Hilton Heads Up!
Eating Out on Hilton Head: Web Deals
Dozens of the island’s finest restaurants are helping you watch your budget by offering “early bird” specials and significant discounts. Where to find them? Right on the web.
Alexander’s, which has been on the island since 1977, is a good example. For under $15, you’ll get a three-course meal, featuring entrees like Stuffed Filet of Flounder and Grilled Mahi Mahi. The very popular
CQ’s in Harbour Town takes a slightly different approach, offering a $25 gift certificate on your next visit.
The way to learn about specials and discounts at
Boathouse II is to sign up for their newsletter.
Skillets Café has an on-line 10% discount you can print out. Or you can join their club and get special offers via email.
Frankie Bones “early bird” menu features entrees like prime rib, spring and seafood platter, and seven more for $12.99.
If you want to check out just about every “early bird” special for area restaurants you’ll find them at
Hilton Head Island Restaurants Magazine site. The site is also full of information about the entire restaurant and club scene on the island.
Two monthly magazines have an excellent on-line presence and offer good, local information that includes restaurant features.
Celebrate Hilton Head (CH2) includes a free “
local card” that will get you discounts at over 140 local restaurants and businesses.
The dining section of Hilton Head Monthly magazine has features on both new and well established restaurant on Hilton Head.
If you’re coming our way (or are already here!), it pays to surf the web for a great (within budget) meal.
Labels: dining, hilton head, restaurants
Sea Shack: Fresh Sea Food on a Budget
At Hilton Heads Up, we like to share some Hilton Head Island “secrets” that most visitors don’t know about. However, thanks to Rachael Ray’s “$40 A Day” program a few years ago on the Food Network, the “secret” about
TheSea Shack is out. Once only frequented by locals, there are now lines. But the price is definitely right. Figure $10 to $12 for dinner. (Ergo, the lines.)
But the food is worth it. Fried and broiled fresh seafood. The special is always the catch of the day (and they mean it). Local commercial fishermen (and fisherwomen) know they always have a market at Sea Shack. (Hint: they eat there.)
The place is anything but elegant (Does the phrase “paper plates” tell you something?) and you have to know what you want before you get to the counter.
But the food, the hush puppies ... awesome, and generous portions.
It is family fare. Specials for the kids. Even the fried fish is light, tender. Yes, there are off days, but very, very few. Just remember, local islanders still eat there, but they go for lunch: no lines. Oh, yes. It’s hard to find.
Click here for a map. Your GPS isn’t that good. But the food. Did we mention, it is THAT GOOD.
Bon appétit – on a budget.
Labels: dining, hilton head, restaurants, tips
The Island's Baked Goods
We have a theory. When vacationing on Hilton Head Island, there are three things you should not concern yourselves with: calories, cholesterol, and sugar. If you avoid thinking about those three items, we firmly believe you will have a delightful time on our island.
If you haven’t been paying attention to that stuff prior to your vacation, it’s too late, so you might as well enjoy our heavenly delights and work it all off at the gym when you get home. If you HAVE been a goody-two-shoes about that stuff (and if you did, in fact, knock two sizes off your waist or lower your dress size), this is why you did it!
Enter Hilton Head Island’s “bakeries.” Coligny Bakery (at Coliginy Plaza on the south end) is totally decadent – and fresh. Everything is flaky, sweet and/or sinful, in the best sense of the word. It’s small (outside dining is fun), but there is always room. Harbour Town Bakery and Café has a delicious assortment of homemade muffins and pastries, and you get to sit outside here, too.
A few minutes from the entrance to Palmetto Dunes is
Ronnie’s Bakery. Donuts. Rolls. Sticky stuff. This is not Dunkin Donuts. This is the REAL item. This is a very local hangout. Expect very friendly service.
Mid-island, at Pineland Station, is the French Bakery and Courtyard Cafe. The crusty baguettes are a must. It is definitely a wonderful find. It’s also a local hangout. Come to think of it, if you haven’t visited Hilton Head Island in a while, Pineland Station is quite a find, too.
Finally, what is probably ... no ... it is in fact, a Hilton Head Island icon: Signe’s
Heaven Bound Bakery and Café. It’s on the south end of the island, and if you get there early enough, as you pull into the parking lot at 93 Arrow Road, you’ll smell the truly heavenly aroma of fresh breads and pastries baking. Signe’s has been featured in Southern Living Magazine, the New York Times, and was featured on the Food Network with Rachael Ray. There are islanders whose week would not be complete without a morning visit to Signe’s. For a “heaven bound bakery” it is very “sinful.” Enjoy it.
Labels: dining, hilton head, restaurants, tips
Going Local: Boathouse II
Probably one of the most often asked question we get is, “What’s a great ‘local’ restaurant?” That’s really a tough one to answer because we are blessed with so many great “local” hangouts. Actually, it isn’t tough – the tough part is keeping the list fairly short.
