By Becky Billingsley

Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, Myrtle Beach - It's that time of year when changes take place at Myrtle Beach area restaurants, such as seasonal closures, permanent closures, new menu items and special promotions.

 

Closing for season

 

Today Phillips Seafood at 1807 21^st Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach is open for its last day of business for the 2012 season. Hours of operation today are from noon to 9 p.m. As in years past, the plan is to reopen in May.

 

Clearing up confusion

 

No, Ultimate California Pizza Game Zone is not opening a new location where East of Chicago was, at 3901 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach. The UCP sign that’s on the East of Chicago site is to let people know, now that East of Chicago is closed, that they can book birthday parties at UCP. You can learn more about UCP Game Zone – where people can play a lot of different video games and more, redeem tickets for prizes and enjoy great pizza and a lot more, HERE. They aren’t just kiddie games either – adults also enjoy this huge arcade.

 

Another mango recall

 

Del Monte has recalled plastic bowls of fresh-cut mangoes, and it affects fruit sold in South Carolina. See the FDA's notice HERE.

 

New menu items

 

Hard Rock Café at Broadway at the Beach is rock and rolling out new menu items:

 

Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta with bright and vibrant fresh Roma tomatoes enhanced by balsamic vinegar and shaved Parmesan.

 

Pan Seared Sea Scallops served over creamed corn with tarragon.

 

Excellent Smokehouse Chopped Salad with smoked chicken, spicy bacon and pecans, Cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, avocado and smoky-citrus vinaigrette.

 

Tender Chicken Marsala served over Emerald Green Risotto.

 

Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Butterfly Shrimp – it’s a great new surf and turf.

 

Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Drizzle.

 

Hard Rock also has a pink cocktail being sold during October called Tropical Tatas with Ciroc coconut vodka, Southern Comfort, Coco Real and Strawberry Puree. It comes in a large logo Hard Rock glass you get to keep, and a portion of its $13 price goes to breast cancer research.

 

You can keep up with what’s going on at Hard Rock at their Facebook page. The staff does a lot of community service, and there is always something fun going on. 

 

More football

 

More football specials were added to THIS ARTICLE about drink and dining deals at area restaurants during football games. They include the Sundown Restaurant & Sports Pub in Surfside Beach with buy-one-get-one-free pizzas and domestic beer buckets for $12.50; and Fibbers on the Water in Little River with a special tailgate menu and beer and wine specials.

 

Cupcakes for the Cure

 

From Sept. 24-29, Coccadotts Cake Shop at 106 Sayebrook Parkway (by the new Target) in Myrtle Beach is selling pink cupcakes for $2.50 each, and half the price will be donated to the Best Chance Network that provides free breast and cervical cancer screenings to low income women ages 47-64 in South Carolina who meet specific guidelines.

 

Fall harvests

 

Millgrove Farms, located southwest of Georgetown, has fall field crops of arugula, tatsoi, mustard greens and yellow fleshed watermelons, herbs from their greenhouse and starter plants of collards, cabbage and broccoli for home gardeners. Millgrove Farms is at 296 Benton Williams Rd., and the number is (843) 546-5075. 

 

Ladies’ Night Out returns

 

The Melting Pot in Myrtle Beach is bringing back its Ladies’ Night Out events for the off-season. The first one is Monday, Sept. 24 when for $35 per person the evening includes dinner with a new Ladies’ Night menu featuring dishes such as marinated pork loin, marinated white shrimp and “gourmet ravioli.” Drinks are $5 during the event, and for each attendee, $5 will be donated to the Humane Society. The Melting Pot is at 5001 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is (843) 692-9003.

 

Myrtle Beach’s Next Best Chef

 

Tickets are available for the Myrtle Beach’s Next Best Chef Competition taking place starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, at Zulu Tapas Lounge in Myrtle Beach, when five local chefs are going to engage in an Iron Chef-style battle. Tickets are $20, and in addition to admission the evening includes a buffet-style sampling of the chefs’ dishes, dessert, a non-alcoholic beverage and a wine pairing. They can be purchased at any of the participating chefs’ restaurants.

 

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Casa 2, which provides shelter and services for women who are victims of domestic abuse. Michael Maely of WMBF and Chef Eric Wagner of Horry-Georgetown Technical College are two of the five judges. 

 

The five chefs are:

 

Kevin Levine – Scatori’s Pizzeria, Myrtle Beach

Nick Batchelder – Louis’s at Sanford’s, Pawleys Island

Bradley Boandl – Bistro 90, Longs

Jeff Ray – Zulu Lounge & Bistro, Myrtle Beach

Trey Bell – Ailsa Pub, Myrtle Beach

 

Zulu Tapas Lounge is at 9668 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, and the number is (843) 213-1730. Evans can be reached at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Rivertown Dine-Around

 

Several restaurants in downtown Conway are participating in a food-sampling event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29. Diners will go to the Conway Visitor Center at 903 3^rd Ave. to pick up a wristband and a map showing where the participating restaurants are located, then visit the restaurants and pay $2-$4 each for food samples.

 

So there is enough food to go around, diners are required to register at conwayalive.com or by calling Conway Dine Around at (843) 248-6260.

 

Participating restaurants include Crady’s, The Trestle, Skip’s Grill & Chill, The Crafty Rooster, Solano’s Trattoria, Bodega, KC’s Deli and Rivertown Java.

 

 

 

 

Looking for Souper Chefs

 

Chefs interested in participating in the annual Souper Supper scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4 at Valor Park in The Market Common in Myrtle Beach should contact Lee Zulanch at (843) 477-1100 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The event is hosted by the Myrtle Beach Chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and dozens of area chefs will provide all the soup samples people care to eat, plus bread, beverages and desserts, for one ticket price. Tickets at the door are $12 for adults or $7 for children. Advance tickets that can be purchased at MyrtleBeachACF.com are $11 or $6, plus tax. 

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