June 30, 2007
An afternoon with Angelo
We taped a segment for Myrtle Beach TV this week at Angelo’s Steak and Pasta, and I’ll share with you some info that didn’t make it into the television interview with owner Angelo Antonucci.
Did you know there is no deep-fat fryer in the Angelo’s kitchen? Nope, no frying allowed. Angelo is authentic in his preparation methods, plus he cares about customers’ health. When making Chicken Parmesan they don’t use egg batter and fry the chicken cutlet; they press it into breadcrumbs and brown it in a blend of 25 percent butter and 75 percent olive oil.
Angelo has put in new furnishings: He has two new banquettes in the dining room on the right side of the building (Angelo’s is huge; it seats 260), they recarpeted and there are new stained glass lights in the room near the buffet. This fall, he says, they’re going to install columns in the room with the banquettes.
Also coming in the fall is a new menu with more vegetarian dishes, a weekly prime rib special and more fish such as mahi-mahi and salmon. Of course you’ll still be able to order all the Italian specialties and those sizzling juicy steaks.
Angelo’s is located at 2011 U.S. 17 Business S. (Kings Highway) in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 626-2800. The Myrtle Beach TV segment featuring Angelo will air at 6 a.m. Sunday, July 8, on our local FOX affiliate, WFXB. After it airs you can see it on-line at MyrtleBeachTV.com.
“Ratatouille”
The new Disney-Pixar film called “Ratatouille,” featuring a rat with a penchant for cooking gourmet cuisine, took a ton of work to create. An interesting article about it is here.
China syndrome
With all the reports of industrial-grade toxins used by some Chinese food manufactuers, I’ve been checking food labels to see if China is mentioned as an ingredient source. Now, after reading this article, I’m even more nervous about consuming anything made in China.
June 29, 2007
A cappella adventure
With prices of $33 ages 10 and older and $13 ages 9 and younger, the new limited-engagement dinner theater at House of Blues is a great deal.
The dinner part is a Southern buffet from the talented HOB cooking staff. The theater portion is a performance by Toxic Audio, an a capella group that performs a 90-minute “montage of favorite songs from Michael Jackson to The Beatles that are synchronized…into skits. Both lyrics and instruments are created through the human voice.
“And music isn’t all the five-some can mimic. Other sounds, such as a motorcycle revving and other common noises, are prominently featured.”
You can go here to see the show schedule and find out how to buy tickets. To learn more about Toxic Audio, including how they picked their group’s name, click here. If you want to see them better do it soon; they’re in town only until July 15.
Lowe’s lowdown
Both of the new Lowe’s Foods grocery stores are taking shape. One is off S.C. 544 near U.S. 17 Bypass – it looks like this one will be finished first – and the other is off S.C. 707 near the Prince Creek development in the Murrells Inlet area. That one has its concrete block walls partially built.
Greek pizza
Sam Boujabrayel at New York Pizza & Deli in Myrtle Beach made me one of his specialty Greek pizzas this week, and it was delicious. Toppings include lots of feta cheese, banana peppers, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and black olives.
The restaurant is in Dunes Plaza Shopping Center at 6613 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 497-5922. Sam and his partner, Gabe Barakar, invite guests to stop by and check out the complete menu, or they’ll be happy to deliver your food anywhere between 10th and 82nd avenues North. They’re open for lunch and dinner.
June 28
“Sake and Sushi Sensation”
Ben Cachila and his partners/in-laws, Shozo and Keiko Sakata, and the entire staff at Emi in Pawleys Island hosted a spectacular and informative dinner Tuesday night. The evening was all about sake and sushi, with a lot of other delectable tidbits.
Ben always prepares himself well for these events, and this one was no exception. The staff dressed the parts with Japanese jackets and a pretty kimono, and a table of props illustrated Ben’s commentaries.
Guests sampled nine sakes, and Ben told how as recently as 50 years ago, traditional Japanese drank sake out of unfinished wood boxes.
“Sake was sweet and rough then,” he said, “and the boxes make the drinker lose all the soft nuances of sake.”
So they moved on to lacquered wood boxes. Today in traditional Japanese settings it is still customary for hosts to pour their guests’ sake boxes so they overflow in a hospitable show called the “pour of generosity.”
But today, Ben said, Japanese mostly drink their sake out of short ceramic tumblers. While wine glasses are the best vessels for enjoying the flavors of sakes, the wide flowing shirtsleeves often worn in Japan tend to knock stemmed wine glasses over.
We also learned it takes 3.3 pounds of rice to make a large bottle of sake (a woman won a bottle for making a correct guess…before Ben even asked the question!), and that there are three grades of premium sake. Junmai is third-best, and it has 30 percent of the rice grain polished off. In the middle is Ginjo, where 40 percent of the grain is polished off. The highest grade is Daiginjo, where half the grain remains after polishing. Polishing the rice makes for a purer and more refined sake.
