By Laura C. Burns

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011, Myrtle Beach - A word of advice to Grand Strand diners at a new all-you-care-to-eat restaurant at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach called Capriz Italian Feast: Pace yourselves.

Capriz Italian Feast serves an abundance of family recipes and traditional Italian-American fare in a festive, busy environment. Patterned after Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse where food is served tableside in passed dishes, Capriz offers to diners unlimited trips to an Italian-themed salad bar, and boundless portions of pasta, secret family recipe Rotisserie Chicken and breadsticks. 

During a sneak-peak opening on Sept. 18, the servers and managers practiced their service for family, friends and community members.

The small but unique wine list features a new technology: an iPad. The iPad lists information about the wine, its vintage and its vineyard.

After ordering wine, it was time to dig into a big plate of antipasto treats from the salad bar. The salad bar included Mozzarella and Prosciutto pinwheels, Asparagus, Eggplant Parmesan, assorted cold meats, Parmesan bits, cold Cheese Tortellini pasta, Romaine leaves with Caesar dressing, Chopped Salad with vinaigrette, White Bean Salad, Cherry Tomato Salad and many more.  

Then, in the manner of Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse, diners can turn their table cards from red to green, which means "bring more food please!" and out comes the pasta.

Pasta courses include Gnocchi with a Pesto Cream sauce, Manicotti with Red sauce, Shrimp Alfredo, Rigatoni alla Vodka with Meatballs and Pasta Carbonara. In addition to unlimited pastas, a big bowl of spaghetti, a separate bowl of meatballs with red sauce and a plate of rotisserie chicken are also brought to the table.

Dessert was a sampler of Limoncello Cake with a shot of Limoncello on the side, Biscotti, Cannoli and Tiramisu.

Larry Bond, operating partner with TBonz Restaurant Group, said all of the recipes at Capriz Italian Feast are family recipes.

“My business partner, who runs Rioz, brought his mother’s recipes to the table for Capriz,” he said. “From the Pasta Carbonara to the Rotisserie Chicken, all of them are family recipes.”

Orlando Preissler, operating partner for Rioz, said his family is from the southern part of Braziland that many of the recipes at their family restaurant were the ones chosen for Capriz Italian Feast.

“The restaurant [in Brazil] is even called Capriz,” he said. “It started small and is now big. We have the same idea as we have here with unlimited servings of our family’s recipes. We serve Italian food with a Brazilian flair."

Preissler said they are still trying out their desserts and would have a complete menu in time for their opening. Dinner is $18 and includes unlimited pasta, meat and the salad bar. Drinks and dessert are extra. Children ages 6 and younger are free, and the price for children ages 7 to 12 is $9.

Capriz Italian Feast at 1311 Celebrity Circle in Myrtle Beach, (843) 712-1707, opened Sept. 20 and serves dinner daily starting at 4 p.m.. It will be closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.