Pirate Journalism

You might have noticed that I didn’t talk about Valentine’s Day dinner in last week’s column.

Cagney's

There is a simple reason for that: paydays. Well, actually, it is a little bit more than paydays. It has to also do with bills and when there is enough “free money” for me and Elizabeth to go out.

We had a perfectly nice Valentine’s Day on the date itself, involving some DVDs, Hungry Howie’s pizza and some alone time. Most of the money we had for the romantic holiday was spent on gifts for each other, which was just fine with both of us. However, we still wanted a nice night out.

So last week, with bills paid and some extra coin in our pockets from a tax refund check that arrived amazingly early, we set out to find some place nice to eat. We started driving and debating, and the first place we came to and agreed upon was Cagney’s.

Tucked in at the end of Restaurant Row, Cagney’s had been a place that I had been planning to go to for some time. It seemed like a real classy joint, boasting a piano bar, antique décor and even bits and pieces from the Ocean Forrest Resort, such as the main archway over the entrance. Now, I personally, personally didn’t know much about Ocean Forrest, but Elizabeth’s parents honeymooned there back in the day. If you want to know more, Cagney’s Web site – www.cagneysoldplace.com – has a nice little pop-up about it in their history section.

The décor inside is full of dark warm woods, antiques and large-scale remote control planes hanging from the ceiling. While I was disappointed to learn that the piano bar was only up on Friday and Saturday, there was nothing else to disappoint us. (I peeked at the piano bar section while nobody was looking and the place was vast. I definitely plan to go check it out again when I get a chance.)

The wait staff at Cagney’s was top-notch of course. Brett was on the ball, and kept my diet Coke filled before I even realized that I needed another one. Got to love that kind of attention.

We started with some appetizers and “fun drinks.” We split some skewered lemon pepper shrimp and a bowl of she crab soup. Elizabeth preferred the shrimp; I loved the soup, so it worked out well. I also want to note that the rolls brought to the table included a mix of whites and wheats, which is very nice since we both prefer wheat breads.

Both of our drinks were interesting, too. Elizabeth had a “berryrita”—some kind of concoction with raspberry and tequila. It was good, but mine was better. I had a Watermelon-tini, which included a sweet mix of Watermelon Pucker schnapps and vodka. This was a very sweet, smooth drink to relax and enjoy.

We both ended up having steak, but two very different meals. Elizabeth got the small cut of prime rib, which was about half the size of Texas, and cooked a perfectly juicy rare.

I spent some time debating over the menu, and was almost convinced that I was going to get the seafood casserole–a “medley of Backfin crabmeat, scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms in lemon, butter and parmesan.” I know, that doesn’t sound like me, but I was about to order it…until Brett told us about the specials, and particularly the Steak Oscar.

The Steak Oscar was a fine filet of steak buried under a stake of asparagus and crabmeat. Oh, this was good. Very good. Have you ever had one of those moments where you are eating and everything is good, and then you just hit this one perfect bite? I was two bites into liking this steak and crab medley, when I hit this sweet spot where everything came together in the perfect bite.

For dessert, we both settled on the sublime key lime pie, which was perfect from tangy sweet key lime to the dark crumbly crust.

So, if your Valentine’s Day dinner didn’t go as planned, or you want to surprise her or him with a special dinner at a great place to be, I don’t know if you can get much better than Cagney’s.

(Originally Published in the Myrtle Beach Herald)