MyrtleBeachRestaurantNews.com

March 31

UPDATE
12:50 p.m.

Stonyfield Farm yogurt recall

Stonyfield Farm has issued a nationwide voluntary recall of its 6-ounce Fat Free Blueberry yogurts due to a risk of glass fragments in the containers.

Amp’d up

In case you haven’t had a chance to get out to Hard Rock Park’s Sneak Peek area and check out Amp’d Coffee, we went out there and took a look for you.

The café’s one big dining area is cozy with dark hard woods and lots of windows looking out at a plaza, which makes it a prime people-watching venue. Vintage celebrity photos are on the walls – some identified, and some you’ll have fun identifying. My favorite is an extremely young and skinny Rod Stewart in a frilly white blouse and skin tight checkered pants. And I do mean skin tight.

The menu is coffee drinks (a 20-ounce Mocha is $3.69, and a Double Espresso is $2.69), Amp’d Energy Drinks, juices, sandwiches and pastries. Sweets include Jumbo Muffins, Espresso Brownie, Red Velvet Cake, Caramel Apple Pie, Chocolate Éclair, Kentucky Bourbon Pie, New York Cheesecake and Mango Passion Cheesecake.

“And we’re developing a big huge gooey cinnamon bun that’s going to be our signature,” said HRP Executive Chef Tim Head.

You can also get a sandwich in there, like Roast Beef on ciabatta with tiger sauce, tomato, lettuce, onion and aged Cheddar; or Smoked Turkey on a whole wheat roll with radish sprouts, lettuce, tomato, brie and cranberry aioli. Each is $6.49, and they’re the kind of large and tasty sandwiches with premium ingredients that will hold your attention while chewing.

I was trying to eat with one hand and use a pen with the other, but had to stop and use both hands to hold the sandwich, and then found myself concentrating and plotting where the next choice bite would happen as I chewed. It was a happy lunch, and a photo of Mama Cass on the wall made me remember to slow down and chew thoroughly.

For $5.99 each you can order a Tuna Wrap in a spinach tortilla with field greens and diced tomato; or Chicken Salad Wrap in a jalapeno cheese tortilla with field greens and diced tomato.

Chef Head is starting to become extremely busy as the park’s soft opening nears. He has catered meals for various functions to plan, such as for a group from the American Heart Association, and the entourage with Kid Rock when he comes to give a concert on May 13.

Next door to Amp’d Coffee is the Whammy Bar, and Chef Head is also working on a special menu for the space above the bar.  This exclusive lounge will cater to only select VIP’s and visiting rock stars.

Come back tomorrow to learn more about Chef Tim Head when he is profiled as our April Chef of the Month.

Five o’clock in Conway

These days five o’clock means something much better than rush hour. At the SideWheeler Restaurant in Conway, it’s the start of an hour of dining specials.

From 5-6 p.m. every night (except Sundays, when they’re closed), you can get Pud’s Shrimp and Grits, Jambalaya, Southern Pecan Encrusted Chicken, or Apple Raisin Pork  for $10.95; a Shrimp or Flounder Dinner for $12.95; and the Crab Cake Sandwich for $8.95.

All entrees come with a baked potato and sautéed veggies, and the sandwich is served with French fries.

Don’t forget Tuesday nights are Rhythm on the River nights at SideWheeler. From 5-9 p.m. you can dance to shag music, enjoy sitting outside by the Waccamaw River and order some of the special raw bar appetizers offered only on Tuesday nights.

The SideWheeler is at 110 Main Street in Conway, and the number is 248-7048.

Late night health

If you like dining later in the evening – make that much later – Collectors Café in Myrtle Beach has a new collection of healthy late-night appetizers. The gourmet treats are available 10-11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 10 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
 
The list includes:

Seared New York Strip with a salad of organic spinach, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, red onion, feta and organic cumin yogurt.

Flatbread with olives, tomatoes, roasted garlic and fresh herbs.

Seared Jumbo Scallops with fennel marmalade.

Cold Salad of calamari, sesame, ginger, mirin and seaweed in a rice paper basket.

Ponzu-marinated Yellowfin Tuna Stack with a shiitake-seaweed salad and apple crisps.

