Come and enjoy a Taste of the Beach

Outer Banks Taste of the Beach is back and bigger with dozens of venues offering, as the event’s tagline says, “Food. Drink. Fun.”

“People who live here and are from here are a different breed,” said Audrey Webster, who is in charge of public relations for the event. “Our tagline is simple and reflects our lifestyle and the fact we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

But don’t think the laid-back atmosphere detracts from the offerings. Taste of the Beach is on an equal footing with the best foodie events in the country.

This year’s Taste of the Beach runs from March 15 through March 18, incorporating St. Patrick’s Day weekend and lending an Irish brogue to many venue events.

Forty-nine Outer Banks restaurants are hosting events, ranging from cooking classes to wine/beer tastings, tapas, local seafood and fixed meals of up to six courses.

Some are already sold out. Some are single-day affairs, while others are offered on multiple days. An out-of-town visitor should have no problem compiling a diverse schedule covering all four days.

And while many think of this as a local event, Webster said more that 70 percent of Taste of the Beach visitors come from outside the area.

Last year’s out-of-town guests stayed an average of 2.2 days and were split evenly from Virginia and North Carolina. The 1,400 or so visitors pumped over $100,000 into our March economy, traditionally a slow time for area merchants.

Restaurants and the accommodations industry are direct beneficiaries of this off-season shot-in-the-arm, a primary reason the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau has supported and helped promote Taste of the Beach since its inception.

Early arrivers on Thursday can start things with breakfast and brunch. Thursday night is the big kickoff at the Outer Banks Brewing Station with an event known as the “Locals Lowdown.”

Free admission and free food are offered, and Webster says “an army of volunteers” with laptops will be on hand to sell tickets to all venues that have not sold out. For out-of-town visitors, it is a good time to pick up tickets to available events.

A schedule is available at www.tasteofthebeach.comand lists events by day and by category. Tickets can also be purchased on the website. Pre-purchase is encouraged as many venues sell out well in advance.

The signature Grand Tasting, which caps off the four-day celebration, has been split into two sessions this year to accommodate more people in a less-crowded

Over twenty-five restaurants will be competing at the Grand Tasting for the coveted TOBY awards, including the popular People’s Choice award.

The Grand Tasting will be held at Pamlico Jack’s on Sunday, with the first session from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the second from 7 to 9 p.m. The award winners will be announced at the second session.

To whet your appetite (literally) here are just a few of the themed events available:

• Seven Wonders International Tapas and Beer Fest at Chilli Pepper’s
• Wine and Chocolate Class at Chip’s Wine and Beer Market
• St. Paddy’s Day Oyster Roast and Orange Crush Fesitval — Mulligans
• Outer Banks Chowder Cook-off at Coastal Provisions (Saturday only)
• The Sexy World of Beer Cocktails — Trio
• Pizza for Breakfast — Lucky 12 (yes, there is a sausage and egg pizza!)
• A Celebration of Food & Wine from Latin America — Bad Bean
• Well-Seasoned Roots — Brine & Bottle (six courses which included everything from Wanchese shrimp and pickled okra to jumbo lump crab salad and coriander-roasted leg of lamb)

If you are coming from out of town, the website features several rental management companies and hotels that are offering special event-related pricing, and in some cases, pre-packaged ticket offerings for those who want someone else to make those hard choices.

Participating companies include premier sponsor Village Realty as well as Sun Realty, Southern Shores Realty, Hilton Garden Inn, Ramada Inn, Atlantic Realty, Joe Lamb, Resort and Stan White.

Village is offering two packages, one covering the Duck venues, and the other for events in the Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills area.

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