After a long day at the office and several weeks of “healthy” eating, Features Editor Cindy Casey wasn’t up for another boring dinner at home so she convinced her favorite dinner buddy to join her in an evening of culinary indulgence at JC’s Riptides in Edgewater.
So what’s the place like?
If you’ve lived in Southeast Volusia long enough, you know about JC’s Riptides – a family-owned restaurant at the south end of Edgewater on U.S.1. where they put a capital H on home-cooking and specialize in rock shrimp and prime rib.
From the road, Riptides doesn’t look like much, but don’t let that fool you – it’s really part of its charm. The long, flat-roof building has an old-fashioned 1950s feel, which is probably the decade it was built. You actually step down two steps to enter the restaurant because as U.S.1 was built up, the structure seemed to sink.
As soon as you open the door, the old fashioned friendly atmosphere is evident in décor and wait staff greetings. Diners have their preference of sitting in the large dining room with booths and tables, or at a high-top table in the bar area, which also has plenty of room. The décor is land-and-sea with trophy fish and a gator displayed along its walls.
What’s on the menu?
We came knowing what we wanted, but there’s always a special home-cooked dinner from land or sea on the menu. Riptides offers a variety of fresh seafood selections that change weekly, as well as fresh never-frozen wet-aged beef and typical southern favorites like grilled chicken, baby back ribs and gator tails. If indulgence is not your intention, there’s plenty of options for salads and sandwiches. A full children’s menu also is available for the “Puppy Sharks” in the group with the usual fare, as well as shrimp and fish choices.
So, what did you order?
Well, indulgence was the key word in this outing so we decided to start at the top of the menu and work our way down. Just kidding … but it was a tempting idea.
Topping the appetizer list is Riptides’ signature homemade soup – Oak Hill chowder, which is usually a must-have. This particular night, though, it was replaced by a special homemade New England clam chowder that was going extremely fast. So, we opted to have a cup each in addition to our own appetizers (most times we share). Betty chose the stuffed mushrooms and I ordered the clams casino.
First out was the clam chowder. Our waitress told us ours was two of three cups left. I like putting crackers in my soups – no matter what kind it is. Knowing this, Betty stopped me and suggested I try the chowder first, “to get the full flavor,” she said. I did and discovered I didn’t need to add the crackers because the broth was so rich and creamy with real potatoes, onions and clams in every spoonful. So I added only two crackers instead of the usual four or six. Some habits are hard to break.
Our appetizers were out next. Betty’s stuffed mushrooms were huge fresh caps filled with seafood stuffing and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. My homemade clams casino was piled high with sautéed clams, red peppers, garlic bread crumbs and two cheeses.
For our entrees, we stuck to Riptides’ specialty dishes, figuring we would share because we loved both. Betty ordered the rock shrimp (Riptides calls it their hidden treasure) – a generous portion that’s broiled in butter and tastes as sweet as lobster. She chose a baked sweet potato for a side. That meant I ordered the prime rib – and I chose the top-of-the-line extra special edition, the Black & Blue queen cut, which is Riptides’ blacken rub and seared on an iron skillet with melted blue cheese crumbs on top. Guilt was setting in so I ordered a side of sautéed spinach. Both of our dinners also came with two homemade hush puppies that were extra creamy. Our second side was actually the cup of clam chowder, which was an upgrade.
We should have been done, but our indulgence outing had to include a dessert. The Tuxedo Bombe – a rich chocolate cake base layered with milk chocolate and white chocolate mousse, covered in chocolate ganache and drizzled with white chocolate – caught our attention. Chocolate lovers will understand.
OMG… So what did this all cost?
Surprisingly, not as much as you might think. This calorie-rich, smorgasborg totaled just $59.05, not including drinks and tip. An intangible cost, however, was the amount of additional time spent on the treadmill.