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| M I C H A E L A N T H O N Y ' S |  |
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| 37 New Orleans Road. | (843)785-6272 |
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| Italian. Expensive. Easy parking. Let me state first that this restaurant is regularly praised by those who enjoy good food. The meals are creative and well prepared, and arrive at the table very nicely presented. And the taste is wonderful. My problem is that there is so much butter and cream used in most menu items that one begins to imagine the coronaries closing down. This is like Italian food from the Southern border of Switzerland: influenced by old school French chefs. Others will no doubt disagree, and some say this is the best food on the island. The wine selection is very broad, by bottle or glass. Wines in fact are a feature of wall decoration, lying punt-to-cork on shallow racks behind many tables. There is a nice list of up-scale wines which I suspect are kept in an area with good temperature control. Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The wait-staff is knowledgeable and attentive. The menu listed in the island menu guide will not show fish entrees, as they are announced by the waiter when he comes to your table. I presume that means they select from the best of what is running. If you like the finest taste, regardless of cost to your wallet or your health, this place rates 5 gems. If you are mainly concerned about your heart, this place rates 2. Thus I settled at 3 and a half. Dinner from 5:30, Monday through Saturday. Reservations recommended. | |
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| South island; off Pope, in back of Fed First Building. | (843)785-6000 |
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| Continental. Moderate. Easy parking. Here you may dine with live entertainment, and an artist creating an original painting. The menu contains some imaginative selections, such as the starter Wild Boar Andouille with Brie and Shrimp Quesadilla followed by a Grouper with spinach and Asiago. Or vension with Vidalia onions. Nice wine list. Good happy hour from 5:30pm. Dinner 5:30 - 10pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended. | |
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| S E A G R A S S G R I L L E | |
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| Mid island, Plantation Center, near Santa Fe Cafe. | (843)785-9990 |
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| American & Low Country Continental; casual; moderate. When Charlie's L'Etoile moved to New Orleans Road, the head chef (CIA) and two others remained to start this new and interesting restaurant at the old location. The luncheon choices are more interesting than those of evening. Lunch from 11:30am & Dinner from 6:00pm, Tuesday - Saturday. | |
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| O L D F O R T P U B |  |
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| North island, within Hilton Head Plantation. | (843)681-2386 |
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| Seafood/American; casual; moderate to expensive. A new staff has improved this always good restaurant considerably. A beautiful view of the Intracoastal Waterway, it's boat traffic, and sunsets. Wide menu choices, seafood and land fare, nicely prepared and presented. I had a poached salmon that was the best I ever had. Most extensive wine list on the island. Dinner from 5:00pm, 7 nights. Sunday Brunch. |
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| O C E A N G R I L L | |
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| Mid island, harborside at Shelter Cove. | (843)785-3030 |
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| Seafood/American; casual; moderate to expensive. This restaurant, formerly known as Harbormaster's, sits on Broad Creek (not the ocean) with views of the Disney Island and the Shelter Cove harbor. Wide menu choices. Adequate wine list. Dinner 6 nights, Mon - Sat from 5:00pm. | |
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| I T ' S G R E E K T O M E |  |
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| Mid island, off New Orleans Road, behind Blockbuster. | (843)341-3556 |
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| Greek - the real thing; casual; moderate to inexpensive. What is priced moderately will be a large portion. (I had the Greek Combo dinner and took half of it home.) Mousaka, spanakopita, pastitsio, lamb on a skewer - the things you expect to see, all prepared the way we remember them when we did our two week tour of Greece and the Greek Islands. The wines are Greek and Californian, and compliment the food flavors. Lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday, from 11:00am. | |
A second location is located at 11 Lagoon Road, across from Coligny Plaza, at the end of Pope Avenue. A larger place, and this one is open 7 days a week from 11 am. 842-4033. | |
| F R A N K I E B O N E S | |
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| Main Street village, off Hilton Parkway. | (843)682-4455 |
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| American - Italian; casual; moderate. A New York City type grill: dim lighting, wide booths, lots of bar space. Sinatra plays in the background. They do several varieties of pasta, chicken, fish, steaks and chops. A nice area - "Main Street", of various shops - to walk around in, after the meal. Open 7 days a week starting at 4:00pm. | |
| F L O R A ' S I T A L I A N C A F E | |
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| South Island Square, just South of Palmetto Dunes. | (843)842-8200 |
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| Italian; casual; moderate. The island has a number of white tablecloth Italian restaurants, and I would place this one in about the middle of the range for that upper group. (The daily specials suggest that the chef here may be capable of interesting things.) Traditional Italian fare is presented attractively, and the portions are generous. The wine list is adequate; the wait staff is competent. Dean Martin does not play in the background; classical and Italian opera do. There was a good crowd for the Early Bird. Open Monday - Saturday, 5 - 10. | |
to see my comments on restaurant WINE prices. to read them. to go to our new "restaurant graveyard". |