Where to Eat in Myrtle Beach

Is the Melting Pot a good family restaurant? It depends.

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yin and yang chocolate — Our "Yin & Yang" dessert

My husband and I just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary and a willing Grandma took two girls overnight so we could go out and celebrate. An email offering us “free chocolate” as an ending to our meal sealed the deal for the Melting Pot as our restaurant of choice. A coupon will get me every time!

In case you’re not familiar, The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant that offers cheeses, entrées, and desserts that all involve a pot of boiling or molten liquid or substance on a hot burner in the middle of your table. For the cheese course, it’s melted in front of your very eyes and you dip bread, veggies and fruit into it. Delish! For the entrée course you get your choice of pot. One is oil based so your meats, fish, poultry, and veggies have a fried taste. Another is a wine based option. The one we got was a “Mojo” pot and had some citrus flavors. All of them are great.

Our entrée plate had two types of steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, and a lobster tail. Prior to eating, you’re instructed on how long each type of food takes to cook, and given orders not to contaminate your fork by spearing raw meat with it then using it to eat, and not to put raw meat on the plate you’ll eat off. We were also told not to eat directly off the long fondue fork because after sitting in boiling liquid or oil it tends to be hot. I accidentally touched mine at some point during our meal and can vouch that this one is true. Yeowch!

The dessert course is a beautiful pot of chocolate that has been warmed and brought to the table. With it comes a variety of things like cheesecake, brownies, pound cake, strawberries, and marshmallows. It’s decadent, though I’m always stuffed by this point and can only indulge a little.

Every time I’ve been to this location of The Melting Pot, the service has been excellent. The atmosphere is dim and cozy, though we were seated in a small booth for two with a wrap-around seat this time and by the end of the meal, squished by my daddy long legs of a husband, I was pretty sure I was working on a blood clot. Thank goodness I had made a few selections from the extensive wine list. I hear that’s good for circulation – and I’m serious about taking care of my health. *smirk*

Beyond this being a general restaurant review, I want to ponder the point of whether or not The Melting Pot is a family restaurant and I’m torn. Two of the three times I’ve been there (once Anna Nicole Smith was two booths behind my girlfriends and me) I’ve come across families who brought really young children and I’ve wondered why. As we were eating, I thought about how the experience would be with our 8 and 6-year-olds. 1) I’d be nervous they’d be burned by either the hot liquid or burner on the table. 2) I can hardly keep track of how long my own chicken has been in the pot, no less two additional people. Someone would walk away with salmonella. 3) Your meats come out one tiny piece at a time, so there’s no cutting up a lot of anything at any one time. As an adult couple we really enjoy how the four courses (I forgot to mention the salad), it’s nice that the meal is spaced out and takes some time. If I threw two kids in the mix, I think I might be wishing for it to end.

I have a friend with two similarly aged boys and she said they did fine and everyone enjoyed it. Though I should add that she used to be a teacher and is very patient. While there this last time, we saw several families with tweens and teens and everyone looked like they were having a really nice time. Maybe in a few years we’ll take our daughters there, but for now, off to Grandma’s they go.

The Myrtle Beach Melting Pot is located at 5001 N. Kings Hwy and can be reached at (843) 692-9003. You view their menu, hours, and specials on their website located here.

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Pomodoro’s Trattoria was such a treat!

By MyrtleBeachforFamilies 1 Comment

Last night I had the opportunity to dine out without my family – yeah, yeah, I know this is Myrtle Beach for families, but sometimes Mom and Dad get to dine alone. The good news is that the restaurant we chose ended up being refined family dining.

A few months ago I got dining certificates from Restaurant.com. For $2, I got a $25 discount at Pomodoro’s Trattoria in Myrtle Beach. We had dined there once a few years ago, right after it opened. The food was great, but the menu seemed a little limited and there were no kids’ choices. Thankfully we were able to easily make due with buttered pasta and chicken parmesan. For the record, they do have an official children’s menu now, so finding something to suit your little ones won’t be a problem.

When we arrived, I was reminded how nicely decorated the restaurant is, both indoors and out. Their huge, arched, oak front door is the best! The arches continue throughout the restaurant with tons of brick accidents, warm lighting, comfortable seating, and an atmosphere that wasn’t really quiet, but not loud either. It isn’t the type of place you could easily conceal a screaming toddler, but a family having a conversation would go completely unnoticed. There were a few families there with small children and I didn’t realize it until we saw them leaving.

