Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011

Local Restaurant Notes

 

Coccadotts, a bakery in Colonie, New York, that was featured in August on the Food Network show "Cupcake Wars" is soon opening a second location in Myrtle Beach. Coccadotts (www.coccadotts.com ) was opened in 2007 by co-owners, Rachel Cocca-Dott and Matthew O'Connor. The company makes tiered wedding cakes, themed cakes, cookies and more than 30 types of cupcakes such as Red Velvet, Turtle, Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberries & Champagne. The partners have not officially announced the exact location of the new Myrtle Beach bakery, but a photo of them in front of the store on their business Facebook page looks like the Sayebrook shopping center off S.C. 544 near the U.S. 17 Bypass intersection. That post says they plan to open by Dec. 1.

Diner at the Beach (www.dineratthebeach.com) is a new glatt kosher restaurant at 105 S. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach where Inbal Bresnahan, a native of Israel, is cooking the recipes taught to her by her parents, who are both chefs. She is serving excellent Falafel, Kebabs, chopped Israeli Salad, Tuna Salad, Shawarma (seasoned grilled turkey), Hummus and Shakshuka (eggs in house-made Moroccan Salsa). If you like heat in your food, ask for a side of Schug, a special condiment she makes out of cilantro, jalapenos and garlic. On Fridays she serves Moroccan Fish and freshly baked Challah. The phone number is 839-2032, and delivery is available.

Droopy's, a 17-year-old local bar and restaurant at 5201 N. Kings Highway, has closed. A sign on the door says, "Droopy's will be temporarily closed due to upgrading our fire and safety equipment in compliance with city code. Sorry for the inconvenience." A staff member who was in the Droopy's parking lot on Aug. 10 said he does not know when it will reopen, but that it would be "hopefully soon."

Tavern in the Forest in Carolina Forest has been serving pizza for a few months now, and many favorable comments from locals spurred me to go try it. I had the lunch special where you get two slices with two toppings and a drink for $7. The slices are huge - I could manage to eat only one and took the other with me - and the crust is exactly the way I like it: thin but not hard and cracker-like with a crispy bottom. The slices are foldable for those who like to eat them New York-style. If you want to get a whole pie, specialty pizzas ($11-$19) include Barbecue, Italian, White, Hawaiian, Veggie, Margherita (basil, garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, plum tomato sauce) and the House Special with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion and bacon. Tavern in the Forest is at 4999 Carolina Forest Blvd. in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 236-5007. There's free local delivery.

Chuck's Steak House in Myrtle Beach puts out free food for its happy hour. The night we visited there were popcorn, nachos and two wheels of cheese and crackers by the bar, and over on the other side of the large restaurant there were complimentary port wine cheese and crackers. Chuck's Steak House is at 9696 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 449-7611.

Response has been so favorable for Sophisticated Soul Jazz, a group comprised of Bates Holman, Jordan Gravel and guests, that Chef Curry Martin of Aspen Grille (www.aspen-grille.com) booked them to perform from 5-9 p.m. every Thursday. From 4:30-7 p.m. diners can have happy hour food and drinks specials to enjoy while listening to the hot licks, including the Blue Note Martini made from local blueberries and Moon Mountain Organic Vodka. Aspen Grille is at 5101 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 449-9191.

Bliss Lounge in Murrells Inlet is now having DJ Ray Vaughan spin "the latest in dance and house music" starting at 10 p.m. on Fridays, which is also the time when ladies can start ordering $2.50 well drinks. If that goes well, owners Ernest Bledsoe and Kimberly Bledsoe are ready to add a Saturday night dance party as well. Bliss Restaurant and Bliss Lounge are at 4600 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet, next to Inlet Sports Lodge. It's open daily for lunch and dinner, and the number is 282-6737.

Silvio Balistreri and Mona Peppers are the new owners of the Quiznos (www.quiznos.com) at 3735 Oleander Dr. in Myrtle Beach. The couple retired from non-hospitality jobs in California, and decided to become restaurant owners on the East Coast. The restaurant had previously been a Quiznos, but it had been closed for several months before Balistreri and Peppers purchased the franchise and reopened it. They have customer reward cards - buy six and get one free - and offer discounts to baseball players and their families who attend the Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach. Quiznos is open daily for lunch and dinner, and the number is 839-4782.

Goldberg's N.Y. Bagels and Deli at 3318 U.S. 17 S. in North Myrtle Beach has closed for the season, and owner James Thoma says the business is reopening in Spring 2012 in a new and as-yet-disclosed location. Thoma and his wife, Patricia Thoma, and their two daughters moved to the Grand Strand in the summer of 2008 after they purchased the deli from its founders, Mike Kaminsky and Eva Kaminsky. The Kaminskys now operate Kaminsky's N.Y. Deli in Myrtle Beach.

Southern Caviar, which is near the intersection of S.C. 90 and S.C. 22 in Longs, has been sold. The restaurant was opened in 2008 by chef Teresa Thomas and Kevin Keefer and quickly became known for upscale/casual Southern specialties such as Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. The new owners are Kenny Thomas and Angie Thomas, and they say the menu is staying "basically the same." Southern Caviar (www.socaviar.com) is at 7066 S.C. 90 in Longs, and the number is 399-6049. It opens at 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Celebrity cook Paula Deen has scheduled appearances on Oct. 15 at Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, N.C. She will be at three different events with ticket prices ranging from $100 to $500, and those purchases include free tickets to the N.C. Oyster Festival to be held Oct. 15-16 in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. For more information, visit pauladeen.brunswickcc.edu/.

Becky Billingsley serves daily restaurant news at MyrtleBeachRestaurantNews.com.