BBQ & Wing Showdown Archives - Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates

Outer Banks Taste of the Beach Coming Soon

Spring is almost here and that means the Outer Banks Taste of the Beach cannot be far behind.

There are a lot of places that do a “Taste of…” but no one does it as well as the Outer Banks Taste of the Beach.

Think of it as a combination amazing culinary adventure and a tour of the of everything from Corolla to Manteo…with a couple of side trips to the mainland.

The dates have been moved back just a bit this year and the event will be the last weekend in March, beginning or Thursday. The dates are March 28-31.

Hopefully that will get us slightly warmer weather. In the past the ToB has been in the middle of March and weatherize we’ve run the gamut from balmy springtime to nor’easter.

Regardless of the weather, the show must go on.

Since most of the events are indoors, what’s happening outside shouldn’t matter too much There are, however, two outdoor events that will certainly benefit from better weather…although experience has taught us that regardless of the weather the BBQ & Wings Showdown is a lot of fun.

Look for the Showdown at the Nags Head Soundside Event Site from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

One other big event to put on the radar is the Chefs Grand Tasting & Bartenders Bubbly Bash. That also will be held under the tent at the Event Site.

Although it’s outside, the Event Site tents will allow far more room for the what is a grand finale of the weekend. The Grand Tasting has been growing is size and squeezing everyone into one room has become difficult for the restaurants and at time uncomfortable for the guests.

The Chef’s Grand Tasting will be Sunday from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

As the big weekend gets closer, we’ll call out a couple of events that look especially different and interesting.

Be sure to book your home for this very special week with Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates.

2017 Taste of the Beach Best Yet

A great time and lots to try at the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wings Showdown. At the Roosters booth.

Now that was a Taste of the Beach to remember…perfect weather, great food, fun crowds. As the 2017 Outer Banks Taste of the Beach goes into our memory banks, we can look back on it as an example of what happens when things go right.

What Went Right

There’s no doubt that the weather helped this year, but that wasn’t the only reason things went as well as they did.

Sometimes things just seem to fall into place and there’s no clear reason why. 2017 seemed like one of those years.

As writers we tend to focus on the big events—The Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wings Showdown, the Chowder Cook-off or the Grand Tasting & Bartenders Bubbly Bash that wraps things up on Sunday.

The Events

In many ways, that’s out of necessity. There are so many great events happening during the Outer Banks Taste of the Week that reporting on all of them—or even a small percent of them—just isn’t possible.

The folks at Sanctuary Vineyards at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg always have some great events and this year they added a wine pairing at their new restaurant Thyme & Tide Cafe.

Trio in Kitty Hawk is always a blast with their wine and beer pairings; Wes Stepp at Red Sky had a session talking about his Tastefully Fit. The list goes on and on, but from a writer’s standpoint the best way to give a real feel for what the event is like, is to go to the majors events where 15 or 18 chefs are on hand.

We already talked about the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wings Showdown—amazing pork, ribs and wings. We know we ate too much but that was just a warmup for the Chowder Cook-off at Southern Shores Crossing.

A record crowd was on hand and a record number of restaurants. Big kudos to the Taste of the Beach staff for having it so well organized.

The big winner was Stripers with their Corn and Clam Chowder that was the Judge’s and People’s Choice winner. It was excellent, but there were some other ones there that were a very close second.

At the Coastal Cravings table. Coastal Cravings won the Judge's Choice for their Rockfish Ceviche Taco. — At the Coastal Cravings table. Coastal Cravings won the Judge’s Choice for their Rockfish Ceviche Taco.

The Grand Tasting & Bartenders Bubbly Bash at Port O’ Call has become a great way to wrap things up. The chefs pull out all of the stops on their creations, the champagne cocktails are innovative and delicious. What is particularly nice is the organizers made the decisions to divide the day into two sessions. In the past, with one session, at times there wasn’t enough room to move your hand to your mouth to taste the food.

The Grand Tasting is a lot of food to eat—but at least it’s uniformly excellent.

The Judge’s and People’s Choice really seemed to be spot on. The Ceviche rockfish tacos that the Judges liked was perfectly balanced between the mildness of fresh local rockfish and the tartness of the citrus for the ceviche.

The People’s Choice was the Jolly Roger crab cake. Someone commented earlier in the day that it would be nice to have a basic good old fashioned dish. That’s what the crab cakes were.

By all means, look for the Outer Banks 2018 Taste of the Beach next year. It’s four days well spent and the extra time on the exercise bike is worth every moment.

Looking Good for Our BBQ & Wing Showdown

Waiting to be eaten. Wings and ribs at the 2016 We just checked the weather forecast for Friday and now there’s no excuse for missing the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wing Showdown.

Weather Is Cooperating for BBQ & Wing Showdown

We just checked the weather forecast for Friday and there’s no excuse for missing the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wing Showdown. Held at the Event Site in Nags Head, the weather is certainly cooperating. The latest forecast calls for sunshine and temperatures in around 60 degrees.

