Tag Archive | south carolina

I would like an ocean view room in Myrtle Beach please: Patricia Grand Resort

I went to Myrtle Beach and I did not want to stay near all the loud, young party goers because I wanted a nice peaceful time at the beach. So I was looking for a family friendly hotel/resort.

I ended up choosing Patricia Grand Resort because of the price. It was reasonable to me, especially since I was going in the middle of the summer.
We arrived about 2 and decided to ask if they had any rooms ready even though the website said that check in begins at 3pm. Check in was a breeze. I gave them my name and they had everything ready for me. At check in, they gave me a packet and savings card for discounts at local area restaurants. I also decided to valet park the car so I did not have to deal with the hassle of having to find parking.

Our room was on the 19th floor. The picture shows the view from our room. The room décor could be considered "no frills". It was a simple clean room with a bed, night tables, computer desk, television, and chair. On the balcony were two chairs and a little plastic table. I did not go to the beach to spend all my time in the hotel, so I did not need a lot of luxuries. All I was looking for in the room was for it to be clean and it was.

Booyah! Mission ACCOMPLISHED! As usual, there were not enough outlets, so the room looked like an obstacle course with my computer, cell phone, and kindle charging at the same time.
There was a coffee bar on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor. There was also a drinks bar near the pool area. I ate in the restaurant one time for breakfast. It was decent, nothing spectacular, but definitely edible. I don’t know it if is possible to mess up bacon and eggs. Well, I take that back. It might be possible to mess it up, but they did not so I have no reason to complain. The coffee bar was your typical look alike Starbucks selling Starbucks coffee and some off-brand muffins.

During the day, I used one of the lounge chairs to sit out by the pool and soak up some sun. Then later I went out for a walk on the beach. When I was tired of that, I went inside and sat on the balcony of my room. Listening to the ocean has to be one of the most relaxing sounds.

In all, Patricia Grand Resort was a nice choice for my accommodations for my Myrtle Beach weekend. The service personnel were friendly and eager to make my stay a comfortable one. Everything met my expectation. If I go back to Myrtle Beach, this hotel/resort will be at the top of my list.

South of the Border

Jun26

If you have travelled Interstate 95 North from Florida through Georgia and South Carolina, you have probably seen the signs telling you about South of the Border. South of the Border is a tourist trap at the SC/NC line. After years and years of seeing the signs urging me to visit, I felt like I had to go just to see what it was all about. Yes, I knew it was a tourist trap but my curiosity got the best of me. Once we took the exit to South of the Border, I saw a hotel, reptile lagoon, gift shop, and a small amusement park. I did not go to the reptile lagoon because I did not have a desire to see a bunch of snakes. The hotel, with its faded paint, looked like a downgrade from Motel 6 from the outside. Not commenting on the number of stars of the hotel per se becasue I don’t know what the rooms look like. Just saying, it did not look like much from the outside. The amusement park was not open but the rides looked like fair rides for children. I do not have children, so I did not check that out either.

The place is as kitschy as you can get. I thought that they go overboard with the stereotypical depiction of Mexican people. Brightly colored ponchos and other souvenir items were for sale in the gift shop.
Back in its hay day, I am sure that South of the Border was probably a happening, lively excursion for the enjoyment of the entire family. Now days, they probably need to figure how to revamp the place, slap on a new coat of paint, and come up with some activities to attract more people. Water park anyone?

Overall, since I do not have children, there is probably not anything that would inspire me to go back.

Farmer’s Shed – Lexington SC

Feb8

Farmer’s Shed is another triple D (Diners Drive-Ins and Dives) pick located in Lexington, SC

This is a Southern food joint with different meats and sides for each day Monday through Friday. The allure of this place is that it is located next to their farm where a lot of the vegetables are grown. I was fortunate to have a vacation day on a Wednesday and was able to visit. The food was so good!!!!