As an appetizer, we had baked artichokes with brown, bubbly mozarella on top. The three words I want to use to describe it are rich, delicious, and what-I-would-want-as-my-final-meal. Seriously. If it had been socially acceptable, I might have licked the white wine, butter, and lemon sauce from the bottom of the dish. Instead I had to resort to soaking it up with bread.

For dinner, I had the shrimp scampi and hubby had the veal picatta. The shrimp in my scampi was plump and crisp. It was perfectly cooked. The sauce was as good as what was in the articoke dish. In fact, if I could create my ideal meal, it would be some marriage of these two choices on one plate.

Hubby’s meal looked fantastic. He said the sauce was really flavorful and the meat was tender. With both of our meals, the pasta had such a nice al dente texture. It may have bene homemade. Ronzoni it was not.

The only semi-disappointing aspect of the meal was the salad. It was very icebergy and likely came out of bag. Yet, it won’t stop me from a return visit because taking only a few bites of it left me more room for the good stuff.

The service was great. The meal had a leisurely pace to it and we were attended too without our server being overbearing. Our orders were just as we placed them. And in general, the whole experience was very pleasant.

Pomodoro’s Trattoria and Bar is located at 364 Robert Grissom Parkway in Myrtle Beach. They can be reached at (843) 626-3161. And you can find them online here and on Facebook here.

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Authentic Italian meal at Pane e Vino in Myrtle Beach

By MyrtleBeachforFamilies

Pane e Vino, located off River Oaks Drive in the Carolina Forest area of Myrtle Beach, opened two and a half years ago, and somehow we hadn’t yet made it there. I remember seeing a menu when they first opened, thinking it was really limited and and wondered if they’d make it. Flash forward to a few months ago, Restaurant.com was offering 80% off dining certificates, so I got a $25 coupon for $2. It was time to try it!

Last night, after a long day at the water park, my tired family showered and dressed, ready for a homey, pasta meal. To begin with, Pane e Vino, from the outside, looks very unassuming. It’s in the corner of a strip mall and has a few outside tables. It’s definitely the type of place you could drive by 100 times and never notice. Looks can, absolutely, be deceiving, though.

When we entered, we were greeted by the manager and seated immediately. It’s small inside, but very cozy. The colors are warm, there are small strings of lights strategically placed that added something nice. Through out the restaurant were grape vines and wine bottles. If wasn’t so tired, and driving, I would have loved to partake in a glass…or three. Also in the dining room was an accordion player who added just the right touch. His music wasn’t too loud and included fun tunes like the “Pennsylvania Polka” (think back to the movie “Groundhog Day”) and “Happy Birthday.”

The menu has been changed since I saw it when they first opened. There are many, many fantastic choices. They span pasta, meat, chicken, and seafood. The only thing missing was a white sauce option. And one feature I loved was the kids’ menu section. Moms and dads, how sick are you of going out to eat with your children and having the choice of pizza, chicken tenders, hamburger, hot dog, corn dog, or grilled cheese? Honestly, there is little variation, which is so disappointing. And while we don’t eat out that much, my girls are bored with it. On their menu were some familiar choices like pasta and chicken parmagiana and included with each kids’ meal was soup and salad, just like the adults. The restaurant doesn’t have ranch dressing and I love how the food isn’t dumbed down. Now with that said, everything is handmade. When I talked to our server how our younger daughter hates all things tomato, we were able to get buttered pasta and chicken parm with just cheese on it. We’re so appreciative for the customization. My husband even said, “Tell the chef we’re sorry. I’ll take her sauce!”

The soup was a homemade stratella, with a chicken broth base and breadcrumbs, romano cheese and herbs. Delish! The salad was mixed greens, carrots, cucumber and tomato with an oil and vinegar dressing. The rolls tasted homemade and were brought to our table so hot that I had a wait a minute to butter them. I could have eaten the entire basket.

I ordered one of the specials for my entrée – eggplant rollatini. It was offered as an appetizer (one roll) or entrée (three rolls + vegetable). I also got a side of their homemade pasta. My husband got the cannelloni. My eggplant was wrapped around chicken and spinach, on a tomato sauce and topped with melted and browned, bubbling mozzarella cheese. The cannelloni was also on sauce and topped with cheese.

The two words I want to use to describe this meal are authentic and homemade. Olive Garden this is not. In fact, it’s the anti-Olive Garden. The courses were perfectly spaced. The owners and chefs stopped by our table (and they had no idea I was reviewing, so special attention here – they chatted with everyone) to talk about the food and experience. I felt like our family was welcomed and they were genuinely appreciative that we were enjoying their food.