Sake is made from steam-cooked rice that is mixed with yeast and koji, a kind of mold. It ferments 18 to 32 days, and then it is pressed. Sometimes it is filtered, sometimes not.
Since sake is made from grain instead of grapes, it’s a closer cousin to beer than to wine.
The food served with all those sakes was an incredible parade of small-portion plates. There were sashimi and sushi; a broth-type soup with each bowl containing two bite-side delicate soy cakes; sea vegetables with peanut sauce; okra split longways with the seeds removed fried in tempura batter; sake-soy roasted duck breast with gluten-free soba noodles; broiled eel wrapped in sweet egg soufflé; and a lot more.
Ben also served one of the best salmon recipes I’ve ever had, where the fish was marinated in sake mash before it was cooked. The flavor was rather like bourbon-glazed salmon, only better. The finale was a trio of desserts including creamy green tea custard, a rolled green tea cream cake and a cookie-like morsel called a red bean galette.
If you would like to receive notice of upcoming special event dinners at Emi, you can have yourself added to the invitation list here. Emi is beside Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island at 47 Da Gullah Way, and the number is 235-2313.
Fresh new flavor
If you like adding exotic new flavors to your recipe repertoire, how about some dukkah? Pronounced DOOkah, it’s actually an old Middle Eastern blend of nuts and spices, and sometimes herbs and fruits are thrown in. The mixture is used in other recipes as an ingredient.
You can read about the splash dukkah is making on American palates and get a recipe here.
June 27, 2007
Entertaining evening
My husband and I were lucky to have a table by the window at Capt. Dave’s Dockside Restaurant on Saturday night, and we were thoroughly entertained. The table to the right in this picture is where we sat.
If you prefer, there are also many tables outside on the deck.
Of course we had stimulating conversation (I’m joking; we’ve been married 25 years, so we were looking for entertainment!), and we also had a lot to look at outside. Over on Goat Island the goats were running around, and this year on the island there are also beautiful peacocks preening and strutting.
The Murrells Inlet Marshwalk runs behind Capt. Dave’s so we also watched a never-ending stream of tourists moseying by. We could also let our gazes shift upward and enjoy the beauty of the inlet with its creeks running through the tall reeds and grasses.
And although we were on the other side of the restaurant, we were entertained by Anthony Freda caressing songs out of the baby grand piano. If you go to Capt. Dave’s Web site, you can hear Anthony playing.
Of course the main entertainment of the evening was our meal, which started with Grilled Scallops flavored with ginger, garlic, Serrano chilies, mint and cilantro for me; and a Tuna Martini for my husband. Owner David Owens recommended some fresh wild-caught Alaskan salmon that had just come in, so I had that and my husband tried Chef Richard Myer’s special Pan Crusted Grouper with Dijon cream shrimp sauce.
It was a lovely and extremely entertaining evening.
Capt. Dave’s is on the waterfront at 4037 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet, and the number is (843) 651-5850.
June 26, 2007
Decorating flair
Jeb and Gail Byrum opened Café Rouge a few days ago in a shopping center near the Carolina Forest Piggly Wiggly, and Jeb did an excellent job furnishing and decorating it. Gail says her husband has a good eye for that sort of thing, and he makes their home look nice too.
The couple “retired” here from Rock Hill; their new home is in the Avalon community in Carolina Forest. Jeb worked for Duke Power for 39 years, and Gail used to be the Meals on Wheels coordinator in Columbia.
“We always wanted to live at the beach,” Jeb says, “but we also wanted something to do, so we said, ‘How about a coffee shop?’”
Gail adds their initial plans were for a small coffee shop, but “then it grew.”
The interior is simply spectacular with enormous colorful French-inspired art, crystal chandeliers, wrought iron ceiling fans, bistro tables, a glossy wood bar and a cozy overstuffed blue couch in front of a faux fireplace with a flat screen TV over it. There are even backlit ceiling tiles with pictures of clouds, hot air balloons, flowers and fish.
The Byrums offer specialty coffees from Espresso to Marble Café Mocha, smoothies, frozen and iced coffee and chai drinks, several kinds of tea such as peach and raspberry and lemonade made with fresh lemons.
For now the food menu is limited and includes mini quiches, salads and croissant sandwiches such as BLT, ham & cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad and seafood salad. They also have lots of sweet goodies like seven-layer bars and cakes. As soon as more hiring is done and the Byrums settle into their routine, the menu will expand.
In a few days the hours will also expand to include breakfast, lunch and supper; until the end of this week you can count on lunch and supper. You can stop by with your laptop and hook into their WiFi, and enjoy the cable TV and XM radio.
