Riverview Cafe

The Riverview has been nestled waterside across the new river from Camp Lejeune Marine Corp base since 1946. Johnny Terwilliger and his son Andrew are carrying on a proud family tradition. I just kind of knew I was going to end up here. I just wanted to keep, Just, In the restaurant business, you have to evolve with what people want and stay relevant and stay current. Keep up with all the trends. It's hard to do business in 1946 to keep changing what you've always done, but you have to do it and do it the best you can. I got started with steam shrimp and clams. These shrimp came from Johnny's own boat, the Miss Janice. Would you look at that? Let me tell you something. There are two institutions that have put Sneeds Ferry on the map. One is the United States Marine Corp, Camp Lejeune. The other is the shrimp festival every year in Sneeds Ferry. It was just bound to happen. Clams are so abundant this time of year in North Carolina. They are affected in terms of what rain does to the river, but after the river was opened back up after a rainy spell, 18,000 clams in two days. I love clam chowder, I love clam strips, I love steamed clams. Some good old honest cornbread in the form of hush puppies. Try the fried shrimp with greens in rutabagas? Why yes, thank you. The older I get, the more impatient I become with heavy breading on big, otherwise luscious shrimp with the tails on. I That's my childhood encapsulated right there. That is the way to cook shrimp. You can build a seafood platter any way you want to. There's an unlimited n Here we have some fried oysters, fried flounder, we have beautiful fried clam strips, and we have these boiled scallops. My goodness, that's good. Soft shell crabs are a seasonal item, they start about in May and you can make the season last longer by separating the ones out that are going to molt their shells and putting them in special tanks. And if the season's out when you come to the River View, you'll just have to wait until the season comes back in again. Delicious anticipation. If you visit River View during the week, you'll also find non-seafood meat and vegetable combos that are a great value for the price. Now, if you can't find a slice of pie or a whole pie gorgeously topped with meringue, you've just lost confidence in the world, I think. I don't know. Coconut pie, sunshine on the water. You're looking at a happy man. The River View Cafe is at 119 Hall Point Road in Sneeds Ferry and they're open every day for lunch and dinner beginning at 11 a. m. For more information, give them a call at 910-327-2011 or find them on Facebook.