CRUST Kitchen and Cocktails- Wilmington, NC

 

My granddaughter has been raving about this place for a couple of weeks now and after stopping by for lunch after the Azalea Parade I can see why. 

We looked over the menu and there were so many things that looked good. We finally decided decided on the Bada Bing, shown above, and the Desperado, shown below. Both were quite large, and quite delicious. 

This will definitely be a place we will visit again, and soon. They have a website for more information. 

La Bella Airosa- Wilmington, NC

La Bella Airosa has the most amazing taco food trucks, and I've sampled their food several times at local breweries. Today we stopped by their restaurant on Kerr Avenue for lunch. The restaurant is every bit as good as the trucks. 

I got the Bisteca A La Mexicana shown above and it was delicious. Just the right amount of heat and fresh tasting. The rice was also quite good, and I'm not a huge rice fan. My wife had the enchiladas verdes, also excellent. 

We have a new favorite in town, and close by too. 

Katy's Grill and Bar- Wilmington, NC

I've driven past Katy's hundreds of times and today a friend suggested that our after church lunch group stop by for a bite. It turned out to be a wise suggestion as the food and service were quite good. 

It was 10:30 and I wasn't in the mood for eggs, so I went with the Tiko burger, cheddar cheese, bacon, onion straws and BBQ sauce with a side of onion rings for $9.59. Very nice burger. 

We'll definitely be going back again sometime. 

Flying Machine Brewing Co.- Wilmington, NC

Flying Machine Brewing is the fifteenth brewery to open in Wilmington. My first impression is that someone spent a whole lot of money on this place. It is huge with a nice clean feel to it and doesn't have that cookie-cutter brewery look. Come to think of it, most of our breweries have distinct looks. 

They went with an old fashioned theme, but I think they should have gone a bit further with the aeronautical aspect and have a large propeller and some photos on that walls, as well as perhaps a large model of the Wright Brothers flyer hanging from the high ceiling. Just my opinion though. 

I started with the Albatross II, a double IPA at 8.2%. It was quite nice with a clean taste that belied that gravity, making it go down a bit too easy. I decided on a 5.2% IPA to follow, also nice. 

What I liked was that they had at least fifteen of their own brews on tap, as well as ciders and wines. Even better is the addition of coffee, hot chocolate, and expresso for the non beer drinkers, like my wife. 

Overall, Flying Machine has potential and should be a welcome addition to the local brewing scene.