Myrtle Beach Trip – Day 1

Lance and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was such a nice break from the Phoenix heat and a great chance for us to make one last trip to the beach before fall/winter take over.

It turns out that September is an awesome time to visit Myrtle Beach – the weather was perfect (and that’s coming from a girl who can’t handle ANY humidity whatsoever) and there were no crowds anywhere. One thing we did notice (and I mean this in the nicest way possible) that there were an unusual amount of elderly folks around town – just an observation but worth noting.

We are crazy people and decided to take a red-eye flight all the way from AZ but the cool part was getting to fly into Florence on a propeller plane. Seriously so cool!

Our first order of business was of course lunch (shocking, right? haha). We decided on Peaches Corner in Myrtle Beach. It’s the oldest eatery in Myrtle Beach (75 years!) and was so charming. The menu was simple featuring favorites like their famous foot long hot dogs, burgers, fries and ice cream. I kept it simple and went with the classic foot long hot dog – with mustard, chili and onions and I a nice big cup of sweet tea.

I wasn’t sure about the combination of chili and mustard, but I decided to trust what’s popular and go with it. I was impressed! Perhaps a new favorite?

And Lance had the cheeseburger

But my favorite part – the sweet potato fries tossed in cinnamon sugar. I was a little worried they might be too sweet, but they were just right!

After lunch we checked out the boardwalk before checking into the hotel. I wish I would have had time to ride the SkyWheel though, it looked so fun!

We stayed at the Patricia Grand Resort, right off Ocean Boulevard.

Our room was actually much bigger than I thought it would be since it’s right off the beach (maybe I’m used to Cali hotels..) but it had a big kitchenette, a table and a seating area, plus plenty of room around the bed. It didn’t feel cramped at all.

The best part: The view! Lance and I found the shape of the hotel interesting, which made perfect sense when you looked out your balcony – everyone had views of the ocean. The balcony was perfect to enjoy the weather and hear the ocean at night…and maybe drink a few of these:

I immediately scoped out local South Carolina beers and found that New South Brewing Company is actually brewed in Myrtle Beach! We hurried on over to the liquor store  down the street to keep a few in our fridge for the weekend. New South also offers tours of the Brewery in Myrtle Beach, but unfortunately the timing was wrong and we missed it.

For dinner we headed to The Brentwood Restaurant and Wine Bistro. I had read some reviews that said this place was not to be missed and well friends, it did not disappoint. It was hands down, the best meal we had the entire trip!

The Brentwood is an old house with quite a bit of history – it was built in 1910 then was actually moved across the street in the 1980’s. It is now owned by Chef Eric Masson and his wife Kim Masson, where Chef Eric cooks up some amazing French Cuisine.

There were far too many choices on the menu, but our wonderful waiter helped nudge me along in picking something delicious. Then he brought out an Amuse-Bouche from the Chef – Vichyssoise, Truffle Crème Fraiche

Lance and I started off with the Escargot Bourguignon. It’s been like 10 years since I last had escargot and I was surprised how much I liked it. And I may or may not have used bread to dip in the extra garlic butter

Next we had the Poached Pear and Blue Cheese Salad. I’ve never though about putting poached pears on a salad before so this was a delightful surprise. They paired well with the tangy blue cheese.

For my entrée I had the Coquilles St. Jaques Risotto. I know, what the heck is that right? Well besides being marvelously delicious it was fresh pan seared dover scallops with a sweet corn risotto. To.die.for. Believe me when I tell you I ate every single bite.

Lance got the Rack of Lamb, in a pinot noir reduction and roasted red grapes. He didn’t let me near it to give it a taste, but I’m taking his word for it that it was delicious.

Simply because dinner was so amazing, I knew we couldn’t leave without dessert. Earlier in the evening I overheard our waited telling another couple about a new dessert created by the chef so I knew I wanted to try it. Lance was leaning towards the Crème Brulee au Grand Marnier – so we got both  

But the winner was….

Panna Cotta with a Rum Foster sauce. I’ve never been so in love with panna cotta in my life. so I am pretty sure that this sauce was what did me in. Plus I also claimed a dessert victory since Lance said my choice was better than his

One of the coolest parts about The Brentwood is the rumor that it’s haunted (Here’s the A&E Ghost Story video about The Brentwood – interesting yet very creepy!). One of the other waiters was very enthusiastic about it the entire night, so I asked him to show me upstairs to look at the Wine Bistro and tell me a little more about it’s haunted history.

This is the couple who originally owned the house in 1910…supposedly they are the ones who haunt it. That photo isn’t creepy at all.

Aand that is a secret door, I didn’t ask where it led to, perhaps I should have?

At the bar upstairs I noticed that they infuse their own liquors, they had one with vanilla bean and one with citron. I excitedly mentioned that I make my own limoncello and coincidentally so does Chef Eric (and he uses bottles just like mine!) so I had to give it a try!

See that? I’m pretty sure I captured a ghost on film (or is it memory card?) or maybe it was just my flash being weird…I’ll let you decide. Let’s try that again:

If you’re ever in the Myrtle Beach area you have to eat at Brentwood! It was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in years!

Stay tuned for Days 2 & 3 of our trip!

 

**Disclaimer: Some portions of this trip were sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau. I am not being compensated for anything written in this post. All thoughts and views included in this post about Myrtle Beach and associated places/activities are my own.**