Café Rouge is at 2005 Oak Heart Road in Myrtle Beach (at the intersection of U.S. 501 and Carolina Forest Boulevard), and the number is 492-6580.
Corn chaos
The good news is corn farmers are selling a lot of seed corn at decent prices to ethanol makers.
The bad news is other farmers are paying more for the seed corn they feed to livestock. Even worse, that means we pay more for corn-related products.
Seed corn is fed to farm animals such as dairy cows. If livestock farmers have to pay more for that seed corn, then we end up paying more for milk and cheese. We’ve all probably noticed milk prices rising, and now we’ll likely see pizza parlors raising prices for a cheese pie.
Faked reality
If it’s true, it’s pathetic. Gordon Ramsay, the hateful star of the reality show “Hell’s Kitchen,” is accused of faking situations such as spoiled meat and shoddy restaurant furniture in his newest show called “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.”
You can read about it here.
June 25, 2007
Be a chicken
How many times did we hear as children, “If you don’t stop eating so many Popsicles (or whatever it was you ate a lot of), you’re going to turn into one!”
So if you eat a lot of chicken will that make you timid?
You could try and find out at Carolina Wings & Rib House, where you can have bone-in wings in 22 different flavors, boneless wings, wing plates, wing dinners, chicken finger platters, fried chicken salad, grilled chicken salad, Caesar salad with blackened chicken, a quesadilla with grilled chicken, grilled chicken wrap, Buffalo Cajun Ranch chicken sandwich and the bacon chicken melt.
Pigs and cows aren’t left out of the fun. The menu also lists baby back ribs, riblets, ribeye steaks, sirloin steak and barbecue.
Of course since we’re at the beach, seafood is included with dishes such as the Lowcountry Shrimp Platter, Southern Farm-raised Catfish, Oysters on The Half Shell and the Steamed Combo Platter with oysters, shrimp and crab legs.
There are also nightly specials:
Mondays: $12.99 for all-you-care-to-eat wings with soup or salad and one side.
Tuesdays: Kids eat free with the purchase of adult meals.
Wednesdays: $20.99 for all-you-care-to-eat ribs, or $12.99 for riblets, and each deal comes with soup or salad and one side.
Thursdays: All-you-care-to-eat snow crab legs for $22.95, and you get soup or salad and one side.
If you’re a baseball fan, you can catch your favorite team at Carolina Wings because they have satellite TV with the Major League Baseball package.
Carolina Wings & Rib House is in Litchfield Beach in the Piggly Wiggly shopping center at the intersection of U.S. 17 and Willbrook Boulevard. They have a Web site at www.carolinawings.com, and the number is 235-2550.
Sweet treats
If you’re looking for a bakery in the Murrells Inlet area, Lucero Beckwith, owner/pastry chef at Cakes by Design & Bakery, hopes you’ll stop by and check out her creations. She specializes in special event cakes, including wedding cakes, but she also has many unique treats.
The day I was there she had Pasa Bocas with guava filling, Strawberry Cream Sticks, Ovalo de Arequipe with caramel filling, Devil Chocolate Cake with chocolate mousse, Chocolate Rum Raspberry Cake, Passion Mango Cheesecake and several tempting cookies like White Chocolate Macadamia.
She also makes breads, like French loaves for $1, Cheese Sticks, Almojabanas Cheese Bread and Perezosos Cheese Bread.
Lucero’s shop is in the Swamp Fox Peddlers shopping center on U.S. 17 Bypass a little north of Brookgreen Gardens, and the number is 651-3187.
June 24, 2007
Changing tempo
By day The Office is a nice place to grab lunch or watch a game on any of the 10 flat screen TVs while sipping a drink. At night you can enjoy a hearty dinner, and later in the evening the atmosphere changes to that of a nightclub.
“After 9 p.m. this place fills up with people,” Chef Michael Barone says. “Sometimes I have to walk around to the outside of the building to get back to the kitchen.”
You may remember Chef Barone from when he worked at House of Blues, Molly Darcy’s or Stillwater Grille & Tavern. These days he is cooking Jumbo Cheese Ravioli, Four Cheese Shrimp Parmigiana, Chicken Picatta, Veal Marsala and Momma Leoni’s Pot Roast.
You can order lighter fare as well such as Homemade Crab Dip, Antipasto Salad, 10-inch personal pizzas (and larger pizzas), Chicken Salad Wrap, Lemon Pepper Chicken, hoagies, burgers, ricotta cheesecake and gelato.
The Office is a half-block east of U.S. 17 Bypass on Lake Arrowhead Road, and the number is 839-9190.
