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Bistro-by-the-Sea, on the crystal coast of North Carolina is a comfortable and attractive haven of good food and drink owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Tim Coyne and Libby Eaton. Both Tim and Libby take pride in the fact that Tim 'cooks on the line' and Libby greets guests every night they are open.

The extensive menu focuses on dishes such as crab bisque, oysters topped with crab meat, bistro style shrimps and grits, grilled tuna and scallops, and fresh meats that could include blackened teriyaki glazed beef tenderloin, sautéed calves' liver and almond encrusted chicken breast in a hazelnut cream sauce.

The desserts change daily and are all homemade; a sensible list of wine and martinis presents interesting options to diners.

A separate private banquet facility is available with a set menu for up to 100 guests. Live entertainment brings light, colour and sound to the piano bar every Friday and Saturday night.

Opened on Valentine's Day in 2005, Café Zito is the creation of Chef Baptist Knaven and his wife Jennifer Kelley, who spent two years renovating this historic location and transformed it into the fine restaurant it is today. Although the name is derived from a Greek word which means to seek, for the owners it has a two-fold meaning - to create a restaurant they were searching for and which also represents their endless search to better their food and service.

This dynamism resonates through staff and the food, which is fresh, harvested locally and with integrity. Their ideology is to search for the best ingredients, combine them in simple yet surprising ways and dishes full of unique flavor and richness are sure to follow as evident in the baked calamari stuffed with spinach and chèvre, and chorizo and beans. Main courses of pesto encrusted grilled fillet mignon, served lemon-Parmesan risotto, tempura fried asparagus and chimichuri demonstrate some innovative Mediterranean cooking.