Friday, Dec. 09, 2011

Myrtle Beach Area Weekend Guide

By Becky Billingsley -

• Conway’s annual St. Nicholas Winterfest has grown for seven years now, and the one starting today and running through Sunday is full of fine regional food and eclectic shopping in a historic district. The celebration kicks off from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at the Conway Historic Peanut Warehouse (under the Main Street Bridge on 2nd Avenue) with Conway Christmas Cuisine, continues Friday with the “Anything Butt Pork” Cook-Off, and on Saturday with a South Carolina Barbecue Association contest to find the “Best Q in Conway.” The parade gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday, and the food, arts and crafts fair continues through 4 p.m. Sunday.

• A new 4,800-square-foot Mexican restaurant is being built at 1402 N. Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach, at the former site of the Breakwater Hotel. On Dec. 1, Jim Hubbard, a principal of the Myrtle Beach architectural firm Pegram Associates, Inc., presented to the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance board a conceptual review for a Mexican restaurant with a Spanish Colonial design. A group of investors with Coastal Waterfront Dining & Entertainment, LLC, was listed on the CAB agenda as the project’s owners, but as of Dec. 5 no such business was registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s online database. A name for the restaurant has not yet been selected. Hubbard told members of CAB that the investment group is also “working with the city to get the boardwalk expanded and make a new city park.” The investors own three oceanfront lots and more property across Ocean Boulevard, Hubbard said, and the restaurant will be the first phase of development. The Mexican restaurant will have 90 seats inside with outdoor transitional spaces stepping down to a courtyard with a fountain and a wood patio, perhaps with a fire pit. At the side facing Ocean Boulevard, a water feature is planned Hubbard said, such as a water spill with a wishing well where the water changes color when coins are tossed in.

• If you have a great cocktail recipe, New York Prime wants to hear about it. To enter, go to the Myrtle Beach steak restaurant’s Facebook page and post your drink recipe, including its name, and whichever cocktail receives the most "likes" will earn its creator a $100 New York Prime gift certificate. The drink will also be featured at the restaurant starting on New Year’s Eve, and the winner will be invited to be a guest bartender for the evening. New York Prime is at 405 28th Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 448-8081.

• Cafe Old Vienna has scheduled Christmas Lunch Celebrations from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 20, and the events will feature live accordion music. The restaurant also has Austrian holiday cookies for sale at $16 per pound. Cafe Old Vienna is at 3901 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is 946-6252.

• Lil’ rockers are invited to have breakfast with Santa on two upcoming Saturdays at Hard Rock Cafe in Myrtle Beach. For $10 per person (ages 2 and younger free with a paying adult), the events include a breakfast buffet, photo with Santa and an “activities room with fun stuff provided by River Street Sweets, Sparkles, Ripley’s Aquarium, Over the Moon Productions and RideMakerz” according to a press release. Two seatings at 8:15 and 10 a.m. are available on Saturday and Dec. 17. Reservations are required, and they can be made by calling 946-0007, Ext. 208. Hard Rock Cafe is at Broadway at the Beach, at the intersection of U.S. 17 and 21st Avenue North.

• Marlin’s Restaurant at Springmaid Beach Resort is launching a new Sunday Supper Buffet from noon to 2 p.m. The price is $9 adults, $8 seniors and $4.50 ages 11 and younger, and the meal includes Fried and Baked Chicken, Orange Honey Glazed Black Forest Ham, Macaroni and Cheese, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, Salad Bar, Dessert Bar and more. Non-alcoholic beverages are included. If you bring a current Sunday church bulletin, adults will receive a $1 discount. Springmaid Beach Resort is at 3200 S. Ocean Blvd., and the number is 315-7100.

• Divine Dining group has leased its former City Bar property at 7604 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach to a restaurateur who is turning the restaurant into a business called Pravda Lounge. At a Dec. 1 meeting of the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board, Myrtle Beach architect Robin Roberts of The Palmetto Group presented a sign change request to reflect the new name. The change was approved.

• The South Carolina Children’s Museum at 2501 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach is hosting a holiday breakfast with appearances by Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 23. The price is $6 per person for CMSC members or $12 for non-members. The event is limited to 75 participants, and the number to call for reservations is 946-9469. Activities include: Continental breakfast, a wooden toy workshop, photos with Santa and Frosty, stories, international holiday traditions and holiday-theme activity stations.

• Seafood Express at 2635 Main St. in Conway closed in November three months after Procopis “George” Georghiou opened it. The restaurant now has a “for sale or for lease” sign posted.

• A Food Network chef has developed a new menu for the entire line of House of Blues restaurants, and the North Myrtle Beach location recently debuted the collection of flavorful dishes. The new menu has also inspired a new name for the restaurant. It’s now called Crossroads at House of Blues, and it has the same juke joint vibe with lots of folk art, blues and rock playing and heavy brown paper covering the tables. Chef Aaron Sanchez worked up the new menu. He owns three restaurants - Centrico Restaurant and Tacombi in New York City, and Mestizo Restaurant near Kansas City - and he has made appearances on several Food Network programs including “Chopped,” “Next Iron Chef” and “Chef vs. City.” A few of the new menu items include Cornbread with Maple Butter, flatbreads, quesadillas, Chile Braised Short Ribs, Buttermilk Fried Chicken and adobo-seasoned Ribeye. Crossroads at House of Blues is at 4640 U.S. 17 S. in North Myrtle Beach, at the north end of Barefoot Landing. It’s open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, for breakfast starting at 8 a.m. Saturdays, lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays and for Gospel Brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. To make a reservation, call 913-3746.

Becky Billingsley serves daily restaurant news at MyrtleBeachRestaurantNews.com.