already! Might be up in your neck of the woods in November for recruiting from CIA in Hyde Park. Maybe we can get together then! Graham will be part of my entourage! I will obviously be chaperoning!
Live with Love, Walk with Peace, Eat with Passion!!!!
[...] to the preponderance of cheffly types, one of which is my nephew the chef-in-training (who finally got a damn haircut) who is deep within a [...]
Why is your writing so genius?! I enjoy reading your posts and I HATE READING… you also challenge me to recall those SAT words because my vocab has gone to shit.