Normally I try to photograph our food. Folks…I was too busy enjoying. In fact, while eating I think I said aloud, “I almost don’t want to review this because I want to keep it for myself!”

My meal was $20, my husbands was $15. Each of the children’s meals were $6. I saw entrees on the menu in the $25 range. There were also lobster tails and filet mignon on the menu in the specials, which I’m sure are higher in price.

This meal is the best I’ve had in a year. I can’t wait to return and bring friends and family. It gave us the marriage of really high quality food and a family friendly environment. Bellisimo!

Pane e Vino is at 4016-7 River Oaks Drive, Myrtle Beach and can be reached by calling (843) 903-3136.

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Brunch at the Spring House Family Restaurant in Murrell’s Inlet

By MyrtleBeachforFamilies

A few mornings ago, my mother and I were out together in the late morning and decided to stop by the Spring House Family Restaurant in Murrell’s Inlet. It’s been a few years since I’ve been, but I have such a fond memory of a meal there with my husband and in-laws, pre-children. The restaurants are diners, with a traditional “breakfast all day” format and hearty meals in the afternoon and evening.

In the Murrell’s Inlet location, the decor may seem dated with flowered wallpaper and flower chandeliers but I say that lovingly. Sometimes bright, sleek, and shiny doesn’t translate to homey very well and I would definitely say that atmosphere at Spring House Family restaurant is exactly that – homey and warm. So, sure – it’s not the most modern choice, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a negative thing. Without a doubt, this is a very family friendly atmosphere.

My mom ordered two eggs, over-easy, sausage patties, hash browns and rye toast. I got a cheeseburger and fries. Our hostess and waitress were both friendly and sweet and we were attended too in a very timely manner.

When the food was delivered everything looked pretty good…until closer inspection. Mom’s toast was blackish. Like not, “does this look a little well done to you?” It was more like she turned it over and it was charred. The picture doesn’t depict that very well, but trust me. Then when I started to arrange my burger toppings, I noticed the large chunk of core in the center of my tomato slice.

When Mom mentioned her toast issue to the waitress, it was immediately switched out with an apology. My issue was remedied with a quick surgical procedure with a butter knife in 10 seconds flat, so no harm done.

Our food ended up being quite satisfactory and the total price for these two entrees, a sweet tea and cup of coffee was just under $20. Despite some issues with the details, this meal was good and the service was great.

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Sea Captain’s House – a Myrtle Beach tradition perfect for your family

By MyrtleBeachforFamilies

I had the most amazing breakfast I’ve had in at least a year this morning!

Let me preface this review with a little background information. Sea Captain’s House has been a favorite breakfast spot for my family for several years now. My children went to preschool in that part of town and it was the place I’d take my mom when we’d have a morning out together. It was the place I have taken my brother on many occasions when he was visiting.

What screams at you about Sea Captains House is the view. If you sit in the glass room, you look out over the ocean. If you sit on the porch, your view starts in the dune and creeps over onto the ocean. It’s perfect. And this morning, while gazing into the great Atlantic, I had this moment of, “why don’t I come down here and enjoy this WAY more often?” I felt a little like I was on vacation.

When making plans for this meal, I knew EXACTLY what I was going to order. They have a great breakfast buffet which includes everything from fruit and oatmeal to omelettes. I wanted something different, though. Last time I was there, I had the Seafarer’s omelet and it was awesome. While chatting with the waitress about it, she mentioned something about the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict having a fried green tomato in it. Fried green tomato? That’s not on the menu…I was intrigued.

When it was delivered to me, it looked ridiculously good. The dish is two fried-green tomatoes, topped with two crab cakes, topped with two poached eggs, and topped with hollandaise sauce. It was rich, but not too heavy. It was pricey, but heavenly and I know I’ll have it again.

My friends with me both had the buffet, and as usual, their fruit looked fresh and bright. Their omelettes were stuffed and looked quite yummy.

Our service was nice, the setting of the open-air porch was great, and I left there feeling full and relaxed. I can’t wait to return.

Sea Captain’s House is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here is a link to their menu. I’ve had my children with me several times for breakfast. Other friends have taken their children there for dinner. The atmosphere is casual enough for the family and the food is good enough that your meal there makes you feel like you’re having a nice culinary experience.

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Where to Eat in Myrtle Beach

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