the surf diner

location, location, location.

we came for dinner, and were lucky because it was just after 7pm so parking in the beach lot was free. the setting for this restaurant is, of course, very nice, giving a view of the strand in both directions and out to sea. there was also, somewhat surprisingly, no wait for a table on the deck. service was quick, and the food came in a reasonable amount of time. i opted for a traditional southern dish,shrimpand grits, but made the mistake of choosing a roll over hushpuppies. theshrimpand grits was pretty good: thick, nicely seasoned and filled withshrimpand just enough cheese. the roll, though, would have gone through a police car's windshield without being damaged, had a riot started. get the hushpuppies.

the curmudgeon’s ratings (explained, sort of, on the curmudgeon-about-town blog):

food: 3 chili peppers (out of 5)
service: 3 chili peppers
ambience: 4 chili peppers
value: 3 chili peppers

we were originally going to bubba's but a 45 min wait with kids was out of the question. so we crossed the street and so glad we did. sat right away, staff was friendly an accommodating. every fried platter can be requested grilled. kids food was good-my kids ate every bite of mac and cheese, burger and corn dog. or friedshrimpwas great! grilled too! and a generous portion of flounder. good food, good service and then after dinner the ice cream parlor and pier were right there! a perfect evening!