Common sight
Buildings are taking shape at the Market Common shopping complex being built on the former U.S. Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach. I took some pictures for you, so you can see the progress if you haven’t been through there lately.
Restaurants and other food-related businesses I’ve heard will be in there include Cold Stone Creamery, Divine Steakhouse (from our own local restaurant empire, Divine Dining Group), Gordon Biersch Brewery, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Piggly Wiggly, The Wine Room, Tommy Bahama Tropical Café and Emporium and Claddagh Irish Pub.
June 23, 2007
Having friends pays off
Are you a Friend of Frank? If not, you might want to be because you’ll get special money-saving deals that only Frank’s friends get.
By Frank’s I mean Frank’s Restaurant in Pawleys Island, which is one of the premier relaxed fine dining establishments in the Grand Strand. To become a friend, go to http://www.franksandoutback.com/franks.html and click on Friends of Frank to sign up.
I’m a friend, and I received in my e-mail a special coupon for one free glass of house wine with the purchase of an entrée on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights.
And since you are MY friend, I’ll tell you where to get another great coupon. Go to http://www.croissants.net, and then click on “coupon,” and you’ll get a twofer meal deal for dinner entrees at Croissants Bakery and Café in Myrtle Beach.
If you’ve always wanted to own a little country restaurant, the Drug Store Café in Lynchburg, SC, is for sale for $125,000. Lynchburg is about 20 miles from Sumter, five miles off I-95.
It’s called the Drug Store Café because the building was once a pharmacy and doctor’s office, and it was recently renovated. It’s being sold as-is, as a turnkey business.
Go to www.leecountychambersc.com and click on “business opportunities” to see more pictures of it. If you’re interested, contact realtor Nancy Thornton at 803-427-5051 (cell);
803-484-6531 (work); or nancygthornton@aol.com.
June 22, 2007
A trio of cafes
A shopping center near the Carolina Forest Piggly Wiggly has three new restaurants in it: One that recently opened, one that opens today and one still under construction.
The one that opened is Duke Sandwich Company. This is a rapidly spreading regional chain, and the atmosphere is a cross between Subway and Atlanta Bread, without Atlanta Bread’s coziness. It was really bright and sterile in there. They specialize in sandwiches of course, especially sandwiches containing spreads like pimento cheese and chicken salad.
The one opening today is Café Rouge, which offers “Coffee, Dessert and More.” I’ll be sure to stop by soon and check out the menu for you.
The third is Stefano’s Cucina Rustica. It is not a chain, the young man overseeing a roomful of construction workers and drywall dust said; it’s a family-owned restaurant.
Cozy pub
Across the road from the three new restaurants, on the Kroger side of the street, Handley’s Pub and Grub was doing a brisk lunch business. It looks like a cross between a British pub and an American sports bar. There’s lots of dark polished wood – the bar, the tables, the booths – plus about 10 televisions, a couple of pool tables and local, international sports pennants and police department patches.
It seems like a popular Coastal Carolina University hangout with a lot of early 20-somethings having sandwiches and suds, and CCU head baseball coach Gary Gilmore was there enjoying a Chicken Philly sandwich and a Diet Coke. There were also moms with children, office workers on lunch break and a few guys watching soccer and nursing brews. Music is mostly classic rock played loud enough to hear and enjoy, but not so loud that you have to raise your voice to have a conversation.
And brews are serious business here; there are lots and lots of specialty choices. A sign announcing new beers listed: Lindeman’s from Boise, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Terapin Imperial Pilsner, Flying Dog in the Wheat and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale. Another sign advertised “high octane beers” such as Chimey Red, Chimey Blue, Chimey White, Flying Dog Gonzo Porter and Carlsberg Elephant.
The menu is surprisingly extensive for a neighborhood pub. To cover the English angle they offer Fish and Chips, Shepard’s Pie, Yorkshire Pudding and Bangers and Mash. My son says the large burgers are excellent, and my Ribeye Sandwich was all right (the meat part was tender and moist, but there was a large piece of gristly fat I had to cut out before I could eat it).
Other menu choices include Shrimp, Chicken or Steak Quesadilla; Fried Peppers (banana or jalapeno); Brit Chips served with gravy, Cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes and bacon; Tuna Sashimi; Chicken Parmesan; Barbecue Pork Sandwich; Portabello Club Sandwich; and a 12-ounce Ribeye Steak Dinner.
Handley’s Pub & Grub is at 3873 Renee Drive, and the number is 903-4904.
June 21, 2007
Bountiful blessing
Truck farmer Rosalind Graham of Greenville will bring her harvest to St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City starting this Friday morning and for the rest of the summer from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Fridays. In years past the bounty has included vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
St. Michael is at 542 Cypress Avenue, and the number is 651-3737. They also have a Web site at www.saintmichaelsc.org/.
