Good News, Bad News and Bully for You
by Kurt Epps—The PubScout 0ctober 21, 2021
Here are two “quickie” reviews on two different places in South Carolina for your reading enjoyment, culinary edification and general fascination.
Captain Juel’s Hurricane in Little River’s Restaurant Row.
My Amboy buddy Pete piqued my interest in visiting this LR mainstay with the comment “best shrimp and grits you’ll ever have.”
Challenge accepted. But Pete was right. They were award-winning and the best I’ve ever had; and I've had them all over. The Oysters were darned good, too. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the restaurant—which is cavernous and has outside seating right next to the Little River Fleet Marina— will be closing for the season in about two weeks. It will be back in March or thereabouts, as it has been every year since 1945.
That’s one reason why their beer reserves were depleted—they’re cleaning out inventory. I had to be satisfied with just one Hazy Little Thing from Sierra Nevada. But it worked superbly with my shrimp and grits.
So do yourself a favor and visit. Just don’t expect to get a seat in the bar on any Friday night. But if you’re lucky, you might get to meet Joe Robertson, the legend himself, who’s been in command since 1974. He’s a down home southern boy who drips southern hospitality.
Unless you park in his special reserved space.
Bully’s Pub in Barefoot Landing
Barefoot Landing is laden with places to eat and shop, but a visit to Bully’s Pub (next to Umberto’s) can pay handsome dividends.
T-Bone, Jim and I met there for our “regular’ Jersey Boys beer and burger session. Going to Barefoot Landing after tourist season is really the best, since almost every seat in every place is available. We took a seat out on the deck and ordered our beers and some food.
T-Bone’s Cheeseburger and Jim’s Fish Sandwich got very high reviews, but I reserve commentary on their Pabst and Yuengling beers. My “Bull” hot dog, covered in chili and raw onions paired up perfectly with my Pisgah Oktoberfest, a very good marzen.
Since T-Bone and Jim had two beers, I ordered another, though the cost of my $60 Nacho’s beer from Hoof Hearted brewing was more than their two beers put together. I don’t always spend $10 for a beer, and if I do, it better be damned good.
It was. An 8% ABV hazy DIPA, it was fruity, citrusy—even refreshingly lemony, and smooth as hell. It was dangerously drinkable. But at a sawbuck for a 16 oz. can, you probably don’t carry enough gelt to do too much damage to your wallet. And while we’re at it, who the hell spends $60 on nachos? Maybe if the guys at Hoof Hearted spent $10 for their nachos like the rest of us peons, they’d charge less for their beer. But it was a really exceptional brew, and well worth the cost.
We even had a deckside visit from two denizens of the big lake at The Landing. One was a large snapping turtle, and the other was an eight-foot gator. They had ambled by after another patron enticed them with chips she tossed in the water. Sharp eyes can detect the snapper below.
Comments