I ordered the cranberry pork chop because I like all things pork. I was served a thick cut pork chop with cranberry/meat broth drippings. I do not even think that is the proper way to describe it. The cranberries were not too sweet or too tart. In any case, the pork-cranberry flavors worked very well together. After I finished my plate, I wanted more. The collard greens were some of the best that I have tasted in a restaurant. I think they might even have rivaled Daddy Dz (Atlanta, GA) and that is saying a lot. Their cornbread has a little sugar on top before they bake it and so there is a little crunch on the top. It went very well with the collards. The hint of salt from the collards paired with the hint of sweet from the cornbread had my taste buds performing gymnastic flips of

joy in my mouth. At one point, I had to close my eyes to fully enjoy the experience.

If you have read any of my other posts featuring restaurants that have been featured on TV, you know that I hold the restaurants to a higher standard than normal. If a place is rumored to be so good that it is on TV, the food quality has to be perfect. Sometimes Southern food restaurants fall short because the food is not as flavorful as it appears to be on TV. I can say that is NOT the case with Farmer’s Shed. This restaurant is worth all the accolades they have received. I wished that I lived closer so that I could go there every day. I am already trying to figure out how I can get there on a Friday. There Friday menu

looks really good too.

Overall: Farmer’s Shed is definitely worth a trip! Check out their menu beforehand so that you can decide what you want to eat. Otherwise, you
might to order one of everything 😀

Pascal’s Cafe and Grill – Greenwood SC

Dec9

When I want to treat myself or celebrate a special occasion, one of the places I like to go is Pascal’s This restaurant is considered upscale for Greenwood. They serve French-American style cuisine. Reservations are recommended to make sure you get a table in this small restaurant because they tend to get crowded. Some people have told me that they consider Pascal’s to be pricey, but I have been to other upscale restaurants and their prices are about par for what I expect. That being said, do not try to eat here if you are on a budget because plates average prices are probably about $20.

I am not very adventurous when it comes to trying different plates on their menu because I love the pork osso bucco. The meat is so tender that it falls off the bone. The rosemary demi-glace sauce is a wonderful complement to the mashed potatoes. And the asparagus qualifies as my serving of vegetables for the day because it is served al dente without having the life cooked out of it.

I do not know how many pork osso bucco Pascal cooks each night, but I always try to get there early so that I can get my order before they run out for the night. Pork osso bucco is so delicious that even after I am full, I might try to eat a little more. The only thing that keeps me from stuffing myself is the knowledge that I will be able to eat Crème Brulée for dessert.

Pascal’s Crème Brulée rivals Maggianos. I love the textural differences of the crunch of the burnt, slightly bitter caramelized sugar mixed with the soft, sweet, creamy, vanilla custard. It is like velvet in my mouth.

Overall: The service is good. I have never had a problem with any of the waitstaff. The quality of the pork osso bucco and Crème Brulée has always been top notch for me too.

Milanos Greek and Italian – Pelzer SC

Nov28

I went to Milano’s because there was no other restaurant around and I was hungry. There were no cars in the parking lot and I had low expectations of the place. I expected it to be a dive with mediocre food. Since they serve Italian and Greek food, I figured that there was not too much that they could mess up with that. Spaghetti is usually easy to cook. With enough hot sauce, I could make the marinara sauce palatable if I needed to do so.

The menu looked good, but keep in mind I was hungry too.

I ordered the Slovaki (know I spelled that incorrectly) chicken, steamed vegetables, pita bread with a Greek side salad topped with blue cheese dressing. Might as well live on the edge and try something different. It was so good. The chicken tasted as if it had been marinating for days in the liquid seasoning. The seasoning was heavy, but not overpowering, on Mediterranean spices. The Greek salad was mainly iceberg lettuce with 2 black olives and a pepperonicini. I would have preferred more olives but that is because I like their briny flavor. I had the option to get the steamed veggies or the greek potatoes. I am glad went with the veggies because I think that the potatoes and the pita bread would have been too much starch for one meal. The veggies tastes as if they might have been cooked in the same marinade as the chicken so they were full of flavor too.

The plate serving was more than enough food for me. I had to fight the urge to overstuff myself because the food was so appetizing.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. Do not let the empty parking lot fool you. Their food is awesome.

Milanos Greek and Italian

508 Highway 8 East Pelzer, SC 29669