Food and Fun Have Kept Pilot House Afloat for 31 Years
We expected someone to yell "All aboard!" as we entered the Pilot House restaurant through porthole doors. Anchored on the edge of Neabsco Creek in Woodbridge, the restaurant's white lights strung along its bow twinkle at night. It feels like going on vacation.
The Pilot House began life as a working ship, a U.S. Navy barge. But since 1970, it's been a place to eat, drink and be merry. Staffers wear white cruise ship attire. Let the captain lead you past polished brass navigational instruments, a ship's wheel and lobster pots to your table.
If you face a wait, don't fret: Try the "Bio-Rhythm machine," where 25 cents and your birthdate will reveal astrological secrets. Alternatively, have a drink upstairs in the lounge and get a top deck, incomparable view of the harbor and the 250-slip marina.
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Pilot House has a loyal following. People take out-of-town guests there for a unique experience. When we last visited, the sequin-frocked flower girl at a Saturday wedding reception frolicked on the pseudo gangplank, young parents with two toddlers and an infant relaxed at the table next to us and a group of friends celebrated a 21st birthday.
Where else can you overhear conversations like: "So, how big is your boat?"
"Twenty, but I'm saving for a bigger one."
"And when are you leaving for the Keys?"
The Pilot House is on the same road as the entrance to Leesylvania State Park, and you'll likely encounter streams of boat traffic on a pleasant day. The restaurant is past Newport Estates and the "boat slips $100/month" signs. You can feel the land slope away to the water.
We sat near a yacht named Papa Bear and watched boaters debark as we munched sesame breadsticks smeared with cheddar cheese spread. Passenger and freight trains intermittently trundled across the Neabsco trestle bridge. Just past that, on a clear day, you can see Maryland across the water.
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Part of the restaurant's charm is that it lists to the side. Your beverage seems tilted because it is. Lifeboats hang from the dark wood ceilings. It feels cozy, but not cramped, with crabs, lobsters and sea creatures hung in netting from large windows.
The salad bar is a dinghy--a little boat with a large bowl of lettuce and about 45 containers of frequently replenished foods. There's corn relish, fresh-cut cabbage slaw, marinated beans, chickpeas with basil, cherry tomatoes--a salad aficionado's dream. The softest white bread, plus pumpernickel or swirled rye and wheat, is nearby.
Dishes have cute names, such as the Paddlewheeler (surf and turf) or Delta Queen (shrimp Norfolk, in butter). You can get your order half-broiled, half-fried, if you like. If you want crab legs and spiced shrimp instead of the suggested combos, just ask. There is fish and seafood, steaks and burgers, crab soup ($4) and New England clam chowder ($2.50), plus chicken Wing Dings and lots of hearty appetizers. Meals come with salad bar, bread and potato or vegetable. Even the fried potatoes have strike a nautical tone, crisp wedges that look like netting.
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We ordered "catch of the day," a thick, flaky portion of smoked salmon served with "baby pasta"--acine de pepe--with wonderful smoky seasoning. At 10 ounces, it satisfied a big appetite.
The Captain's Platter was a $20.95 feast: lightly breaded, fried clams, butterflied jumbo shrimp, flounder fillet, crabcake, scallops and oysters. Even sharing four ways, we took some home.
The Fisherman's platter, $19.95, came with three pieces of broiled fish and a grilled sirloin steak. It came with a cup of delicately cooked zucchini and stewed tomatoes with a dash of oregano, a dish that always says summer. The salmon was encrusted in thyme; the swordfish flavored with garlic, oregano, basil and butter; the halibut sprinkled with paprika, Old Bay and "a secret Cajun seasoning," we were told.
People celebrate over lobster here. Current market prices put a 10- to 12-ounce lobster at $30.95, a 5- to 6-ounce at $20.95. Also on the high-priced end, a $52.95 bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne may be appropriate for special occasions, but most bottles of wine are under $20.
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A Pilot House quirk: "early-bird dinners" means that before about 8 p.m., lounge diners can get a basket with fries of crabcake, soft-shell crabs or hamburger for $8.95. The half-dozen desserts are less then $5: Mississippi sandbar (a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream), key lime pie, cappuccino or Rocky Road moussecake, cheesecake, and Very Nutty Reese's Fantasy.
The Pilot House is a Hill family operation--in kitchen, dining room, office, marina--and feels as comfy as a gathering with relatives. Donald and Larry Hill are owners. Manager Michael Hill runs the kitchen (which is on a pier near the barge) five nights a week. Mom Mary Hill answers the phones. Some non-family staffers have worked there for decades. Not many restaurants can boast being in business for 31 years.
Favorite things remain; entrees come with red candied apples, a throwback to another era. Some things change; entree prices were raised about $1 each in July. But longtime business ties help Pilot House to obtain soft-shell crabs, rockfish and other fish at good prices. "I buy from all kinds of different people, including local watermen," says Michael Hill, a Woodbridge resident, who has helped in the family business for as long as he can remember. "A lot of our menu has been developed because of what people asked for."
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"We're an old-style restaurant," he adds. "We don't use computerized registers--Most of what we do is done by eye and feel and what is good on the plate."
Pilot House is so popular that some holiday parties are booked 15 years in advance. Reservations are accepted Sunday through Thursday, but not Friday and Saturday unless your group is seven or larger.
Pilot House Restaurant and Marina
* Address: 16216 Neabsco Road, Woodbridge. Telephone: 703-221-1010.
* Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m., Sunday 3-8:30 p.m. (slightly later hours in summer). Closed Mondays.
* Credit cards: All major cards accepted.
* Prices: $8.95-$25.95 for entrees; many are under $18. Lobster is higher. Our bill for three came to $66.72, not including tip.
* Children's menu: $4.50 for a hot dog, fries and salad bar; up to $6.50 for a seafood meal.
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* Low-fat selections: Try broiled fish and the bountiful salad bar.
* Health-conscious: Lots of choices.
* Atmosphere: Casual dress. Watch the marina.
* Downside: None; there's something for everybody.
* Upside: Riverboat dining. A fun night out.
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