The Paper Canoe

OK - here is a very very thorough review of the paper canoe including what our family considered "the rankings". There were so many of us and we all tried each other's dish. I have to rely on a few other people too because I am celiac and could only eat the gluten-free items.Ok let's get startedAppetizers: Here were the rankings in our opinion. 1 duck egg roll - everyone raved about this and then raved and raved some more - wow2 wedge salad was super fantastic and included bacon and was gluten-free - pretty awesome!!3 burrato salad - this was a thumbs up, but it was not as good as the wedge salad. However, it comes with an absolutely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!! amount of lettuce was good for a laugh.4 French onion soup - OK, now we get into some things we wouldn't order again - I was told the French onion soup was OK but too creamy. Some of what was ordered was not finished. 5 the oyster dish we got had pimento cheese which is normally good but it had a kick that kind of overwhelmed the whole dish (by the way - I usually love that, but in this case it was- a little too spicy for the dish and kind of overwhelmed every other taste / flavor. I never thought I would say this, but kick it down a notch.Entree rankings1 wild catch - the wild catch of the day was Pompano and everyone went berserk over this one. Berserk!2 - Beef Wellington - personally I thought it was a bit odd to order this dish when you come to the ocean and not just get seafood, however, everyone agreed it was simply amazing3. Chicken - yes, I do wish I remember what it was called, but it was the only chicken entrée and I was told it was fantastic.4. Seafood puff pastry - apologies on the name of this one, I think it was a French word I couldn't pronounce, but I was told it was really good5. Ravioli in cream sauce - the lump crab, ravioli, and cream sauce was very good and we talked about. Also, they don't skimp on the crab. 6. Steak - I appreciated the steak being gluten-free, but I thought the steak itself could have been seasoned more. It did come with a good sauce, but you definitely had to dunk the meat for it to have a strong flavor. Also, oddly, the steak came pre-cut, which I didn't think of much at the time but it takes you a while to eat a 16 ounce steak and by the end what you were eating is cold so I wish it had not been pre-cut so perhaps it would've retained his heat a bit better. The odd thing about this dish is that it is labeled as gluten-free, but it comes with french fries that the waiter told us were fried in the same fryer as things are breaded. I appreciate him coaching me but found it odd that something not gluten-free was labeled gluten-free. ?!?!7. Ravioli in tomato sauce - pulling up the rear here is the ravioli in tomato sauce. As the menu continues to change, I would consider retiring this one. Our group pushed it around the table, so everybody could have a bite, but everyone ranked it last.Best drink:1. Blood orange vodka and pomegranate juice blew everyone away - no, I don't know what it was called and the thing looked a bit like a red lava lamp when it was delivered, but everybody was blown away by this drink2. Aww yeah was good too. Yes that is the name - "ahh yeah". I was told it was not quite as good as the other one however, people really, really liked it.We didn't get that many drinks and everything was really good Desserts1. Crème brute - this dessert was so good. It would be hard to come here again and not get it. This is how crème brûlée is supposed to taste. OK, full disclosure, it is quite difficult to rank the desserts because everybody thought theirs was the best Others in our group got the Chocolate pyramid (mouse), Cream cheese fruit tart (which was basically a cheesecake as far as I could tell) and the Key lime tart (which was basically Keylime pie)I personally only tried the crème brûlée and am a crème brûlée snob so forget those other desserts and get the crème brûlée. HaLastly, I do want to mention that one person group who is finicky about coffee, got the coffee and liked it. He also got a glass of cab and said that was good too Overall, this place gets a big thumbs up from me. They handled our big group with ease and our waiter who had a butterfly tattoo on his arm was one of the cooler people I have met in my life. I don't know if you need reservations, but I'm guessing you do because it's not one of these ginormous restaurants, it was smaller and quaint, and I liked it that way. I almost forgot, some in our group got a drink just because it came with an edible straw, which apparently tastes like sweet tarts. I was told it was the bomb. Warning - there was some fighting at the table for scraps of the straw when it was broken into pieces.Be prepared for some table turmoil if you get that edible straw

*****Excellent food, drinks, service & atmosphere!! My group thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!! Five Stars!! *****

We were visiting the OuterBanks for the Thanksgiving holidays from San Antonio, TX. We dined there on Friday evening. Our server Elena was very helpful explaining the menu items. . Our choice for the evening was the Wild Catch of the day Pampano. The service, ambience and meal were excellent. We will visit again on our next visit. ThanksJ & P

The view and ambiance of this restaurant is amazing and truly made our dining experience. Try to go before/during sunset. Highly recommend making a reservation. Food was delicious. I don't like how their menu isn't available on their website, but thankfully they have a good variety of items. Don't recommend if you have children. No kids menu and kind of limited options for picky eaters.

Delicious delicious delicious! Bartender, hilarious, and food really good ask for Brad

We on vacation in duck - and I always look for the best of the area. This came up so I made reservations for that Friday and it was one of my favorite meals I've ever had, anywhere! Great service, right on the water, cozy with a relaxed vibe. Loved it ALL! Will be back anytime I'm close!

Our first time in OBX so we wanted to go eat seafood and after looking at the reviews wife and I decided to give it a shot. The restaurant looks like a quaint house from the outside. Since we didn't have reservations we were seated at the bar (glad we did, the bartender Tony was great). The wife ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and I had the "Duck, Duck, Goose" cocktail since we were in Duck, NC; it was so good I had a second one! For appetizers we had the Duck Confit Egg rolls (fantastic!). For entrees the wife had the spicy Shrimp and Grits with Cajun andouille sausage that was perfectly seasoned and i had the Crab Stuffed Shrimp which was amazing (a gentleman at a nearby table came over to ask what I was having because it looked so good). For dessert we had the Flourless Chocolate Tort that was decadently rich and a perfect ending to our meal. The restaurant is a little on the small size but you do get a nice view of the water and the music in the background is jazzy, relaxing and just perfect. If you're into landscaping they have a nice layout of fig trees, flowers and plants outside on the perimeter of the restaurant and in the front porch. Please be careful when driving up or when leaving as there are wild rabbits in the nearby grass; we counted 10! Loved the place we will return during this stay.

I love this place. Really small and quaint. Definitely make reservations and I'd suggest around sunset in the bar area. Food was fantastic! Don't fill up on the bread and just be patient because the food is worth the wait. We started with duck egg rolls. They were so good that we barely used the dipping sauce. My girlfriend had the crab ravioli and I had the scallops with couscous. Took it home and it was just as good the next day as leftovers

Not sure where to start. The service was great and the waitress always had a smile on her face. The food was well made, served quickly and hot. The desert was the right portion and absolutely wonderful.

Really enjoyed the paper canoe!Started with the crab dip and unbellini. The crab dip was divine! The unbellini is delicious if you're into mocktails. Really creative and tasty drink.The shrimp and grits was different than any I have ever had and probably the best I have ever had. The ravioli was really delicious. Got half red sauce and had white. The white sauce definitely took the lead! The key lime pie is special! Some of the best I've had. There's a reason this place is booked up every evening! Great food and service with a breath taking view!