Hilton Head Life

Old Oyster Factory

Visited the the Hilton Head Old Oyster Factory over the weekend. This large, wide open restaurant offers a great selection of seafood, steaks and fresh oysters in a casual family friendly environment.

The restaurant, located on Marshland Road, features a stunning view of Broad Creek and it's marshes. The interior reminds me of a Vermont Ski Lodge, complete with exposed wood beams and wide open dining rooms.

The oysters were outstanding and service was excellent. Wine list was extensive and fairly priced. I'm looking foward to my next meal at the Old Oyster Factory.

Just Pasta - Coligny Plaza

Yesterday evening we pretended we were from Ohio and wandered around Coligny Plaza. After stopping into Frosty Frog's for a couple of Gin and Tonics to go (not sure if Ohio'ans do this or not), we then browsed around the shops, sipping on our drinks and doing some serious people watching.

For dinner, we wandered into "Just Pasta", an Italian Style restaurant. Even though I ordered "Just Pasta", my dinner was "Just OK".

What I did like is that you could build your own dinner, by choosing any combination of type of pasta, sauce and meat you choose.

"Just Pasta" served a decent meal, service was good, but was dinner was overpriced.

Sunset Grille

It's not always a good thing to hear too much praise about a restaurant ahead of time. This tends to raise my expectations a bit. I've heard many a good thing about the Sunset Grille in Hilton Head, so I decided to go for dinner.

One online review called the Sunset Grille a "hidden gem". This this place is "hidden" -- but a "gem" is a stretch.

The Sunset Grille is located on Skull Creek with a million dollar view of the Pinckney Island Nature Preserve. It has a great western view with stunning sunsets over the water.

The food was expensive and just OK. The wine list was superior and service was top notch.

The decor was just like the bar in the TV Show "Three's Company", but with bright floral wallpaper. The crowd -- all from a "over 55 community" -- blended in nicely.

The best way to visit the Sunset Grille is to pop in around 7:30 PM after a day of golf. Order an appetizer at the bar and toss back a few wines. At 8-8:30, step out to the open air deck for a glorious sunset and watch the dolphins swim by.

Reilley's Pub

Being a transplanted Bostonian now residing in Hilton Head, I was very happy to visit a drinking establishment that welcomed Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fans.

Most other bars seem to have NASCAR piped in 24/7. Not here. If the Red Sox are playing, you'll see it on the big screen.

Reilley's Pub, located at the Sea Pines circle, is not only the ideal place to catch all the BoSox games, but they also happen to have excellent food and drink.

And unlike Boston, where you only get a few months to enjoy the outdoor weather, Reilly's features a huge outdoor patio bar with lots of fresh air and live entertainment.

If I don't look at the window at the palm trees it's just like having few beers at my favorite Irish Pub after a Celtics game on Canal Street.

Thank you Reilley's!

Pearlz Restaurant

I've driven past Pearlz Restaurant a number of times during my trips to Kroeger's in Bluffton.  On Friday night I decided to visit for dinner.

Pearlz describes itself on it's web site as: "Bluffton's premier, casually elegant restaurant featuring upscale decor and exquisite, modern American cuisine!". OK! You don't have to shout!

Upon arrival, a friendly hostess seated us in a very tall booth. Normally, I would be grateful for this - I like my privacy - however the restaurant wasn't very busy, had interesting decor and an actual real, live piano player -- things I would like to enjoy. The booth was so tall and private, I couldn't see anything except to the right, from which where we entered. It was almost like being seated in a black hole -- except for an kind, attentive waitress that brings you food and drink.

Did Pearlz live up to it's own, loud, self-description? Yes, Pearlz service was "premier". And the wine was "exquisite". Sure, the food was "casually elegant". And me? I was casually impressed. I think the whole experience would have been nicer had we sat at the empty bar, enjoyed the great piano player in person and took in our surroundings.

4/10/06 UPDATE: Pearlz has since gone out of business.

Skillets Cafe in Coligny Plaza

Skillets Cafe

Visited "Skillets" for lunch today after wandering around in Coligny Plaza. We originally were going to try "Frosty Frogs" for a bite, but after sitting at the bar we both decided that the music was just too loud. Talking over Lynard Skynard during lunch is a downer, unless we're on a bender. We'll save Frosty Frogs for later.

Skillets offered a peaceful and quiet meal at a bar table (by request) with quick and friendly service. Corny smooth jazz didn't compete with the conversation. The lunch food was fine (steak and cheese sandwich) and fairly priced. My only complaint was that the bar table was so wobbly that when I cut into my sandwich I thought the table was going to tip over.

The Upper Crust

Stopped into the Upper Crust (Moss Creek Village) for a pie to go. The bartender told me that pizza was their specialty. After looking at the menu, we decided on a large roni. During our wait, we enjoyed a few wines at the bar with an order of delicious garlic bread.

Well, we took the pizza home and it was -- outstanding. One of the things I've been trying to do in Hilton Head is eat healthier. The Upper Crust isn't going to make it easy for me....and they deliver!