Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012

Local Restaurant Notes

Denise Horn is one of the three new owners at the Myrtle Beach location of eNoodles.com, where one of the January specials is Teriyaki Salmon. Photo by Becky Billingsley for Weekly Surge.

 

After closing in October 2011 Rosa Linda's is returning again, this time with new management, menu changes and more than one location. On Jan. 11, general manager Michael Daugherty and a few other workers were cleaning the restaurant at 3415 U.S. 17 Business in Murrells Inlet in preparation for a reopening in mid-February, after Valentine's Day. Restaurant owner Ray Watts, Daugherty said, was looking at possible sites on the north end of Myrtle Beach for a second Rosa Linda's location, and that eventually the plan is to have "numerous" Rosa Linda's restaurants. There used to be three Grand Strand locations of the popular Tex Mex restaurants owned by the Favata family in North Myrtle Beach near the House of Blues, in Murrells Inlet and in Myrtle Beach at 1803 N. Kings Highway. The last location closed in 2003 before the spot in Murrells Inlet reopened on May 5, 2011.

Chef Louis Osteen is returning to Pawleys Island for his third restaurant stint in the area as executive chef at Sanford's Southern Fried Smokehouse. Chef Osteen, who received a Best Chef Southeast James Beard Award in 2004, closed his Pawleys Island restaurant called Louis’s at Pawleys and The Fish Camp Bar in Sept. 2008, and then closed his Las Vegas restaurant called Louis’s Las Vegas in December 2008. His next position was in Florida as executive chef at South Seas Island Resort in Captiva, Fla., for one year from 2008-2009. He moved to Lake Rabun Hotel Restaurant in Lakemont, Ga., in June 2009, and was there a little more than a year. In July 2010, Chef Osteen become a corporate executive chef for Hospitality Development Group in Nashville, Tenn. where he did work at several of the group's restaurants before moving on in October 2011 to launch a consulting business called WLO Restaurant Services in Nashville. Sanford's Southern Fried Smokehouse is at 251 Willbrook Blvd. in Pawleys Island, and the phone number is 237-5400. The exact date when Chef Osteen will take over duties at Sanford's had not been announced by press time.

Denise Horn, Denise Parker and Ling Tan are the new operators at Myrtle Beach Asian restaurant eNoodles & Co. at 400 20th Ave. S. Eddie Kwong and Rosie Kwong are the founders of the two Grand Strand locations, and the Kwongs still operate the eNoodles in North Myrtle Beach. Ling Tan is also one of the original Myrtle Beach eNoodles chefs, and he is joined in the kitchen by Kern Yu. Their menu is full of eNoodles favorites such as Chicken Coconut Soup and Double Pan Fried Noodles, but there are also new features such as daily lunch specials for $5-$8 including Spicy Red Curry Bangkok and Grouper Tempura with lemon mushroom sauce. Also new are monthly cocktail and dining features. Matt Tracy plays classical guitar from 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. The phone number is 916-8808, and winter hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

From 5-8 p.m. on Thursdays during January and February, Pawleys Island Tavern is having customer appreciation oysters roasts. Live music starts afterwards, and The PIT has a newly enclosed back porch. It's at 10635 Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island, and the number is 237-8465.

Here's a price change we don't often see: Robert Arroyo announced a lowering of the lunchtime buffet price at Country Cookin' & Sammiches. It used to cost $7, but now it's $5.50. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. daily. It's at 4620 Dick Pond Rd. in the Socastee section of Horry County, and the number is 293-3007.

The Uptown Social Club in Downtown Socastee has opened at 4476 Socastee Blvd. A membership fee is $5, and it has a full bar. There's no food menu, but sometimes complimentary eats are set out for patrons. The social club opens daily at 11 a.m., and owner Ted Holford can be reached by e-mail at uptownsocialclub@hotmail.com.

Indo Thai in Pawleys Island is having its first wine dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 22). Stephanie Arnold of Southern Wines is the evening's host, and for $40 per person, plus tax and gratuity, the meal includes: Appetizer - Thai Purses with chicken, shrimp, garlic, coriander, spring onions, white pepper, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce on the side; Sushi - Rainbow Salad with tomatoes, seaweed salad, carrots, avocado, crab, cucumber and teriyaki lime juice dressing; Entree - Indo Stuffed Grouper with Thai green curry; Dessert - Organic Blueberry Pie. Two wines will be served during the reception, and one wine will be served with each course. Indo Thai is at 47A Da Gullah Way in Pawleys Island, and the phone number is 314-3543.

Soho Restaurant, known in Myrtle Beach for sushi and more, is opening a second location at 1300 S.C. 544 just east of Coastal Carolina University, in the shopping center where Coastal Cafe, Jimmy John's and Little Caesar's Pizza are located. "We thought since CCU students and medical offices nearby don't have too many options for both good food and fun nightlife, we might be at service by supplying both," said Soho manager David Sharvit, adding that an opening date for the new location has not yet been decided.

SeaBlue Restaurant & Wine Bar at 501 U.S. 17 N. in North Myrtle Beach has reopened after a brief winter hiatus. To celebrate January, Ken Norcutt and Tracy Smith are offering several specials, including a new daily menu featuring fresh and local ingredients. On Wednesdays, mention "Wild Wednesday" to your server and all Cruvinet wines are half-price. On Thursdays the magic words are "Thirsty Thursday," and that will get you a 25 percent discount on martinis. And from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, if you sit at the bar you'll get 25 percent off your entire check, excluding bottles of wine. The number is 249-8800.

Chef Adam Kirby of Bistro 217 in Pawleys Island says he and partner Anne Hardee are offering their bar menu for half-price Mondays through Wednesdays. That means a freshly-ground 10-ounce burger served with fries and slaw is $5. Bistro 217 is at 10707 Ocean Highway, and the number is 235-8217.

The Murrells Inlet location of Captain Poo's Bar & Grill had its last day of business for the season on Jan. 7. It's now closed for renovations until March 1. The North Myrtle Beach Poo's is still open at 2200 Little River Neck Rd., and the number is 249-7881.

This month Phil Pecora is starting a long-planned expansion of Toffino's Italian Bakery, Pizza and Deli, located near The Market Common in Myrtle Beach. He is adding 1,500 square feet to the existing building plus outdoor bocce ball courts. Toffino's is at 550 Farrow Parkway, and the number is 477-1598.

Becky Billingsley serves fresh restaurant news daily at www.myrtlebeachrestaurantnews.com.