Thursday, Sep. 29, 2011

Budget-friendly munchies rule at hidden dining den

By Becky Billingsley -

Coastal Ale House

Setting the Table

If you weren’t looking for Coastal Ale House you likely wouldn’t stumble upon it, but for those in the know it’s a comfortable bar and restaurant that fills niches for many types of drinkers and diners.

The restaurant is tucked back in the corner of a medical office complex next to Conway Hospital, and the smallish front belies a sprawling layout that includes a long roomy bar with lots of tables around it, and palmetto fans in a line above it swishing the air sideways. An upstairs dining area has a lofty view of the downstairs action, and a pleasantly appointed outdoor patio is mostly covered by a roof.

You may have seen Coastal Ale House and not realized it if you watch “River Talk” with “Banana” Jack Murphy on local cable stations, because the program is taped there along with another new local cable show about Carolina Forest happenings.

An interesting mix of customers were there on a recent Thursday night: college students, nurses, doctors, middle-age and elderly locals and a handful of children. Almost everyone was in a cheerful partying sort of mood, and classic rock was keeping the tempo upbeat.

Down the Hatch

This is a budget-friendly menu with most dishes costing less than $10. Finger foods are prominent, and I wanted to try the Zzinger Bites, which are "fresh hand-breaded, all-white chicken...fried and tossed in your favorite wing sauce." I got a dozen Mango Barbecue bites for $6, and it was a good deal because each tender and meaty/crispy piece was two or three bites. Other flavors, which also apply to their wings, are mild, medium, hot, teriyaki, hot garlic parmesan, barbalo (barbecue and hot), garlic parmesan, honey barbecue and barbecue.

The Mr. had a Shrimp Cocktail for $9, and he said the eight two-bite shrimp were perfectly cooked and chilled, and fresh-tasting.

A few more finger foods include Blackened Fish Bites, Calamari, Loaded Nachos and Spring Rolls filled with chicken, bacon, spinach and Cheddar cheese served with Chipotle Ranch sauce.

A few baskets are filled with French fries and a choice of fried fish, wings, shrimp or Zzingers. Three Flatbreads ($6-$7) are topped with pepperoni and cheese, cheese with sauce, or barbecue chicken with Cheddar and Jack cheeses and red onions. We tried the one with barbecue chicken and were impressed with the abundance of toppings.

Several salads ($4-$10) include Cobb, Caesar, Chef and Chicken Salad. I had a side-sized Spinach Salad with mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, a generous amount of apple wood smoked bacon, shaved almonds and hot bacon vinaigrette, and enjoyed how the tasty dressing was applied sparingly and didn’t make the spinach soggy.

Wraps and sandwiches are $5.29-$9, and a few of those are the Bahama Mama Wrap with char-grilled chicken, feta cheese, roasted red and green bell peppers, lettuce and island jerk sauce; Buffalo Chicken Wrap; Ale House Burger on a ciabatta roll; Coastal’s Cuban with ham, pork, pickles, Swiss cheese and spicy mustard; Classic Grilled cheese on Texas toast; and Blackened Chicken BLT.

That leaves entrees ($9-$20), and the Mr. had one of the evening’s specials for $12: Red Pepper Pasta with Shrimp. We both loved the mild spiciness of the dish, and the creamy sauce and other ingredients were applied with a deft hand that ended in an attractive presentation of large shrimp, herbs and fresh Parmesan cheese. The two soft mini baguettes that came with it were chewy, hot and delicious.

Other entrees include Blackened Chicken Pasta with Alfredo Cajun cream sauce, fried or grilled Fish and Shrimp, Ribeye Steak, Mahi-Mahi that can be grilled, blackened or fried and is topped with mango sauce, Snow Crab Legs, and hamburger Steak with Onions.

Check, please

This is an ale house, so while there are many beer brands from which to choose, our server said they had only house wines. I tried a pinot noir that wasn’t bad at all, and there’s also a full cocktail bar.

Desserts are $5 and are not made in-house. Those choices are Chocolate Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Seduction Cake.

Coastal Ale House, www.coastalalehouse.com, is at 115 Waccamaw Medical Park Dr. in Conway, and the phone number is 347-0500. Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.