Locally natural
For you readers who seek out locally produced foods, Chef Bryan Bodle at SeaBlue in North Myrtle Beach is featuring this week all-natural, organic, free-range chicken breasts from Oaklyn Plantation near Darlington. The Oaklyn Plantation poultry is purchased through Ovis Hill Farms in Timmonsville, which sells a variety of locally produced farm products.
June 20, 2007
Creekside cuisine
The combination of sea breezes and the shade of all those live oaks makes the temperature creekside in Murrells Inlet seem several degrees cooler than in other places around the Grand Strand. The freshening effect is even more pronounced at Oliver’s Lodge. The setting is lush with its green lawn and huge trees, and the old, old, former boarding house is an oasis not just from the heat, but from the 21st century.
Used to be that folks lined up down the street for the $1.25 seafood platters cooked at Oliver’s Lodge. These days prices have gone up some, (the Combo Platter is $20), but under the direction of Executive Chef Jeremy Borsh and Sous Chef Bruce Kennedy, the cuisine is full of fresh seafood flavors that please both traditionalists and diners seeking new tastes with classic Coastal style.
For example, of course you’ll find Crab Cakes on the menu, but they come with a choice of Granny Smith apple chutney or raspberry stone-ground mustard sauce. You don’t just get roast chicken here; you are served Oven-roasted Poussins, which are tender small free-range chickens stuffed with garlic and fresh herbs. Even gnocchi gets an update here, with their Lobster and Crab Gnocchi sautéed in sherried tomato basil butter sauce.
Purists can rest easy knowing that each table of guests is served a complimentary crock of Shrimp Spread, and that Inlet Crab Dip; She-Crab Soup; Tasso Cream Shrimp over Southern-Style Grits; and Flounder Roosevelt are all still on the menu.
Oliver’s Lodge is at 4204 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet, and the number is 651-9523. You can also check out their complete menu at www.oliverslodgerestaurant.com.
Summer discount
If you’ve ever endured a long wait for a restaurant table during the peak of tourist season, I have a suggestion for eliminating that problem: Dine early.
Many restaurants have specials to help draw in the early crowd, such as The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant at 5001 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach. They recently started opening a little earlier, at 4 p.m. daily, for the summer season.
Even better, if you join “Club Fondue” at http://www.themeltingpotclubfondue.com/signup.cgi, you get special discounts. I joined, and they e-mailed me a $10 coupon for any dinner reservation made between 4 and 5 p.m.
The number to make reservations at The Melting Pot is 692-9003.
June 19, 2007
Suds, suppers and songs
I was lucky to catch microbrew master Josh Quigley in action the other day working on his latest small batch. Folks who’ve lived around the Grand Strand a while are likely familiar with Josh’s work at Liberty Steakhouse & Brewery in Myrtle Beach, but this year he opened his own restaurant and brew pub in Litchfield Beach called Quigley’s Pint and Plate.
Everything about this restaurant/pub is pleasant, from the menu, to the beer selections, to the cozy wooden bar with snug private dining nooks nearby, to the airy sunroom, to the open-air patio. It’s just a nice place to spend time, and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights there’s live music.
This weekend the music lineup includes:
Thursday June 21, 8-11 p.m., Jack Siebert Quartet
Friday, June 22, 6-10 p.m., Jay Burton
Saturday, June 23, 7-10 p.m., Edward Orr; and starting at 10 p.m. the legendary local rock/jam band, The Mullets
While sampling Josh’s latest finely crafted beer, you can also enjoy dishes such as Shrimp Butter, which is a creamy shrimp spread blended with chipotle peppers and served with grilled bread; Ale-poached Clams; Shepard’s Pie; Meatloaf Sandwich served open-face on French bread and smothered with mushroom and brown ale gravy; and the Mixed Grill featuring a 6-ounce Scottish beef medallion, a banger sausage and half a quail.
Quigley’s is open for lunch and dinner. It’s in the Mingo Plaza shopping center off Willbrook Boulevard (behind the Piggly Wiggly grocery store on U.S. 17), and the number is 237-7010.
That time of year
When a friend and I made a 9 a.m. breakfast date last week at Nibil’s at Surfside Pier, we forgot it’s June. The place was packed! However, the Cahill family that owns and runs the popular restaurant does a great job giving customers prompt service that helps eliminate long waits; we only a few minutes for our table.
Besides, waiting seated on a pier overlooking the ocean isn’t such a bad thing.
Nibil’s has thorough breakfast and lunch menus, and the dinner menu has everything from Family Style Shrimp Cocktail (half a pound or a pound) to Crab Cake Sandwich, Grouper Chunks, Blackened Ribeye and Southern Fried Chicken.
