Outer Banks Taste of the Beach 2014 Downtown Manteo Tapas Throwdown Boasts New Restaurant in its Lineup
MANTEO, NC – February 28, 2014: The Outer Banks Restaurant Association announces the inclusion of new restaurant, The Avenue Grille, as new kid on the block in this popular annual event.
The very popular, much beloved, Downtown Manteo Tapas Throwdown has a fresh new face this year. The Avenue Grille, located in the Waterfront Shops, boasts panoramic water views of Shallowbag bay as well as great food featuring innovative ingredients. Owner Maria Williamson and husband and Executive Chef Thomas have already carved out a loyal following in their first summer season open. Avenue Grille opened in summer 2013 proudly serving local seafood, all natural proteins, a large selection of craft beers on tap and in bottle, a dynamic wine list based on sustainable practices, and a fun OBX inspired cocktail list.
Reviewers boast; “Wonderful View, Food and Service.”, and “A Lunch to Remember!”
Part of the goal each year in the 4-day OBX Taste of the Beach events lineup is to develop new events, include new restaurants, and encourage returning events to add to their usual programming, keeping it fresh each year. The last several years of the Downtown Manteo Tapas Throwdown has continued to see increasing ticket sales and demand. What started out as a one time, one night event offer, has expanded to include two nights and two seating times each night just to meet the demand of ticket requests.
One of the favorite things of guests, besides the outstanding food and drink, is the fact that all three restaurants are a short walk from each other, making it easy to park once and walk to start your evening’s culinary tour. The quaint charm of Downtown Manteo make for a pleasant stroll past gift shops, galleries and historic architecture on your way to your next restaurant destination.
Long time favorites on the crawl, Ortega’z Southwest Grill and the Full Moon Café & Brewery, are back for their annual appearance in the event. In 2012 the Full Moon Café added to it’s menu with the development of their own micro-micro brewery. Brewmaster and owner Paul Charron heads up that part of the business while wife Sharon Enoch manages the restaurant. Paul’s brews have received accolades and his launch into this area has proven to be a great addition to the café and to the town of Manteo itself. Ortega’z Southwest Grill’s owners Lisa and Marcelo Ortega, were recently featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” where Lisa wow’ed Fieri with her lightening fast skills in fish butchery, while Marcelo and Fieri cooked together and enjoyed some of Ortega’z specialty dishes. Ortega’z is widely know as a must-do, never disappointing, but down to earth Southwest inspired cuisine with an emphasis on fresh local catches and produce.
We encourage you to try out the NEW Downtown Manteo Tapas Throwdown on either Friday March 14th or Saturday March 15th, and try all three restaurants for yourself. You’ll receive a plate of Tapas inspired selections along with drink at each place.
To locate the event page and order your tickets for the early or late sessions (they are listed separately) either nights, CLICK HERE
Tickets to this event as well as over 70 others are available for sale now at the website www.obxtasteofthebeach.com.
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The Outer Banks Restaurant Association, a non-profit organization, has been hosting the Taste of the Beach since the early 1980’s and in 2008 expanded to the current 4-day multi-event format. Growing it from humble beginnings to become one of the most unique and loved food festivals on the East Coast. The event was named one of the top 10 Seafood and Wine Festivals in 2010 by Coastal Living Magazine and continues to push the limits of what a food festival is all about with the creation of new events and themes each year. All centered around St. Patrick’s Day weekend each year, the festival also highlights the Irish holiday with parties and celebrations as well as complementing the longest-standing and one of the largest parades of its kind in the nation, the Kelly’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. For more information about the festival, please visit www.obxtasteofthebeach.com.
