Rock Manor Pub in Wilmington

Shrimp skewers and wings from Rock Manor Pub. (Credit: Jessica Bratton)

I am not a golfer. The last time I played putt-putt, the golf ball ricocheted off a wall and hit my sister in the head.

And while I do not golf, I do eat. And I enjoy eating while looking at rolling, well-manicured green hills, which makes the Rock Manor Pub the perfect place to eat, for golfers and non-golfers alike.

Rock Manor Pub is at Rock Manor Golf Course, a public course just off of Foulk Road, next to the Wilmington Skating Club.

The tables on their outside patio overlook part of the course, and normally, I can imagine nothing nicer than relaxing outside with a cold beer and having lunch. But on the day we went, the humidity was so high, it felt like soup outside, so we dined indoors at a high-top table in their bar area by the windows, so we could still have a view of the course.

We started out with an order of nachos ($8.50) and their wings ($8). The nachos were the standard chips with melted cheese, but got extra points for using real cheese instead of cheese sauce, and pickled jalapenos, which are my favorite. They came with chili, which we got on the side so our vegetarian could indulge with us. The chili is homemade, and the flavorful sauce was packed with ground beef and kidney beans.

The nachos got pushed aside, however, as soon as we had a bite of one of the meaty wings. They come in an order of ten, with your choice of buffalo sauce or chipotle barbecue. We went with five of each, and had a hard time deciding on a favorite. The wings themselves were big and meaty, fried to a crunchy crisp.

A little bit of heat and nice vinegar tang came with the buffalo sauce while a smokey sweetness accompanied the homemade chipotle barbecue sauce. Any which way you order them, the wings are enough for a meal.

The chipotle barbecue sauce was delicious, and probably equally as tasty on their Texas pulled pork sandwich ($7) or chipotle ribs ($12 for a half rack, $18 for a full rack).

After eating my share of wings, I moved on to the chicken parm sandwich ($8). The chicken was nice and crispy, smothered in a chunky, sweet homemade marinara sauce and cheese, on a toasted hoagie roll. Instead of chips or coleslaw, I got mine with an order of hot, salty fries.

The sweet and spicy shrimp skewers ($13) were another hit. Bamboo skewers were threaded with spicy seasoned shrimp, cherry tomatoes, peppers and onions. Since it was considered a platter, the shrimp also came with a salad, and the choice of a side.

The shrimp were cooked nicely, and the peppers still had a little bit of crunch to them. The tomatoes were sweet, but extremely hot on the inside. A smart diner will slice them open and let them cool a little before eating them.

There are several burgers on the menu, everything from the Big Tex burger ($8.50) with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, an onion ring and their chipotle barbecue sauce, to a classic patty melt ($8), to a burger made with Ahi tuna ($11).

If you're Kobayashi-hungry, try and take on the Rock Burger ($20). It's three pounds of beef, topped with six slices of bacon, three cheeses, lettuce, tomato and mayo, served alongside a pound of fries. If you finish all of it, you get to name the burger whatever you want. Then they'll make it even bigger, for someone else to try and conquer.

Don't have the stomach to devour all that beef and fries? Go for the wings.

Remember the bar: Domestic drafts at the bar are only $3, with premium drafts like New Castle and Twin Lakes going for only $4. They also had some interesting mixed drinks on their menu, including the Full Moon, a glass of Blue Moon beer topped with a shot of Stoli Ohranj for $6.

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