Hilton Head In My Head

Hilton Head. Have you heard of it? The island on the coast of South Carolina? Dewey and I have been visiting Hilton Head for 31 years, first spending a long weekend there after our wedding. We have returned every November to celebrate our anniversary and often during the summer for an easy and unhurried time on the beach with the kids when they were younger. It's a special place for us. We visit friends, we eat many oysters, we watch sunsets on the marshes, we find peaceful and moderately populated beaches to stroll on and, among so many other things, we enjoy fabulous meals. Some are at fine dining restaurants, and many are simple restaurants offering great fresh seafood accompanied by pristine views of nature. We are returning to Hilton Head in a couple of days. We've been preparing and packing for our visit, so Hilton Head Island has been on my mind.

Warning! This is a long post. We love Hilton Head! (Insert heart emoji here.)

View from the Old Oyster Factory at sunset

Hilton Head Island is connected to the rest of the state by a bridge that takes you over oyster beds, salt marshes and tidal creeks. As you approach the end of the bridge, you see the entrance to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge on your left.  You'll want to return and take a couple of hours to explore. The Coastal Discovery Museum offers guided birding tours, which I highly recommend. For a very reasonable $15 per person, you get an experienced local bird watcher to guide you through the maritime forest on a two-hour tour of discovery.

The best places for local produce and seafood are often
the ones with umbrellas and no signs

One crucial stop for us is on the right-hand side of William Hilton Parkway. Because we cook some of our meals, we always stop at the produce stand on the right to pick up local tomatoes and shrimp. In November, which is when we're there, they also have fresh grouper and red snapper. Carolina Seafood & Produce is a small white building. Parking is a bit tricky--it's just past the building.  If you miss it, look for their stand a little down the road, again on the right, just after you cross Folly Beach Road. When I spoke with Carrie at the store this week, she said they also had whole sheepshead for $8/pound.

If you continue further on the parkway, you'll also see a sign for Barnacle Bill's Seafood, a popular spot for visitors and locals. And off in a different direction, right on Skull Creek, is Benny Hudson's Seafood Market with a much wider seasonal selection. Not only do they have fish that they catch daily, but they also carry a variety of domestic and international fish as they are available.

There's a lot of history in the Hilton Head area and so much natural beauty that it defies being just a summertime beach get-away. For me, the marshes are magical! They put a smile on my face, they slow me down and they carry heavy burdens far, far away. Great places for contemplation, meditation and discovery. Beautiful spots for watching creatures like birds and crabs, and amazing for slowing down to breathe in life.

Last year we hit a few of our favorite restaurants and discovered a couple of new ones.

Ombra Cucina Rustica for refined Italian dining. Always the first stop, and a must for our anniversary dinner. The menu descriptions don't do justice to the plates delivered to your table. Add the fabulous food to excellent service and extensive wine list, and you definitely have a lovely and romantic, take-your-time dinner.

Another must is the oyster happy hour at the Old Oyster Factory. Lots and lots of oysters from all over, a favorite bottle of Trimbach Pinot Blanc and an order of perfectly fried grouper bites as our dessert. Add those gorgeous marsh views at sunset, and there's a perfect bit of time that you'll never regret and never forget. And, did I mention that the oysters are half-price if you eat on the deck or at the bar during happy hour?

And. for me, there's got to be one meal at Skull Creek Boathouse for a Bloody Mary and whole fried flounder. Trust me, order it without the Jezebel sauce or fries. Just the fish and slaw. You'll have enough to be properly over-stuffed and have more than enough left to offer a taste to your tablemates.  Okay, just a few fries! 

Boathouse also has one of the best sushi bars around. Ceviche, sashimi, California rolls and all of the raw bar goodies as well. A shoutout to Boathouse sister restaurant Black Marlin for their famous Sushi Nachos! This appetizer even made it to the Food Network's Beach Eats!

Then there's the locals' favorite with great food, wonderful casual atmosphere and a special every night of the week, Reilley's Bar & Grill. We go on a Monday, making our reservations ahead for the freshly flown-in from Maine lobster dinners. They're a little over a pound, so we reserve three dinners and split the third. You'll find that the price is excellent, and they know how to season and cook a lobster.

For steaks, classic cocktails and people-watching, Hilton Head has you covered. Two new favorites are Bowdies Chophouse and Chophouse 119 where you can catch local music legend, Bobby Ryder, on a Friday night starting at 6:30. I hear Frank Sinatra! Wait, is it Michael Buble? One of the oldest steakhouses is our old-school favorite, Crane's Tavern. With a long history that goes back to pre-prohibition era Philadelphia, it's where "everybody knows your name" and calls you by name (or honey), and where many of the staff have worked for almost as many years as Crane's has been on Hilton Head Island. I have been thinking about the veal liver with caramelized onions since our visit one year ago! Paired with one of our standards, Montes Alpha Malbec, I am looking forward to this one again in a few days. 

Dewey and I shared a bone-in ribeye at Bowdie's. There was no questioning who would get the bone! In case you're wondering, it wasn't Dewey.

Bobby Ryder (with friend) looking sharp at Chophouse 119

Chez Georges is a bistro-style restaurant with classics like French Onion Soup, Cassoulet and Boeuf Bourguignon. The sommelier is very pleasant and will make recommendations to fit your budget and enhance your meal. A relatively new experience for us, but the mussels with frites and the short rib in the Boeuf Bourguignon are worth repeated visits. 

There's so much more to share, but this post would continue for two miles, so I'll pause here with this. While the dining experiences on Hilton Head Island may sound too fine and too proper, I can assure you that you'll be welcomed into a more laid-back atmosphere and served with with a warm smile.