"Since 1995, Croissants Bistro and Bakery has been a local’s favorite serving quality comfort food at affordable prices. Offering everything from in-house freshly roasted coffee to homemade soups and sandwiches to baked delicacies and catering – Croissants is the one-stop shop for all of your dining needs. Honored as SC Restaurateur of the Year and SC Chef Ambassador, owner Heidi Vukov strives to blend the freshest ingredients with exceptional customer service in order to create an unforgettable experience for each and every guest."



This bakery was my last stop in Myrtle Beach before heading home - my first ever trip to Myrtle Beach. 



And, it may have presented me with one of my most difficult challenges here yet - what to order. Everything on the menu looked delicious, from quiche and shrimp & grits to chicken & waffles and French toast. 



We started with this beautiful little complimentary muffin that got my tastebuds going. It was a delicious little sweet bite - perfectly moist and loved the sugar texture.



My breakfast was a crab cake benedict - I can't help myself. The fatty, rich breakfast just hits all the "yum" points in my brain. Paired with sweet, fresh fruit and cheesy, crispy hashbrowns, it was perfection. AND, they serve a complimentary ambrosia salad - which I don't think I ever had before. But I enjoyed it. 



Grade: A

Sea Captain's House is one of the last restaurants I was able to hit up before leaving Myrtle Beach.



It's a beautiful, white house sitting right on the beach with a floral entryway that just felt light and airy and beachy.

 
"A Myrtle Beach restaurant was built in 1930 by Henry Taylor of High Point, NC. For 10 plus years the Taylor family vacationed at their oceanfront beach cottage. During the 1940s, Charles W. Angle purchased the cottage, enjoying the sound of the ocean’s tide until 1954, when Mrs. Nellie G. Howard purchased the cottage and began operating Howard’s Manor. With nine guestrooms and three home-cooked meals daily, the guesthouse was a forerunner in providing the warm southern hospitality Myrtle Beach is known for today. Howard’s Manor was advertised as a place where friends meet each year with the beach at their front door."



The decor inside has a nautical theme, though I was only in there for a few moments to pick up my order. First up was their award-winning she-crab soup: "Rich and creamy soup with blue crab and a touch of sherry." I am a fan. It was even better when I dunked the hush puppies in the soup. It's like a beach version of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Comforting and a beautiful blend of flavors and textures.



I also ordered shrimp tacos, which used their bang-bang shrimp topped with jicama slaw, pickled onions and homemade sweet and spicy sauce on flour tortillas. These are simple in concept - crunchy and creamy and sweet and sour - and so tasty. It was a really perfect beach lunch, which was reflected in the flavors.

Grade: A

If there's a time to indulge in seafood, it's at the beach. In this case, Myrtle Beach.



While walking along the beach, I stopped at Wicked Tuna, a sushi grille and bar. I sat at the bar, which has a great view of the ocean. It was light and breezy. The menu has salads, sandwiches and sushi - all looked tasty, really. 



As per usual when I go on vacation, I had been eating my way through the city the whole day, so I really wasn't looking for anything heavy. But there were a ton of things I wanted to try between the lobster roll, maki rolls and even the beet salad. 



Instead, I opted for a simple shrimp cocktail. A few jumbo shrimp were laid atop ice and served with a cocktail sauce. I really enjoy shrimp. Sometimes, though, it can be not the freshest at the grocery store, and a weird texture can totally ruin it. But these? They were perfect. They are fresh, the texture is firm, there's no sliminess or rubberiness or fishiness. They are slightly sweet, have a nice little snap when you bite in, and the cocktail - I love horseradish. It's my favorite spicy flavor, and there was plenty here. 



Grade: A

The name "Blueberry's Grill" alone conjures up images of tall stacks of pancakes studded with blueberries in my mind.



So, I already had my mind set on that. But when I opened the menu, I was instantly drawn to the crab cake benedict, which might be my favorite breakfast item of all time. Plus this one came with fried green tomato! All on an English muffin with remoulade on the side. 



What's a girl to do? Order both. I got one blueberry pancake, which by the way, was quite tasty, of course. Not too thin, not too thick, but generous with the blueberry both inside and sprinkled on top. Yes. 


And then the benedict - you just can't go wrong. It's the perfect vacation breakfast. The crab cake gave some nice texture and flavor to an otherwise ordinary egg dish. The remoulade adds some creaminess and just a bit of heat. Quite tasty.

Grade: A

Hook & Barrel is a noted seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach that focuses on local food and  sustainability.



Chef Heidi Vukov started this restaurant and has won many awards, including the 2018 South Carolina Chef Ambassador. 



Hook & Barrel was one of the first places I knew I wanted to dine at when I decided to take a trip to Myrtle Beach because it had been recommended to me a few times. Vukov's other location, Croissants Bistro & Bakery, is also one we'll come back to later. 



The restaurant itself is beachy. Open, airy, light, a large wraparound porch - which is where I chose to have my meal. 



I started with the crackers and pimento cheese, which, wow, is quite the way to start a meal. Super crisp chips with a heavy scoop of cheese and mayo and pimento that is was just hitting all the right notes.



I ordered a crab cake before I knew of the delightful complimentary pimento cheese appetizer, but I always love a crab cake. These three mini ones were plump with a flavorful remoulade. The cakes had hunks of crab, perfect seasoning and just a delicious pairing with the creamy sauce. 



