Pawley's Island, Litchfield Beach and Murrells Inlet SC

Rustic Table, Pawley’s Island
This is a Hominy Grill self-professed comfort food analogue from the well regarded Bistro 217 owners. A plate of mushroom and corned beef hash and eggs over easy is pictured below. The eggs were cooked on a flat top rather than a pan, by an inexperienced hand—broken and over cooked—a short order shame. The corned beef hash’s deeply browned crust was luke warm—probably held off to the side of the stove and neither crisped nor reheated for service since being cooked hours earlier. Excellent quality bacon that was overdone and hard. The biscuits were very good.


Pawley’s Island Farmers Market
Wednesday mornings about ¼ mile north of the Walgreens across the road. Just a few vendors, but superb arugula, mizuna, field peas, baby lima beans, tomatoes and corn. Do not miss.

Murrells Inlet Shrimp Guy
At the south end of the local drag on the west side of the road is a boat yard where on the weekends is a fellow who sells 26-30 head on shrimp he and his family catch for $5 a pound. Run don't walk.

Independent Seafood, Georgetown.
We got beautiful Trigger fish, Grouper, 10-16 scallops and 20-26 head off shrimp. We found out later that the Murrells Inlet guy was better for shrimp, however. There was even a short soft shell crab bloom, but $4.69 for a medium small was a little high and we passed.

Trigger fish champagne buerre blanc, at home. Trigger fish takes a little fiddling to get all the bones out, but the reward is worth it--its even better than black grouper.



Sabella’s, Litchfield Beach
We loved Sabella’s, and if you’re from Chicago and enjoy classic Northern Italian restaurants its likely you will too. Chef-owners are from NYC’s Mulberry Street in Little Italy. A deep wine list for a six month old place, full white table top cloths and under cloths, hand pulled mozzarella, two fisted drinks, excellent service, bathrooms nicer than in our rental condo and a better than competent hand in the kitchen. A beacon of light amidst endless resort food.

House white wine, Terre Sabelli. Unoaked, 12% alcohol. Steely, crisp and well worth seeking out.


Best appetizer: the very tender Calamari then lightly twice fried in in a cherry pepper marinara.


Excellent Caprese and Eggplant Napolean both featuring the house made mozzarella




Italian Spring Roll broccoli rabe, fontina and sausage.


Terrific Linguine in white clam sauce—a dozen local true little necks from nearby McClellanville.



One half of the prosciutto wrapped Chicken Involtini.


Estimable ricotta torte aka Italian cheese cake


Sabella's main dining room


Prosser’s BBQ, Murrells Inlet
$9.95 Southern meat and three buffet that is the essential menu du marche or farm to table institution. That’s to say if it’s local, in season and cheap—it’s on that day’s bill of fare. Think of it like a Jewish Deli, or Dim Sum—it’s a style that won’t stand up to absolutes. You either like it, or you don’t. Excellent fried chicken, thin fried pork chops, fried oysters (Thursday special), fresh collards, fresh sautéed zucchini and summer squash spears with onion, fried okra, smoked pork laden rice. Did not try BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, pole beans (looked frozen or canned), iceberg lettuce salad bar or banana pudding. Will gladly return.

Pictured below is round two: fried chicken, pork chop and oysters atop collards and smoky rice.