Restaurant Secrets of the Grand Strand
by Diane Goldberg



Along the 60 miles of white sand beaches that constitute the Grand Strand you'll find more than 1,500 restaurants. Most of them are okay. Some of them are lousy. A few of them are bad. A few of them are excellent.

The bikini brigade doesn't migrate to the sea to pack on pounds. But a romantic dinner or great seafood spread is part of what going to the beach is all about. So, how do you separate the wonderful from the mundane in an area with so many restaurants?

Step one is to know what you're looking for - not an easy task. Myrtle Beach's famous restaurant row offers pancake houses, Thai food, seafood, Southern food, southern-style seafood, burgers, prime rib and cotton candy.

For breakfast, the ubiquitous pancake houses all offer equivalent menus and prices. The real treat is an authentic Krispy Kreme. Folks familiar with Krispy Kreme doughnuts only as imports into their local Starbucks owe it to themselves to check out a real Krispy Kreme on highway 17. Once you've had the hot, fresh, just-made glazed you'll spend your life in a quest for more.

If you have a big appetite or a group of teens in tow, the all-you-can eat seafood buffets are perfect feeding sites for the big-appetite bunch. The Seatrawler or the Original Benjamin's Seafood Buffet on Highway 17 and numerous other seafood restaurants offer all-you-can-eat buffets. The salad fixings are sparse; the offerings tend toward the plentiful and fried as opposed to the gourmet. They are good bets for big eaters eager to try calabash style seafood. (South Carolina low-country calabash seafood is fried in a light flaky batter.)

In search of great seafood? Get ready to ride to Murrell's Inlet with the rest of the crowd. Most tourists join the traffic jam to head for the town that restaurants built. Murrell's Inlet boasts more than 50 restaurants crowded into a small stretch of the inland waterway overlooking the marshy glory of some of the finest scenery in the Palmetto State.

Once you hit Murrell's Inlet, ignore the seductive facades of the flashy restaurants that resemble pirate ships or Las Vegas casinos. Pass the brightly-lit luxury dining dens with valet parking and turn into the unimpressive parking lot of Nance's Creekfront Restaurant and Oyster Roast. Nance's is where sandlappers head for fresh flounder, plump shrimp and steamed oysters in season. Many of Murrell's Inlet's restaurants serve frozen seafood - not Nance's.

Although it boasts beautiful views, the interior of Nance's is a utilitarian environment devoted to good eating. Most tables have a hole in the center with a bucket to catch the oyster shells you shuck at the table. With bottomless cups of iced tea, perfect hushpuppies and today's catch of fresh seafood, Nance's is the place to be. Huge platters of seafood fall in the $16 to $21 range. The wait staff is honest - while most of the menu is fresh fish, feel free to ask what's frozen and they'll confess.

If you want to up the ante on a special evening to a romantic setting and four-star cuisine, head down Highway 17 North to The Parson's Table in Little River. The Parson's Table is the perfect setting to pop the question, celebrate an anniversary or just treat yourself to French cuisine at the seaside.

Before savoring house specialties such as crab-topped chicken, take a few minutes to appreciate the unusual architecture of the setting. You'll enter the restaurant through 150-year-old doors made from local cypress and walk across flooring dating back to 1850. A large ante-bellum chandelier and beveled glass complete the picture. The main dining room was originally the Little River Methodist Church, built in 1885.

The Parson's Table boasts an extensive wine list and approachable wait staff happy to suggest a vintage to complement each dish. This is the place to go for a couple with diverse tastes - the seafood dishes are among the best along the Strand. The veal or chicken offerings can please the most discriminating palate. Call 803-249-3702 for reservations.

Gals who like to gamble on their good looks can check out Dock Holidays on Sunday afternoons. Dock Holidays at 1525 13th Ave. North Myrtle Beach hosts the South Carolina division of the Hawaiian Tropic Bikini contest. Girls who enter the weekly contest dine free at Dock Holidays. The menu offers the usual steaks and seafood with umbrella drink accompanists. Dock Holidays party atmosphere for the upscale bikini clad crowd is the main draw.

Before you leave the beach stuffed with gourmet treats, stop off at the center of downtown Myrtle beach for a burger or foot-long hot dog from Peaches (next to the Pavilion)- it's not seafood, it's not a gastronomic delight, but it is the essence of the beach. Peaches has been serving sandwiches since 1948. Have a foot-long or a corn dog and watch the waves.