One of our favorites (we’re all “locals”) is
Boathouse II. It’s open for lunch and dinner (Sunday brunch, too) and it’s on the water, Skull Creek. There is a whole bucketful (of oysters?) reasons to dine there, but it can be a little tough to find. Of course, that makes it all the more interesting.
First directions. It’s on the north end of the island, off Squire Pope Road. Click here for a
location map. You’ll see the big, long boathouse just as you approach the entrance. The parking is a little strange. It lines the boathouse and can be a bit crowded.
During the day it’s spectacular. You’re sitting outside (if you choose) and are watching all the action at
Skull Creek Marina (your neighbor) and Shilling’s Boathouse. Commercial fisherman dock there and supply Boathouse II with very fresh catch. Basically, what the fishermen bring in is on the menu that night.
You MUST try the shrimp and grits. This is definitely Southern and may sound a little strange if the only grits you’ve every tasted (mushy) are from the little brown envelopes brought to you be the Quaker Oats folks. This, however, is the real thing. Stone ground grits to the chef’s precise specifications.
There are a zillion reasons to eat there. Boathouse II has probably the biggest seafood menu on the island. They are waterfront. They have nightly entertainment (LOCAL) that rocks. There’s Marker 13, the outside bar that serves fantastic drinks, and, of course, there’s the view. If there is a full moon, you will not want to leave. Ever. Caution: these “local” hangouts don’t stay secret for long. Depending on the night, expect a line. But not for long.
If you’ve experienced outdoor dining on Hilton Head Island in the summer, you know one big problem: insects. Not to fear at Boathouse II. The
Lowrey Group, an island chain of high-end restaurants, which owns Boathouse II, installed a herbal mist system to keep the pests at bay. It doesn’t kill them. It just suggests to the insects they would probably want to be someplace else.
Reasonable prices. Waterfront. Super entertainment. Great seafood.
Our suggestion: go for it.
Labels: hilton head, restaurants, tips
All That Jazz!
If you like jazz in any or all of its configurations, boy do we have a surprise. In fact first time visitors to the
Jazz Corner, tucked away in the Village at Wexford, are truly amazed. The talent is extraordinary and the food is superb. The bar is perfect. The staff couldn’t be friendlier.
Are we getting carried away? Not by a long shot. While during his visit here, the legendary jazz piano great
John Bunch said, “I wish there was something
like this in New York.”
The Jazz Corner was the brain child of Bob Masteller and Charlie Swift. A businessman, Charlie loved classical music and jazz.
There is not a bad seat in the house, er, restaurant. The intimate room is acoustically perfect. What’s more the live entertainment comes with your meal. There is seldom a cover charge except on weekends when a marquee name or band comes to town, like when
Hotlanta comes to play or the Jazz Corner is raising money for the
Junior Jazz Foundation (JJF).
The Jazz Corner is in a corner of The Village at Wexford. To get the exact location, visit the
Village at Wexford website. It’s just off William Hilton Parkway, one stoplight away from the Sea Pines traffic circle.
Oh, yes- It’s a good idea to make reservations. Call 843-842-8620 or visit the
website.
Labels: hilton head, music, nightlife, restaurants
Restaurant of the Month
We’re always asked where to find a good, “local” restaurant. That’s like asking a mother of five to pick out her favorite child. But the question is always asked, so we decided to begin our list in absolutely no order whatsoever and give you a heads up!
For our “local” restaurant(s) of the month, we’re going to suggest a trifecta at Palmetto Bay Marina: Captain Woody’s, Black Marlin and Palmetto Bay Sunrise Café.
The marina which opened for business in 1959, can be seen on the right side of the Cross Island bridge as you cross over Broad Creek, heading to the south end of the island. At the stop light right off the bridge, get in the left lane and follow the signs. It can be a little tricky, but you’re going to love it when you arrive – about five minutes from the stoplight.
Captain Woody’s, open 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., is known for its fresh seafood, beer, patio dining and informal, fun atmosphere. For lunch the Grouper Melt is a “must order” sandwich. While the surf and turf for dinner is just fine, we like all the different tastes of the seafood platter. Bring the kids. There’s a
children’s menu that includes PB&J sandwiches, hot dogs and shrimp. Definitely casual, definitely local.
Black Marlin used to be Hemingway’s until “Papa’s” family took his name back. The restaurant overlooks the marina and you can eat inside or out. Lunch starts at 11:30 a.m. and dinner at 5:00 p.m., with a great brunch Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The
menu for lunch is huge. Try the seafood tacos. So is the dinner menu. Spoil yourself with the Lobster Bolognese. The Hurricane Bar is an outstanding place to just hang around.
Want a great breakfast? Try the Crab Benedict at The Sunrise Café. They are open Wednesday thru Monday (closed Tuesdays) and serve breakfast and lunch from 6am to 3pm. Sure, you can get pancakes and eggs too. Checkout the
early bird special (early as in 6-8 a.m.). The place has become an institution.
There you go. Our pick(s) for March. Let us know what you think. Tell us your Hilton Head Island favorite.
Labels: hilton head, restaurants
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