Hyman's: Tourist Trap or Treasure?

"Pat Conroy Ate At This Table" announced the brass plaque before me. Now who wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant where a famous Southern author like Pat Conroy once dined? Shoot, I'd just read South of Broad last year, and I'd always been a fan of The Prince of Tides.



A collection of celebrity patrons running the gamut from Jimmy Buffet to Oprah Winfrey was a delightful discovery at Hyman's Seafood in Charleston, S.C., one of my recent vacation stops. Celebrity photos lined the walls, and every table was plastered with little plaques recording famous patrons. It was enough to make any tourist get excited. See how they line up for dinner nearly every night?




Although the tourist in me enjoyed seeing the march of celebrities on the tables and walls, it was a mixed bag when it came to Hyman's food. Boiled peanuts, crab dip and cole slaw were served up while my fellow diners and I perused the menu. The crab dip and cole slaw were average quality, and the peanuts were just plain cold.
I ordered the fried trout, hush puppies and sweet potato as my side. The hush puppies were hot and crispy with just the right touch of sweetness, and the trout had a nice buttery flavor.

After our meal, my friends and I dropped into the restaurant's General Store to pick up souvenirs. But nothing said "tourist" on my visit as much as the neon green plastic bag I was given to carry my purchase. I stepped out on Meeting Street as a walking billboard for Hyman's. No use pretending I was a local, at least not today!

Gold Bug at the Beach

Since Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, what better way to start the season than with fish tacos and juicy hamburgers fresh off the grill?

After a swim in the ocean and sunbathing on the beach, my travel companions and I headed to Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island, S.C., last week. The tavern is named after Edgar Allan Poe, one of my favorite authors. In 1827, Poe joined the U.S. Army under an assumed name, Edgar Allan Perry, and was stationed at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island for 13 months.

Poe's menu brings me back to junior high English Lit. Half-pound hamburgers sport names like Gold Bug, Pit & Pendulum, Amontillado and Tell-Tale Heart. We tried the Raven, and it was a juicy burger bursting with all the flavor you'd get from a backyard grill.

The mahi mahi fish tacos were the perfect beach food. They're wrapped in flour tortillas and prepared with freshly shredded cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle sour cream.

Feeling refreshed after our meal, we headed to Charleston for the next leg of our trip.

A Taste of The Big Easy in South Carolina

Greetings from the Seafood Capital of South Carolina!

For those of you not familiar with that moniker, I’m talking about Murrells Inlet, S.C. From its humble beginnings as a fishing village in the early 1900s, the cozy community located south of glitzy Myrtle Beach is now known for its many seafood and barbecue establishments. And it’s been a favorite getaway place for me for several years.

On my visit this week, I decided to have lunch at a restaurant I’ve passed by many times but in which I had never taken time to dine: Flo’s Place, locally owned and with a lively New Orleans theme.

Because it was a perfectly beautiful, sunny day with mild temperatures (low 70s), we sat outside on the deck, with a view of Garden City across the inlet.

With zydeco music filling the air, I perused the menu, which was full of tasty bayou dishes. I chose the simple Crab Cake PoBoy, which came with fried onions and Flo’s homemade potato salad. (If you’re not familiar with the po-boy, go here.)

Why I waited so long to have a meal at Flo’s, I cannot tell you. What I can tell you, though, is that that sandwich was so delectable it’d make you want to slap your mama.

I love crab cakes. I love just about anything that can be turned into a “cake” of any sort: salmon, shrimp, potatoes, beans … if it can be mixed with bread crumbs and eggs and fried, I’ll eat it. And the crab cakes gracing this po-boy were some of the best I’ve ever had.

So tender, seasoned just right … they were as close to perfect, in my opinion, as they come.

Friendly service, delicious food, great view, perfect weather … what more could you ask for while on vacation?