restaurant review

#LetTheFinBegin @ LandShark Bar & Grill Myrtle Beach!

Welcome to my favorite time of year here in Myrtle Beach. It’s less crowded and the weather takes a breather making it the ideal time for outdoor dining. My husband and I recently had the opportunity to visit LandShark Bar & Grill on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, at the base of the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel, and I wanted to stay all day!

Disclosure: We were compensated with a free meal and $50 American Express gift card for one lucky reader in exchange for this review and promotion. Scroll down to learn how to enter to win! All opinions expressed are my own.

LandShark Bar & Grill is beachfront

LandShark Bar & Grill offers indoor and outdoor seating. We dined on a beautiful August evening, so I got as close the railing as possible. The view is stunning!

The restaurant is beachfront and what’s cool is that this is literally the type of place you can go for a nice dinner with a view OR walk up from the sand to grab a drink. Whether you’re there for a meal or a frozen beverage, it’s got this very sandy, beachy, summery vibe that I’ll never get enough of.

The LandShark Bar & Grill menu has something for everyone – get excited about the food!

I’ve probably never mentioned it before, but this girl loves an appetizer. I’ve been known to order them as entrees. Okay, I actually probably do this more than I order entrees, if I’m being totally honest. At the LandShark Bar & Grill we stuck with the classes – nachos and wings.

First up were the Taco Nachos. Tortilla chips, tons of meat, beans, pico, and fresh jalapeños…get in my mouth! Hubby loves nachos more than normal people should.

We tried our hardest, I swear we did, but we couldn’t eat them all! The portion was huge and I’m, frankly, disappointed in us that we didn’t dig deeper to finish them off!

Next up were the Chicken Wings with Buffalo sauce. They were messy, saucy, juicy, crispy, and just spicy enough to feel it. I sometimes do “best of” blogs for food items across the Grand Strand and these wings may soon deserve their own post! I would go back to LandShark Bar & Grill just for those wings. We DID finish those. Priorities, people.

LandShark Bar & Grill is a quintessential beach bar with a menu with everything from frosty beverages to upscale food choices. There’s something for everyone, including the littles. It’s open-air, but shaded. It’s casual, but with high-quality food. It’s laid back, but with very good service.

With the backdrop of the beach on one side, the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel on another, and Ocean Boulevard and all of its attraction on yet another, it’s at the center of all the downtown Myrtle Beach action. Plus, it’s easy walking distance from loads of popular hotels!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Myrtle Beach Restaurant Review: Famous Toastery Carolina Forest

By Melissa Byers Leave a Comment

When I heard words like “homemade” and “crafted” I was intrigued. More and more I just can’t stand cookie-cutter restaurants serving bagged salad and processed chicken breasts. Call me a snob, but yuck. When we eat out I want fresh. The new Famous Toastery Carolina Forest made that promise and I set out to see if they could back it up.

What I ate when visiting the Famous Toastery Carolina Forest

On my first visit, I was with my mom. We had lunch and I ordered the Turkey Burger, which was on the Specials list. As you can see, it’s fresh, hand-formed, and served with avocado…my favorite! It was delicious!

During my second visit I had the Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict, which was also on the Specials menu. Oh. My. Gosh! I’ve had something similar at the Sea Captain’s House in Myrtle Beach and the Toastery’s version was ah-mazing. I’m totally uncompensated for this post yet I’m still going to tell you that I had dreams about that meal for three days after, it was THAT good.

When I visited my third time, I was with my mom and brother, who has, what I would call, a simple palette. He prefers basic foods and thought the Toastery looked a little “foo foo.” I’m not sure what the definition of that is, but I’ll bet you have an idea of what he was talking about. His fears were calmed, however, when our server started offering options. “What kind of bread does the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich come on?” She answered, “Whatever kind you want. We have white, wheat, rye, sourdough, a bun, chibatta bread…” He ended up with the chibatta bread and loved it!

For the record, I got the lobster quiche and it was ridiculously good! The crust…oh, the crust. Delicious! On my most recent visit, I got the sausage and cheese quiche, which was almost fantastic.

Here are a few more highlights. Fresh squeezed orange juice, service from every server in the place not just “our” server, as much customization as you can handle to your meal, super fresh ingredients, and a fun atmosphere.

Famous Toastery Carolina Forest, I can’t quit you.

