By Becky Billingsley

Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, Pawleys Island - Local culinary fans may have thought they lost Chef Louis Osteen when he closed his Pawleys Island restaurant called Louis’s at Pawleys and The Fish Camp Bar in Sept. 2008, but his revival is in the making at Louis's at Sanford's.

Chef Osteen, who received a Best Chef Southeast James Beard Award in 2004, had four career moves after leaving the Grand Strand. Now, in his new kitchen home at Louis's at Sanford's in Pawleys Island, he is creating fine Southern food with mid-range prices.

Some of the dishes are classic, while others are unique creations or reinvented Southern favorites. With a price point much lower than diners experienced at Louis's at Pawleys, this newest venue may become a fan favorite.

The chef is 70 years old now, and his wife/agent/promoter/marketer/manager, Marlene Osteen, is 63. They were both hobnobbing the dining room and keeping tabs on the kitchen on Feb. 18, the new restaurant's second day in business.

Formerly known as Sanford's Southern Fried Smokehouse, it is still owned by Dwayne Christen and Rodney Long, who also own a Georgetown-based restaurant supply business called Po' Boys Discount. Sanford's was previously known for its smoked meats, Tomato Pie and Bread Pudding, and while the menu still has smokehouse appeal, it now has Osteen refinements.

Gone are most of the vintage memorabilia in the dining room. There's a new muted gray and periwinkle paint job, and a long and high wooden community table was added in the room's center. On temperate days, outdoor seating by the Mingo development's central pond are coveted, while a good number of patrons choose to drink and dine in the covered indoor/outdoor bar. An extensive use of colorful Festive Ware adds cheerfulness to tables and frames the food.

There's a full bar, but now the Osteens have added a respectable wine list with dozens of choices, including several by the glass ($6-$10.50) such as Maciat Macon-Morizottes Chardonnay and Pietra Santa Zinfandel. My friend and I each had $6 glasses of Mendoza Tinto Negro Malbec and enjoyed the complex flavor blend.

Starters range from $4-$14, and we opted for Deviled Eggs with House Smoked Salmon and Preserved Duck over Creamy Grits with Redeye Gravy. Both were fantastic.

Chopped smoked salmon is in the yolk puree, and while you can taste the salmon, the effect is more suggestive than pronounced. You get three halves, and they are savory delights.

The bowl of duck, on the other hand, has a vividly condensed flavor profile. The meat's tender/chewy/salty aspects are excellent paired with creamy (definitely heavy cream in there) grits. That marriage is completed by a ring of redeye gravy that tempers the meat while popping the grits.

Other appetizers include Charleston She Crab Soup with Aged Sherry, Fried Chicken Livers with Caramelized Onions, Bacon-Scallion Hushpuppies with Buttermilk Ranch dipping sauce and Crab Cake with Grained Mustard Seed Saucy and Spicy Slaw.

I had some of that spicy slaw with my entree, and it's a winner. The slightly fired creamy dressing is luscious, but even better are slivers of fresh julienne tomato amidst crunchy veggies.

Four salads are offered in small ($6) and large ($9) sizes. There are a Grilled Caesar; Louis's Crunchy with fennel and goat cheese; Fish Camp Chopped that contains ricotta; and Izy's Reinvented Waldorf where endive, diced tart apple and walnut halves are tossed in buttermilk crème fraiche and plated with a topping of sliced pickled beets. My friend and I shared a small Izy's, and loved it.

On the entree side, the large smoker in a sheltered corner of the bar is still seeing use via St. Louis Back Ribs, Sliced Brisket Austin Style, Pulled Pork and Lamb Denver Ribs with Tarragon-Mint Pepper Jelly. I'm a lamb chop lover and a rib fan who never tried lamb ribs, so I ordered a rack for $12.

I'm glad I tried them, but they were a little too greasy and a bit too hard to eat to put them on second-ordering status. However, if you have patience for working your way around the fat to get at the lamb, the meat morsels dipped in pepper jelly are a treat. One of my sides was the aforementioned Cindy's Spicy Cole Slaw, and even better was my second side of Sorghum Baked Beans.

Sorghum may have a sweet sound to it, but the amount of molasses used adds more of an earthy savoriness. Its firm beans combined with melt-in-your-mouth fatback in piquant gravy could be my next new favorite carry-out comfort food. A few other side dishes are Squash Casserole, Beer Braised Collards, Fried Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes with blue cheese and bourbon.

My friend had a Fried Oyster Po Boy from a list of 11 sandwiches ($9-$13) and was pleased with the delicately crispy oyster batter, and the sandwich's accompanying crunchy shoestring Kennebec fries. A few other sandwiches are Roast Pig Tacos; Open Faced Smoked Brisket on Texas Toast with Texas Sweet Onion Gravy and Horseradish; Louis's Burger with caramelized onion, blue cheese or Cheddar; House Smoked Salmon on brioche with cucumber, hard-boiled egg, pickled red onion and Sauce Gribiche (caper sauce); and a vegetarian delight on grilled ciabatta with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, kalamata olives and pesto.

Entrees listed under House Favorites include Grilled Fish of the Day with Romesco, Tartar or Lemon Vinaigrette sauces; Mongolian Pork Chop with spicy Chinese mustard; Charleston Shrimp and Creamy Grits; Chicken Fried Duck Breast with stewed kumquat gravy and mashed gold potatoes; and North Carolina Rainbow Trout plated with bacon, crabmeat and scallions.

Chocolate Mousse is a locally favorite dessert with French Huguenot roots, and Chef Osteen turns it southern with a foundation of Boiled Orange Custard. My dining companion and I think this is an excellent flavor and texture combination.

Also on the sweet list are Classic Coconut Cake, Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Caramel Cake, Fried Apple Half Moon Pie and Bread Pudding with Fried Apples and Brandy-Fig Compote.

Want specials? There's a $12 entree special every day, and on Sundays a $15 lunch includes Fish Camp Skillet Fried Chicken, slow-cooked green beans, squash casserole and rice with gravy. Cue the gospel choir - they'd sing praises over this menu.

This latest culinary revival from the Osteens will appeal to existing fans, and the lower prices should attract new ones.

Louis's at Sanford's is at 251 Willbrook Blvd. in Pawleys Island, and the phone number is (843) 237-5400. It's open daily for lunch and dinner.