They also have dinner specials:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays: 10-ounce Certified Angus Beef Steak, $13.95
Thursdays: Corn Beef and Cabbage with Irish Soda Bread, $12.95
Fridays and Saturdays: Fresh Sea Scallops, $13.95.
Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. Nibil’s is on Surfside Pier at 11 S. Ocean Blvd. in Surfside Beach, and the number is 238-5080.
June 18, 2007
Pleasant patio
The inside dining at Perrone’s in Pawleys Island is extremely pleasant, but now there are outdoor tables with pretty and durable canvas umbrellas over them.
Of course the Perrones took their amenities to a superior level, so the tables are also graced with fresh-cut flowers, and unique cylindrical rotating fans provide comfortable (but not food-cooling or hairdo-ruining) breezes. Care was even taken in selecting the surface of the new patio; the Perrones selected a porous concrete that rainwater filters through.
Owner/chef Steve Perrone also recently introduced paninis with fillings such as roasted pepper and goat cheese. A browse through his daily fresh offerings revealed a Thai Shrimp Salad Sandwich with hot and sweet shrimp, Thai chilies, fresh lime juice, scallions, cilantro, celery and red onions on ciabatta; Sesame Encrusted Tuna; Italian Caprese with fresh mozzarella and basil; and Steve’s own Pepper Spread made with Peppadew Peppers, which are sweet piquant “peppers” that are actually richly red South African fruits.
Customers who need a party catered may use a monitor and wireless mouse set up near the cash register to view Perrone’s various catering options. Steve says his Tiki Party is extremely popular.
Perrone’s is at 13291 Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island, and the number is 235-9193.
Here’s your invite
You need to RSVP by Thursday if you’d like to attend a private Martini Party at Thoroughbreds Restaurant from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. Lorrie Turney at Thoroughbreds says you may consider this your personal invitation, but only those who make their reservations by Thursday will be allowed admittance.
The evening costs $25 and includes martinis and hors d’oeuvres.
Call 497-2636 to respond, or send Lorrie an e-mail at lturney@thoroughbredsrestaurant.com. Thoroughbreds is located on Restaurant Row in Myrtle Beach at 9706 N. Kings Highway, just north of Lake Arrowhead Road.
Have you seen the Thoroughbreds Web site lately? It looks quite stylish with its deep oranges and popup menus. It’s at www.thoroughbredsrestaurant.com, and you can also check out the dinner and catering menus and see lots of photos of the romantic restaurant’s interior.
June 17, 2007
Up in the air
In an area filled with restaurants that have great views, Latitude 22 in Surfside Beach has one of the best. It’s up on the third floor of a building next to Surfside Pier, and when the weather is dry and warm staffers open up the windows and let the sea breeze wash through the space decorated in brushed steel and rich jewel-toned accents.
Latitude is known for its specialty drinks, but the menu is also looking pretty great this year.
Appetizers include Caribbean Nachos with Pepperjack cheese sauce, jalapenos, grilled steak, onion, tropical fruit, fresh salsa and crushed avocado; Latitude’s Stuffed Pepper where a hot banana pepper is stuffed with crab meat, batted and fried and served with tropical fruit salsa; and Mango Shrimp with red pepper honey glaze and mango pineapple chutney.
Moving on to soups and salads, a few choices are Avocado Caesar salad; Baby Spinach salad; St. Bart’s salad with scallions, tropical fruit, mango vinaigrette and macadamia-crusted goat cheese; and French Caribbean Onion soup.
Shrimp Rasta Pasta in tomato-cilantro cream sauce is a signature dish here. Newer offerings include Spiced Duck Breast that’s crusted with chili and brown sugar and served with citrus/clove red wine reduction and garlic mash; Lime Grilled Tuna served with garlic potato cake, fire-roasted tomato sauce and grilled vegetables; and Salmon Reles that’s topped with dill cream sauce and served with smoky red pepper corn relish, Cuban rice and sauteed green beans.
I could happily make a meal with a few of the side dishes: Sautéed baby green beans, garlic potato mash, sweet potato fries, coconut rice, grilled veggies, island slaw, Cuban rice, black beans and seasoned French fries.
Latitude 22 is at 11 North Seaside Drive beside Surfside Pier, and the number is 232-9796. It opens at 4 p.m. daily.
Where it came from
As more food recalls are issued and consumers’ concerns about food safety mount, the question of exactly where the food we purchase originated has become of high interest.
Enter HarvestMark, a company that makes it known where the produce you buy was harvested, when it came out of the field and even who picked it.
Produce companies that use the HarvestMark tracking process put stickers with 24-digit codes on produce packages. Consumers can go to http://www.harvestmark.com/, enter the code in a search field and find out where that food was grown and when it was picked.
