Award-winning chef, restaurateur, PBS TV personality and New York Times bestselling cookbook author Vivian Howard has channeled her seemingly bottomless well of genius, inspiration and talent into a new restaurant in Duck. Based at the freshly renovated Sanderling Resort, Theodosia opens on May 22, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
At a friends and family soft opening dinner on May 21, the 64-seat Theodosia was packed with Outer Banks locals, and everyone was positively swooning. From the elegant, cheerful, stylish decor to the cocktails expertly crafted by locally loved mixologist Matt Joyner (formerly of Outer Banks Distilling) to Howard’s stunning dishes inspired by the heritage and history of the Outer Banks, Theodosia thoroughly impressed every single person I talked to.
Theodosia sits along Currituck Sound at the Sanderling Resort north of Duck.
In the restaurant that was formerly Kimball’s Kitchen at The Sanderling Resort, Theodosia’s interior has been overhauled in a palette of creams, tans and soft reds. Richly textured drapes and upholstery, modern fixtures, unique accessories, stunning tilework, upholstered and rattan seating, white tablecloths, pops of greenery and smart staff uniforms come together to create a polished setting in perfectly dimmed soft and natural lighting. Every seat in the house enjoys sweeping views of Currituck Sound and its marsh islands from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Keeping all this from feeling stuffy or too formal on pre-opening night was an upbeat soundtrack with everything from moody Khruangbin to breezy jazz to yacht rock.
A packed house of happy diners on a friends and family soft opening.
Pointing to Theodosia’s theme of Outer Banks maritime history, a gallery wall in the waiting area features oil paintings of ships. Throughout the restaurant, the walls are adorned with historic black and white photographs (all framed with a popping red frame) of historic Outer Banks figures, fishing, boat building and life around the water.
In fact, Theodosia is named for the centerpiece of a legendary Outer Banks mystery. Theodosia Burr, daughter of Aaron Burr and wife of South Carolina Governor Joseph Alston, was aboard the schooner Patriot as it embarked from South Carolina toward New York in December 31, 1812. Somewhere along the way, the ship was lost at sea, and no one on board was ever heard from again. Countless theories about the ship’s fate have been proposed, including that it wrecked in a storm off Cape Hatteras or was overtaken by pirates in Nags Head. The mystery remains to this day.
Known for her dedication to regional cooking and ingredients, Howard says it is stories like this and others that reflect the culture of a place that inspire her in the kitchen. She has said in interviews that for Theodosia she draws inspiration from the Outer Banks salt marshes and fishing culture and incorporates her penchant for Southern fare.
The menu on Wednesday was just this – an ingenious blend of coastal and Southern with unexpectedly thoughtful touches. Even the cocktails had the unexpected twists of local history.
For example, a cocktail my husband enjoyed, the Sea Oar, was a margarita inspired by the history of seaweed harvesting and processing on the Outer Banks. It included blanco tequila, lime, agave, grangala, glasswort, furikake and nori tincture. It didn't sound great to me, but our server, Dante, convinced us that it tasted like drinking a margarita immediately upon exiting the ocean with salt on your lips. Sold! And Dante was right. It was delicious!
This carried over to the menu. Here is a menu example.
From the Chilled Seafood menu, my husband and I shared the Marinated Crab Claws and Sheepshead Ceviche, and both were sublime. The sheepshead, our favorite fish, was divine piled onto a perfectly crisped pork rind; it’s citrusy strawberry complement was totally unexpected but just right. The baby pickled veggies were a great foil to the salty crab meat as well.
We were very excited to see two local oyster farms represented, Slash Creek Oyster Company from Hatteras and Little Star Oyster Farm from Hyde County, and doubly excited to see the oyster farmers themselves dining in the restaurant.
Oysters from Little Star Oyster Farm in Hyde County and Slash Creek Oyster Farm in Hatteras are being served at Theodosia.
For dinner, my husband dove into the Blueberry BBQ Duck with creamed cabbage and peas and tiny crispy flecks of hushpuppy. I loved my Crab & Zucchini Papardelle with mint, lime and jalapeno. A generous portion of blue crab meat and jalapeno slices was studded into a pile of thin, al dente zucchini and squash “pasta,” all of it coated in a briny, citrusy, slightly acidic sauce that kept me eating past my sense of fullness.
But we weren’t done yet. Dessert was offered, and it was an agonizing choice. We went with an eight-layer chocolate cake (one of the layers was caramel) topped with saltine cracker toffee bits and Howard’s take on sticky toffee pudding, which was a Sticky Figgy Pudding served in a tiny cast-iron skillet. We debated about which one was better; me going for the cake and him for the pudding.
We were both truly impressed by Howard’s overall interpretation of the coastal Southern theme. I think my husband said it best when he complemented all our dishes’ modern complexity but still noted that he had thought of his grandmother’s cooking a couple of times during the meal, which he felt like was the ultimate achievement.
Howard's version of Tomato Pie and in the background, Clam Chowder with Soft Shell Crab Nuggets
For us, everything at Theodosia’s — our friendly service, great cocktails, well-paired wine, excellent meals, elegant yet comfortable setting and surefooted sense of place — came together for a most enjoyable meal that I would highly recommend to anyone. It was well worth our drive to and from Nags Head to Duck, and we will definitely do it again soon.
You Should Go
Theodosia
Sanderling Resort, 1461 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 261-8419
Thesanderling.com/restaurant-bars/Theodosia/
Opens May 22. Dinner served nightly 4 to 10 p.m.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
