Hilton Head Island
Paul V. Hartman
Page Two

T H E   S T U D I O
South island; off Pope, in back of Fed First Building. (843)785-6000
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.

S E A   G R A S S   G R I L L E
Mid island, Plantation Center, near Sata Fe Cafe. (843)785-9990
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.

C H A R L E Y ' S   C R A B
North island, Two Hudson Road, on Skull Creek. (843)342-9066
American/seafood; dressy casual; moderate.
Mainly seafood but there are some land choices here and we find none of our guests are ever disappointed when we bring them here. Delightful water views of the Intracoastal and boat traffic. The food is well prepared and the wine list had some rarer choices seldom seen in restaurants. They start you with a free appetizer, something nice like a salmon spread with flat bread. My seafood chowder was heavily over peppered; the salmon roasted on a cedar plank was delightful and cooked to the right temperature. A "whole fish " entre was interesting. The wine prices are high. Also, in season, very noisy from the many children brought here, which should have been taken to Crazy Crab. Outside its waterfront; inside its Mod/Tech. We like this place.
Dinner 7 nights, from 5:30pm.

O L D   F O R T   P U B
North island, within Hilton Head Plantation. (843)681-2386
Seafood/American; casual; moderate.
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. Nice wine list.
Dinner from 5:00pm, 7 nights. Sunday Brunch.

O C E A N   G R I L L
Mid island, harborside at Shelter Cove. (843)785-3030
Seafood/American; casual; moderate to expensive.
This restaurant, formerly known as Harbormaster's, sits on Broad Creek 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.

I T ' S   G R E E K   T O   M E
Mid island, off New Orleans Road, behind Blockbuster. (843)341-3556
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.

S A N T A   F E   C A F E
Mid-island @ Plantation Center, south of Palmetto Dunes (843)785-3838
Southwestern; dressy casual; moderate.
Years ago this restaurant arrived quietly (they didn't advertise, and dared you to find them) within a small portion of a building in the small strip mall just South of Palmetto Dunes. Now they occupy all of the building. The southwest fare is upscale; if you are familiar with "Nava" - the best southwest restaurant in Atlanta - you will find this place smaller, less hectic, and less expensive. The food is visual, with lots of reds and greens to trace the Mexican ancestry. They cook over mesquite, and the pleasant aroma fills the building. Nice wine list and a variety of beers go well with the menu. Everyone we take here loves this place.
Reservations accepted.

F R A N K I E   B O N E S
Main Street village, off Hilton Parkway. (843)682-4455
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 to walk around in, after the meal.
Open 7 days a week starting at 4:00pm.

We also like:

Alexanders, casual dining on the lagoon; good early bird.
Crazy Crab, an island thing; she: "sea pot"; he: "broiled platter."
Quinns II, (Marriott Hotel) A sandwich shop and cocktails on the beach. 11:am - 10pm
Hudsons, oysters, shrimp, right off the boat. No tuxedos ever seen here.
Hilton Head Diner, open 24/7, enormous menu typical of Greek diners.
Oyster Factory, nice bar, fun for groups, rowers on the creek.
Scott's Fish Market, at Shelter Cove marina; outside music.

Since we don't believe you should pay to enter a plantation, and then
pay again to eat there, we do not review restaurants in Sea Pines.

Click to see my comments on restaurant WINE prices.

I like the Hilton Head reviews from Boca Raton critic
Monty Preiser. Go to read them.

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