For more information, check out the Famous Toastery Carolina Forest’s Facebook page or website.

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Our visit to Wahlburgers of Myrtle Beach – Restaurant Review

By Melissa Byers 4 Comments

Let me start this post by saying I’m a Wahlburg fan and we were extremely excited for a Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach experience! Did it live up to all the hype? Keep reading!

Let’s go back in time for a moment. Join me, won’t you? My love started with Donnie during a late 80’s New Kids on the Block phase. There’s pictures somewhere that include huge hair and neon colors. I’ll spare you. You’re welcome. Then came Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch with their good vibrations. Little bro was also good time.

What’s been funny is how this Wahlburg family never really went away. Mark developed a fantastic movie career and then Donnie popped up on TV. Then there was that whole NKOTB reunion situation and the underrated hit, Rock This Boat on the Pop network. Seriously, you have to check it out. I keep trying to talk my cousins to take the cruise with me!

For the past few years, my husband and I have loved the Wahlburgers show on A&E featuring Paul Wahlburg and much of the Wahlburg family. There’s just something about the show that makes you feel like you’re part of the family. Call me crazy, but we’re hooked and were totally geeking out at the news of a Wahlburgers coming to Myrtle Beach. This weekend we finally got there and here’s the report.

Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach and the changes at Broadway at the Beach

First, let me talk about the changes happening at Broadway at the Beach. There are parts that are a full out construction zone, but I like what I see. The Celebrity Square area, where Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach is located, is getting a much needed update and it’s looking great! On one corner is the new Hard Rock Cafe, on the other is the new American Tap House, then there’s that beautiful green and white logo I was dying to see…Wahlburgers.

When you arrive, there are two options. You can either have a full-service experience, or you can order at the counter and eat upstairs or in the outside seating area. Full-service was full when we arrived, so we walked up the counter, ordered, and went upstairs. We were given a pager, which alerted us when the food was ready. The wait was not long.

The interior

If you’re a fan of the show of the Wahlburgs, in general, you’ll love the interior. There are photos of the family everywhere including a huge television with snips of the show. The ceiling features family buzzwords. Another wall was like a tag cloud for Myrtle Beach.

One feature I know families will love are the acoustics. The restaurant is loud. Not overwhelmingly loud in a way that makes you want to get out of there. But instead, there’s a level of noise that allows families with little ones to enjoy their meal without panicking about disturbing other diners.

The food

The menu isn’t huge, but has a great variety. Everyone in our family except our youngest, got burgers. Hey, if you’re going to call it WahlBURGERS, you leave us with no choice. We need the burgers.

I got the Our Burger, my husband got the Double Decker, and my daughter got Dad’s Basic Burger. The little one got the kid’s chicken tenders. One day I’m going to break her of that habit! We split up the sides – one of us got fries, another got tater tots, and we finished up with onion rings.

Everything we had was fresh and incredibly tasty! The homemade pickles and Wahlsauce were both top on my list.

For three burgers, three sides, four drinks, and a kids’ meal our total was just over $53. A little price for burgers? Yes. Worth it? Yes. These burgers are of higher quality than most in the area, without question.

Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach was not just delicious, but a fun overall experience. We’ll definitely be returning!

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3 of our favorite local sweet treats for your Valentine

By Melissa Byers Leave a Comment

If you’re looking to spoil you Valentine with a little sugar this Saturday, here are three of our favorite spots to indulge!

Coldstone Creamery, while a franchise, always delights us! The ice cream is fresh and the mix-in options are endless. My favorite is getting it all in a waffle bowl. Cake batter ice cream with brownie bits and almonds is my favorite (and standard) order. If it’s not too cold, go enjoy! There are two locations – one at Broadway at the Beach and another at Market Common.

Coccadotts Cake Shop is as fun as the name sounds. Located off 544 in the Sayebrook area by the new Target, there you will find award-winning cupcake flavors like Boston Creme, Strawberries and Champagne, and Red Velvet. Are there any other families out there like mine who get a few and play Cupcake Wars where everyone has a taste of each and scores them? No? Just us? You should give it a try!

