Dear Addie,
“And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat”
A song by Lyle Lovett that just so happened to inspire the restaurant The Pony and The Boat on the coast of our happy place in Kitty Hawk that we visited this week.
I know what you’re thinking Addie, odd lyrics and perhaps an even odder mental picture of a man riding a horse while on a boat, right? Well, Lovett claims that this song is based on a true story where he once tried to ride a pony across a pond and thought it would be easier if he had a boat. Interesting, and while I’ve never tried such a feat, I guess I’ll just take his word for it ;).
Now if you know me well, you know I unpacked more from those lyrics than maybe even good ole' Lyle, whereas I saw it as compassion and kindness for combining the best of both worlds while on a mission. He loved his horse, he loved boating, didn’t want the horse to work so hard, and yet needed to get across the water - eureka! Ride the pony on the boat to get across the water…problem solved! This restaurant does, all the same, I mean except minus the riding of an actual pony on a boat, but I digress...
They took comfort food (and if you know me, this is the food of my soul as I can eat Thanksgiving dinner any day of the year in any temperature - and do!), farm fresh local NC ingredients, & the beach and made a spectacular union of it all!
Now let’s be honest, when you think of the beach, mashed potatoes and chicken pot pie I’m sure are not the first things that would come to mind - but let me tell ya' - it works! Farm fresh ingredients aren’t just meant for salads Addie - which they have as well and are amazing, but the funny thing was my salad was disguised as potatoes, rainbowed carrots and green beans laying under mouth-watering pot roast smothered in gravy…oh wait, no that was just pot roast, not a salad - my mistake ;). You get the point. Fresh ingredients are part of every meal! Side note: my mouth is literally watering writing this.
This restaurant was a real out-of-the-box style for a beach town, so for an autism family that is anything but stuffed in a box like ours, this was a no-brainer that we should give it a go and it did NOT disappoint!
You see Addie while the food and ambiance were everything and more, that wasn’t even the magic of it all. Do you remember the lyrics to the song that I thought spoke of compassion and kindness combining all the good things on a mission? Well, it all made sense as soon as we walked through the door. Making a grand entrance as we normally do, you were exceptionally flappy and jumpy on this day, now pair that with the farm-fresh assortment of veggies on display at the hostess stand and you were on a mission to gather and line up every like object or vegetable possible!
As I was doing my best to play buffer between you and the veggies, the owner had come over to greet us. It seemed as though he was your best friend from the get-go, seemingly putting all his attention on YOU, first by welcoming you and asking your name. Truly making every effort to engage in a conversation. Even with your lack of response to his question (as you were taking in the scene and flapping about) I told him your name and he continued to talk with you as if you were the most important person in the restaurant. My mama heart seriously could’ve burst at the sight of it all, so between my eyes filling with happy tears and taking in the ambiance myself I don’t remember exactly what he said but it eluded to the fact that he had the perfect table ready and waiting just for us. Making us feel like we were the guest of honor at some great party.
From that moment on it only got better. The staff was friendly (funny too!), polite & attentive! The food was fast & simply put - AMAZING and they even brought your salad built to perfection piled high with your favorite red onions, grape tomatoes for counting, and “dippy” on the side. The extra score was the plate of raw carrots you requested delivered without skipping a beat ;).
We ate until we couldn’t anymore and never felt like we needed to rush out or that we were bothering anyone. As we headed out, the owner approach us to check in and see us on our way. He once again directed his attention toward you asking how YOUR meal was and with a high five he said “thanks for coming in Addie!” And yes because I’m a mess when people show so much kindness and he remembered your name I walked out all misty-eyed.
Addie The Pony and The Boat took the beach, comfort food, amazing service & friendly staff and perfected the process. We were happy, felt extremely welcomed, and full when we left - mission accomplished!
This week we visited The Pony and The Boat in Kitty Hawk and let’s just say it was Addie & autism approved!
We’ll be back without a doubt!
Great job Ad,
Mom
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