I'm a Food Writer, and I Spent 3 Weeks Exploring the Best Places to Eat in the Carolinas-Here Are My Favorite Spots

"For five years, I've chased la dolce vita along Italian coastlines. But this summer, I was stuck in North Carolina waiting on the paperwork for my official move to Italy this fall, and I was devastated-until my Italian fiancé booked his first-ever trip to America. Watching Stefano's excitement as I planned our Carolina road trip opened my eyes to the hidden magic in my own backyard."

"The next evening, after our indulgent couples massage, we sat down for dinner at Herons, where chef Steven Devereaux Greene orchestrated an entire tomato symphony. Stefano watched, mesmerized, as tomatoes emerged in "tomato water blankets" and conjured literal tomato clouds above our plates, complete with oysters and a smoke show. "These oysters were harvested on Friday, at 11:51 a.m. from Harkers Island," our waitress announced. Over three courses of dessert, we sipped ice wine that Stefano declared tasted "like drinking apple pie.""

An Italy-bound traveler hosted her Italian fiancé on a Carolina road trip while awaiting paperwork. They recovered at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, shared a made-from-scratch tomato pie, and tried a fried green tomato and pimento cheese sandwich. Dinner at Herons featured inventive tomato preparations, oysters harvested from Harkers Island, and ice wine described as tasting like apple pie. A drive to the Outer Banks included boiled peanuts and coastal seafood, notably soft-shell crab. The trip emphasized local culinary highlights, luxurious service, and the striking, wild beauty of the North Carolina coast.

Read at Travel + Leisure