CAROLINA FEATURES

Come in from the Cold
at the Front Street Brewery

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

WILMINGTON, NC – Wilmington is by no means a cold city. But on a dry, clear November evening, the temperature was dropping into the low 40’s faster than a high approach shot to sunken green.

I was stomping around the streets of downtown wearing a pair of old jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt and a polar fleece vest. Southern by birth, and for life, this was my typical fall and winter attire. My modus operandi when traveling is simple: find a clean place to say in proximity to at least two golf courses, and a warm inviting pub to visit in the evening hours.

With 40 degrees and a breeze off the Cape Fear River bearing down on me, finding the warm pub was of the essence.

Downtown Wilmington is like nothing else you’ll find in North Carolina. Forget for moment that you are living in the age of the cell phone, the palm pilot and the Pentium processor. The historic buildings that make up this 200-block historic district can take you back nearly 150 years to the days of gray coats and blockade runners.

Taking a right onto Front Street, the penultimate boulevard before Wilmington’s scenic waterfront, the Front Street Brewery came into plain site. Within the next 60 seconds, I was through the doors, onto a bar stool, and sipping an India Pale Ale.

The atmosphere was quintessential pub style, replete with a mahogany bar, dark wooden walls, taps bowing like woodpeckers on speed, and a congenial barkeep that seemed to know exactly when you refill your drink without asking.

The building that houses Front Street has been an integral part of the Wilmington streetscape since the late 1800’s. The bar, the stairwell, the walls – everything on the inside – is the proud work of a local mastercraftsman, and was custom built for the Brewery back in 1995.

Even the business can claim a bit of history for itself. Front Street Brewery was the first brewpub to open in southeastern North Carolina, and it is still one of the most popular with its traditional ales, lagers and porters, and its seasonal favorites like raspberry in summer, and spiced ales in the fall and winter.

I had logged 27 holes earlier in the day, and had been running on fumes since the calories from my stale turkey sandwich at the turn had expired hours ago. Translation: appetizers.

Front Street offers some of the usual pub starters, such as pub fries with chili and cheese, but it also delves into the nontraditional with healthy offerings like the black bean quesadillas.

I went for the later, knowing that I was going to pull out the stops on the main dish, and they were as good as advertised by the bar keep.

Front Street’s entrees go well beyond burgers and fish and chips. Roasted pork tenderloin is a favorite among regulars, as is the chili coated chicken, which is served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and topped with crumbled blue cheese. Peppercorn steak made its way to my seat, and it was more than worth the $15.

Most restaurants in Wilmington offer some sort of seafood entrees, and Front Street is more than happy to oblige with its blackened catfish and catch of the day. But the best meals on the menu, and the majority of those being served at the bar, were for the landlubbers.

Pub burgers were as popular as the freshly brewed beer, and Front Street has a wide variety of them including blackened, with bacon and cheddar, and traditional style with lettuce, onion and tomato. On this crisp night, chili was the soup of the day and more patrons opted for this hearty Cincinnati style bowl than any other side dish.

For a Tuesday night, Front Street had a nice crowd that filled every bar seat and the majority of the tables. The barkeep informed me that unlike restaurants in 9 to 5 white collar towns like Charlotte and Raleigh, Wilmington eateries were not subject to the early week let downs. Tuesday was just as good a day to celebrate life as Friday, I wasn’t one to argue with that.

The Hours

Monday - Thursday: 11:30 to 12am (late night menu 10 pm to 12 am)
Friday and Saturday: 11:30 to 1am (late night menu 11 pm to 1 am)
Sunday: 12pm to 10pm

The Basics

Front Street Brewery
9 N. Front Street
Wilmington, NC
(910)251-1935

Ratings

Atmosphere: **** Food: ***
Service: ****
Value: **

TravelGolf.com Rating System * - Put your dog under the table
** - Drink a lot, and it will be great
*** - Solid birdie effort
**** - Qualifies for the Tour
***** - Could easily win a major

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