Where shrimpburger is the password

Brian Lank, my new chiropractor par excellence, reads this column (like lots of other smart folks), and in between back crunches and neck snaps, we chatted about my column featuring the Provisions Company in Southport.

A Low Country native now, and a craft beer lover, he concurred with my assessment and asked [crunch!], 'Have you tried the one in Holden Beach? Their shrimpburgers [snap!} are to die for."

He paused the crunching and snapping just long enough for me to inquire about the location, and I promised to investigate.

"Good!" [snap] he said. I think you'll like it." [crunch] "Turn over on your back."

Of course, any place I visit to review has to have something in the way of good beer to recommend it, because without good beer, you might as well grab a good hot dog and a Coke at the Speedy Weenie on 17 in Shallotte.

So off we went, first with our "old" neighbor Donna, then, on the very next night, with our new neighbors down from Jersey for the holiday, Eileen and Dave (below, right).

The two Provision Companies may have once been under one owner, but no longer. That's why you can only get those shrimpburgers in Holden Beach, but not in Southport. And those shrimpburgers are seriously kick-ass, which is probably why it's actually the password to the WiFi. Both places feature crab cakes, also excellent, and other dishes, though.

The process is similar, too. You stand in the order line, tell them what you want and give them your name. Then you grab whatever you're drinking from the cooler, tell them what it is, and go find a seat on deck outside.

If you're lucky, that is,

And we were, both times. Beautiful breezes from the Intracoastal Waterway wafted across our table through the open windows, and the views were excellent, especially since you're sitting up high on the second floor. That Wicked Weed's phenomenal "Pernicious" was available in the cooler, along with other top notch craft beers, was another point in the Holden Beach "ProCo's" favor. There's also a breezy outdoor deck where you can wait and enjoy your drink while waiting for a seat to become available.

And during my Memorial Day visit, there weren't many of those. Amanda (above) behind the bar said that people were lined up down the steps and out into the "Bad Parking" area at 10:30 when she got there, and the place doesn't open till 11. Don't take that "Bad parking" comment as knock on the place either. They sell T-shirts that actually say that, which means they not only are aware of it, but have a sense of humor about it.

I intended to come in before it got crazy and chat with Owner Cory Jones, but he was busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs (neat how those southern expressions just sneak into the word-flow, no?)

So I sat down at the bar and shot--and enjoyed-- the breeze with Amanda, an eight-year employee, and three cherubic-looking, affable recent college grads who were having lunch at the bar. (That's Katelyn, Left.)

The dining area is not only breezy and scenic, it's a feast for the eyes. While you're waiting for your food to arrive (which it does pretty quickly) scope out some of the hundreds of license plates from all over (in the picture above Amanda), many with interesting statements on them. Or look at the ceiling (below) covered with money, mostly dollar bills, but other currencies are there , as well. Most have some arcane message written on them. Two of my plates and my old Jersey motorcycle plate will be up there by tomorrow.

If you're not a fan of beer, ProCo's special drink is called a "RumDum." (Right) It's made with pineapples and three different varities of rum--regular white, vanilla and coconut. It's only five bucks, but it will take neophyte drinkers down. And seasoned drinkers, too, if they're not careful. Amanda also sells a dangerously delicious "pineapple shot" soaked in the mixture for just a buck.

Just as at Southport, the lines to pay your tab are sometimes just as long as the lines waiting to order.

But those long lines in both directions are a testament to the Provisions Company in Holden Beach. To get there, just take Holden Beach Road (Rt. 130) and just before the insanely high and curved bridge, make a right.