The menu spans from fresh oysters and she crab soup to smoked shrimp & grits and pan-seared scallops. The latter is the one I landed on, which came with celery root puree, sauteed kale and roasted mushrooms. A beautiful scallop is special thing. That nice sear gives way to a meaty scallop that is slightly sweet. Paired with the puree, kale and mushrooms - it really was a perfect dish.

Grade: A

I came across this mini donut truck in Barboursville recently, and I was excited to check out what they had to offer.



O Goodness Mini Donuts offers teeny tiny donuts by the dozen with both classic and specialty flavors: cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, glazed, peanut butter lovers, maple bacon and fruity pebbles. 



I threw caution to the wind and ordered a dozen. You can split the dozen into two flavors, so I went with peanut butter lovers and fruity pebbles. 



I actually really liked the texture of these little guys. They had an ever so slight chew that was really satisfying. And the toppings, of course, took them over the top. It's kind of a fun experience to eat a bowl of donuts with a fork - plus fruity cereal and peanut butter candies. It doesn't really get much better.

Grade: A

The Juice Box has opened a location in Kanawha City, in addition to its Hurricane location. 



They offer cold press juices, cleanses, "shots," smoothies and acai bowls.



When I visited he Hurricane location, I tried the Tropical Smoothie, and I enjoyed it.



So, this time, I had to go with something just a littttttle different. The kind gentleman working encouraged me to try the "Blue Breeze" acai bowl. 



It's actually pretty similar to the tropical smoothie with banana, pineapple, kiwi, raspberry, coconut, peanut butter, honey, blue spiralina and hemp seed. 



It was the last two that sorta threw me. Blue spirulina? Apparently it's a superfood algae that can be bitter - which is why it's mixed in with all those sweet fruits. Hemp seed? These don't seem to have much flavor but add some nutritional value.



And in the finished product? I couldn't taste anything ~different~. In fact, the bowl was really good. I loved the contrasting flavors with the fruits and oats. There was a perfect proportion of ingredients so it didn't feel like one big soupy mass or just a thick bunch of oats. It was a beautiful medium, and it's definitely something I'd try again. It was sweet, refreshing and satisfying.

Grade: A

There's a new restaurant in Nitro that is serving up some monster portions. 1st Place Cafe is a small spot at the corner of 1st and 2nd avenues with dark windows with a handful of parking spots out front.



The interior has maybe a dozen tables sprinkled throughout the space, a couple TVs and the singular neon menu board that lists the options for the day. 



As soon as I walked in, the kinda gentleman running the show that day came out to explain each individual menu item to me - and he did so for each group that walked in. The menu boiled down to burgers, a chicken sandwich and a hot dog that all came with a heaping pile of fries. Drinks are extra.



I went with a cheeseburger, which he had explained is not just ground chuck - but sirloin. I also added a side of the blue cheese sauce he mentioned was developed as part of the chicken sandwich. But, I thought it could be a great dipping sauce for those fries. 



After a short wait, my order was up, and I whisked it away to the car to hurriedly unwrap my meal. The burger was wrapped in paper with a pick in the center to keep it all together. I'm not joking when I say I think this is the largest burger I've ever had in my life. Initially, I thought I could eat it while driving to my next errand. But upon seeing the size, there was no physical way that was going to happen.



Let me try to break it down - the burger is very wide. It's a two-handed experience at best, a fork-and-knife experience more likely. It has a large fluffy bun and a salad's worth of lettuce, tomato, onion and fresh pickle atop a hefty burger patty. There's cheese and mayo and mustard and ketchup and they are not skimpy on any of those ingredients. They combine to make a tangy sauce that just dripped with every bite. It was fresh and flavorful and like a tasty backyard BBQ burger on steroids. 



The fries are softer with a ton of seasonings - including a cajun spice that gives it a little kick. I wouldn't hate mine being more crisp, but the flavor is still good. I enjoyed dipping mine in the blue cheese dressing. This could easily be two meals - but I'm not judging if it's one.



Grade: A

Breathe Wine & Culture Co. is a cute beer, wine and specialty store in Cross Lanes.



The store has a great selection of local beer, unique wines and so much more that falls under that "culture" label.



They serve lunch Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with sandwiches, salads and sides.



They also have a cooler full of grab-and-go options like salads, charcuterie trays, hummus plates, chicken salads croissants and more.



And, they have flavored coffee and tea for purchase.



I took a few laps around, collecting goodies to purchase before taking a look at the lunch options. 



I ended up purchasing an assortment of items so I could try a few different things (my motto). 



I started with a pepperoni roll, which were packaged on the counter. I asked if they were made in house, but the person working wasn't quite sure. 



They were OK - a lot of bread, so a bit dry.



But, I also ordered a strawberry tea. I think I'm the only person south of the Mason-Dixon Line who doesn't enjoy sweet tea (though I do like Brisk), so I wasn't sure what to expect.



I ordered a strawberry tea, and it was pretty refreshing. It still has the bitterness of tea that I don't love, but the flavor of the strawberry helped.



The star of the show, however, was the charcuterie plate I bought that came with spinach dip, cheese, chicken, pita, grapes, chocolate, salami, olives and strawberries.



This is really my preferred meal, any time of day. I like snacking, and I love the creamy and the sweet and the bitter all together. 



Have you visited this place yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Grade: A