Roasted Sweet Bell Pepper stuffed with carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, shiitakes and goat cheese.

Prices for these selections are $8 to $11. Collectors Café is at 7726 N. Kings Highway, and the number is 449-9370.

And the winner is...

Renee Snider of Myrtle Beach! Renee, look for your copy of The Sunset Grill to arrive in your mailbox this week. Thanks to everyone who entered, and you'll have another chance next Sunday to win another newly released cookbook.

March 30

Free chef demos

This week, although Roy and Sid’s American Dining and Divine Prime won’t yet be open at The Market Common, several of Divine Dining Group’s expert chefs will hold cooking demonstrations at Roy and Sid's. The schedule is:

Friday, April 4

5-7 p.m. – Executive Ben Tench will offer menu samples from Roy and Sid’s and Divine Prime.

Saturday, April 5

Noon-1 p.m. – Director of Fine Dining Kurt D’Aurizio will demonstrate Coastal Carolina cuisine

1-2 p.m. – Sean Christenson, Divine Fish House, fresh local fish

2-3 p.m. – Brad Walton, Umi Pacific Grille, Pacific Rim cuisine

3-4 p.m. – Bryan Bodle, City Bar, tapas

You locals will realize these foods are the demonstrating chefs’ specialties, so these free seminars are an extraordinary culinary learning opportunity.

We ate at P.F. Chang's and at Gordon Biersch Brewery on Saturday during the restaurants' practice sessions. Look for our photos and reports on those meals, plus a peek at the menu (and extremely fascinating wine list) of Travinia Italian Kitchen, later this week.

The Market Common is between U.S. 17 Bypass and U.S. 17 Business, just south of the Myrtle Beach International Airport. The grand opening is Thursday.

Parking spots

After walking around a bit on Saturday at The Market Common, we saw there are parking decks on the east side of the shopping/dining complex. The City of Myrtle Beach says some of the parking spots at The Market Common are possible due to Tax Increment Financing:

“Thanks to Tax Increment Financing (TIF), the City of Myrtle Beach acquires the following public infrastructure improvements: 

“Farrow Parking Deck with 316 public spaces

“DeVille Parking Deck with 265 public spaces

“Five surface parking lots with 786 public spaces”

Global food news weekly roundup

Most of us would agree the FDA needs stricter food recall guidelines, but this report says they’re considering becoming more lax.

And the price of flour continues to rise:Be sure to check out the graphic to the right of the article that shows price points from 1972 until now. It shows whether or not today’s prices are good deals when inflation is factored in.

Winning information

We have four contests for you this week:

Country Woman Magazine has four recipe contests and a photo contest you can enter HERE. You could win up to $500 cash.

Today is the last day to enter Chili’s Smokehouse Showdown to try and win football tickets to your favorite college or pro team, or an autographed helmet.

Dave’s Dockside in Murrells Inlet gives away a gift certificate every month. For your chance to enjoy their grilled fresh local seafood on the house, or a free Sunday brunch, go HERE.

Our final contest today is a chance to win a new cookbook called The Sunset Grill: 125 Tasty Recipes for Casual Get-Togethers and Easy Weeknight Cookouts, from Sunset Magazine.

It’s easy to get stuck preparing the same old grilled recipes like grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing, or barbecue ribs, or steak coated in a dry rub. This cookbook has easy, affordable and interesting recipes that will breath juicy new life into your grilling experiences.

March 29

UPDATE 9:01 a.m.

Two new cantaloupe recalls

Two more companies are recalling their cantaloupe due to the risk of salmonella in some Honduran cantaloupes grown and distributed by Agropecuaria Montelibano. One of the new companies affected is Dole Fresh Fruit Company, which says their recalled cantaloupes, "were distributed for sale throughout the United States and parts of Canada."

Read the full FDA news releases HERE.

Restaurant Inspection Scores
March 21-27, 2008

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control releases the current week's restaurant inspection scores for Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties  on Fridays, and they are published here on Saturdays.

When you see an "R" in the listing, that means the DHEC food inspector made a routine unannounced visit. An "F" indicates a follow-up visit where only items in violation during a previous routine visit are inspected. The inspectors use a checklist of 36 items.

Inpection grades are:

A: 88-100

B: 78-87

C: 70-77