This service was made available for the first time just this month, so hopefully home consumers will soon see the HarvestMark codes in our local grocery stores, and chefs will have this option from wholesale vendors.
The best news? The method costs only a fraction of a cent per container, so it shouldn’t affect prices.
June 16, 2007
Breezing through life
The food is tasty-casual, and the atmosphere is relaxed and full of partying, socializing potential at Bummz Grille & Yacht Club in Litchfield Beach.
The décor is fun in a breezy way without being too cute. The menu is a perfect match.
Small-portion dishes include Thai Barbecue Ribs; Vegetable Spring Rolls; Chicken Sate with peanut sauce and marinated cucumber salad; Grouper Fingers; Mini Crab Cakes; Barbecue Shrimp Skewers; and mini burgers called Slip-n-Sliders.
There are interesting wraps like Oriental Shrimp and Southwest Chicken, and salads such as Marinated Steak and Baby Spinach. The specialty sandwich and burger list has plenty of choices including Prime Rib Sandwich, Chicken Philly, the Backyard Burger and seafood-filled Bummz Po-Boys.
If you’re ready for a big meal, you could go for the Seafood Plate with flounder, oysters, shrimp and scallops; a rack of ribs with either sweet and spicy or Thai barbecue sauces; a 14-ounce Marinated Ribeye; or Salsalito Chicken topped with fresh salsa, Ranch dressing, bacon and cheeses. On Wednesday and Saturday nights, there’s a prime rib special from 4-10 p.m.
Bummz Grille and Yacht Club is at 251 Willbrook Boulevard, in the Mingo shopping center in Litchfield Beach, and the number is 237-7214.
Anniversary book
It’s hard to believe two decades have gone by since Rick Bayless first came out with his Mexican cookbook, but it’s true. Now there’s a new anniversary edition; click on the book cover to find out what’s cooking.
06/15/2007
Gourmet wonderland
The original Kudzu Bakery in Georgetown is wonderful, and I love that it’s in an historic building; an old stable, actually. But the new Kudzu at the Beach in Litchfield, off Willbrook Avenue in the Mingo shopping center, is bigger and brighter and breathtaking.
This place has so much delectable, tempting food it’s extremely hard to make choices. Kudzu also has cooking utensils, gadgets, baking pans, cookbooks, stemware, napkins and even high-end grills.
Here’s a look at a just a few of the treats in this gourmet wonderland.
In the sweets department: Chocolate Pound Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Key Lime Pie with chocolate graham crust, Coconut Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Flour-free Chocolate Mousse Cake, Rum Cake, Lemon Cake, Sugar Cookies, Peach Pecan Spins, Pecan Sandies, Coconut Macaroons, muffins, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Lemon Chess Pie and Pecan Pie.
Condiments: Toasted Sesame Miso Dipping Sauce, Mango Chile Oil, whole peppercorns, sea salt, wasabi, olive oils (including L’olio Affiorato hand-pressed extra-virgin), Barefoot Contessa sauces, marinades, Apricot-Ginger-Tangerine Jam, Cherry Butter and Champagne Shallot Walnut dressing.
Fresh Breads: White, wheat, black pepper, buttermilk, French boille.
Par-baked breads: Ciabatta rolls, spinach/feta croissants.
Other pantry items: Syrups, King Arthur Flour mixes, Carolina Plantation rice and stone-ground grits, Mayorga coffees, Panache coffees, wines (a gracious plenty of wines), De Cecco pasta and cocktail mixers.
Packaged-to-go sandwiches: Chicken Salad, Pimento Cheese.
Cold case foods: Shrimp Dip, Crab Spread, Andouille Sausage, Tasso, Pear and Brie Phyllo.
Cheeses: Fresh mozzarella, Clemson Blue, Vermont Cheddar, locally made Robinson’s Finest Applewood Smoked Cheddar.
Ready-to-cook raviolis: Cheese, Lobster, Grilled Vegetable, Sweet Potato, Goat Cheese, Spinach and Walnut.
Vacuum-packed veggies: Haricot Vert, Flame-roasted Corn.
Ready-to-cook entrees: Parmesan Trout, Lobster Bisque, Crab-stuffed Flounder, Coconut Tilapia, Boneless Quail.
Kitchen accessories: Wüsthof Trident knives, Riedel stemware, Oxo Good Grip tools, cutting boards, napkins, baking pans, Microplane graters, All-Clad cookware (including a cool fish poacher), cheesecloth, twine, butcher blocks and a Mini Cherokee Grill and Cart.
And the best find of the day: Pine straw baskets that look like sweetgrass baskets, only darker in color, that cost $15 to $45.
The address is 221 Willbrook Blvd. in Pawleys Island, and the number is (843) 235-8560.
