By Gail Tansill Lambert
When I see “Back to School” ads in the middle of summer, I take that as a personal invitation to end the day at Smith Mountain Lake’s Portside Grill & Bar at the Virginia Dare Marina. “Come as you are” means a colorful T-shirt over a swim suit, straw hat or baseball cap and one of a thousand styles of flip flops. People cruise in by speedboat or arrive by Airport Road, which dead ends at the Virginia Dare Cruise Boat building and Marina.
There, I’ll be, sipping a margarita and peeling and eating shrimp. The live music heats up and people are dancing and singing along to “Montego Bay,” “My Girl” and “Wooly Bully.” Jimmy Buffet and the Beach Boys belong here in this tropical paradise of a shack over the water and straw umbrellas on the deck. Special live music features steel drums.
The food is good and just what you want after a day on the lake: buckets of icy cold beer, wine and cocktails, burgers, Cuban sandwiches, grilled kabobs and veggies, pina colada chicken salad and barbecue on a bun. And key lime pie for dessert, of course. You order what you want at the bar and come get it when it’s ready, so be prepared for some friendly pandemonium when it’s crowded.
Portside is open Friday through Sunday afternoons and evenings through Labor Day weekend.
For more information, call (540) 297-7100 or visit
vadarecruises.com. Portside Grill & Bar is located at 3619 Airport Rd., Moneta, Virginia, 24121.