Digging Into Morehead City Seafood Joints
Heard folks raving about Morehead City seafood spots online last Tuesday. Woke up thinking “screw it, I’m driving over there to taste this myself.” Grabbed my notebook, jumped in the truck around 10AM. Sun was already baking the asphalt when I hit Highway 70.
The Investigation Phase
First thing after parking downtown? Sat on a bench scrolling through phone reviews like a detective. Noticed three names popping up constantly:
- Captain Bill’s Waterfront – everybody kept yelling about their crab cakes
- Ruddy Duck Tavern – shrimp & grits mentioned 20+ times
- El’s Drive-In – looked like a dump but fried oyster reviews made me curious
Saw one guy complaining “paid $28 for soggy hush puppies at Parker’s” so scratched that off immediately.
Boots-on-Ground Tasting
Captain Bill’s at 1PM: Walked straight into fish smell heaven. Ordered crab cakes like reviews said. Waiter warned “they’re messy!” He wasn’t joking – chunks fell out everywhere. Texture? Solid B+. Sauce tasted like someone dumped Cajun spice in mayo.
Ruddy Duck around 3PM: Place was crawling with tourists. Shrimp & grits arrived looking fancy. First bite – grits smoother than my grandpa’s bald head. But shrimp? Tiny. Like eating popcorn shrimp. Felt ripped off paying $24.
El’s Drive-In at 5:30PM: Sketchy parking lot but line wrapped around building. Got fried oysters in styrofoam box. Crunch sounded like stepping on autumn leaves. Perfectly greasy. Best $9 I spent all day.
The Verdict
Back home now with heartburn. Takeaways:
- Phone reviews lie 50% of the time
- Fancy plating ≠ better taste
- Always trust places with cracked parking lots
Would crawl through traffic again just for El’s oysters. But next time? Bringing antacids and skipping anything with “gourmet” in description.