Crowd pleaser
Recently, as I was clearing tables at the annual Grand Strand American Red Cross Volunteer Recognition Dinner, a sassy little lady took the stage. Her name is Gabbie Rae, she is 8 years old, and she rocked the house with her belting voice.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of hearing and seeing this little dynamo perform, her upcoming gigs are here: http://gabbierae.talentrockpages.com/. If you’d care to book her at your restaurant, call (508) 207-2647, or send an e-mail to SassyandCompany@aol.com.
06/14/2007
Breaking News
Lone Star Steak House & Saloon Closed
Lone Star Steak House and Saloon at 3264 U.S. 17 S. in Murrells Inlet served its last meals on Tuesday night before closing "for good," according to a woman who answered the phone there this afternoon. She also said the property is not yet on the market because it is still being cleaned up.
The Murrells Inlet location was not listed on the company’s Web site at www.lonestarsteakhouse.com today, but the Myrtle Beach location at 9820 N. Kings Highway is still listed, and it is still open.
The Lone Star chain was grown by Jamie Coulter, who had previously amassed a 12-state franchise chain of Pizza Hut restaurants through his company Coulter Enterprises. Coulter saw a prototype of a Lone Star Steak House & Saloon in Winston-Salem, N.C., and in 1991 he began building four Lone Stars. He incorporated the chain in 1992, when the first public stock offering took place.
By 1996, the company’s stock appreciated by 1,037 percent, and the chain was increasing at a pace of 24 new units per year. However, just a few years later the stock’s value plunged into the single digits. In a 2001 shareholder election, Coulter was unseated as board chairman of his own company, but he remained chief executive officer.
In August, 2006, Lone Star Steak House was bought by a private equity firm, Lone Star Funds, for $27.35 per share, and the company is now private. It still has some 200 restaurants in the chain.
Asheville atmosphere, Murrells Inlet aura
An extremely pleasant bistro/coffee house/microbrew pub/live entertainment hub is doing well in Murrells Inlet. It’s called Blackwater Brews, and it’s in the Swamp Fox Peddlers Market on U.S. 17 Bypass a little north of Brookgreen Gardens, on the west side of the road.
Jamey Thompkins, Eryn Thompkins and David Bear are the owners of this delightful haven that was recently remodeled and looks both dazzling and comfortable. It’s the sort of place where you could happily spend a few hours drinking coffee, sipping a brew, nibbling fantastic organic dishes, checking out the art from local artists, using your computer (they have Wi-Fi) or settling in with a good read.
It’s also a great place to be social, if you’re in the mood, because at night the atmosphere changes and there’s live entertainment. Tuesday nights are jazz, hosted by Doug Frankhauser, Wednesdays are poetry readings, Fridays are open mic and on Saturdays bands perform. This Saturday, June 16, Glenn Houndog Hanson performs “homespun tunes” from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Jamey is the beermeister, and he stocks dozens and dozens of American craft-brewed small-batch beers. He also keeps some nice wines.
Eryn is the barista, and she uses Larry’s Beans, which are organic fair-trade beans that are shade-grown. Shade-grown, Jamey says, means trees are left in the fields to provide canopies for animals.
Most of the food served at Blackwater Brews is also organic, or at least produced by a socially conscious company. There’s an herb garden out front that supplies flavors for many of the sandwiches and salads.
The menu includes a house salad heavy on veggies, Vegetable Pasta Salad and a Chef’s Delight salad. A cheese plate includes grapes, champagne crackers and olives, and there’s always a soup of the day.
The Tuna Salad Sandwich has a perfect texture – not too loose, not too dry – and is enhanced by fine-dice Granny Smith apples. Other sandwiches include Roast Beef and Swiss; Turkey and Cheese; Club; Bratwurst Hoagie (the brats are cooked in Samual Smith Nut Brown Ale); Garden Delight; and Triple Moon Cheese.
You can also have a 100 percent fruit smoothie, a cup of Mighty Leaf Tea and any of a number of coffee concoctions from a plain cup of Joe to cappuccino to blended frappes.
The address is 5180 U.S. 17 Bypass South, Murrells Inlet, and the number is (843) 651-9933.
Not quite yet
I’ve been keeping an eye on a pair of restaurants opening soon at St. James Plaza, off S.C. 707 near St. James High School. They aren’t open quite yet, but The Breakfast Klub and Driftwood’s Seafood and Steak both have “now hiring” banners out front.
06/13/2007
Beach house re-beginnings
It has been about 10 years since the beach house on U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet was moved from Myrtle Beach. It became Hana’s restaurant, and the two couples who owned and ran it did a booming business serving a unique style of Asian/Southern fusion cuisine.
After that the restaurant had a brief life as Petit Vine, which was an excellent French bistro.
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