X-mas in July is a fundraising event for Toys for Kids in Horry County. The event is sponsored by ABATE of Horry County, and is being held at Donny’s Saloon, formerly known as the Steelhorse Saloon on 3rd Avenue in Myrtle Beach.
Starting at 4 p.m., the event will include food, live music and items up for auction. Money raised by X-mas in July will be used to purchase toys for needy children in Horry County.
X-Mas in July this Saturday at Donny’s Saloon!
Places to Be: Spencer’z South
It’s not just the owners who can get me to come visit their favorite place to be. Anyone can e-mail me and ask me to come on down. For example, last week Phil from the Inlyn Gruve band e-mailed me to come down to Spencer’z South to see them play. This gave me the perfect excuse to head down to Murrells Inlet and check out Spencer’z South.
At the intersection of Pendergrass Ave. and Highway 17, Spencer’z South is a huge place with great character from the moment you walk up the steps to the front door. Inside, the place is virtually split into two separate areas. Immediately upon entering, there is a comfy bright barroom with several tables, a digital jukebox, dart games and TVs. If you keep going, you come to the short flight of stairs leading down to a huge room with high ceilings and plenty of space for tables. On a raised platform, there is more seating on the “backside” of the bar from the other room. What a great design effect. I fell in love with the place immediately.
On the lower level, there was a second bar against one wall, and on the opposite end of the room was a stage and a spot for a couple of pool tables. The back of the room had an extension that looked like it could be partitioned off as a private banquet room if needed.
Inlyn Gruve is in the House!
The stage was big enough to fit all of the members of Inlyn Gruve and their guest members. They played a great mix of classic rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll. There was enough room in front of the stage for some couples to dance. (more…)
Places to Be: Capt. Dave’s Dockside
Capt. Dave's Dockside
It was just about as perfect a day as you could get — bright and sunny. I was riding my motorcycle in the general direction of Murrells Inlet, taking back roads and old highways. While this was a fun ride, I did have a destination in mind.
Earlier in the week, I got a call from David Owens, the owner of Captain Dave’s Dockside, inviting me to come down and have dinner. I had to postpone until the weekend, but David was more than accommodating, and made sure that I got top notch service when I was finally able to make it. Of course, from the moment I got there in the late afternoon until I left, the service I received was par for the course.
Captain Dave’s is a beautiful place, right on the waterway in Murrells Inlet. From the outside, it looks like a fine house.
Inside is a beautifully decorated dining room with hardwood floors and a stately array of art. A short bar goes to one side of the room, fronting for the kitchen.
The back wall is made of sliding doors, giving diners a beautiful view of the inlet and a small island that is home for several peacocks. There is a small deck in the back, as well as, to be expected, docks.
I knew I was in for something special right from the start. (more…)
Places to Be: Dirty Don’s Oyster Bar and Grille
Dirty Don's Oyster Bar on 21st Avenue N in Myrtle Beach
It seems like people are starting to catch on to what I have been saying since I started writing Places to Be.
Since the beginning, I have told people there are two ways to get me to write about their restaurant or club. I can discover it through the course of my random wanderings along the Grand Strand, or they can invite me to come check it out.
After Doug Kelly asked me to come see Elvis at Studebaker’s last week, I was invited to Dirty Don’s Oyster Bar and Grill to have lunch with the owner. Well, dang. There I was, not even into the next week, and I already had plans. I wasn’t used to this kind of popularity, but I think I can handle it. Especially if it fast tracks me to some great food.
And man-o-man, does Dirty Don’s have some great food.
Sitting just a block from the ocean on 21st Avenue North, Dirty Don’s is a cozy little place with a tropical “island” feel. I have seen the place at night during the summer and it is always packed. There is seating outside on the deck as well as plenty of booths inside.
I met Don and his girlfriend, Kelli, on Tuesday afternoon. It was a quiet time at the place, just after the lunch rush but well before the dinner crowd. And one of the benefits of eating with the owner is that you definitely get the inside track on what is good to eat.
The first thing I learned is that many of the sauces served are made from scratch, which includes the pleasantly spiced cocktail sauce set out on the table, and the wild “Dirty Don’s sauce” that came with the appetizers like Shrimp Fritters and Salt-n-Pepper Catfish fingers, which Kelli and Don ordered respectively. I got to try them both, and they were good, great even, but what came next was even better.
It was tough to choose as each appetizer sounded better than the last, but I finally decided on the Oysters Salsa. Somewhat like Oysters Rockerfeller, these giant oysters were topped with salsa and provolone cheese.
Billed as the chef’s secret creation, I have never come across anything like them. They were so good they were gone before I realized I had eaten them all.
The rest of the menu was just as tempting and hard to choose from. Doug had told me that I had to try the Dunking Pot, a pot of steamed shellfish topped with corn on the cob, hot sausages and garlic bread. I was told it easily serves two or more, and that was a bit more than I could handle for lunch.
Instead, I went with the ribeye sandwich. Both Don and Doug had talked up this sandwich. Don said he had recently upgraded the choice cut of steak for the sandwich, so I agreed to give it a try.
Now, I was putting a lot of faith in what they were telling me, because I never seem to have any luck with “steak sandwiches.” They are usually all right, but more often than not, I find myself having to discard the bun and eat it with a fork and knife. Most steak sandwiches don’t bite off that easily.
This sandwich was amazing. Cooked perfectly to my taste (on the rare side of medium rare), the meat was juicy and perfect. In addition, each bite came with little resistance.
I have had ice cream sandwiches that offered more resistance. This is definitely one of the best sandwiches I have had, if not one of the best steaks on the beach. Oh, and the fries were fresh cut and a perfect golden brown.
I also tried some of the Carolina crab cake sandwich, and was just as surprised and impressed. I am more than likely to pass on crab cakes, but this one had a spicy tang to it that really caught my interest.
Don assured me that crab cakes were made fresh at the restaurant, as was just about everything. Nothing was frozen or prepackaged.
I don’t think I have tasted this much amazingly good food in one place. Well, if it is fresh food you want, prepared perfectly with amazingly unique twists to the recipes, then Dirty Don’s Oyster Bar and Grill is the place to be.