Last, you absolutely MUST try the pastries at Toffino’s Italian Bakery on Farrow Parkway. Totally ignoring the fact that their pizzas and subs are also phenomenal, their desserts will blow you away. They have classics like fresh canolis and cream puffs. They also have insane goodness in the form of lobster tails and butter cookies. I get in trouble every time I go in there because my eyes are bigger than my stomach!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Photo: steph.clifford/flickr

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Restaurant review: The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood is far more than just a buffet

By Melissa Byers Leave a Comment

It’s a dreaded question I get asked all the time. “Which is the best seafood buffet in the area?” They’re everywhere. The bummer is that I never had a good answer. Many offer loads of mediocre food. That was until I ate at The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood in Myrtle Beach on restaurant row, which showed me how great a buffet experience can be.

Locally owned by the Howard family, Benjamin’s holds 1000 guests and is the largest restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Within it is far more than food. It has 11 dining rooms and three handicap accessible areas. It’s classified as an antique nautical museum and houses the largest collection in the southeast! The theme runs from the floor clear up to the ceiling and a simple walk around proves to be very interesting.

The Original Benjamin's Calabash Seafood — The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood

The restaurant houses many fantastic artifacts.

The sea theme runs throughout the restaurant.

One thing you’ll notice is Benjamin’s large collection of model ships. They employ an in-house model ship builder named Jimmy Frost. The models, from huge to small, are all built by him. You can even visit his workshop and see his latest projects. He prides himself on his attention to accuracy and detail.

Have a look around at all of the model ships.

They're built with a keen eye for accuracy. — They’re built with a keen eye for accuracy.

You can visit the modeler's workshop and see his latest projects. — You can visit the modeler’s workshop and see his latest projects.

Some ships are huge and others, like these are small.

While waiting to be seated, there are two more areas that keep everyone happy. For those wanting a nice breeze and view of the beautiful intracoastal waterway, check out the outdoor porch which features rocking chairs, ceiling fans, and easy access to the bar.

Outdoor waiting area offers comfortable seating and a lovely breeze

Views of the Intracoastal Waterway on the outdoor patio waiting area

If you have wee ones, Benjamin’s has a fantastic kids’ Nautical Experience. In it are fish tanks, a ship, hand-painted mural, television, and loads of fun. Guests can wait for their table in this area. During busier times, there will be a staff member down there doing activities!

The kids' area is huge! — The kids’ area is huge!

kids4 — Don’t forget to bring your camera for this adorable photo op!

kids3 — Even the smallest guests at Benjamin’s have a place to play!

kids2 — Would this area be complete without an aquarium? Here fishy, fishy, fishy.

The Original Benjamin’s is a South Carolina Certified restaurant and gets a large portion of the food they serve from area sources. The buffet offers 170 items and truly has something for everyone. If you’re eating healthy, there are plenty of plant-based and low-fat options. Landlovers, have no fear. There are plenty of non-seafood choices for you including beef, chicken, pasta, and much, much more. And for those of you who love seafood – you’ll be in heaven. It’s available in a ridiculous number of varieties.

And while that's all very cool, it'll be the food that brings you back time and time again. — And while that’s all very cool, it’ll be the food that brings you back time and time again.

For those who loved fried foods, there is an entire wall of food offered in the “calabash” style. What does that mean? I had to ask, to. It means lightly breaded and deeply fried. The food prepared in this style is crisp and delicious. For those who love steamed seafood, head straight for the crab legs. If you’re unsure how to crack and eat them, ask your server for help. I did and got a lesson!

One piece of advice – go hungry! You’ll want to arrive ready for a basket of Benjamin’s hushpuppies and leave room at the end for their dessert bar. Everything is baked on premises.

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not a buffet person, but Benjamin’s changed me. Not only was everything was fresh, but there were choices to please everyone in my family. Plus, it was an experience. We spent a lot of time taking it all in. I can’t wait to return.

Adults are $29.99 and children ages 5-12 are $12.99. This wouldn’t be a true MyrtleBeachforFamilies.com review if I didn’t have a discount, so here it is. On the Benjamin’s website, there is a coupon for $4 off the buffet that doesn’t expire until March 2015. Just make sure you read the fine print as there are time restrictions.

For any questions, give them a call at (843) 449-0821.

Happy dining!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

restaurant review

LandShark Bar & Grill is beachfront

The LandShark Bar & Grill menu has something for everyone – get excited about the food!

What I ate when visiting the Famous Toastery Carolina Forest

Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach and the changes at Broadway at the Beach

The interior

The food

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