By Becky Billingsley

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, Myrtle Beach – Two new restaurants are soon opening off the U.S. 501 corridor, one in Myrtle Beach and one with a Conway address.

The one that will open first – this Saturday – is Danny’s Bar & Grill at Fantasy Harbour in Myrtle Beach. Drivers on U.S. 501 may have noticed the new tall sign just west of the former Hard Rock Park announcing it.

Danny Cuevas is the owner, and he says he plans to open Saturday at 11 a.m., and then regular hours will be daily from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.

“It will be a sports bar and grill,” he said on Oct. 3 while standing beside the massive central bar ringed by cocktail tables.

Cuevas said he has much restaurant management experience, and he plans for a menu with check averages of $7 or less with dishes such as burgers, crab cakes, wings, sandwiches and seafood. Happy Hour, scheduled daily from 4-7 p.m., will feature $2 drafts and $2.50 house drinks.

Danny’s Bar & Grill is on April Gray Lane just west of George Bishop Parkway, and the number is (843) 796-2072.

Tongy’s Schmackhouse

A few miles farther west in the University Commons shopping center across U.S. 501 from Coastal Carolina University, four men are planning to open Tongy’s Schmackhouse by the end of October.

The partners are brothers Blake, Dustin and Chad Leek and Dominic Fragomeni. Blake and Dustin will be the on-site and hands-on owner/operators. Chef Chad Leek and Fragomeni operate 3 Point, a steak and chop house in downtown Akron.

Blake and Dustin Leek have worked in the Myrtle Beach area hospitality industry for 10 years in corporate settings, and now they are eager to open the concept they’ve been envisioning for years. The restaurant’s unusual name – Tongy’s Schmackhouse – is an old private joke from their own college days the brothers described people who imbibed as being “schmackhoused.”

On Oct. 3 Blake, Dustin and a chef friend visiting from their native Ohio were in the kitchen experimenting with menu items. They wrapped mozzarella sticks in bacon and deep-fried them, then worked on a spicy marinara dipping sauce to go with it.

They aim to have a fun and fresh menu and ambiance appealing to CCU students and staff, Conway and Myrtle Beach locals and area visitors. Their menu features dishes like Crab Bruschetta, Fish Tacos, Nachos and a fried veggie medley.

“The price point – well, the most expensive thing on the menu is $9,” Dustin Leek said. “We’ll also have healthy salads, like a Greek salad served with warm pita and pepperoncini. We don’t want to throw out frozen burgers – this will be from-scratch cooking.”

The men are in the process of selecting craft beers to stock the bar and will implement them in the recipes, such as their Newcastle beer batter used in a family recipe for Jalapeno Poppers.

The restaurant has a large central bar and several tables and booths, three pool tables, darts and several video games. There will be free WiFi, seven 52” televisions and a cappuccino machine for daytime coffee service.

“We want it to be a fun atmosphere with respectable food,” Dustin Leek said, “and we want it to appeal to many ages and occupations.”

Tongy’s Schmackhouse is at 201 Graduate Rd. in Conway, and the number is (843) 347-8664. When it opens, the kitchen will serve food for lunch, dinner and late-night dining.