We took my little one down to the Fort Fischer aquarium on Sunday, and after a couple of hours, we caught the ferry over to Southport.В  We were hungry, and wanted to beat the post Church crowd, but we found it difficult to find a restaurant open in Southport on Sunday.В  We decided to head towards Oak Island, figuring the beach crowd would have a restaurant handy, and we spotted the Sandfiddler.В  Big parking lot and large dining area made it inviting, although the fact that it was OPEN was the biggest draw.

Their service as very good…our waitress was not “friendly”, but she was handling the entire room (about 12 tables) and was doing a great job.В  Their bus boy was so fast that it prompted by little one to comment “That guy is FAST!”

They brought out little round hush puppies as an appetizer to every table.В  We were ravenous, so of course they tasted great, but then so would have dog food at that point.В  They only had trans fat laden margarine, so we left it un-opened and ate them straight up.В  By the end of the meal, once my desire to eat anything in site had dwindled, I decided they were a 3 out of 5 with 5 being great.

I got oyster stew for an appetizer.В  I have had numerous oysters over the years, both raw and cooked, but for some reason, I never came across oyster stew before.В  It turned out to be basically stewed oysters in warm milk with some spices.В  My wife is not used to seeing me puzzled in front of food, so she said that her grandfather used to have the same kind of oyster stew.В  I ate the oysters out of the “broth” and left the milk…the oysters were a 3 out of 5.

Finally came the entree.В  I got the seafood platter: fish, clams, shrimp, and deviled crab.В  I could have ordered them broiled, and if my instincts had allowed when I walked in, I would have done so.В  I never ignore my food instincts however; and I went for the fried.

The fish was excellent.В  I meant to ask if it was flounder, catfish, or some other white fish, but it was great.В  My wife, who is not the fish eater I am, even commented how the fish was quite good.В  It seemed to be fresh with no fishy taste, and the batter was not over done like you get at a crappie (pun intended) place like Long John Silvers.

The shrimp and clams were also very good…lightly battered, but very fresh tasting.

The deviled crab is…well, deviled crab.В  One of these days, I will research the history of who invented deviled crab.В  If they are alive, I’ll track them down and smack them.В  Crab is one of the best tasting shellfish…no, one of the best tasting MEATS that is out there.В  Whoever thought of diluting the flavor with heavy spices and breading was out of their frelling mind.В  Of course, I am stuck in this cycle of self torture, where I must try every deviled crab that ends up on my plate with a seafood platter because it does contain a TINY amount of crab in it, only to end up cussing every single time.

Cole slaw also came with the meal…too much sweet mayo for me.

So, I liked the fish, shrimp, and clams; the hushpuppies were okay, and I gave a thumbs down to the cole slaw and the deviled crab (but I ALWAYS give the thumbs down to deviled crab).В  The oyster stew was okay; in retrospect, I would have preferred straight broiled oysters to swimming in milk, but I can deal with it.

One final comment: they don’t take American Express.В  Looks like they will be getting a call from AMEX marketing after I fill out my form bitching about it.