On a particular overcast, weeknight evening, Melanie and I headed to Archie's Lakehouse. Located on the Cheat on Sunset Beach Road, the main draw of this place is the nice view via the deck. I hadn't been here before, and I'm no genius when it comes to directions, so we got slightly lost ...

But once we got there, I was surprised at just how close we were to the water. I never really had dining like this before, but I was really excited to check it out. When we walked in, the hostess greeted us, and we asked to be sat on the deck. She led us through the dining room, which seemed spacious enough, and onto the deck, where a few other patrons had the same idea.

It really was an ideal day for dinner. We were there in the evening, but the sun was still fairly high up in the sky, but with the overcast and heavy clouds, only slight glimmers sprung through the clouds, making for a beautiful view of the water. With a light breeze, I was comfortable, even in the plastic porch-furniture chairs. A few ducks and geese were even floating around near us, probably because people were feeding them, and another man was tossing a toy to his Dalmatian off in the distance. The setting was perfect.

Our waitress was extremely prompt - handing us our menus and having our drinks ready quickly. She asked if we'd like an appetizer and suggested two before we even asked. On her suggestion, we went for the breaded zucchini. After we opened our menu, we realized their wings were "award-winning," (and many of my Twitter followers suggested the wings) and we regretted our decision. That's okay, we put in an order of their honey bbq wings too. You know I was sold when I opted for bone-in wings. For my entree, I chose their "Whale on the Beach" sandwich - a nice mix between their seafood and sandwiches. It contained 10 oz. of beer-battered haddock, with lettuce, tomato, tartar on an Italian roll.  I chose a twice-baked potato as my side.

I saw many complaints about service, but ours was so spot on. My drink didn't run dry, and she constantly cleared empty plates from our table. In fact, she bordered on a little too friendly at times, but it was better than the other option. Our zucchini came out pretty quickly, and it was certainly indulgent. AKA tasty. I wouldn't have minded if the strips were a little thicker and less mushy, so I actually got more of a zucchini taste, rather than the fried breading. But, doubled with marinara, how could you go wrong here?

Our wings came out pretty quickly after, and it's clear they're award-winning. They're so tasty! The honey bbq is likely a solid purchase anywhere, but here, I didn't even mind eating the skin. I rarely do that - usually the texture is flabby. But they were cooked perfectly here so that the skin has a slight crisp to it. The honey bbq was perfect - I'd definitely get these again. They have other interesting flavors, like Corona and Jack Daniel's, that I would be tempted to try.

My sandwich was easily two portions. It was cut in half, and each was a whole sandwich in its own. Beyond that, it was fantastic! Big portions of flaky fish, with a hint of a salt in the batter, fresh lettuce and tomato, and just a bit of tartar - sans much relish! The twice-baked potato was cheesy, not like my mother's, but good nonetheless.

I really can't understand why this place doesn't have better reviews. Between the view, the three different delicious dishes, and the total only being about $20 each, it's a homerun. I'll definitely be back.

Their hours:

Mon - Tue:	3:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Wed:	12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thu:	12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sun:	12:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Grade: A