Handcrafted Fine Cuisine

I keep going back to Ports of Call. I like the atmosphere. It's international, and the owner sits in the window or the bar overseeing everything. That's unusual and special. Somehow I'm reminded of Rick's in Casablanca, only there is no gambling in the backroom ( I don't think there is...) One should dress up a bit to eat here, although it's not required; after all, this is a North Carolina Beach Village. Nevertheless there's a real element of fine dining here. That's because the food is not all fried seafood as is common hereabouts. My wife and I had our anniversary dinner here, and it so happened they were celebrating Bastille Day with some wonderful specials. I had the bouillabaisse and a salad with wasabi dressing. They were lovely, but the most impressive, and this may seem a bit odd, was the bread basket. The bread had a crunch crust and delicate flavor, warm from the oven. A bread lover, I had never had such fresh crispy bread. The service is very good, and the restaurant background music is always international, which adds to the feeling of being abroad. Oh, have I mentioned that Southport is very nearly on the same latitude as Casablanca, which is 33.5333 degrees N., Southport is 33.9244 degrees N.