'The Crystal Coast Is Cookin'' Captivates Culinary Connoisseurs with Palate-Pleasing Travel in the Outer Banks

EMERALD ISLE, BEAUFORT, CAPE LOOKOUT, N.C., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- While early spring weather curbs beachside activities in other destinations, the Crystal Coast -- North Carolina's southern Outer Banks -- captivates culinary connoisseurs with the "Crystal Coast is Cookin'" promotion encompassing restaurant offers, epicurean excursions and food festivals, including the upcoming Beaufort Wine & Food Festival taking place April 23 - 27. The Beaufort Wine & Food Festival -- the largest outdoor-tented festival in North Carolina and a top 20 Southeast Tourism Society event -- hosts activities including wine pairing dinners and wine education seminars with celebrity chefs like Virginia Willis, as well as art shows with fine wines during the four-day event.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080401/CLTU006 )

More than 80 privately owned dining establishments are located throughout the Crystal Coast, including outdoor bistros, southern fried seafood shacks, upscale cafes and coastal barbecue joints -- all serving "fresh from the docks" seafood. Local favorites include El's, a dive famous for its mile high stacked Shrimp Burger, Blue Moon Bistro known for its Pan Seared Salmon over Lobster Ravioli and Beaufort Grocery, a Southern Living favorite with charm reminiscent of a French country Bistro, known for its Lemon Chess Pie.

Events such as the Beaufort Food & Wine Festival, North Carolina Seafood Festival and the Newport Pig Cookin' Contest blend coastal delicacies with fun activities such as wine tastings, concerts, historical tours and golf contests. "Breakfast with the Rays" at the North Carolina Aquarium, indulgent picnic excursions to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, and quaint waterfront dining in a 1700s Victorian home are just a few of the year round epicurean activities visitors can partake in to enjoy coastal cuisine in a relaxed, beach environment.

Another initiative part of Crystal Coast is Cookin' is Carteret Catch, a program ensuring that visitors are able to get fresh local seafood caught right off the coast of North Carolina in Carteret County. While more than 80 percent of seafood served in the U.S. is imported, the Crystal Coast provides visitors the chance to dine on "fresh from the docks" seafood that was caught the same day in clean, coastal waters. Culinary connoisseurs enjoy the freshest ingredients on menu items designated with the Carteret Catch logo, from Wild Mushroom Encrusted Trigger Fish and Scallops A 'La Florentine to Lobster Risotto and She Crab Bisque, while supporting the local fishing industry of the Crystal Coast.

Dangling like a delicate strand of pearls off the coast of North Carolina, this favored Atlantic beach destination of generations captivates discerning palates with the Crystal Coast is Cookin' promotion and represents one of the only remaining natural barrier island systems in the World. The Islands are strung together with 85 miles of silken coastline along the southern Outer Banks, 56 miles of which are in the protected Cape Lookout National Seashore. Comprised of the seaside towns of Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Emerald Isle, Harker's Island and Morehead City, the Crystal Coast is home to one of the oldest cemeteries in the state, Fort Macon State Park, Blackbeard's legendary ship the Queen Anne's Revenge and is the setting for several of Nicholas Sparks' best selling novels.

To experience North Carolina's Crystal Coast, call (800) 786-6962 or visit http://www.crystalcoastnc.org/ or http://www.crystalcoastnewsroom.com/ for high-resolution images.

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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Crystal Coast

CONTACT: Kerry Anne Watson, Jamey Ivey, jivey@zimmerman.com, both of The
Zimmerman Agency, 1-850-668-2222, for Crystal Coast

Web site: http://www.crystalcoastnc.org/
http://www.crystalcoastnewsroom.com/