Traveling Foodie Goes South: Riverview Cafe in Sneads Ferry

On my recent trip to the Camp Lejeune area to scout out housing options for T and me, I found myself unable to stop eating complete trash. Lots of car snacks and fried things (more on that later) made me feel gross, and the restaurants we went to were pretty disappointing on the whole.

But then, on Saturday night, my friend M used her frighteningly sophisticated research skills (by which I mean she's just a really persistent Googler) to find us a fantastic seafood place in Sneads Ferry called Riverview Cafe.

Did Riverview Cafe feature a sophisticated selection of vegetables?

No, no it did not.

Did Riverview Cafe have a view of the river?

I didn't really check; I was too busy ordering a cold glass of white wine.

But did Riverview Cafe feature an amazing broiled scallop dinner?

Yes, yes it did.

Although it wasn't as magically cheap as I was hoping it would be ($19.99 for a broiled scallop dinner with a side salad and fried zucchini), the helping of scallops was generous and left me feeling satisfied, as opposed to the consistent feeling of being gipped that I get when I order a scallop entrée that features four scallops artfully surrounded by stupid dots of sauce and costs the same.

M and C both ordered the broiled scallop and broiled flounder combo meal, and the flounder was equally as tasty and equally as plentiful as the scallops. We skipped dessert, which Riverview Cafe is known for (coconut cream pie on top of nine billion scallops and a carafe of white wine just doesn't sound like a good idea), but I'll be sure to try it in the fall, when I take T there. As I've told him, it's our new favorite seafood place.

Also worth mentioning is the shop across the street from Riverview Cafe, called (of course), the Shop Across the Street. It's tiny and it sells a lot of beach-themed jewelry and gifts (some tacky, some really nice), but what's really special about it is the owner, the type of sincerely kind and welcoming person that makes you believe in Southern hospitality.

His wife is from Massachusetts, too, and he warned me that I might experience some culture shock (hers was over the lack of pastrami at the grocery store), but said that he hoped I'd find happiness in North Carolina. If I can find more restaurants like Riverview and more people like him, it shouldn't be too hard.