It’s really looking as though the weather gods are smiling on the event this year, although we know from experience that even if it’s a bit chilly or maybe raining little, the show must go on. Of course, with the event under a huge tent, the weather may be an inconvenience but we’ll still have a great time.

The Outer Banks Taste of the Beach is a four day event, Thursday through Sunday, that includes special preparations, multi course dinners, wine and beer tasting and a some major events.

In many ways, the TOB is mini-tour of the Outer Banks with events scheduled from Corolla to Manteo. It’s tough to pick out a favorite with so much happening.

The BBQ & Wings showdown is, of course, our absolute favorite of the weekend, but two other events we have had fun attending in the past is the Chowder Cook-off on Saturday at Southern Shores Crossing and any one of the wine or beer pairings they do at Trio in Kitty Hawk.

That does come with a caveat—we have never had a bad time at any event.

Other Things To Do

There are a couple of other events that may be worth checking out if eating great food and sipping wonderful libations becomes tiresome.

The Outer Banks Forum of the Lively Arts will be presenting Barefoot Movement at the First Flight High School auditorium on Saturday evening. The Barefoot Movement is at the forefront of what is being called nugrass—sort of a new way of thinking about bluegrass.

For theatre goers, check out the Manteo High School’s production of Phantom of the Opera Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The kids consistently do a remarkable job with some very difficult material, so this may be a great one to see.

BBQ & Wings Showdown TOB Highlight

The Annual Outer Banks Taste of the Beach kicks off next weekend and the big event has to be the BBQ and Wings Showdown on Friday, March 24 at the Event Site in Nags Head.

Here at Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates we sponsor the event with the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, so yes, that’s at least part of the reason we think it’s so great. But beyond that after doing this for the past few years, we can honestly say it is a fun, fun event.

A Couple of Hints

Bring a good appetite. With 15 area chefs creating remarkable barbecue and wings, there is a lot to sample. The event starts at noon, so it’s probably a good idea to skip breakfast. Better yet, don’t eat the day before either.

Don’t vote until everything has been sampled. This is easier said than done. Our experience is that somewhere around the 11th or 12th booth, the realization that the consumption of calories is roughly equivalent to two days of feasting takes root. And there’s still more booths to go.

Nonetheless—forge on. This is for posterity, after all.

Take your time. There is no rush. The listed times for the event are 12-3 and that’s plenty of time to try everything.

Other Things to Do

Although the BBQ and Wings Showdown is the highlight of the Taste of the Beach, the event is actually a four day affair beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday. There is so much to do, we couldn’t possibly list it all here, but by all means, pick out two or three events every day and go have fun.

Two other happenings that have become part of the Taste of the Beach tradition is the Chowder Cook-off on Saturday at Southern Shores Crossing in Southern Shores and the Grand Tasting & Bartenders Bubbly Bash at Port O’ Call in Kill Devil Hills.

The Grand Tasting has become so popular that there are two opportunities to go—noon until 2:00 p.m. and 2:30-4:30.

Major Outer Banks March Events

Scene from last March at the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates BBQ & Wing Showdown.

It seems as though the winter is just zipping by here on the Outer Banks. Although, as winters go, it hasn’t been much of one.

But here we are, it’s March already, the days are beginning to feel a bit longer the weather, which has been wonderfully mild, will hopefully stay that way and there are some great events coming up this month on the Outer Bank.

We’re not going to write about all of the March events, but there are a few we want to be sure to mention.

Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Beach Road, Nags Head

March 12

The parade is a bit earlier than usual this year, so be sure to mark the calendar because this is one parade that should not be missed. Mike Kelly has been putting on this parade for over 25 years and it is always fun, whacky and a wonderful celebration of all that’s best about the Outer Banks.

Outer Banks Taste Of The Beach Weekend

Outer Banks

March 23 – March 26

The Taste of the Beach combines two sure-to-please features—great food and a chance to tour the northern Outer Banks.

There are so many events on the schedule that it’s not possible to call all of them out, but we do want to call attention to three in particular, nicely scheduled on three different days so there’s no excuse for not showing up for all three.

The Outer Banks BBQ & Wing Showdown

The Soundside Event Site, Nags Head

March 24

This is our favorite event of the weekend because…well, Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates sponsors it. With the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, we should add.

Nonetheless, this is a fun, fun event with some of the best chefs on the Outer Banks competing to prove they make the best wings and barbecue around.

Helpful hint: Consume no food after midnight of the night before.

Annual OBX Chowder Cookoff

Southern Shores Crossing Shopping Center, Southern Shores

March 25

Going to the Chowder Cookoff is like entering a chowder museum where the exhibits are edible. Very edible.

It is almost impossible to describe how many different ways chowder can be prepared and in the hands of some of the best chef’s on the Outer Banks, it is some good soup.

It is an outdoor event, although Southern Shores Crossing is very protected. Nonetheless, dress accordingly.

Grand Tasting & Bartenders Bubbly Bash

Port ‘o Call Restaurant, Kill Devil Hills

March 26

The Grand Finale and a grand time it is. Don’t miss this one.

Tag: BBQ & Wing Showdown