Today, I was traveling to the coast to go on a fishing trip with friends. Every time I am in the area near Topsail Island, I have to go to the Riverview Cafe. This place has the absolute best fried scallops I have ever eaten. There are many other types of seafood on the menu - the shrimp are great, and I am told that the whole fried flounder is the best around too. I have never tried the flounder because I can not resist the scallops - and for some unknown reason it is impossible to order a combo that contains both the scallops and the flounder. Yes, impossible. They will not sell it to you at any price. The only way to get them both is to order two entrees - which I refuse to do since they should be offering a combo like they do all of the other selections.

On this visit, I ordered a scallop plate. It is not on the lunch menu, but you can still order it at lunch from the dinner menu. As usual, they were amazing. They always seem to come out fried to absolute perfection. I have never seen this much consistency with an entree - anywhere. They are perfect everytime I go. I also got slaw and fries, but my concentration was on the scallops.

If you visit the Topsail Island area - go to the Riverview Cafe. It is also not a long ride from Wilmington, about 30 minutes north. It is hard to find, but worth the journey. It is located waterfront on the New River about 10 minutes (or so) from North Topsail Beach. The address is: 119 Hall Point Rd., Sneads Ferry, NC.

If you go when it is busy, prepare for a wait.